Criticals

For some rolls, the result of the die is so extreme it causes additional effects; the most common use of this language is discussing a critical hit for a weapon. In a weapon’s listing, there are the critical threshold and critical multiplier. The critical threshold is the number which, when met or exceeded on the attack roll, causes all damage dice rolled to be multiplied by the critical multiplier.

For instance, if a character, Te'Kel, is using a longsword, the critical threshold is 24 and the critical multiplier is 2. When Te'Kel rolls an attack, they use 1dW (3d10) and see what the result is. If the result is 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30, they multiply the damage dice by the critical multiplier.

Let’s say their attack deals 1d6 +4 slashing damage. A critical hit would deal 2d6 + 4 slashing damage. The extra damage is not multiplied, only the dice.

If Te'Kel took a level of brigand, and this hit allowed them to add precision damage, then the hit would do an additional 1d6 of damage. Furthermore, if their sword was enhanced to become *flaming*, this would deal an additional 1d6 damage.

Their normal damage would be 1d6 +4 +1d6 slashing damage +1d6 fire damage.

A critical hit would be 2d6+4+2d6 slashing damage +2d6 fire damage.

Let’s sayTe'Kel decided to fight an elder dragon with 56 AC.

If their attack bonus is +6, even if they rolled a 25 on the 1dW they would not hit, even though it meets the critical threshold.

There are two other possible situations that result in a critical. If Te'Kel rolls a 3 or 30 on their attack this carries additional effects. The 30 counts as a +20 to the attack roll and applies the weapon’s critical multiplier twice to the damage. This is not an automatic hit, but in most cases will result in one. If they attacked this elder dragon and rolled a 30, their total to hit roll would be 30(roll)+20(critical bonus)+6(to hit) = 56 and they would be able to hit the dragon. This attack would apply their critical multiplier of 2 twice to the damage, for a total of 4d6 +4+4d6 slashing + 4d6 fire. Some players enjoy the use of a critical hit table detailed below

**Optional: Critical Hit Table**

When rolling a 28 or above, roll a d12 and use the following table:

On the other hand, a roll of 3 on 1dW is an automatic miss, though has no guaranteed other effect. Some players enjoy the use of a critical failure table, which is detailed below:

**Optional: Critical Miss Table**

When rolling a 5 or below, use the following table:

**Non-attack rolls**

Other rolls do not have critical thresholds or multipliers as this doesn't make sense for them, but there is still the possibility of rolling a 3 or 30 on skill checks, ability checks, or other 1dW rolls.

30:

This is a best-case scenario. This gives a +20 on resistances. It does not mean the laws of physics are broken or that you gain the use of a wish spell, but things fall into place very well. A 30 on a check to accomplish an unreasonable task does not make the impossible possible, but it can reveal information, change the situation to be more beneficial, or simply reveal that the problem was actually different and not as impossible as you had thought.

An example of this is a halfling with power 2 trying to lift a 4 ton boulder to save the child underneath. This isn’t possible, even in 1 in 1000 cases, but the little brat managed to roll a 30, so what happens? This could result in a rock nearby crumbling allowing the boulder to roll off, or the kid is inspired by the effort and managed to slip out by breaking their leg. Perhaps if the halfling worships the god of strength then he momentarily is granted the Power to accomplish this feat if he has been pious. In a social situation, a 30 wouldn't just make the king give you his crown, but it might make him laugh and grant you respect for your gaul. A 30 on a Linguistics check may reveal a cognate you previously were unaware of which reveals a lot of information without granting fluency in the long lost language. There is always room to find an explanation for the player to “win” without sacrificing the realism that makes the world immersive.

3:

This is the worst case scenario. This gives a -20 to resistances. This isn't death, but it might be embarrassing. Many players may choose to “Take a 10” to avoid this outcome. You don’t have a 1 in 1000 chance of breaking your leg every time you get out of bed, these failures do not need to be overly dramatic.

An example of this would be trying to pick a lock and breaking one of your tools inside. It isn’t a game over, but sucks and requires some time to fix. Another example is spraining your back attempting to pick up a heavy object, something that only happens if you aren’t careful. At extremely high levels of play, these types of failures are more likely to simply be ignored, as the worst case for such a powerful being still is a decent show.