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 Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:47 pm
Critical hit tables are fun right? right? I'm interested, nnot jsut in that spesificaly, but about critical tables in general. Dark heresy has some of the best (hands down BEST) tables ever for this effrect, one totable result being the target actually explods with the force of a fraq grenade, the splinters of his bones piecing into they're flesh just as his screams peirces they're mind.
that was a dramatisation but you get the idea, tell me how you feel about critical tables (including critical Failure tables and other examples) and how you feel they do and don't work and in which situations they do which
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:54 pm
I've always really enjoyed the critical hit tables from the d20 games. One story I can recall is about a rat rolling a critical hit on a fighter and getting the "Instant Death" result after the rat's teeth pierced his skull.
But they're really the only ones I've seen.
The most diverse tables of any kind (using the term diverse loosely) would probably be from the-game-which-shall-not-be-named. I mean... roll d2000 for an effect... kinda crazy. xD
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:59 pm
Solomon Crow I've always really enjoyed the critical hit tables from the d20 games. One story I can recall is about a rat rolling a critical hit on a fighter and getting the "Instant Death" result after the rat's teeth pierced his skull. But they're really the only ones I've seen. The most diverse tables of any kind (using the term diverse loosely) would probably be from the-game-which-shall-not-be-named. I mean... roll d2000 for an effect... kinda crazy. xD honestly the tables I want to see and use are very few and far between xP Forma GM stand point you have to thing more about "what can happen to the players" rather than "what can the player do to the monsters" becuase lets be honest, if you were insta killed by a rat you'd be pretty pissed I'm betting xP if he'd insta killed a dragon, he'd probably dance around on the table though, but as a rule I never imploy instakills
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:05 pm
Fox Charm Solomon Crow I've always really enjoyed the critical hit tables from the d20 games. One story I can recall is about a rat rolling a critical hit on a fighter and getting the "Instant Death" result after the rat's teeth pierced his skull. But they're really the only ones I've seen. The most diverse tables of any kind (using the term diverse loosely) would probably be from the-game-which-shall-not-be-named. I mean... roll d2000 for an effect... kinda crazy. xD honestly the tables I want to see and use are very few and far between xP Forma GM stand point you have to thing more about "what can happen to the players" rather than "what can the player do to the monsters" becuase lets be honest, if you were insta killed by a rat you'd be pretty pissed I'm betting xP if he'd insta killed a dragon, he'd probably dance around on the table though, but as a rule I never imploy instakills The triple 20 instant death rule isn't nearly as bad though, I'd say. Because it's like a .0125% chance (if my math's right... it's 2 am). sweatdrop And I can see the point and understand that it's never ever ever a good idea, but that argument holds no sway with me because I wouldn't be pissed if a rat killed me in a single hit... I'd be too busy laughing my a** off. xD
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:21 am
I'm not really a fan of crit tables. I prefer it being up to the DM if anything other than extra damage comes out of a crit, and to describe what form the crit took. Insta-kill crits should be reserved for special weapons like vorpal swords.
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:35 am
Little Miss Chloroform I'm not really a fan of crit tables. I prefer it being up to the DM if anything other than extra damage comes out of a crit, and to describe what form the crit took. Insta-kill crits should be reserved for special weapons like vorpal swords. I've made crit tables as a DM before, what keeps me from doing what you've suggested is just my bias twords the players. I could do it, but I wasn't be so motivated to have negitive effects ocure to the players, especially sinse it isn't a hard rule. It's like a cross of rule-based paranoia and Fairness-obsession, I can't shake the rule that what's good for geese is good for gander, so if it happens to NPCs, it should happen to players, but that's what keeps me from it. A hard table is a bit diffrent some how, it lays out the possabilities clearly and acts like a moderator so I can show the players I didn't screw them without making it less fun for one to get a critical on a monster. I probably way over-stated that
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:29 pm
Fox Charm Little Miss Chloroform I'm not really a fan of crit tables. I prefer it being up to the DM if anything other than extra damage comes out of a crit, and to describe what form the crit took. Insta-kill crits should be reserved for special weapons like vorpal swords. I've made crit tables as a DM before, what keeps me from doing what you've suggested is just my bias twords the players. I could do it, but I wasn't be so motivated to have negitive effects ocure to the players, especially sinse it isn't a hard rule. It's like a cross of rule-based paranoia and Fairness-obsession, I can't shake the rule that what's good for geese is good for gander, so if it happens to NPCs, it should happen to players, but that's what keeps me from it. A hard table is a bit diffrent some how, it lays out the possabilities clearly and acts like a moderator so I can show the players I didn't screw them without making it less fun for one to get a critical on a monster. I probably way over-stated that
For the most part I just use the standard double damage crits, without any additional effect for both players and NPCs. The only time I'd consider additional effects is either it's something they possess in game (vorpal sword or a feat that affects crits) or if they were trying a specific maneuver when they got the crit (attempting to disarm, sunder, called shot, etc). And any additional effect would be directly related to that specific circumstance.
