Could you please tell me critical fumble (nat 1) consequences?

Quote from WolfeCriedPup >>

I'd say just make sure it goes both ways with monsters and NPCs. At least then it will end up "balanced".

 Yeah, I do it with monsters too.

Quote from Xalthu >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from ApplePaladin >>

"You miss." That's the consequence for rolling a 1 in combat. Anything more is arbitrarily punishing the player.

 

My players love it. It depends on the player. 😊

 Just wait until the player is a level 11 fighter who action surges. We’ll see how fun it is then.

As others have said, this really punishes martials. And it creates a weird situation where higher level martials in general, and fighters in particular are more likely to drop their weapon in any given round than lower-level ones. So a level 20 fighter, who’s meant to be the pinnacle of fighting skill with a weapon, has four chances to drop a weapon every round, (maybe more depending on the build) while a level 1 fighter has only 1. Meaning it’s likely that a level 20 fighter will drop their weapon 1 time per fight, while at level 1, that fighter was only dropping it 1 time across 4 or 5 fights. 

My adventures have not reached that level yet, so I guess that's why they find it funny. Thanks to your comments I probably won't be using it at higher leveles. But at level 1-7 it's been pretty funny so far. 🤣

Most of what I would say on this topic has already been said by others. Specifically on the dropping a weapon in combat, I let my players roll a dex save on that, like dc 10 (or lower if I feel the situation requires it) and it doesn't have to go flying out of their hands. I've never made them lose a whole turn over a nat 1. I think it does help to make nat 20s comparably stronger as well - we use a rule in our campaign where instead of rolling the double dice, we max out the damage roll and roll the dice as normal as well. It makes for some really big hits which my players love.

An extra thing I do on enemy nat 1s only is they over extend themselves, leaving themselves open; you get a free attack using your reaction (or if you think it's unfair to steal their reaction, just a free attack).

(As an aside, my players did vote to use the nat 1 additional side effects rule and we're lv 17 and they haven't complained about it yet).

Hope this helps.

Quote from Scruvy>>

 In the middle of an Attack action in the middle of the combat if you have only one or two attacks. You have one free item interaction per turn.

But let's say you're a martial class with multiple attacks per action. Consider you first draw your two-handed weapon with free item interaction. Then you fumble your attack and drop your weapon. A DM might allow you pick it up, but that's not per RAW. So, you've used your free item interaction and can't pick up your weapon. You've lost at least one attack or you must use an unarmed strike. Let's say you have the Interception fighting style, which requires you to be holding a weapon or a shield... which you are not doing. It's even worse if you are fighter with 3+ attacks per action and you fumble two of them.

There's situations when you literally cannot reach your weapon, such as dropping it off a bridge or a cliff.

There's also effects like an Oath of Devotion paladin's Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon, which only work only while you are holding the weapon. If you drop it, the effect ends.

In other words, there's plenty of situations where dropping your weapon is very bad.

 I put an artifact weapon into my game where, if you're using it in a fight, there are bad consequences for letting it go. (10d10 and deattunement.)

That's not something I could do with random weapon loss as a constant thing.

Quote from jl8e>>

Quote from Scruvy>>

 In the middle of an Attack action in the middle of the combat if you have only one or two attacks. You have one free item interaction per turn.

But let's say you're a martial class with multiple attacks per action. Consider you first draw your two-handed weapon with free item interaction. Then you fumble your attack and drop your weapon. A DM might allow you pick it up, but that's not per RAW. So, you've used your free item interaction and can't pick up your weapon. You've lost at least one attack or you must use an unarmed strike. Let's say you have the Interception fighting style, which requires you to be holding a weapon or a shield... which you are not doing. It's even worse if you are fighter with 3+ attacks per action and you fumble two of them.

RAW, you get a free interaction with a weapon for each attack you make as part of the Attack action. So you can just pick it up again.

(This does not make critical fumbles a better idea. A bad consequence that doesn't actually do anything does not improve the game, and it leads to temptation to make the consequence worse.)

Ah, this change is for 5.5e. I play 5e, so I didn't remember they changed the ruling for this.

Quote from jl8e>>

Quote from Scruvy>>

 In the middle of an Attack action in the middle of the combat if you have only one or two attacks. You have one free item interaction per turn.

But let's say you're a martial class with multiple attacks per action. Consider you first draw your two-handed weapon with free item interaction. Then you fumble your attack and drop your weapon. A DM might allow you pick it up, but that's not per RAW. So, you've used your free item interaction and can't pick up your weapon. You've lost at least one attack or you must use an unarmed strike. Let's say you have the Interception fighting style, which requires you to be holding a weapon or a shield... which you are not doing. It's even worse if you are fighter with 3+ attacks per action and you fumble two of them.

RAW, you get a free interaction with a weapon for each attack you make as part of the Attack action. So you can just pick it up again.

Where is this said? 

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from jl8e>>

Quote from Scruvy>>

 In the middle of an Attack action in the middle of the combat if you have only one or two attacks. You have one free item interaction per turn.

But let's say you're a martial class with multiple attacks per action. Consider you first draw your two-handed weapon with free item interaction. Then you fumble your attack and drop your weapon. A DM might allow you pick it up, but that's not per RAW. So, you've used your free item interaction and can't pick up your weapon. You've lost at least one attack or you must use an unarmed strike. Let's say you have the Interception fighting style, which requires you to be holding a weapon or a shield... which you are not doing. It's even worse if you are fighter with 3+ attacks per action and you fumble two of them.

