Critical Fumble Deck/Table
Card Casting 3: Volatile Variance
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The Critical Fumble Deck/Table
As an optional rule to introduce greater chaos into games, DMs may implement the random critical fumble deck effects detailed below. These rules were originally printed on the gamemastery critical fumble deck, but tables without access to that deck may use either a random number generator with 52 possible results or a deck with 52 numbered cards, using the corresponding values on Table: Critical Fumble Card Results to determine what occurs. Certain effects have had their rules text adjusted in the table for greater clarity, compatibility, and consistency.
Critical fumbles may be introduced as a regular part of gameplay or as a negative effect exclusive to certain abilities or drawbacks.
Critical Fumbles
While critical hits are an everyday part of most games, critical fumbles do not have codified rules. For the purpose of this deck or table, you can use any of the following simple methods for determining a critical fumble. While the first is recommended, as it is the one that least penalized players, the latter two are a bit simpler to adjudicate.
- Whenever an attacker rolls a natural 1 on the die, the attack misses and there is the threat of a fumble. The attacker must immediately make a confirmation roll, using their full base attack bonus (and accompanying modifiers). If the attack roll would miss the target, the attacker fumbles and must draw a card from the deck.
- As per option 1, but instead of using the full base attack bonus, the attacker uses the same modifiers as the first roll. If the attack roll would miss the target, the character fumbles and must draw a card from the deck.
- Whenever an attacker rolls a natural 1 on the die, the character fumbles and must draw a card from the deck.
Using the Critical Fumble Deck/Table
Whenever an attacker (be it a PC, NPC, or monster) confirms a critical fumble, draw one card from the deck and apply the result appropriate to the attack type (non-natural melee, ranged, natural, or magic, selecting randomly if multiple different attack types are appropriate). Natural attacks refer to any attack made with a body part, such as a claw, bite, slam, unarmed strike, tail, or wing. Unless otherwise stated, all of these effects are in addition to the attack failing.
Optional Rules
The following are a few examples of optional result you can employ to adjust how the deck/table works in your game.
- If any attacker has Weapon Focus for the chosen weapon, they may draw two cards from the deck and choose one of the results (from their attack type) to apply. A character with Greater Weapon Focus may draw three cards.
- If you are using the Critical Hit Deck/Table, anytime a player scores a critical hit, they can instead roll normal damage and hold on to one card. They can exchange this card at any time to negate a critical fumble.
- Player characters cannot fumble more than once in any combat. All additional attack rolls that result in a natural one on the die are treated as misses.
- If the attacker is not proficient with the weapon used in the attack, they threaten a fumble on a natural 1 or 2 on the die roll.
Unless otherwise noted, all ability bleed for effects on this table is ability damage, not drain. Bleed from any of these effects can be ended by any magical healing or a DC 15 Heal check to provide first aid.
Unless a DC is listed, the DC for any necessary save is equal to the armor class of the attack’s target.
If an effect states “until healed”, this always refers to the additional damage or bleed effect, not the weapon (or spell) damage.
If there are multiple eligible targets for an effect (such as “an ally adjacent to you or the target” or “your ally closest to the target”), roll randomly to determine which is affected.
