Critical Hits: Exra Damage, or Extra Flair?
When you score a critical hit on an opponent, you can deal extra damage per the rules in the
Player’s Handbook. Or you can choose to do regular damage and perform some kind of stunt or trick instead. Maybe you want to knock the weapon out of your enemy’s hand, or you want to knock them prone, or shove them back 5 feet, or snatch their coin pouch from their belt.
If you want to do one of these stunts, just describe it to me in-character. I’ll maybe ask you to roll something, but for the most part, it’s really up to you to decide what happens. In all cases, these stunts and trick shots are all part of the attack action, so they don’t cost you your reaction or any extra movement.
Some examples:
- Blind: instead of dealing extra damage, your critical hit knocks sand or dust into your opponent’s eyes, blinding them until the end of their next turn.
- Disarm: instead of dealing extra damage, your critical hit knocks one item out of your opponent’s hand. The object lands at your opponent’s feet at the end of your turn, occupying the same space as your opponent.
- Distract: instead of dealing extra damage, you pull your opponent’s focus toward you and away from its surroundings. One ally of your choice gains Advantage on their next attack roll against that same opponent.
- Escape: instead of dealing extra damage, you Disengage at the end of your turn.
- Improved Grab: instead of dealing extra damage, you grapple your opponent at the end of your turn.
- Knockback: instead of dealing extra damage, you knock your opponent back 10 feet at the end of your turn.
- Knockdown: instead of dealing extra damage, you knock your opponent off his feet. Your opponent falls prone in his space at the end of your turn.
- Snatch: instead of dealing extra damage, your critical hit causes your opponent to lower their guard, allowing you an opportunity to snatch an unattended, visible item from their person (such as an amulet or pouch).
- Trade Places: instead of dealing extra damage on your critical hit, you trade places with your opponent at the end of your turn. Obviously this applies only to melee.)
- Something else: get creative!
These are just examples, feel free to come up with your own. Jump onto its back and konk it on the head? Handcuff the creature to a fence? Throw them out the window? Go wild! Whenever you score a crit, ask yourself: “Do I want extra damage? Or do I want extra flair?”