Fumbles in Combat

[Quire]

The RAW indicate that the GM decides the result of a Fumbled combat roll. The extent of advice in the core rulebook is that a fumbled Bow skill could result in a snapped bowstring, and a fumbled 1H Sword test could result in you dropping the sword.

I'm guessing that some of us miss the old fumble tables, but I was wondering about a more elegant (ie, perhaps even table-less) approach.

How are you handling combat fumbles?

- Q

 

[Halfbat]

I generate a result based on the situation, but then I just used the old fumble tables as a guidelines after initially using them rigidly. Most of the time the fumble is based on effect and can even be suggested by the player!

If a character fumbles a shot past another's head I reckon the fumble means he hit his friend or the bowstrong snapped, for example rather than roll for the result. A wild charge into combat resulting in a fumble could mean the character ran right through up to his full move without stopping or slipped and fell (if the footing is uneven), for example.

 

[weasel_fierce]

whatever is most fun. If in doubt, loose 1D3 actions

 

[Dr_Snugglebunny]

character explodes, causing 5d6 damage to those within 3m

 

[frogspawner]

I use a variation/combination of the old RQ2/3 fumble tables (after all, I do for the rest of the rules, too!). Here is my version of the table - feel free to adapt it for MRQ, if you like...

d100 Combat Fumbles [M: Missile weapons; N: Natural weapons]
01-05 Lose next parry [N: lose next dodge]
06-10 Lose next attack
11-15 Lose next attack and parry [N: lose next attack and dodge]
16-20 Lose next attack, parry and dodge [N: lose next attack-sequence and dodge]
21-25 Lose next d3 attacks
26-30 Lose next d3 attacks and parries [N: lose next d3 attacks and dodges]
31-35 Shield falls off [M: or bowstring breaks] [N: Strain muscle - dodge halved for duration]
36-40 Shield falls off & lose next attack [M/N: as above, and lose next attack]
41-45 Armour location falls off [N: Strain muscle - dodge halved for duration]
46-50 Armour location falls off & lose next attack and parry [N: as above, and lose next attack-sequence]
51-55 Fall: lose parry and dodge this round [N: lose any other attacks and dodges this round]
56-60 Twist ankle: movement halved (until end of combat)
61-63 Twist ankle and Fall (apply both of the above two results)
64-67 Vision hindered: Attack x1/2 (d3 rounds unengaged to fix)
68-70 Vision impaired: Attack and Parry x1/2 (d6 rounds unengaged to fix)
71-72 Vision blocked: Lose Attack and Parry (d6 rounds unengaged to fix)
73-74 Distracted: Foes attack at x2 next round
75-78 Weapon dropped [N: Strain muscle - lose one attack for duration of combat]
79-82 Weapon knocked away (d6 yards, d8 for direction) [N: as above]
83-86 Weapon damaged (loses d6 AP) [N: as above]
87-89 Weapon shattered (destroyed) [N: as above]
90-91 Hit Friend or self if no friend near (may dodge)
92-93 Hit Friend for special damage (may dodge)
94-95 Wide Open: Foe hits automatically (may dodge) [M: Hit friend nearest target]
96-97 Foe hits for special damage (may dodge) [M: Hit friend nearest target for special damage]
98 Foe hits for critical damage (may dodge) [M: Hit friend nearest target for critical damage]
99 You've blown it - roll twice more
00 You've blown it badly - roll thrice more

 

[Quire]

character explodes, causing 5d6 damage to those within 3m

Nice. I like it.

- Q

 

[Quire]

whatever is most fun. If in doubt, loose 1D3 actions

See, I like 'whatever is most fun', but it's so difficult to choose between a PC lopping his own leg off or lopping his best mate's head off.

I think I'm veering towards tables, even though I'm really trying to avoid tables...the fewer tables you have to reference during play, the better. I've been trying to think of a way to do it that keeps that random fun but doesn't make me peer myopically at my GM screen. Nothing springs to mind, though. I can't even do anything with an odd/even numbers thing, since Fumbles are only on 00. Hm...

Back to 'exploding causing 5D6 damage to those within 3m'...next time the PCs are captured by slavers and forced to fight in the arena for the entertainment of the hoi polloi, they WILL be wearing enchanted collars that do just that if the wearer fumbles. My players will LOVE you for putting that in my head, Dr. Snuggs.

- Q

 

[Dr_Snugglebunny]

Glad to help. I think in general, swapping the Chaos Features table for the Fumble table is a good approach. Nothing like a permanent chaos taint to teach a PC to never, ever let the dice fumble again! Especially when fighting on a team that includes a Storm Bull.

:twisted:

 

[Rurik]

Glad to help. I think in general, swapping the Chaos Features table for the Fumble table is a good approach. Nothing like a permanent chaos taint to teach a PC to never, ever let the dice fumble again! Especially when fighting on a team that includes a Storm Bull.

:twisted:

I presume then that you are using the old Chaos Feature Tables?

 

[Dr_Snugglebunny]

I'm GMing RQ3, so yes, I use those old chaos (and fumble) tables. But I play MRQ as a player. "Switch hitter" in baseball terminology.

 

[Halfbat]

As an aside, had a fumbled check tonight whilst a player was trying to get his trained sheep/hunting dog to do something...

...decided that the dog misunderstood "kill" and though it actually meant "cum-by". It ran round the side, trying to herd a pair of drakling, much to the owner's disgust and the other players' delight.

 

[Storm Korakesh]

Fumble tabler are very fun and easy. GM does not have to make any decisions himself. But to use the same fumble table every games can get predictable. Change your fumble-tables often. If the GM is very imaginative he can of course decide the result of the fumble himself. He should roll a d100 to se how bad it was before deciding what happened. But avoid "you dropped your weapon fumble" when doing this, its boring.

 

[CthulhuFnord]

In one of the Eternal Champion RPG books fumbles can summon uncontrolled Demons.

 

[Shorkor]

I like fumble tables, but generally use them only as inspiration for when I'm uninspired. Fumbles add a lot to the game. My players still talk about this one, when a character had an arrow in the left arm:

Healer: "This will hurt. I have to push the arrow the rest of the way through your arm, so the barbs don't totally rip the arm up."

"Oh..."

"I guess it wasn't a barbed arrow after all. Sorry about that."

Later in same game. Eiritha worshiper tries to do first aid on captive trolkin with head wound. Ties bandage too tight, constricting major artery. Trolkin dies.

Then there was one years ago. Character fumbled with sling. Rolled two additional fumbles. First was a "hit friend". Head shot, enough to get through the helmet handily. Second, another "hit friend". I ruled that it ricocheted off the first characters helmet, and would do one point less this time. I also said that, if he hit the new one on the helmet, the same thing would happen again. Can't remember how many characters he bounced that thing off! I don't think anyone after the first two actually lost HP.