Critical Fumble Card Generator
Table: Critical Fumble Card Results| Value | Melee Attack | Ranged Attack | Natural Attack | Spell Attack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You provoke an attack of opportunity from all adjacent opponents | You are fatigued. | You are sickened for 1d4 rounds. | The attack hits you and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. |
| 2 | The attack hits you and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. | You are knocked prone. | You cannot use this weapon for 1 round. | You take 1d4 Int, Wis, or Cha damage (determined randomly). |
| 3 | You take a -4 penalty on all attack rolls for 1 round. | Your attack hits your aly closest to the target. | You take 1d4 points of damage and you cannot use this weapon until healed. | You lose one prepared spell, spell slot, or 1d4 spell points (prepared spell or spell slot is determined randomly). |
| 4 | You take 1 point of bleed damage. | Your ammunition falls from its container and takes 1d6 rounds to gather up. | Your attack hits an ally adjacent to you or the target. | You are fatigued. |
| 5 | You are flat-footed for 1 round. | Your weapon (not ammunition) takes 1d6 points of damage, ignoring hardness. | The attack hits you and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. | You are teleported the nearest square adjacent to the target. |
| 6 | You take 1d4 points of Str damage. | You take a -2 penalty to AC for 1d4 rounds. | You take 1 point of bleed damage. | You take 2d6 points of fire damage. |
| 7 | You drop your weapon and it lands 1d6 x 5 feet away in a random direction. | You are sickened for 1d4 rounds. | You provoke an attack of opportunity from all adjacent opponents. | The spell hits you instead of the target (normal saves apply). |
| 8 | The attack deals damage to you instead of the target. | You are flat-footed for 1 round. | You are knocked prone. | You become entangled in your gear until you spend a standard action to free yourself. |
| 9 | You take 1d6 points of bleed. | You drop your weapon. | The attack deals damage to you instead of the target. | Your attack hits your ally closest to the target. |
| 10 | You are sickened for 1d4 rounds | You take 1 point of bleed damage | You become entangled in your gear until you spend a standard action to free yourself. | Reroll attack against creature nearest the target (yourself excluded). |
| 11 | You are knocked prone. | The attack deals damage to you instead of the target. | You can attack no other target for 1d4 rounds (or until the target is dead). | You take 1 point of bleed damage. |
| 12 | Your weapon is destroyed (Ref negates). Magic weapons use their own save bonus. | You take 1 point of Con damage. | You take a -4 penalty on all attack rolls for 1 round. | Your spell is converted to a summon monster spell of the same level (effective level of a sphere effect is equal to half its caster level, to a maximum of 9th for the purpose of determining this spell). The monster attacks you. |
| 13 | You become entangled in your gear until you spend a standard action to free yourself. | You take 1d4 points of Dex damage. | You take 1d6 points of bleed damage. | You are sickened for 1d4 rounds. |
| 14 | You are fatigued. | Reroll attack against creature nearest the target (yourself excluded). | You take a -2 penalty to AC for 1d4 rounds. | You take 1d6 points of bleed damage. |
| 15 | You drop your weapon. | If attack was made with a bow or crossbow, the string breaks and requires 1d3 rounds to fix. | You take 1 point of Str drain (Fort negates). | You cannot cast any spells for 1 round. |
| 16 | You take 1d4 points of Dex damage. | You become entangled in your gear until you spend a standard action to free yourself. | You are flat-footed for 1 round. | You take 2d6 points of cold damage. |
| 17 | You take a -2 penalty to AC for 1d4 rounds. | The attack hits you and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. | You are fatigued. | You take 2d6 points of acid damage. |
| 18 | Your weapon takes 1d6 points of damage, ignoring hardness. | You take 1d6 points of bleed damage. | You take 1d4 points of Str damage. | You take 2d6 points of electricity damage. |
| 19 | Your attack hits an ally adjacent to you or the target. | You take a -4 penalty on all attack rolls for 1 round. | You take 1d4 points of Dex damage. | You take a -2 penalty to all of your spell DCs for 1d4 minutes. |
