Alternate Critical Table
 

I'm wondering if anyone has any alternate critical hits tables they made. Particularly for melee combat.

My players often get annoyed when they roll "normal damage" in the table, and I have to remind them every time that they already got a stun and no defenses, so it's not a "lost" critical hit. However, criticals should be fun and as a GM I'm obliged to supply them with fun.

I'm weary of adopting anything that clearly has a different balance than the original table in Basic. Specially because I'll adopt the table for both players and NPC's, so "deadly" goes both ways.

I have a vague recolection of Kromm posting a table of his own making, but it might have been for something else. I'm unable to search for it effectively.

I'll probably make my own as the discussion evolves, or post one anyway if nobody has one. Cheers.

Edit: you're welcome to make one on the fly and post it, ideas are allways welcome.

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

This thread has a couple of suggestive Krommposts and may be what you are recalling. Neither is a new table, but he does have a couple of recommendations for alternatives to the "Normal Damage Only" result that players are sometimes nonplussed by.

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

I'll often modify the crit table on the fly for what's appropriate, and not let the PCs see what the roll was. A little fudge never hurt anyone... :)

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

We have a very strict, no-fudge rule. I let the player roll their own criticals and I let them see what I roll when an NPC has gotten one. This gives them a greater sense of realization when they crit. and leaves them no room for complaint when their enemies deal triple damage or something similar. We feel that if you don't play by the rules, then you're cheating and your victory isn't as glorious if the GM helped you get there by being nice.

We don't allways play like this, but most of the time. I realize that many people don't do this, and fudge a lot... that's fine.

So you see my need for an actual table...

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

Checked out the thread Bookman linked, and yes, that was the one I remembered (had it confused with Kromm's special crit table for that sword).

One of the ideas further down the thread is to allow a critical hit to hit something smaller or more vital than originally intended. For instance, one could "promote" a hit to the leg to a hit to the joints or veins.

That's a bit powerful though, I was thinking more "special effects" than hand-chopping, bone grinding power...

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

I have a set of melee critical charts in excel format (and pdf). I haven't put it up on my website yet, but if someone wants the file just ask, and I can email the file to you. Here is a sample (basically unformatted; some people may recognize certain Rolemaster influences...):

Crushing, Head

3 Foe is instantly killed as head explodes in a shower of gore. All foes make reaction roll at +4. Friends seeing the blow get a +1 to next attack roll.
4 Blow to back of neck crushes backbone and severs spine. Foe dies if HT check is failed; success means total paralysis. 2X max damage.
5 Blow to foe's neck area shatters bone and severs an artery. Foe cannot breathe and is bleeding at 3 hits/min until dead. If he lives, he is paralyzed (HT-2 roll)*
6 Blow to side of head. 2X damage, a skull fracture, and he's out for 30-(HT/2) hours.
7 Blow to back of neck paralyzes foe from shoulders down. 2X damage; foe is quite stunned (make all HT rolls at -2).
8 Strike to forehead. You squash foe's eyes and destroy them. Foe is stunned for at least 15 turns. Max damage. That'll teach 'em!
9 Strike to ear. Foe is deafened for 2d days (HT roll)*. Ringing in ears makes all skills at -1 during this time.
10 Smack to the eye. Foe gets black eye & takes normal damage. Great shiner, though! Eye swells up for a day; treat as "one eye" disad.
11 Strike to the cheek causes huge ugly bruise; normal damage. Foe loses 1d teeth from that side and is stunned for at least 2 turns.
12 Uppercut to chin knocks opponent out for 3d turns and sends him back at least 3'. Foe also loses 1d-1 teeth. Quit showin' off!
13 Yelling "Gitsum! Gitsum!" you break foe's nose. Foe is knocked on his butt and is stunned for at least 4 turns.
14 Hit to top of head. Max damage and foe is stunned for at least 4 turns.
15 Blow to foe's forehead. He is knocked down and at -4 to all skills for a full day. 2X damage; stunned for at least 6 turns.
16 Blow to foe's neck area breaks backbone and destroys spine. 2X damage, foe is knocked down and internally bleeds at 2/min.
17 Crush foe's skull and you spray yourself with pulped tissue. Opponent dies immediately; you have a huge cleaning bill. Yucky mess, but fine work.
18 Blow to foe's jaw drive's bone through brain. Foe dies within seconds after impacting the ground 6' away.

Cutting, Torso

3 Incredibly strong horizontal strike cuts foe in twain. Blood and gore spray onto anyone within 5' of foe. Foes make reaction rolls at +5.
4 Slash to stomach ruptures spleen. 2X max damage. Foe takes 1d hits/hr until healed; physician-2 roll each day will reduce this to 1d hits/day).
5 Deep wound across midsection half disembowels foe. Foe makes Fright check (take 1d hits/hr until healed).
6 Blast to back breaks bone and knocks foe down. +4 hits. Foe stunned for 1d+3 turns. Cool shot, dude.
7 Slash foe in side. Major wound. +4 hits and foe bleeds at 3X rate.
8 Shoulder strike yields +1 damage and forces foe to make a Will roll to remain standing under the force of the blow. Foe is stunned for 1d-3 turns.
9 Strike to foe's hip; foe is knocked down and is stunned for 1d-4 turns. -2 to DX for 1d turns; move cut by 50%.
10 Slash in back yields 2X bleeding and +2 hits. Foe is stunned at least 1 turn.
11 Break foe's rib with a loud snap. 2X shock, +1 damage, foe at -1 DX for 3 turns.
12 Chest wound, which bleeds at 2x rate. Foe is stunned, +1 damage.
13 Hack to foe's lower back knocks foe out for 1 turn. Foe falls and drops whatever was held in his hands. +1 damage.
14 Slash foe in back. +2 damage. Foe is stunned for at least 1 turn. No active defense for 1 turn.
15 Cut under armpit knocks foe over and stuns foe for 1d-3 turns. +3 damage. No active defense for 2 turns.
16 Strike to foe's side yields a lot of blood and 1.5X damage. Foe is stunned for 1d turns and at -1 to DX for next 3 turns.
17 Diagonal slash down torso causes 2X damage and 2X bleeding. Foe is stunned for at least 1d turns. 1d+1 ribs cleaved. One arm's DX at -4 until healed.
18 2X damage, spinal cord severed (HT-4 per limb to avoid crippling; take 1d hits per day until healed). Graceful shot.

Impaling, Vitals
3 Shot through heart sends foe reeling 10' to a spot suitable for dying. Weapon is stuck in reeling foe.
4 Strike through foe's side destroys a variety of organs. Foe fights normally for a minute, then dies.
5 Major abdominal wound. Foe bleeds at +2 HT per min. and is stunned for 1d+2 turns. Foe is at -2 to skills.
6 Thrust to chest pierces a lung. Stunned 1d turns as foe coughs up blood. +3 hits, foe has 2x fatigue loss until healed.
7 Upward strike beneath ribcage penetrates a lung. 2x damage, 1d-2 turns of stun.
8 Blow hammers home, splitting armor. Armor in that location is at -1 DR. +1 damage. Foe is stunned 1 turn.
9 Shot to stomach causes nasty ulcer. +2 damage, and foe loses 1 HT per hour until healed.
10 Jab to sternum cuts cartilage. Foe is stunned 1 turn and off balance (-2 to all rolls).
11 Shot to lung stuns foe until he can make a HT-4 roll. Foe can't catch his breath.
12 Blow to back damages kidney. +2 damage, foe is stunned for 1d-1 turns.
13 Penetration to foe's side results in loss of kidney function. 1.5x damage, foe is stunned 1d-3 turns. **
14 Max damage as thrust slides into pancreas. Foe is stunned for 1d-2 turns, and loses 1d HT per day until healed.
15 Blow to chest slices into aorta. Foe bleeds at 1 HT per turn and will die unless treated quite soon. It will be a difficult job.
16 Slam into midsection hits intestine. Septic wound, 2x damage, and foe will die in 1d days if not treated. Very odorous.
17 Strike through foe's kidneys. Foe drops, and dies after a min. of intense agony. Sad.
18 Strike through both of foe's lungs. Foe drops and passes out, then dies in 1 minute. Add +2 to your next attack.

The charts account for Crushing, Cutting, and Impaling damage, cross referenced by locations: Head, Torso, Vitals, Arm/Hand, and Leg/Foot. Groin shots are treated as a subset of vitals, with the descriptions altered appropriately. Note that this chart is for 3e, so some damage types are not represented.

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

Do you use those for PCs, or do they get plot protection?

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

If they are used, they are used for everybody. But then, since they are geared for fantasy, healing magic is often available, so it was never really a problem. Expending Character points/Fate Points I think were also an option.

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

My big problem with spending CPs/Fate points has always been the final climax where the big nasty bursts forth and whiffs again and again as the PCs tear him to pieces. This is why I like Luck. X amount of uses per unit time, so you better be sure you need it.

Re: Alternate Critical Table
 

Luck is indeed better. I don't think any of my characters ever had more than 2 unspent points, ever. I was always too busy buying up my skills, or applying them to something else I needed. I was always willing to risk the crits, since the really nasty ones didn't happen all that often. And, being rather fair minded, I always figured that some of the enemies had "Fate points" too....;-) Besides, the way we used them, you reduced the "instant death" crit to something like "you lie crumpled in the corner with what appears to be a couple of extra joints in your legs." The big nasty didn't "whiff" anything. Just couldn't kill you outright as fast. You held on to painful life for a while to give the healers a chance to get to you.

One thing about the Rolemaster system...you weren't just a bag of hit points. You had bits. Important bits, like arteries, organs, and other mushy bits that often got in the way of big pieces of steel. But then, the healing system was just as detailed, with specific spells to heal arteries, organs, and other mushy bits. GURPS doesn't get quite that detailed, which only rarely bothers me. It has a good balance of anatomical detail, especially when you add in the bleeding rules.