Help me create fumble tables

[Swooper]

I'm currently in the process of writing a set of house rules for a coming game. My group has always used critical fumbles (for attack rolls), it's a leftover from us playing AD&D 2nd Edition back in the day. There has, however, never been a system to it. Usually, in the case of a natural one, we look at the DM and let him decide what happens. Lately, this has turned into just provoking an AoO on a fumble. So, I set about creating tables for randomly rolling flavourful fumble effects. Trouble is, I'm hard pressed for ideas, so I came here. So far I have:

Melee Weapon Critical Fumble Table:

1d10 roll: Result:
1 You are caught severly off-balance. You provoke an attack of oppurtunity from every enemy that threatens you.
2 You are caught slightly off-balance. You provoke an attack of oppurtunity from the target only.
3 You drop your weapon in your own square. Picking it up is a move-action. Note that chained gauntlets or similar change this result into a regular miss.
4 You accidentally strike the wrong target. Randomly select a target you threaten, and roll another attack with the same modifiers as the original strike. If no suitable target is in threat range, roll again on this table.
5 Your grip on the weapon slips. If the attack roll was a part of a full attack, lose any further iterative attacks you might have. If the attack roll was a not a part of a full attack, or was the last attack in an attack routine, you just miss and nothing further happens.
6 You strike the ground. If the ground is hard (stone floor, for example), roll an immediate sunder attempt on your own weapon, possibly breaking it. If the ground is soft (like a grass field), the weapon sticks. To remove it is a move action provoking attacks of oppurtunity.
7 The forward momentum in your attack off-balances you. If you are striking a target more than five feet away, take a five-foot step in their direction. If you are adjacent to the target, provoke an attack of oppurtunity from the target for trying to enter it’s square. If you have already taken a five foot step, or moved in the round, make a DC 20 Tumble check to avoid falling prone in your own square.
8 Wild Swing. The attack is a regular miss and you may roll any following attacks, but you are considered flat-footed untill your next turn.
9 The target dodges and you overbalance. Make a DC 20 Tumble check to avoid falling prone in your own square.
10 Through a spectacularly failed strike, you manage to hit yourself. Roll damage on yourself, but only the damage done by the weapon itself, such as the base weapon damage, any enhancement bonuses and extra magic damage dice (like from a flaming sword).

I'd need some more ideas for that table, about four (to make it a d10 roll), and then a similar amount of fumble effects for ranged attacks, unarmed/touch attacks, and ranged touches (rays).

Finally: As I've been playing with critical fumbles my whole time in D&D, I know how it affects gameplay, so don't even think to lecture me on that :smallwink:

EDIT: I've updated the Melee Fumbles Chart above with your ideas. Here are the other tables, what's ready at least:

Ranged Attack Critical Fumbles Table
1d10 roll: Result:
1 Your bowstring breaks (or your sling tears). Replacing it with a new one is a full-round action, plus another full-round action to dig it up. For simplicity’s sake, assume that you have 1d4 spare bowstrings with you per adventure.
2 The projectile strikes the ground and breaks.
3 The string slips off the bow/crossbow. Lose all further iterative attacks this round. Replacing the string is a full-round action. Alternatively, drop your sling/thrown projectile in your own square. Picking it up is a move action that provokes an attack of oppurtunity.
4 The projectile is badly aimed and, instead of striking the intended target, flies straight at whatever target (this may be an ally) is nearest to the intended one (if more than one are equally far from the target, pick the one closest to you). Roll an immediate attack roll vs. that target, and deal damage normally.
5 ?
6 ?
7 ?
8 ?
9 ?
10 ?

Unarmed- or Touch Attack Critical Fumbles Table
1d10 roll: Result:
1 You are caught severely off-balance. You provoke an attack of oppurtunity from every enemy that threatens you.
2 You are caught slightly off-balance. You provoke an attack of oppurtunity from the target only.
3 Your hand gets tangled in the target’s clothes (or caught in a joint of their armour). You are pulled off balance and provoke an attack of oppurtunity from the target.
4 Your finger gets jammed. You cannot attack untill you have taken a move action to pop it back and shake your hand.
5 The target dodges and you overbalance. Make a DC20 Tumble check to avoid falling prone in your own square.
6 ?
7 ?
8 ?
9 ?
10 ?

[Kesnit]

Your weapon breaks, leaving you looking at the hilt and a stump.

Ranged
Your arrow goes off course and targets the closest ally (to the original target). Roll to hit said ally.

Arrow breaks, so it can't be recovered.

String slips off the bow/crossbow. You can't attack the next round while you replace it.

Unarmed/Touch
Your hand gets tangled in the target's clothes (or caught in a joint of the armor). You are pulled off balance and provoke an AoO.

Your finger gets jammed. You cannot attack the next round while you pop it back and shake out your hand.

The target dodges. You overbalance and fall on your face.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Melee:

Roll 1d6:
6)( You strike at a target in a random square, determined by a a d8 roll, with one being North, two being North-east, et. cetra. If you roll the sqaure in which your target was occupying, you hit the target on accident. Otherwsie, make an attack roll as normal, ignoring any fumble checks. Sneak Attack does not apply toward flat-footed foes, here. If you strike at your own allies, they are considered Flat-footed. You may not apply an ability score bonus to damage.

4-5)( The foward momentum in your attack off-balances you. If striking a foe more than five feet away, take a five-foot step in their direction. If striking an adjacent foe, provoke an attack of oppertunity for attempting to enter their square and do not move.

3)( You horribly botch your kata in one form or another. You provoke an attack of oppertunity from all threatening creatures. This attack can be made, regardless of the creatures making an AoO earlier in the round. Loose your dexterity bonus aginst these attacks - you are vulnerable to sneak attacks and are considered flat-footed until your next action. If this result occured during a Full Attack, loose all further iteritive attacks. Regardles, no further actions may be taken this turn.