| 20 | You can only take a move action next round. | If you made a thrown attack, you throw a random object in your possession. | Your attack hits the target but the target may attempt a grapple check against you as a free action that can be taken outside of their turn. | The target gains a +8 enhancement bonus to Str for 1d4 rounds. |
| 21 | You take a -1 penalty on attack rolls for 1d4 days or until you score a critical hit. | You are deafened until healed (DC 15 Heal check). | You are sickened for 1d6 rounds. | You provoke attacks of opportunity from all threatening foes. |
| 22 | Your attack hits an ally within reach and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. | You take a -1 penalty on attack rolls for 1d4 days or until you score a critical hit. | You are deafened until healed (DC 15 Heal check). | The attack deals damage to you instead of the target. |
| 23 | The attack deals damage to your armor. | You can only take a move action next round. | You take a -2 penalty on skill checks and saves for 1d4 hours. | The spell affects all targets within 30 feet of you. You are immune to this effect. |
| 24 | You are stunned for 1 round (Fort negates). | You take 1d2 points of Dex damage and your speed is reduced by half until healed. | You are exhausted (Fort negates). | One of your magic items permanently gains a random flaw (see the dynamic magic item creation rules in Pathfinder Unchained). |
| 25 | Your attack hits the target, but deals minimum damage. | You are stunned for 1 round (Fort negates). | You take 1d2 points of Con damage. | Target increases one size category for 1d4 rounds. |
| 26 | You take an amount of bleed damage equal to your Str bonus (minimum 1). | If you made a thrown attack, you hit the target, but the weapon ends up in the target’s possession. | Your attack deals damage to all targets adjacent to you except the original target. | You can only take a move action next round. |
| 27 | The attack deals damage to you instead of the target. | Your attack hits the nearest ally and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. | You are dazed for 1d3 rounds. | You are deafened until healed (DC 15 Heal check). |
| 28 | You are deafened until healed (DC 15 Heal check). | You provoke attacks of opportunity from all threatening foes. | Your attack hits an ally within reach and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. | You take a -1 penalty on attack rolls for 1d4 days or until you score a critical hit. |
| 29 | Your target gains possession of your weapon (Ref negates). | Your weapon is destroyed (Ref negates). Magic weapons use their own save bonus. | You kick up dust that blinds you for 1d4 rounds (Fort negates). | The target is affected by the haste spell for 1d4 rounds. |
| 30 | You drop whatever is in your off hand. | You attack the nearest allied animal or mount. | You are stunned for 1 round (Fort negates). | You cannot cast this spell or use this sphere for 24 hours. |
| 31 | You take a -4 penalty on all attack rolls with this weapon until it is repaired (DC 20 Craft check). | You use twice as much ammunition on this attack. | The target may attempt a trip, bull rush, or overrun combat maneuver against you as a free action that can be taken outside their turn (target’s choice). | You are stunned for 1 round (Fort negates). |
| 32 | Your attack deals damage to your shield. | You are exhausted (Fort negates). | You take 1d6 points of damage + your Str modifier. | The target gains DR 5/- for 1d4 rounds. |
| 33 | Your attack damages you instead. Use your target’s Str modifier in place of your own for this damage roll. | If using a projectile weapon, it does not function. Spend 1 standard action to clear. | You are dazed for 1 round. | You take 1 point of Cha bleed. |
| 34 | You take 1 point of Str bleed. | The attack deals damage to you instead of the target. | You take a -1 penalty on attack rolls for 1d4 days or until you score a critical hit. | Your attack hits the nearest ally and is a critical threat. You must roll to confirm the critical hit. |
| 35 | You are exhausted (Fort negates). | You take a -4 penalty to all attacks with this weapon until repaired (DC 20 Craft check). | The target deals bite damage to you. | The attack hits but you lose 1d4 spell points or a prepared spell or spell slot of the highest available level (your choice of prepared spell). |
| 36 | Your weapon is stuck in a nearby surface. DC 20 Str check to free it as a standard action. | You take a -2 penalty on all ranged attack rolls for 1d4 minutes. | You can only take a move action next round. | The target gains SR equal to 11 + your caster level (or 11 + your MSB, if you are a spherecaster) for 1d6 rounds. |
