Critical Miss Table

The Critical Miss Table is, as expected, a table you or the GM can use for Critical Misses (critical failures on an attack roll).Basic Set, p.556-557 A reminder that critical misses are:
* Any roll of 18
* Any roll of 17 unless you're particularly skilled (15 or more)
* Any roll that's 10 greater than your effective skill
** For instance, a risky roll at Skill-6 would invite a critical failure at a mere 16!Basic Set, p.556
If making an unarmed attack, in which case the B557 Unarmed Critical Miss Table is used. If using a weapon or gadget with a Malfunction stat, malfunctions have "priority", and will happen instead.Basic Set, p.382
== The Table ==
On a critical miss, roll 3d6 to see what happens.
* 3, 4 – Your weapon breaks! 
** Exception: Certain weapons are resistant to breakage. These include solid crushing weapons (maces, flails, mauls, metal bars, etc.); magic weapons; firearms (other than wheel-locks, guided missiles, and beam weapons); and fine and very fine weapons of all kinds. If you have a weapon like that, roll again. Only if you get a “broken weapon” result a second time does the weapon really break. If you get any other result, you drop the weapon instead. See Broken Weapons. 
* 5 – You manage to hit yourself in the arm or leg (50% chance each way). 
** Exception: If making an impaling or piercing melee attack, or any kind of ranged attack, roll again. If you get a “hit yourself” result a second time, use that result – half or full damage, as the case may be. If you get something other than “hit yourself,” use that result. 
* 6 – As 5, but half damage only. 
* 7 – You lose your balance. You can do nothing else (not even a free action) until your next turn, and all your active defenses are at -2 until then. 
* 8 – The weapon turns in your hand. You must take an extra Ready maneuver before you can use it again. 
* 9, 10, 11 – You drop the weapon. Exception: A cheap weapon breaks; see 3. 
* 12 – As 8.
* 13 – As 7. 
* 14 – If making a swinging melee attack, your weapon flies 1d yards from your hand – 50% chance straight forward or straight back. Anyone on the target spot must make a DX roll or take half damage from the falling weapon! 
** If making a thrusting melee attack or any kind of ranged attack, or parrying, you simply drop the weapon, as in 9. 
* 15 – You strain your shoulder! Your weapon arm is “crippled.” You do not have to drop your weapon, but you cannot use it, either to attack or defend, for 30 minutes. 
* 16 – You fall down! If making a ranged attack, see 7 instead. 
* 17, 18 – Your weapon breaks; see 3.
== Variations ==
=== Innate Attacks ===
The table makes the assumption that "armed" attacks are physical objects like guns (ranged) or sword (melee):
*3, 4, 17, 18 "broken weapon"
*8 "weapon turns"
*9, 10, 11 "drop or break"
**14 "throw swung, drop a thrusting/parrying/ranged"
This might work normally if using Innate Attacks designed with Gadget limitations (they can take damage, be repaired, etc) but not with how the advantage functions in the wild.
=== The Natural Malfunction Table Approach ===
One thing to keep in mind is there is another way for gadget innate attacks to break, the 2nd variation of the Unreliable limitation.
B116 gets a Malf number and follows the Malfunction rules on B382 including the Malfunction Table
*this never goes so far as "your weapon breaks" immediately: but crit-failing the Armoury roll on a mechanical/electrical problem (which if not present initially, might result from crit-failing to clear a Stoppage or Misfire) can destroy the weapon
P107 offers a different Natural Malfunction Table for non-gadgets. These are results that make more sense for innate attacks and which GMs might opt to substitute for the usual CMT table which assumes tangible gadgets making the attacks.
If rolling a result that doesn't make sense, one could just ignore it (no extra bad effect other than missing) or reroll until a sensible result occured. A third option would be to roll on the NMT in that case.
=== Switchable approach ===
One option is to make IA function like "I'm holding something in my hand making these attacks, but if it's ever destroyed I can recreate it".
Basically treat having an innate attack as a while conscious switchable ability: require a Concentrate maneuver to summon the "thing in my hand" which then launches the attacks (ranged) or hits.
*the GM could allow a Fast-Draw skill to create the weapon as a free action instead of needing a concentrate.
**there isn't really any functional difference between 1 second Concentrate and 1 second Ready unless a Wait maneuver interrupts you (make will-3 roll) and weird rules about being able to ready while grappling but not concentrate
***if that's the case just make it a ready, but a Concentrate should be mandatory if you had some kind of Will-based Fast-draw instad of DX
The ready maneuver turning on the ability would then be followed by a 2nd ready to GRIP the weapon
*Multiple Fast Draw could reduce BOTH seconds to a single free action, at -2 penalty for added step
This is a one-way cost: since it would automatically vanish upon falling unconscious, it would also be possible to unsummon it as a free action.
This need not have any HP or DR as per a gadget. Nor need it be grappleable/grabbable.
It can be viewed as an insubstantial ungrappleable diffuse ball of energy, a spectral sword, etc.
*"weapon turned" just needs 1 ready (or unpenalized fast-draw) to mitigate (just fixing grip)
*"weapon dropped" needs 2 readies (or unpenalized fast-draw) to mitigate (lost contact made it vanished, resummoning)
*"breaks" could mean rolling on the NMT mentioned in previous section
Summoning the weapon could count as an active use of a power (fixing grip would not) even if actual attacks did not.
==External Links==
*GURPS Critical Miss Table (dummies.com)
== References ==
category:rules
category:tables