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:34 pm
Little Miss Chloroform Fox Charm Little Miss Chloroform I'm not really a fan of crit tables. I prefer it being up to the DM if anything other than extra damage comes out of a crit, and to describe what form the crit took. Insta-kill crits should be reserved for special weapons like vorpal swords. I've made crit tables as a DM before, what keeps me from doing what you've suggested is just my bias twords the players. I could do it, but I wasn't be so motivated to have negitive effects ocure to the players, especially sinse it isn't a hard rule. It's like a cross of rule-based paranoia and Fairness-obsession, I can't shake the rule that what's good for geese is good for gander, so if it happens to NPCs, it should happen to players, but that's what keeps me from it. A hard table is a bit diffrent some how, it lays out the possabilities clearly and acts like a moderator so I can show the players I didn't screw them without making it less fun for one to get a critical on a monster. I probably way over-stated that
For the most part I just use the standard double damage crits, without any additional effect for both players and NPCs. The only time I'd consider additional effects is either it's something they possess in game (vorpal sword or a feat that affects crits) or if they were trying a specific maneuver when they got the crit (attempting to disarm, sunder, called shot, etc). And any additional effect would be directly related to that specific circumstance.
I like game like shadowrun, where they're really intentionaly vage about it in a way the legalizes whatever you want. I forget the exact wording but it's essentualy "in addition to a nasty wound an additional effect spesified by the player and aproved by the Game master takes place", the players typicaly have alot of fun with it while still being on a leash and it applies to NPCs too. not a Critical hit table at all but like a "best of both wrolds" kinda deal in my mind
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:15 pm
I think the nature of a critical hit table should depend entirely on the tone of the game. I played in a comic D&D game once where an option on the critical table was "You gain enlightenment. Increase all ability scores by 10," and another was "Dio Brando pops out of a portal and smacks you in the head for 2d6 damage." Considering at the time these came up, we were fighting flavored gelatinous cubes that could be eaten to restore HP, it fit the silly flavor of the game well. But by the same token, something like that wouldn't fly in, say, Call of Cthulhu.
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:24 pm
ThePhantomSquee I think the nature of a critical hit table should depend entirely on the tone of the game. I played in a comic D&D game once where an option on the critical table was "You gain enlightenment. Increase all ability scores by 10," and another was "Dio Brando pops out of a portal and smacks you in the head for 2d6 damage." Considering at the time these came up, we were fighting flavored gelatinous cubes that could be eaten to restore HP, it fit the silly flavor of the game well. But by the same token, something like that wouldn't fly in, say, Call of Cthulhu. now we need call of cathulu, where you're on a quest to supress the elder lolcats using christamas gelatinous cubes with cat food in them and internet memes with a critical hit table involving ronnie james dio
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:00 pm
I was playing a 13th level Gnoll fighter in a 4th ed. module at a convention. The DM warned everyone at the table ahead of time that he used a critical hit and miss table. Of course, someone had to be up in arms about it and b***h to the refs but they basically said the same thing I did "DM's discretion".
So we're a few fights in, I'm riding a total high of three critical hits in a row and now hits on me, and the wizard gets himself backed into a corner... "Hey! I'll help you outta that!" I say with a smile and a wink. "You'll take an AoO" The DM informs me. "Pfft, I haven't been hit yet, and all you've got on me are minions! Take your damn AoO" I proclaim. The DM rolls, suspense grips the table as the d20 clatters across the surface. As it rolled to a halt there was a collective gasp. There it was. We all saw it. A legit natural twenty.
So the DM rolls for his critical hit effect "Foe is disemboweled. And dead...". the entire convention hall became dead silent, you could literally hear jaws dropping. A level 3 minion took down a thirteenth level fighter with 125 hit points, and AC 32 in one hit.
I laughed first, it was just that funny. Meanwhile our rabble-rouser... Greg I think his name was, started throwing around his players handbook and citing rule after rule about how that couldn't happen in the middle of a fight. So I gathered my crap, thanked the DM for an awesome game and left the table.
I still see those guys from time to time at the game store here. They're still arrogant twats swinging their "Bibles" like a broadsword, and throwing insults back and forth... thank god I didn't end up like that.
Moral of the story; don't ever provoke an opportunity attack. EVER. It could be the only hit that kills ye' dead...
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:26 pm
Teqnologyque Moral of the story; don't ever provoke an opportunity attack. EVER. It could be the only hit that kills ye' dead... I read a stoy once about how a cleric moved in to heal the fighter, tookj an AoO and was criticaly hit for x3 damage by the forst gaints great axe, was one-shotted, AND got the fighter killed because of the gaints cleve feat. That would have been funny to me xP I'm running a game right now with custom made crit tables I use where thebest/worse result is "attack punctures/rubtures heart". it's not an insta-kill (as I've discust my dislike for such things), but it has the potential to be to simulate the effect on monsters. the character resiving the effect take 1d8 points of Con drain per turn intill the internal wound is healed by any amount of magical healing or a DC 25 heal check, I felt that that was fatal enough without being immidantly...fatal
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:38 pm
Fox Charm Teqnologyque Moral of the story; don't ever provoke an opportunity attack. EVER. It could be the only hit that kills ye' dead... I read a stoy once about how a cleric moved in to heal the fighter, tookj an AoO and was criticaly hit for x3 damage by the forst gaints great axe, was one-shotted, AND got the fighter killed because of the gaints cleve feat. That would have been funny to me xP I'm running a game right now with custom made crit tables I use where thebest/worse result is "attack punctures/rubtures heart". it's not an insta-kill (as I've discust my dislike for such things), but it has the potential to be to simulate the effect on monsters. the character resiving the effect take 1d8 points of Con drain per turn intill the internal wound is healed by any amount of magical healing or a DC 25 heal check, I felt that that was fatal enough without being immidantly...fatal Haha! Nice... Hmm, so you use the old-school ruling of constitution then, eh'? When your Con. (or Str. if I remember correctly) reaches zero you drop dead, right? For balance's sake you ought to shift your d8 to a d6, some people roll hot and 8 could out-right kill 'em in one roll. 'Specially if you're a Caster... I like the idea of the High-DC Heal check though, the only person that should be able to cure that should be a doctor or a Cleric. I remember "Surgeon" was a house-ruled class we had once. What a pain it was to have to write rules for non-magical healing and the effects of scientific medical procedure. The group eventually scrapped that one though, too much thinking and only one person was playing one so he was basically delegated the work of finishing the writing of it.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:56 pm
I don't like critical tables. Mostly because I don't like hit location tables, and without those crit tables can throw up some unlikely results: Quote: Player: Natural twenty on my called shot to the head! GM: (rolls on crit table) You broke his leg. He gets a movement penalty and falls over Player: confused In the same way, unless you have different tables for the types of attack (slicing, stabbing, crushing, single shot, auto-fire, etc) you also have to ignore/repurpose the more descriptive tables Quote: Player: Critical hit with my brass knuckles! GM: (rolls on crit table) "Your attack cathes you opponent unaware! He tries to dodge, but your weapon slices across his elbow, severing the arm messily. Your opponent will die from bloodloss unless stablised soon!" Player: confused Both of these add an extra layer of work that I don't find fun. I prefer criticals (if used) to simply increase the damage/effect significantly, or provide an instant kill/incapacitate (depending on type of attack)
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