| 37 | All of your enemies have concealment from you for 1d4 rounds. | For 3 rounds, you must spend a full-round action to make an attack action. | Your attack hits, but you are stunned for 2 rounds (Fort save reduces the stun to 1 round). | The highest-level spell effect on you is transferred to your target. |
| 38 | You are confused for 1 round. | For 3 rounds, you take an additional -2 penalty on ranged attacks for each ally in melee combat with your target. | If you had reach greater than 5 feet, it is reduced to 5 feet for 3 rounds. | On their next turn, your target may give you one suggestion as per the suggestion spell. You are considered to have failed your Will save against this suggestion. |
| 39 | If you’re using a slashing weapon, you take 1d6 points of damage and 1 point of bleed. | You take a -2 penalty on ranged attack rolls for 3 rounds. | Your target’s armor and natural armor bonuses are doubled against you for 3 rounds. | You take 1 point of Int bleed. |
| 40 | If you’re using a bludgeoning weapon, you take 1d3 points of Str damage and drop your weapon. | You move backward 5 feet and fall prone. | You take 1d3 points of damage and your speed is halved until healed. | You take 1 point of Wis bleed. |
| 41 | You are sickened for 1d6 rounds. | You are unable to make ranged attacks for the next 1d6 rounds. | If this was a claw attack, slam, or unarmed strike, you cannot use that attack for 1d6 rounds. | 1d3 spells active on you are dispelled (determined randomly). |
| 42 | You fall prone and are blinded for 1d3 rounds (Fort negates prone and blinded). | All targets with cover gain an additional +4 bonus to AC against you for 3 rounds. | If this was a bite attack, you are nauseated for 1d6 rounds. | Lose one randomly determined spell or spell slot (or 1d4 spell points). Your target can cast either the lost spell or the spell you targeted them with on their next turn, using your caster level, ability modifiers, MSB/MSD, and save DC. |
| 43 | Move 10 feet in a random direction and provoke attacks of opportunity as normal. | All attacks beyond the first range increment have triple the normal distance penalty for 3 rounds. | Your enemy’s armor takes 1d6 points of damage. You take 1d6 points of damage and cannot use this attack for 1d3 rounds. | A stinking cloud appears centered on you (using the caster level and equivalent save DC of the spell attack). |
| 44 | You are dazed for 1d3 rounds. | All your attacks have a 50% chance for 1 round. | You take a -2 penalty on attack rolls for 1d6 minutes. | 1d4+2 mirror images spring up around your target. These images last for 1 minute or until destroyed. |
| 45 | Your weapon deals nonlethal damage for the next 3 rounds. | You are confused for 1 round. | You are blinded for 1 round. | You are thrown 1d6x10 feet into the air (or in a random direction if flying (Will negates). |
| 46 | Your weapon flies 2d6x5 feet in a random direction. | You are sickened for 1d6 rounds. | Move 10 feet in a random direction and provoke attacks of opportunity as normal. | You are blinded for 1 round. |
| 47 | You are dazed for 1 round. | You take 1 point of Dex bleed. | You take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and a -2 penalty on attack rolls with that attack for 1d4 rounds. | You take a -4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks. This is a curse effect which can only be removed with remove curse or similar effects (DC equal to the spell attack’s equivalent DC). |
| 48 | You fall unconscious for 1d6 rounds (Will negates). | If the attack was made with a thrown weapon, the weapon travels 5 times its range increment in a random direction. | You take 1 point of Con damage. | You automatically fail your next saving throw. |
| 49 | You take 1 point of Con damage. | For the next 3 rounds, you have a +1 bonus on attack rolls, but you are flat-footed. | You fall unconscious for 1d6 rounds (Will negates). | Roll twice on the rod of wonder table, using both results. |
| 50 | Your weapon loses the reach property. You have a -4 penalty on attack rolls with it until repaired (DC 20 Craft check). | You lose your Dex bonus on attack rolls for 3 rounds. | The attack deals damage to you instead of the target. | You take 1 point of Con damage. |
| 51 | You are blinded for 1 round. | You take 1d6 points of damage. | You threaten no squares for 1d6 rounds. | Your target becomes invisible for 1d4 rounds. |
| 52 | You threaten no squares for 1d6 rounds. | You are blinded for 1 round. | Your target takes normal damage, you take double this damage. | You are shaken for 2d4 rounds. |