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The original crit & fumble table for DnD, Good Hits & Bad Misses

The original crit & fumble table for DnD, Good Hits & Bad Misses

Lawrence Cutlip-Mason

In our DnD group of over 20 years, we've relied on a Critical Hits and Critical Failures chart from 1st Edition to spice up every RPG we've played—DnD (1st through 3.5), Pathfinder, Starfinder, Werewolf, Vampire the Masquerade, you name it. We've adapted it for everything, and it's become a core part of our sessions.

This chart isn’t forgiving, it’s as brutal as it is hilarious. It’s claimed characters' lives in an instant, taken down big baddies with one epic swing, and caused chaos when a party member accidentally takes out an ally. But more than anything, it’s delivered unforgettable moments. Even decades later, we still laugh about those wild outcomes (thanks to a healthy dose of DM interpretation). We're old school and we believe the thrill of the game comes from knowing death is always a dice roll away. No risk, no fun!

The Critical Hit Charts:

How we use it:

The chart is only consulted when you roll a Double 20 (20 and then 20 again on the same attack) or a Double 1 (1 and then 1 again on the same attack).

Our House Rules:

  • If you critically fail during multiple attacks, any attacks after the critical fail are canceled. For example, if you have 4 attacks and the 2nd is a critical fail, the 1st attack counts, the 2nd determines your fate, and the 3rd and 4th are skipped.
  • All critical hits deal double damage as defined by the ruleset (unless a specific effect like death, double, or triple is rolled).
  • For spellcasters, any spell requiring a to-hit roll follows these guidelines:
    • Direct single-target damage spells count as missile weapons.
    • Area-of-effect (AE) spells count as bludgeoning.
    • Mind-affecting spells count as either bludgeoning or missile, player’s choice.
    • Spell descriptions override these rules (e.g., Bigby’s Crushing Hand or Rain of Arrows).

Example Adaptations:

  • Guns are treated as missile weapons.
  • For Roll Dex/Str/Con in D20 DnD (3+) and Pathfinder/Starfinder, we adapt it to approximate Reflex/Fort/Wis saves, using the formula: DC 10 + ½ level + the number of attacks performed.

FAQ:

Fumble Effects:
What exactly does Critical Hit Self/Friend mean?

    • This one is fun! You consult the relevant Weapon Chart and roll on that one! Example: you roll 90 on a fumble and are using a sword, you goto the Slashing Weapons chart roll on that a 00 and congratulations you just decapitated a party member!
    • The best way to determine who the Friend that is hit is to just roll randomly for the number of players. Usually though it's whoever is closest for melee weapons and completely random for ranged weapons.

All Weapon Charts:
What does it mean when it says ..unless healed?

    • DM Interpretation for the game, for us in Pathfinder and DND only the cure critical wounds spells does it with the reasoning being it is a "critical" hits and misses chart. Making it something higher level to represent a real risk. Yes, it's deadly until your higher level!

How do you determine the number ranges for effects, Example: "Fingers Removed; dexterity reduced by 1-3"

    • Simple the - means d, so read it as 1d3 (so a single 3 sided die)

Critical Skill Checks an Alternative Rule for D20:

Check out our other article about Critical Skill Checks


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