From: MWORKMAN@vm.cc.purdue.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Combat Criticals: DM query
Date: 30 Jul 92 06:27:40 GMT
Organization: Purdue University


 
I was wondering if there are any combat critical tables more realistic
than Rolmaster's?
 
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Rolemaster system, here's
a little discription of their critical tables:
 
There are critical tables for:  Slashing, Puncture, Crushing, Large Creatures,
Super Large Creatures :-), Tiny Animal Attacks, Martial Arts Strikes, M.A.
Sweeps and Throws, Grappling, Unballancing, Heat (fireball!), Electricity,
Cold (Cone of ;-) ), Impact, Spell Strikes for Large and Super Large Creatures,
and a Weapons Fumbling Critical Table.  Whew!
 
Most of the Charts have 5 degrees of nastiness: A, B, C, D, and E
But some charts, Super Large Creatures for example, list catagories like:
normal, magic, mithril, holy, and slaying.
 
The charts are very descriptive (a 100 on a C crushing reads:"Strike to
forehead. +30 hits. You squash foe's eyes and destroy them.  Foe is stunned
and unable to parry for 24 rds.").   Other effects are:  bleedin at #/rnd,
must parry for X rnds at -X%, unable to parry for X rnds, at -X%, at -X% for
X rnds, knocked out, die in X rnds, +X to your next swing, +X hits, and so
on....
 
I have added a Spell Failure Critical Table for my mages :-) .
 
Anyway, you say that's fine and dandy, but these are used for Rolemaster,
not AD&D!  Well, a few simple rules... and they fit right in!
 
I'll explain by example:  A fighter needs an 11 to hit a certain AC, and he
rolls a 10.  With his bonuses (+2 str, +3 dbl specialized, +3 magic sword),
he gets an 18.  That's 7 (18-11) over what he needed to hit!
 
O.K so take 7 and divide it by 3 = 2.something or 2.
(Why 3? It seems to work well.  OTOH, I use 4,5 and 6 for Martial Arts strikes
against chain, banded, and plate male respecively.) The higher the divisor
(denomenator), the harder it is to obtain a critial.  That's why I give
slaying weapons a divisor of 2 (really nasty!).
 
Here's a little table to apply the number:
                      SIZE OF CREATURE (or relative toughness)
No.  Halfling   Human   Troll     Giant      Dragon      Titan
 
1        B        A     A-50    no affect   no affect   no affect
2        C        B       A      S.L.Cr     no affect   no affect
3        D        C       B     S.L.Cr+10    S.L.Cr     no affect
4        E        D       C     S.L.Cr+20   S.L.Cr+5    S.L.Cr-30
5       E+50      E       D       L.Cr      S.L.Cr+10   S.L.Cr-10
 
I made this up while playing.  It seeems to do the job nicely.
 
If that same fighter was fighting a halfling, he'd get a whopping C critical,
but if he was fighting a dragon, no critical!
 
For a dragon attacking a halfling:  If the dragon got a 3 (C crit. for humans),
I'd give him +5 for each size difference, and that being 4 (giant, troll, human
and halfling), the dragon would get +20 to the D critical on the Halfling :-} .
 
I have also made a table for MU Elemental Spell Criticals (Heat, Cold, Elect.
as above) vs Level.  This adapts the spell criticals to AD&D.
 
Well there you have it.  Any comments? suggestions? Better systems?
I'd like to here from you.
 
Ryan Workman
Initiative is my life :-)
(Sorry for any typos, this accidently got trashed...  twice!)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd