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Message: <blockquote data-quote="slobster" data-source="post: 6019337" data-attributes="member: 6693711">I've got an idea. I'll explain the system, then do a cursory statistical analysis and pro/con list, and then list off a few random thoughts to finish things up.The basic idea is that you roll a d20 along with your damage dice every time you attack. Every attack hits automatically and deals damage. The d20 is a randomizing agent (it can represent chance or the opponent's defense or your ability to land a decisive blow, or some gestalt of the three) that determines whether you get a critical hit, a critical fumble, or a normal hit.You compare the result you got on your damage dice to the result of the d20 roll. If your damage dice result meets or exceeds the result on the d20, you score a critical hit. If not, you score a normal hit. If you roll a 20 on the d20 and a 1 on the damage dice, you suffer a critical fumble.So let's look at a quick probability analysis of this method. You can use any dice, and I'll look at the chances to score a critical hit with the "common" damage dice d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. It's a rare game that rolls d20 for damage, but I included it for completeness.dice . . . . avg damage . . . . crit chance . . . . fumble chanced4 . . . . . . . . 2.5 . . . . . . . . . . 12.5% . . . . . . . . . 1.25%d6 . . . . . . . . 3.5 . . . . . . . . . . 17.5% . . . . . . . . . 0.83%d8 . . . . . . . . 4.5 . . . . . . . . . . 22.5% . . . . . . . . . 0.63%d10 . . . . . . . 5.5 . . . . . . . . . . 27.5% . . . . . . . . . 0.50%d12 . . . . . . . 6.5 . . . . . . . . . . 32.5% . . . . . . . . . 0.42%d20 . . . . . . . 10.5 . . . . . . . . . . 52.5% . . . . . . . . . 0.25%Pros* You can use any damage dice in any combination you wish (though it's smoothest when the total you can roll on damage is below 20; higher than that and things get funky)* Higher damage dice have a better chance of scoring a critical hit, and a lower chance of rolling a fumble* You can add static modifiers to your damage dice to increase the damage dealt without affecting the chance that you crit (just don't use the modifiers when comparing to the number you rolled on your d20)Cons* You have to roll an extra die, and comparing the numbers takes time* Rolling high on the d20 is bad, which may be counter-intuitive* Crits happen quite often (depending on your preferences and the results of scoring a crit, this may belong in the "pro" section)* Fumbles are exceedingly rare (again, you may consider this a good thing) and happen when you roll a natural 20, which may be counter-intuitiveNow I haven't gone into what happens when you score a critical hit or suffer a fumble. That discussion properly belongs in the design of the game engine and not the analysis of the dice design that I do here, though obviously the needs and shape of the game system will affect which dice system is ideal. You could add damage to crits, deal wounds (if you have an hp/wounds system), or earn tokens that can be spent to inflict conditions or whatever.If you think the dice system is interesting, I'd be glad to continue the discussion after I know a little more about the system you are making. There are also a lot of little changes you could make to adjust the frequency of crits and fumbles, if you want to explore that.</blockquote>

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