Critical Hits & Fumbles

Critical hits and fumbles occur when any combatant makes a natural roll that results in a "1," "2," and "20" on a d20 attack die. A roll of "20" results in a critical hit, a "1" causes a fumble, and in the case of missile combat, a "2" leads to friendly fire.

Critical Hits

On rolling a natural 20, the combatant has achieved a critical hit, increasing the damage normally caused. A critical hit initially deals double damage, but the combatant rolls a d20 again to determine if the damage increases further. If another natural 20 is rolled, the damage is tripled. The process repeats: rolling an additional natural 20 increases the multiplier (quadruple damage, quintuple damage, and so on) until a roll fails to land on 20. Rolls of 1 to 18 are ignored in this process.

If, at any point during this sequence, a natural 19 is rolled following a natural 20, and the target is not wearing a helmet or any protective head covering, the damage multiplier increases as if another natural 20 had been rolled. However, the d20 is not rolled again. The combatant then calculates damage, applying strength bonuses, magic effects, and any other modifiers before applying the final multiplier.

For example, Erdowan swings a long sword at a hippogriff and rolls a natural 20. He rolls the d20 again and obtains a 19. Since the hippogriff has no protective headgear, Erdowan’s attack causes triple damage. He does not reroll the d20 further. Erdowan rolls a 4 on a d8 for base damage. With a 16 strength (+1 bonus) and a +1 long sword, his adjusted damage is 6, which is then tripled for a total of 18 damage. The hippogriff suffers a wound and an injury point.

An exception exists. For a hit to be considered potentially critical, the natural 20 must have a modified result that is at least 2 points higher than the minimum required to hit the target. For example, Faye, a 1st-level cleric, needs a modified 20 to hit Gareth, who has an armour class (AC) of 0. Faye has no attack modifiers. Since her total modified result is not at least 2 points above the target AC, she does not score a critical hit and instead deals normal damage.

Fumbles

On rolling a natural 1, the combatant has performed a fumble, resulting in the loss of control over their weapon. The weapon is dropped immediately, and its landing position must be determined by rolling a d8 and consulting the table shown. A roll of 1-2 indicates that the weapon falls at the combatant's feet and may be retrieved the following round — provided they are not forced from their hex by an opponent's attack. Rolls of 3-8 indicate that the weapon lands in an adjacent hex, either left, right or above, as shown in the figure.

If the weapon lands in a hex occupied by an ally, that ally may kick the weapon back to its owner, allowing for quick recovery. Otherwise, the owner must move into the indicated hex to retrieve it. Alternatively, the combatant may choose to draw another weapon and recover the dropped weapon later. However, an enemy may also pick up the weapon if they reach it first, potentially turning the fumble into a greater tactical disadvantage.

If the hex indicated is occupied by a solid object — such as a building, stone wall or similar obstruction — the weapon is presumed to have rebounded into the owner's hex, allowing for easy recovery. However, if the hex is an empty space, such as a well, the edge of a cliff, a pool of water, a river or any other hazardous area, the weapon may be difficult or even impossible to retrieve. In such cases, the DM must determine the feasibility of retrieval attempts, taking into account the environment and the character's available resources.

Thrown weapons that strike or rebound against hard surfaces must roll to determine if they break. If a thrown weapon results in a successful hit, no break check is required and the weapon is presumed to be intact. However, if a thrown weapon misses and strikes an unyielding surface, the DM may require a durability check to assess whether the weapon remains usable.

Breaking

If the drop occurs on a metal, stone or tiled surface, or in an urban environment where the weapon may have struck a nearby pillar or wall, the combatant must roll to determine if the weapon breaks. The chance of breakage is specified on the weapons list page. A roll of "1" on the designated die indicates that the weapon has broken and is rendered useless. Weapons that fall on dirt, wood or other soft surfaces do not require a break check.

If the weapon is magical, the durability check is more forgiving. Instead of a single roll, two dice of the weapon's designated type are rolled, and both must result in a "1" for the magical weapon to break completely. For example, if an ordinary short sword is dropped on a hard surface, the combatant rolls a d6; if the result is a "1," the weapon shatters (a 1 in 6 chance). If the short sword is magical, an additional d20 is rolled; only if both dice land on "1" does the weapon break, permanently losing its magical properties.

However, magic weapons with an enhancement bonus have an additional safeguard. If a magical weapon with a +1 bonus breaks, it is destroyed, but if the weapon is +2 or higher, it does not shatter outright. Instead, its enchantment is reduced by 1, lowering its effectiveness. A +1, +4 vs. reptiles sword, for example, would degrade to a non-magical sword against most enemies and would retain only a +3 bonus against reptiles. This progressive degradation prevents immediate loss of valuable magical weapons while still preserving the risk of permanent damage.

Friendly Fire

When an attacker fires or hurls a weapon, and a friendly ally is positioned within a 30° arc to the right or left of the intended target, a roll of a natural 2 results in a friendly fire hit against the ally. This hit is automatic and not affected by the ally’s armour class. The attacker rolls for damage, and the result is applied to the ally as if they had been struck directly, including any secondary effects caused by the hit.

If there is no ally within the designated arc of fire, or if the ally is positioned 8 or more hexes beyond the original target, the friendly fire rule is not applied. Similarly, if the natural 2 would have been a successful hit against the intended enemy target, then friendly fire does not occur — the attack instead follows normal hit resolution.

Awarded experience remains unchanged for both the attacker and the struck ally, regardless of their relationship. The mishap is treated as an unavoidable consequence of combat rather than an intentional attack.

Exception: Any bonuses gained from chant, prayer or martial spirit do not apply to friendly fire damage. These effects enhance combat against enemies, but they do not influence accidental strikes against allies.

Friendly Hits

Though not technically "fire," wielders of large or sweeping weapons risk striking allies in adjacent hexes when rolling a natural 2 in combat. This rule applies specifically to the following weapons: mauls, flails, morning stars, pole arms, quarterstaves, spears, two-handed swords and tridents. When a 2 is rolled, an ally occupying an adjacent hex is struck automatically, regardless of their armour class. If multiple allies are within range, the DM determines the recipient with a random roll.

The friendly hit rule reflects the difficulty of controlling large, unwieldy weapons in the midst of combat. However, this risk may be negated if the character possesses the disciplined swing sage ability, which allows for greater control over such weaponry and prevents accidental strikes against allies.

See also,
Attacking in Combat
Combat
Multiple Defenders in One Hex
Using Found Objects as Weapons