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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6663973" data-attributes="member: 4937">Fumbles are something you have to be very careful with, and you really shouldn't add them at all unless you fix spellcaster/martial balance better and are at least occasionally having fumbles for spells.   As you noticed, particularly because of iterative attacks, your fumble rules have to be constructed in such a way that higher level characters have less chance of fumbling per attack than lower level characters.  That means that you need to make the DC's to avoid the fumble static but base the bonus to the roll on something that scales or likely scales.  Basing it on an ability score like DEX, that for the most part doesn't scale, ensures the result that you observed.   But if you base it on BAB, or Fort Saves, or suitable skill checks, then you can have very low chances of fumbling per attack.The best reason for having fumbles is to increase the 'theatricality' (picking up on your term) of the combat.  D&D combat is inherently low theatricality, in that hit points don't have a natural theatrical component.  You don't want to have them often, but if they show up you want them to help create some of that missing theatricality.  For that reason, unlike criticals, I think fumbles have to be diverse.  If all a fumble represents is dropping your weapon, then the second or third time it happens it becomes redundant and ceases to add any drama to the fight.  My present fumble rules are working pretty well for making fumbles rare.  If anything, I'd say they are working too well.  Probably the strongest complaint is fumbles so rarely have an impact that they are almost not worth tracking.   They are working slightly less well for adding drama.   I've got too many fumble results like 'Stumble.  You have a -4 circumstance penalty to AC until the start of your next turn.', that have too much of a purely numeric component and not enough of a visual component.  These sorts of fumbles rarely have an effect on combat (in this case, the fumble is meaningless unless a monster attacks you in the next round) and don't really do a lot of work to create a scene.   Overall I'm happy with my fumble rules, but I figure after a few more years of play testing I'll probably be able to make some tiny tweaks based off of the lessons learned.   When fumbles have happened, assuming that they happen very rarely, they've often been fun for everyone so they are worth keeping.One thing I think I will be adding is fumble chances for more different types of combat actions than just attacking.  In particular, I'm looking hard at the 'Draw a weapon/take something from my pack' types of actions and thinking that a check of some sort to avoid fumbling that is warranted.</blockquote>

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