2)( Drop your weapon. Recovering aforementioned weapon is a move action provoking an AoO. If you are wearing a chain gauntlet or have otherwise secured your weapon to your hand, recovering your weapon is a swift action. You may make no further armed attacks with that weapon until it is recoevered. You may instead draw another weapon instead of recovering your dropped one. If your weapon has been secured, all attacks with your new weapon suffer a -2 off hand penalty.

1)( You hit yourself in one manner or another. Do not apply Sneak Attack or your ability score bonus to your damage roll.


Ranged:
Roll 1d6
6)( Loose all further Iteritive attacks in your Full Attack, if applicable. Roll 1d4 for direction of the arrow. One results in firing above the target, two to his left, three to the ground, and four to his right. The arrow continues for another range incriment or until it strikes a solid object. Creatures in the arrow's path are considered flat-footed aginst it if not engaged in combat. Do not apply Sneak Attack.

5)( You strike you foe so that they are only mildly inconvienced. For example, your arrow may break inside the target's armor joint, causing only superficial damage.

3-4)( Your arrow flys directly into the ground, breaking on contact.

2)( Your bowstrig breaks in a manner which doesn't harm anybody. Replacing your bowstring with a spare requires a full-round action, as well as a full round action digging for your spare in your backpack. For simplicity's sake, you are considered to have 1d4 spare bowstrings per adventure. Apply DM's discretion to number and avilabilty of spare bowstrings.

1)( You bowstring breaks and cuts you as it does so. Suffer 1d8 slashing damage. There is a 10% chance that you are struck in the eye, becoming blind in it and suffering a -12 penalty on all further attack rolls, spot checks, and other checks which require the sense of sight for loosing your dominant eye. Until you eye is regenerated or you become adapted to only having one eye - at the DM's discretion. A mighty composite bow adds one point of damage per point of strentgh bonus it allows you to apply to your attack.


Unarmed/Touch
Roll 1d6, and follow the normal melee fumble chart with the following exceptions:

5)( Make a tumble check to avoid provoking an attack of oppertunity at a -6 penalty. If this fails, you fall prone. If it succeeds, make no further actions this round.

2)( Your opponent catchs your blow if he has a free hand. He may initiate a grapple as a swift action. If your opponent does not have a free hand, you provoke an attack of oppertunity, regardless of wheather or not you have Improved Unarmed Strike or a similar effect.
You take a -4 penalty to your armor class until you can free your limb, which requires a succesful grapple or escape artist check, as if to escape a pin.


Also note that, no matter what result occurs, any touch spells are discharged harmlessly.

[Swooper]

Thanks for your input guys, I've updated the top post with some of your suggestions.

I found the last one in your ranged fumble table quite... harsh, thanatos5150. I can see it, a 1st level elven ranger botches his bowshot, cuts off his arm and stabs himself in the eye at the same time. With a bow. :smallconfused: :smalltongue:

I need more suggestions though, to fill the two half-full tables, and some for the completely empty ranged touch table.

[Thanatos 51-50]

[QUOTE=Swooper;3226054]I found the last one in your ranged fumble table quite... harsh, thanatos5150. I can see it, a 1st level elven ranger botches his bowshot, cuts off his arm and stabs himself in the eye at the same time. With a bow. :smallconfused: :smalltongue:[\QUOTE]

I put in a "Hurt yourself" in all the fumble tables. Its absolutely ludicrous that you shoot yourself with a bow, unless you were aiming for your foot. It was an old DM of mine that ruled that the bowstring snapped and cut you up pretty bad, after all, its a high-tension , hundred-pound pull bowstrong. The eye thing. well, you aim with your eye - and that can be regenerated and/or adjusted to. I meant to make it harsh. Also, take into account that its only something like a ten percent chance of the eye attack occuring, maybe the chance could be ratcheted dow quite a bit (maybe to one or two percent?).

[Paragon Badger]

In another game, there was an archery tournament, which was determined by mathematical mumbo jumbo, tradjectories, wind, distance, ect.

Everyone had a practice run. So one guy used his practice shots to aim at a 0 degree angle to the target, then 30 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees.

...On that final practice shot........

You may also want to add in things such as pulling a muscle, which would result in temporary ability damage and/or fatigue penalties related to that limb.

Heh... Paris of Troy was using a crtical miss chart when he shot Achilles. He missed, practically shot straight at the ground, and then had Athena's help to try and raise the arrow, which STILL was too low for a decent shot, and unwittingly hit Acchilles' heel.

Why a regular arrow caused a festering unhealing wound, I'll never know...

[BisectedBrioche]

For ranged: Your bowstring/sling/thrown weapon strikes your arm and causes a nasty bruise, take 1 point of dex damage and make a DC 15 reflex save to avoid dropping the weapon.

My dad and brother both practise archery, this happens to them a lot.


Heh... Paris of Troy was using a crtical miss chart when he shot Achilles. He missed, practically shot straight at the ground, and then had Athena's help to try and raise the arrow, which STILL was too low for a decent shot, and unwittingly hit Acchilles' heel.

Why a regular arrow caused a festering unhealing wound, I'll never know...

The wound became septic. Also, according to the myth it was his only weak point.

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

For some good Fumble resources and ideas, I'd look into both the old Rolemaster and the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay systems. Both had critical hit and fumble tables for several attack forms.

[Swooper]

Hmm, everyone seems to be assuming Ranged means bows, and possibly crossbows. There's slings and thrown weapons too, don't forget.

However - thanks for the input, all, and I'd love to see some examples from the WHFRP (and Rolemaster) tables. I could have guessed they had such tables, seems like Games' Workshop's thing. :smalltongue: