Criticals and Critical Effects
Whenever you roll a natural 1 or 20 on a martial check to attack, Spellcasting check, Save, or some other specific check, this is considered a Critical. A natural 1 is a Critical Fail causing the check to automatically fail, while a natural 20 is a Critical Success causing the check to automatically succeed. With some actions, such as attacking or Spellcasting, when a critical happens a confirmation roll is required to see if a greater effect occurs.
Strong Critical
When a critical success on an attack or spell cast is confirmed, a Strong Critical occurs. Strong Criticals have additional effects depending on the type of action that was successfully confirmed. Some talents, abilities, and items can influence what number a Strong Critical can occur on. For example, a weapon with a critical range of 19 can trigger a Strong Critical on a 19 or 20. A critical on a 19 would not be an automatic success.
- Weapon Attacks: When a weapon attack confirms a Strong Critical it deals double damage before any reductions. In addition it triggers an effect based on the type of damage dealt and it’s Critical Rating, see chart below. If the attack is applying an ongoing condition or other effect, the duration of the effect is doubled.
- Spell Casting: When a Spellcasting check confirms a Strong Critical it gains a number of free Upcasting effects equal to the Spell Level. These Upcasting effects are in addition to any benefits already applied and ignore the normal limits to how many Upcasts can be applied to a spell. In addition, if the spell deals damage it triggers an effect based on the type of damage dealt and it’s Critical Rating, see the table below. Note: Attack rolls made as part of casting a spell to apply the spell effects cannot trigger Strong Criticals or Hotstreaks on the spell.
- Note: Any ongoing effect from a Strong Critical has it’s duration reset if another Strong Critical of the same type occurs during the effect. If a Strong Critical deals multiple types of damage, only the damage that is multiplied by the Strong Critical has an additional effect. If multiple types of damage are multiplied by the critical, the attacker chooses which additional effect occurs.
Hotstreak
When a Strong Critical that was triggered by a natural 20 is confirmed by another natural 20, a Hotstreak occurs. Hotstreaks cause greater effects that can swing momentum and turn the tide of battle. An action that deals damage now deals maximum damage and increases the Tier of critical effect by one step, and any ongoing effects durations are quadrupled. If the Hotstreak was triggered by a spell, any resources used for that spell are not spent and the caster is not restricted from taking another Spellcasting action that turn. Finally, if a Hotstreak triggers on an attack, the attacker rolls a d100 and an additional effect based on the table below occurs.
Critical Fumble
When a critical miss caused by a natural 1 is confirmed by another natural 1 a Critical Fumble occurs. Critical Fumbles are disastrous results that can upset the flow of battle. If a Spellcasting check Critically Fumbles a minor Wild Magic event occurs. If an attack Critically Fumbles the attacker rolls a d100 to determine the Fumble effect based on the table below.
Strong Critical Effect Table
Every damage type has access to the minor effect for strong criticals, moderate and major effects can be accessed through talents and other abilities.
| Damage Type | Minor Effect | Moderate Effect | Major Effect |
| Bludgeoning | Target has Critical Rating Active Reduction for 1d4 Rounds | Target is Staggered for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Stunned for Critical Rating rounds |
| Piercing | Attack bypasses Critical Rating amount of physical DR | Target has grappled condition for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Nauseated for Critical Rating rounds |
| Slashing | Target gains Critical Rating points of stackable bleed | Target takes Critical Rating Str or Dex damage | Target gains half Critical Rating Con bleed |
| Acid | Targets physical hardness or DR lowered an amount equal to Critical Rating for 1d4 rounds | Targets physical AC and DR lowered an amount equal to Critical Rating for 1d4 rounds | Targets physical AC and DR lowered an amount equal to Critical Rating until repaired or healed |
| Cold | Target lowers movement speed by 5ft per Critical Rating for 1d4 rounds | Target is affected by Critical Rating hours’ worth of Severe Cold Exposure | Target is Disabled for Critical Rating rounds |
| Electricity | Target has Critical Rating Unbalanced for 1d4 rounds | Target Staggered for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Helpless for half Critical Rating rounds |
| Fire | Target has a number of applications of Burning equal to critical rating | Target is affected by Critical Rating hours’ worth of Severe Heat Exposure | Target has Burning Panic |
| Force | Target pushed back 5ft per critical rating | Target is knocked prone | Target is Unconscious for Critical Rating rounds |
| Gloom | Targets vision is treated as if in fog for Critical Rating rounds | Target has 10 percent miss chance per critical rating | Targets critical fail/fumble range is increased by Critical Rating for 1d4 rounds |
