OD&D [BX/RC] Rolls of 20 and 1?

[overgeeked]

Did you created house rules for "critical" rolls of 20 and 1 for your campaigns?

We decided a "natural" 20 did maximum damage. On a 1 you dropped your weapon.

I don’t do the later standard of extra damage, instead I do stunts and consequences. Basically a 20 lets you do something cool like disarm or knock your opponent prone while a 1 is something like you drop your weapon, get it stuck in something, or you stumble into things.

I do this now. Back in the day we didn’t.

 

[Marc_C]

I don’t do the later standard of extra damage, instead I do stunts and consequences. Basically a 20 lets you do something cool like disarm or knock your opponent prone while a 1 is something like you drop your weapon, get it stuck in something, or you stumble into things.

I do this now. Back in the day we didn’t.

I like that.

Fantasy AGE does that when you roll a double on any of 3d6 the resolve an action. They have stunt lists for Combat, Exploration, Spells and Social actions.

 

[Mannahnin]

I don’t do the later standard of extra damage, instead I do stunts and consequences. Basically a 20 lets you do something cool like disarm or knock your opponent prone while a 1 is something like you drop your weapon, get it stuck in something, or you stumble into things.

I do this now. Back in the day we didn’t.

I remember seeing this in James V. West's Black Pudding B/X house rules. Fighters on a 20 can EITHER do extra damage OR do a cool stunt. I really like the simplicity of this rule.

I'm not a huge fan of dropped swords and similar fumbles on natural 1s; they tend to make the front line fighters have the worst butterfingers in the party, because they make the most attacks. Especially if you're playing in an edition which gives them multiple attacks per round. I like the idea Dan had for mitigating that- his system allows crits and fumbles to be negated by a Save vs. Death. This is the easiest save for Fighters (starts at 12 for a first level Fighter, IIRC), and goes up steadily. This system means high level characters and high-HD monsters are less likely to fumble and better at defending themselves from a critical hit.

 

[embee]

I'm not a huge fan of dropped swords and similar fumbles on natural 1s; they tend to make the front line fighters have the worst butterfingers in the party, because they make the most attacks. Especially if you're playing in an edition which gives them multiple attacks per round. I like the idea Dan had for mitigating that- his system allows crits and fumbles to be negated by a Save vs. Death. This is the easiest save for Fighters (starts at 12 for a first level Fighter, IIRC), and goes up steadily. This system means high level characters and high-HD monsters are less likely to fumble and better at defending themselves from a critical hit.

On a 1, I have the player roll d20. If it comes up 1-4, it's a fumbled weapon. That way, there is a 1% chance of a fumble, instead of an insane 5% chance.

 

[Mannahnin]

That's not bad either.

I've been running Five Torches Deep, which just has a natural 1 put a point of durability damage on your weapon. Depending on the weapon, it usually has 2-3 points. So every once in a while, you might snap your sword.

 

[embee]

That's not bad either.

I've been running Five Torches Deep, which just has a natural 1 put a point of durability damage on your weapon. Depending on the weapon, it usually has 2-3 points. So every once in a while, you might snap your sword.

And now, I think back to Dark Sun, where you had to carry no fewer than 5 weapons because of breakage.

 

[embee]

View attachment 130431
—AD&D 2nd Ed. DMG, pg. 86

"it should not be one that causes damage."

Instead, we suggest:

• Put the player in a prone position
• Destroy his weapon
• Disable his weapon
• Have him be Restrained

This adds a dose of excitement to combat. Because what's more exciting and hilarious than not only not hitting, but also give the baddies free hits?

Eff that noise.