Nachie
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Registered: 08-2011
Posts: 102
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Critical Hits (adapted from Mordheim)
In another thread about my current campaign a couple of you asked me to post the critical hits rules I've been using, so here they are.
These rules are lifted directly from Mordheim, and have NOT been extensively playtested. I've used them for a couple sessions now and have been extremely happy with they way they affect the game, but my party is Level 2 and I reckon that these would be overly fatal at Level 1.
The whole reason I'm using them, however, is because I like to keep WHQ as deadly as possible and I do not like the idea of using the higher level monster tables where Dragon Ogres, Trolls, and Manticores are all just running around the same dungeon. As a GM, I try to weave a believable and coherent story, and part of that is keeping things realistic in terms of the monsters that the warriors face. And realism, to me, is that even a Dwarf in full plate armor should still be able to get taken down by a horde of goblins. This of course also greatly increases the mileage that I get out of lower-level monsters.
These crits are only for the monsters; warriors don't get them. My players of course bemoan this constantly, but they get to make deathblows, use all sorts of special items, and are constantly slaughtering 7 Orcs at a time anyway, so I think they should really put it more in perspective.
In Mordheim, these critical hits occur whenever you roll a natural 6 to wound. In my games, I have changed this to a natural 6 to hit. I am still not sure if I want to keep it this way, since many monsters already have special buffs that happen when they roll a 6 or a 5 to hit. Perhaps, if you add these to your own game, you'd prefer to keep them for sixes to wound - but then you'd have the problem of how to call criticals for monsters that roll more than 1D6 for damage...
Anyway, here's the list. You roll 1D6 depending on what kind of weapon the monster is using, and then apply the result to the damage roll. Note once again, these are meant to be pretty brutal.
MISSILE WEAPONS:
1-2 Hits a weak spot: Ignore all armor
3-4 Ricochet: The closest enemy (warrior) model within 6" is also hit, roll to wound as normal
5-6 Master Shot: Ignores armor and causes an extra 1D6 wounds.
BLUDGEONING WEAPONS:
1-2 Hammered: Knocked off balance and cannot fight this turn
3-4 Clubbed: Ignores all armor
5 Wild Sweep: Roll to wound as normal. Opponent loses their weapon (if using two, roll to see which one) and must switch to another.
6 Bludgeoned: If the attack causes at least one wound, target is automatically placed at zero wounds.
BLADED WEAPONS
1-2 Flesh Wound: Ignore all armor.
3-4 Bladestorm: Opponent is hit twice.
5-6 Sliced! Ignore all armor and first 2 points of Toughness, extra 1D6 damage.
UNARMED COMBAT
1-2 Body Blow: Opponent staggers, immediately roll to hit again.
3-4 Crushing Blow: Ignore first point of Toughness.
5-6 Mighty Blow: Opponent knocked down, ignore armor and first two points of toughness.
THRUSTING WEAPONS
1-2 Stab: Ignore one point of toughness
3-4 Thrust: Target is knocked down
5-6 Kebab! Attack ignores armor and first two points of Toughness. Target knocked backwards 1D6" and attacker follows, regardless of pinning. If target collides with another model, it is hit at strength 3.
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26/Jan/2012, 2:23 pm
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OldWarrior
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Registered: 04-2006
Location: USA, Western hemisphere, earth
Posts: 1283
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Re: Critical Hits (adapted from Mordheim)
quote: Nachie wrote:
In Mordheim, these critical hits occur whenever you roll a natural 6 to wound. In my games, I have changed this to a natural 6 to hit. I am still not sure if I want to keep it this way, since many monsters already have special buffs that happen when they roll a 6 or a 5 to hit. Perhaps, if you add these to your own game, you'd prefer to keep them for sixes to wound - but then you'd have the problem of how to call criticals for monsters that roll more than 1D6 for damage...
Interesting... It reminds me of the Critical Hit tables in the magazine -- also based upon type of weapon and only for the monsters. BUT, I think these tables are focused on type of weapon instead of actual weapon. The ones in the magazine, I think they were trying too hard to cover every single weapon...
I would suggest that if someone uses "6 to wound" as the trigger for a Critical Hit that it be any single 1D6 used in the monster's damage roll which is a natural 6 would trigger a Critical Hit. This way the more powerful monsters would cause Critical Hits more often. That makes it seem even MORE brutal though!
Anyway, this gives me one more set of tables to consider as I try to develop my own. lol
Last edited by OldWarrior, 26/Jan/2012, 2:45 pm
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26/Jan/2012, 2:42 pm
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BassJam
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Registered: 07-2003
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 542
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Re: Critical Hits (adapted from Mordheim)
I use Critical Hits AND Critical Wounds
I also have adapted Monsters from Warhammer Fantasy Battle that have the Killing Blow special rule. In my games, the Killing Blow guys are the ones that get to keep rolling 1d6 indefinitely each time they roll a 6 to wound.
For standard Critical Hits, I use a 6 to Hit, but ONLY if the Warrior/Monster could have hit their target on a 3+. So Halfling Thieves and other WS 2 guys don't get to Crit Dark Elves unless they are magically buffed and the Dark Elf is prone or something.
I give the victim a saving throw; if the victim succeeds they suffer only an addition +1 Wound, but if they fail they get nasty results similar to Nachie's chart.
On top of all that, if characters go below -10 Wounds (got this idea from the Giant) I use the HIDEOUS Critical Wound chart from WFRP 1st Edition. The only time that happened was when a Minotaur chopped my Witch Hunter in half in such a manner that he was dead dead dead in the entrance to a dungeon
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31/Jan/2012, 4:25 pm
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