| Necrotic | Target takes reduced healing equal to Critical Rating for 1d4 rounds. This effect can stack. | Target takes Critical Rating in Con damage | Target must make a DC 15 + Critical Rating Body save or be paralyzed |
| Poison | Target takes penalty to save against the poison equal to critical rating | Target has Intoxication (Slight) for poison duration or Critical Rating rounds | Target has Intoxication (Moderate) for poison duration or Critical Rating rounds |
| Positive / Negative | Target is Sickened for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Nauseated for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Paralyzed for Critical Rating rounds |
| Psychic | Target has Critical Rating Clouded for 1d4 rounds | Target is Horrified for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Frightened for Critical Rating rounds |
| Radiant | Target Dazzled for Critical Rating rounds | Target Blind for Critical Rating rounds | Target permanently Blind |
| Sonic | Target Deafened for Critical Rating rounds | Target Deafened for Critical Rating minutes | Target permanently Deafened |
| Astral | Target takes 5 Mana Burn per critical rating | Target is Dazed for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Stunned for Critical Rating rounds |
| Crushing | Target is Entangled (Anchored) for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Grappled for Critical Rating rounds | Target is Pinned for Critical Rating rounds |
| Holy / Unholy | Target has Critical Rating Defensive Reduction for 1d4 rounds | Target has Critical Rating Dire Reduction for 1d4 rounds | Target has Disadvantage for Critical Rating rounds |
| Primal | Target has Intoxication (Slight) for Critical Rating rounds | Target has Intoxication (Moderate) for Critical Rating rounds | Target has Intoxication (Heavy) for Critical Rating rounds |
| Primary Alignments | Target has Critical Rating Active Reduction for 1d4 rounds | Target has Critical Rating Dire Reduction for 1d4 rounds | Target has Disadvantage for Critical Rating rounds |
| Shade | Target is Sickened for Critical Rating rounds | Target gains a number of fatigue steps equal to attacks Critical Rating for a number of rounds equal to the critical rating. | The target gains double the attacks Critical Rating in fatigue steps that last until removed. These fatigue steps count as magical and cannot be removed from time alone. |
| Void | Target has Confusion for Critical Rating rounds | Target takes Critical Rating in Int damage | Target is Helpless for Critical Rating rounds |
Hotstreak Effect Table
The following Hotstreak effects only happen if able, if an affect would be impossible in the situation either nothing happens or reroll, up to GM.
| D100 | Hotstreak Effects |
| 1 | No Special Effect |
| 2-5 | Target is Dazzled for 1 round |
| 6-10 | Target is Sickened for 1 round |
| 11-15 | Attack bypasses half the DR |
| 16-20 | Target is Entangled |
| 21-25 | Target takes attacks damage dice in bleeding |
| 26-30 | Target is Staggered for 1 round |
| 31-35 | Target knocked Prone |
| 35-40 | Attack deals 25 percent damage to enemies adjacent to the target |
| 41-45 | Target is Disarmed |
| 46-50 | Attack deals 25 percent more damage |
| 51-55 | Target is Entangled (Anchored) |
| 56-60 | Target is Blind for 1 round |
| 61-65 | Target is Nauseated for 1 round |
| 66-70 | Target provokes from attacker |
| 71-75 | Attack deals 50 percent more damage |
| 76-80 | Target is Stunned for 1 round |
| 81-85 | Target must make DC 20+Critical Rating Body Save or be knocked Unconscious |
| 86-90 | Target provokes from all allies |
| 91-95 | Attack bypasses DR and gives armor Broken state |
| 96-99 | Attack has an additional .5 multiplier to damage on the strong critical |
| 100 | Target must make DC 20+Critical Rating Body Save or Die |
Critical Fumble Effect Table
The following Critical Fumble effects only happen if able, if an affect would be impossible in the situation either nothing happens or reroll, up to GM.
| D100 | Critical Fumble Effects |
| 1 | Attacker hits themselves and rolls to confirm a Strong Critical against themselves, this can trigger a Hotstreak. |
| 2-5 | Attackers weapon is broken, if already broken it is destroyed |
| 6-10 | Attacker hits nearest ally and rolls to confirm a Strong Critical against them |
| 11-15 | Attacker provokes from all enemies threatening them |
| 16-20 | Attackers ally within range is Nauseated for 1 round |
| 21-25 | Attacker falls Prone |
| 26-30 | Attackers nearest ally within attack range is tripped |
| 31-35 | Attacker provokes from target |
| 35-40 | Attacker Blind for 1 round |
| 41-45 | Attacker hits themselves |
| 46-50 | Attackers nearest ally provokes from target |
| 51-55 | Attackers nearest ally within range is Blind for 1 round |
| 56-60 | Attacker Dazed for 1 round |
| 61-65 | Attacker hits nearest ally |
| 66-70 | Attacker takes attacks damage dice in bleed |
| 71-75 | Attacker is Entangled |
| 76-80 | Attackers nearest ally within range is Sickened for 1 round |
| 81-85 | Attacker has Disadvantage on next Attack |
| 86-90 | Attacker drops weapon |
| 91-95 | Attacker swaps weapons with target |
| 96-99 | Attacker Dazzled for 1 round |
| 100 | No Special Effect |