Critical Fumbles

Critical fumbles are less easily defined than critical hits. One system that works rules that a die roll of 1 results in some unfortunate event happening to the character who rolled it. The DM must decide what the exact event is based on the situation, although it should not be one that causes damage.

A character could trip and sprawl to the floor, break his sword hitting a stone pillar, get his axe wedged in a wooden beam, or have one of his backpack straps slip off his shoulder, getting in the way. (Of course, magical weapons are not likely to break under normal use.)

The normal result of a critical fumble is the loss of the next round's attack as the character gets up off the floor, digs out a new weapon, pulls his axe out of the beam, or struggles to get his pack where it belongs. Critical failures add a dose of excitement and humor to combat.

Finally, always remember that whatever happens, happens to both player characters and NPCs.

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