Fumble House Rule

[MarauderX]

That's what the "sunder vs. your own weapon" part is for. I suppose you could also use a Break DC which (I think) is listed in the DMG. If damage done is more than the Break DC, then the weapon breaks. I just figured doing it as a sunder attempt would be simpler...

True, true... but how often does someone try to sunder in your campaigns? It's never a real thing that PCs go for vs. opponents as they would rather just hit the bad guys alongside the head instead of sunder or disarm (if they don't intend to capture). So I added it to reflect how battlefields are littered with broken weapons as well, and as one of the indications of a fight for the PCs. With the rule in effect it gives that feeling that 'yes, it can happen to you.' I usually keep magic items exempt unless I know there is a replacement right around the corner for the PC, otherwise the players can get reeeally annoyed by not having anything cool.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

We play that only the first attack at highest BAB can fumble, the rest are just misses. That way everyone, high and low, has the same base chance.

Then a dc 10 reflex save (1 auto-failing) to carry on. Relatively easy to save yourself from embarrassment.

A fumble ends your turn and must be accompanied by an appropriate description and regulation mockery.

 

[Staffan]

I use a rule I found on the Kingdoms of Kalamar DM screen. On a natural 1, roll a Dex check and look the results up on a table. I don't have the screen here to check, but I think 10+ is "no effect", and the rest are rather mild.

 

[comrade raoul]

I use something close to FreeTheSlave's system: a character who rolls a natural 1 on his first attack in a round has a chance to fumble, but can make a DC 10 Dexterity check to avoid it. If a character does fumble, he must spend his next available move-equivalent action to recover from it.

I also use a new feat that adds another wrinkle, though:

Punishing Strike [General, Fighter]
Prerequisite: Combat Reflexes, Expertise, Int 13+, base attack bonus +3.
You can skillfully exploit the mistakes others make in combat.
Benefit: If a character in a space you threaten rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll (even if he is not attacking you), he provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If the attack is his first attack in that round, add any damage you cause with the attack of opportunity to the DC of his Dexterity check to avoid a fumble.

 

[geezerjoe]

We also use a simular system with a relex save but we set the DC at 15 and how close one misses that save marks the level of severity.

I do like the "Only the first attack can fumble" idea. I'm going to suggest that to our group.

l8r)

Joe2Old

 

[HomerJS]

i do this. if you roll a 1 you have to spend your next attack to recover if you can. If you dont have the extra attack to recover you are at a -2 ac till your next turn.

To me fumbling is using the wrong move in fighting against your enemy. You open yourself up if you cant recover.

 

[Drawmack]

here is what we use, it makes fumbling rare, but damn near deadly. I hope you all don't mind the pseudo code.

:Start
Make Attack Roll
If Unmodified Attack Roll >= Min Crit Range Goto CritCheck
Else If Unmodified Attack Roll = 1 Goto FumbCheck
Else If Modified Attack Roll > Target's AC Goto RptDmg
Else If Modified Attack Roll < Target's AC Goto RptMiss

:CritCheck
Make a new attack roll at the same modifiers.
If new attack roll = 20 Goto CDG
Else If new attack roll > target's AC Goto RptCrit
Else Goto RptDmg

:FumbCheck
Make a new attack roll at the same modifiers
If new attack roll = 1 Goto RptFumble
Else If New attack roll < target's AC Goto RptCritMiss
Else Goto RptMiss

:RptDmg
The character has done standard damage. Describe the action and have them roll standard damage

:RptMiss
The character has missed their target describe the action.

:RptCrit
The character has hit their target with unbelievable acuracy. Describe the action and have them roll critical damage.

:RptCritMiss
The character has grown two left feet. They fall, or stumble. Effects are bad but have no game effect aside from stopping any additional, full-attack action, attacks this round.

:RptCDG
With skill, luck and the smile of a god this character has performed a Coupe De Gras against a non-helpless foe. Describe the action and use the standard CDG rules.

:RptFumble
This is bad, really bad. A non-magical weapon has broken. The blade snapped, the bow string broke. Be creative but make the weapon dead. Magical weapons have become useless for the remainer of this battle. It's lodged in stone. The string came off of the bow, but did not break just came off. Be creative but the weapon cannot be used without taking 10 (That's 10 rounds of inaction) to fix it.

They seem a little complex but in play the run very quickly.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I just thought I'd reiterate that I think it's the wrong move to make a fumble check dependent on a reflex save. THat means that rogues (who aren't really skilled warriors) are less likely to fumble than highly skilled fighters.

For example, if you make it a DC 10 Reflex save, a 1st level rogue with an 18 DEX will make that on a roll of a 4 or better on a d20.

A fighter with a 10 DEX would have to be 18th level to fumble as rarely.

Is that how you want it to work?

 

[Drawmack]

That's why mine is based on a subsequent attack roll. It has the effect of making the %failure/success slide around proportional to the oribginal %hit/miss which seemed only fair to me.

If it's easy to hit, it's easy to critical and hard to fumble against.

If it's hard to hit, it's hard to critical and easy to fumble against.

 

[Staffan]

If it's hard to hit, it's hard to critical and easy to fumble against.

So you throw away your weapon more often when fighting someone in full plate than in leather?