tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724254580047847936.post7917152877999631873..comments2024-03-27T20:09:00.283-04:00Comments on Tenkar's Tavern: Some Thoughts On Criticals - Curving the ScoresTenkarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159289652051155824noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724254580047847936.post-69264437162160049742012-03-30T15:50:13.540-04:002012-03-30T15:50:13.540-04:00Longer treatment at Response to "Some Thought...Longer treatment at <a href="http://www.kjd-imc.org/2012/03/30/response-to-some-thoughts-on-criticals-curving-the-scores/" rel="nofollow">Response to "Some Thoughts on Criticals -- Curving the Scores"</a>Keith Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08411665536982769550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724254580047847936.post-56924934350165940712012-03-30T13:08:12.438-04:002012-03-30T13:08:12.438-04:00Combining the two tables (without trying too hard ...Combining the two tables (without trying too hard to match frequencies) you could have:<br><br>20: automatically hit; half damage if you would have missed without this rule.<br>16-19: normal hit<br>12-15: +2 to hit on next attack against this opponent [or any opponent?]<br>8-11: +2 to AC until the end of your next turn [full round effect, against all comers]<br>4-7: both the above effects<br>1-3: free attack -- against same or other adjacent opponent<br><br>I turned the effects up a little, and narrowed the ranges slightly from my previous table. In this model a critical doesn't necessarily mean that you hit the current target better (which is what bonus damage indicates) but that you are able to put yourself in a really good position.<br><br>I also dropped the fumble entry (automatic miss). In AD&D and D&D 3.x the higher your BAB the more attacks you have, and thus the more opportunities to fumble... which seems lame. Automatic hit on a 20 is throwing a bone to the utterly outclassed (and because I halve damage in that case it's a small bone), but if you can hit on a 1 you so outclass your opponent you deserve it. Let it happen.Keith Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08411665536982769550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724254580047847936.post-42917229972486859302012-03-30T10:48:38.290-04:002012-03-30T10:48:38.290-04:00Long ago, in the before times (AD&D 2e era, so...Long ago, in the before times (AD&D 2e era, somewhere in the mid-90s) I had a similar idea but easier to apply implementation.<br><br>Roll to hit normally, but look at the actual die value. The results were something like<br><br>20: automatically hit. If it would have been a miss except for this rule, you do half damage.<br>16-19: normal hit or miss.<br>11-15: hit or miss, double damage on hit<br>6-10: hit or miss, triple damage on hit<br>2-5: hit or miss, quadruple damage on hit<br>1: (probably) automatically miss. If this would have been a hit except for this rule [some benefit I forget]<br><br>I don't remember exactly what '1' was because I don't think it ever came up.<br><br>Mathematically this is very similar to what you're describing.Keith Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08411665536982769550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724254580047847936.post-80369318297726528022012-03-30T10:25:14.249-04:002012-03-30T10:25:14.249-04:00I think this somewhat depends on what you are defi...I think this somewhat depends on what you are defining a critical hit to represent.<br><br>If a critical hit is a skillful exploitation of an enemy opening, then five above what is required to hit seems right.<br><br>But if a critical hit is trying to represent a "lucky" hit - the bad guy accidentally impaling himself on the trembling farmer's dagger - then an arbitrary number is a better mechanic.<br><br>In my opinion, of course.StevenWarblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697680166430879676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724254580047847936.post-85590915588678576182012-03-30T04:54:30.233-04:002012-03-30T04:54:30.233-04:00I've never liked the 'natural 20' crit...I've never liked the 'natural 20' critical in D&D for the same reason that you are uneasy - the clumsiest Goblin will roll a critical hit as often as will Conan.<br><br>I think you're right to make criticals in some way dependent on fighting ability - in RuneQuest and related games it is usually some percentile (usually 5, 10, or 20%) of the skill that the character is trying to roll under. In simple games such as OpenQuest, the result of a critical is simply maximised damage. In more complex versions, achieving a critical has quite colorful effects - either an effect based on the type of weapon (slashing, peircing, crushing, say), or, in Mongoose RuneQuest II/Legend, the choice of a whole range of interesting 'combat manoeuvres'.DrBarglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06683770320671028815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724254580047847936.post-74230101813889687252012-03-30T02:43:20.606-04:002012-03-30T02:43:20.606-04:00Yeah, my crits table is all "drop a weapon, f...Yeah, my crits table is all "drop a weapon, fall down, get knocked back, get stunned" kind of stuff. There is one double damage effect but it only happens 1/18 times.<br><br>One caution though: crit on 20 is a lot easier to remember in action than the 5 point rule. <br><br>I'd rather reduce the crit chance than have a no effect result on the table. Kind of an anticlimax.Roger the GShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08594440701279968693noreply@blogger.com