From: lazarus@ug.cs.dal.ca (Chuck Turner)
Subject: Re: Critical Hits
Keywords: critical hits
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 00:26:18 GMT

In article <1992Oct4.195528.16250@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov writes:
>>I was wondering about the implemented ways of afflicting critical
>>damage with weapons.

>I strongly recommend that you do NOT implement critical hits or fumbles
>in your game.  We've been over this several times already, but I'll
>reiterate.

[reiteration + example deleted]

I have to disagree.  I think that players have it too soft as it is.  Most of
this is my fault, and I freely admit.  I hate to kill off players, and so I
often fudge things in their favour a bit.  But with a crit system in place,
it is possible to fight my own tendencies to be lenient.  Besides that, it
adds a bit of description to the combat, and allows for truly heroic battles.

>While we're talking about our friends, the kobolds, what happens when
>your fighter has AC -2?  The little lizards need a 20 to hit the guy.
>Does that mean they always do double damage?  And you think that's fair
>and proper?

To hit a fighter with an AC of -2, the kobold would need a modified die
roll of 22 on D20.  20, however ALWAYS hits.  But, we cannot let the little
critter do a crit hit every time, no matter how incredible it is that he
hit in the first place.  This is how our group handles it.  If you need a 19 or
less on D20 to strike a creature, then a 20 will give you a 100% chance of
doing a critical hit.  If you need a 20 or more on D20 to strike your
opponent, then your chance of doing a crit is 100-(20*(needed to hit - 19)).
In this example, the kobold would have a 40% chance of doing a crit.  This
is reasonable, as it is a near miracle that the brute hit in the first place.

>If you implement critical hits and fumbles in your game, you are
>doing a disservice to the player characters.

In my previous post, in which I presented the tables that we use, I mentioned
that one of our group is experimenting with another crit hit system.  I'll
state it simple now to present another idea.

When you roll to hit, you roll a D20 AND and D10.  The D20 is the same as
always, but a 20 does not mean a crit hit.  A roll of a 1 on the D10 signifies
a critical.  The chance of doing a critical is less than using the straight
natural 20 system, but improves as your character does (being based on whether
you actually hit or not).  At very high levels, your chance of doing a crit
will be better using this system than using the natural 20 system, but only
against creatures with low AC.

Once you've determined that you've done a critical, you roll D10 again.  This
time, instead of rolling a 1, you must roll a 1 or a 2.  If you succeed, roll
again, but with the intent of rolling a 1, 2 or a 3.  This progression continues
until you fail, or until the progression runs its course.  If the latter is
the case, the opponent is killed instantly (in a most spectacular fashion).

If, as is more likely, the progression fails, you multiply the weapon's max
damage (before any STR, specialization, or magical bonuses) by the number of
crits done.  To this, you add a normal rolled damage for the weapon, plus all
bonuses.

Ex.  Faether (with his bastard sword - specialized, STR 17) strikes at a spirit
naga.  Faether succeeds in his attack, and rolls a 1 on D10.  He rolls again, 
and gets another 1 on D10.  His third roll, however, he gets a 7.  This means
that he has scored a double crit.  His bastard sword does 2D8 against large
creatures, and he rolls an 11.  So, his total damage in this critical hit is
32 (2 x max damage) + 11 (normal hit) + 3 (strength and specialization bonus)
for a total of 46hp damage.  Quite a prodigious hit!  More than likely to do
more than half of the naga's total.

But, the chance of rolling a crit, let alone a double or better crit, is lower
than under most systems.  In the six months that we've been using this system,
my priest (a templar) has done no more than 10 crits, of which 2 have been
triple crits, one a double, and the rest single (the fact that the two triple
crits were in the same round did not impress the DM =.]  )

>-- Ken Jenks, NASA/JSC/GM2, Space Shuttle Program Office
>      kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov  (713) 483-4368


					   Chuck (Curan of WhiteSands)

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|_______________________________________| Chuck Turner -> lazarus@ug.cs.dal.ca