RAW, you get a free interaction with a weapon for each attack you make as part of the Attack action. So you can just pick it up again.

 

Where is this said? 

 It's in the text of the Attack action that jl8e linked to.

Quote from ApplePaladin >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from jl8e>>

Quote from Scruvy>>

 In the middle of an Attack action in the middle of the combat if you have only one or two attacks. You have one free item interaction per turn.

But let's say you're a martial class with multiple attacks per action. Consider you first draw your two-handed weapon with free item interaction. Then you fumble your attack and drop your weapon. A DM might allow you pick it up, but that's not per RAW. So, you've used your free item interaction and can't pick up your weapon. You've lost at least one attack or you must use an unarmed strike. Let's say you have the Interception fighting style, which requires you to be holding a weapon or a shield... which you are not doing. It's even worse if you are fighter with 3+ attacks per action and you fumble two of them.

RAW, you get a free interaction with a weapon for each attack you make as part of the Attack action. So you can just pick it up again.

 

Where is this said? 

 It's in the text of the Attack action that jl8e linked to.

But does that rule include a bonus action? 🤔

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

So I'd like to ask you to tell me consequences that I can apply when my players make a critical fumble (natural 1). 

The funnier the better.

 You do not want mechanically punishing consequences for Nat 1s. Rather you would want purely superficial events like:

• You accidentally cut your belt and your trousers fall down.
• You trip over your own sword and accidentally hit yourself in the crotch with the hilt.
• You throw yourself recklessly at the enemy but they step to the side, as you go flying past your lips accidentally brush those of the enemy.
• You suddenly discover you are allergic to this monster, as you sneeze violently and miss your attack.
• For a moment, you have a vision of yourself as just a playing piece in someone else's game. Your whole life if just a story they are telling each other. This momentary existential crisis distracts you causing you to miss.
• A pixie suddenly appears on your shoulder and tickles you causing your attack to fly off target.
• A mouse darts out from under a rock, startling you and causing your attack to miss.
• You shift your sword into attack position, but a ray of light catches it and momentarily blinds you, causing your attack to miss.
• A butterfly randomly lands on your face, and blocks your vision causing you to miss.
• A random magically eddy flutters past and for a moment your weapon becomes soft and flaccid causing your attack to miss.
• A random magically eddy flutters past and for a moment you are transformed into hedgehog before immediately transforming back.

Quote from Agilemind >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

So I'd like to ask you to tell me consequences that I can apply when my players make a critical fumble (natural 1). 

The funnier the better.

 You do not want mechanically punishing consequences for Nat 1s. Rather you would want purely superficial events like:

• You accidentally cut your belt and your trousers fall down.
• You trip over your own sword and accidentally hit yourself in the crotch with the hilt.
• You throw yourself recklessly at the enemy but they step to the side, as you go flying past your lips accidentally brush those of the enemy.
• You suddenly discover you are allergic to this monster, as you sneeze violently and miss your attack.
• For a moment, you have a vision of yourself as just a playing piece in someone else's game. Your whole life if just a story they are telling each other. This momentary existential crisis distracts you causing you to miss.
• A pixie suddenly appears on your shoulder and tickles you causing your attack to fly off target.
• A mouse darts out from under a rock, startling you and causing your attack to miss.
• You shift your sword into attack position, but a ray of light catches it and momentarily blinds you, causing your attack to miss.
• A butterfly randomly lands on your face, and blocks your vision causing you to miss.
• A random magically eddy flutters past and for a moment your weapon becomes soft and flaccid causing your attack to miss.
• A random magically eddy flutters past and for a moment you are transformed into hedgehog before immediately transforming back.

Those are really good ones!! I love it.

Thank you for the ideas!

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from ApplePaladin >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from jl8e>>

RAW, you get a free interaction with a weapon for each attack you make as part of the Attack action. So you can just pick it up again.

 

Where is this said? 

 It's in the text of the Attack action that jl8e linked to.

 

But does that rule include a bonus action? 🤔

 I don't understand your question.

Quote from jl8e >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from ApplePaladin >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

Quote from jl8e>>

RAW, you get a free interaction with a weapon for each attack you make as part of the Attack action. So you can just pick it up again.

 

Where is this said? 

 It's in the text of the Attack action that jl8e linked to.

 

But does that rule include a bonus action? 🤔

 I don't understand your question.

I mean, you can only pick a weapon "for free" during your attack action once, can't you?

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

 

I mean, you can only pick a weapon "for free" during your attack action once, can't you?

 No.

Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. [...]

Each and every attack you make as part of the attack action gives you a weapon interaction. This includes the Light extra attack if you're using Nick, and also probably Cleave.*

It doesn't include explicitly bonus action attacks, but you also still have your free object interaction. (And the free draws for throwing weapons.)

A high-level fighter gets four interactions out of it without doing anything else.

* If somebody's about to argue this, go necro one of the many threads about it.

Quote from jl8e >>

Quote from JaimeVonCarstein >>

 

I mean, you can only pick a weapon "for free" during your attack action once, can't you?

 No.

Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. [...]

Each and every attack you make as part of the attack action gives you a weapon interaction. This includes the Light extra attack if you're using Nick, and also probably Cleave.*

It doesn't include explicitly bonus action attacks, but you also still have your free object interaction. (And the free draws for throwing weapons.)

A high-level fighter gets four interactions out of it without doing anything else.

* If somebody's about to argue this, go necro one of the many threads about it.

Oh, that's interesting! Thank you for pointing it out.

Just to echo what some others have said here, I definitely stopped using fumble consequences in combat. I still use critical fail/critical success in skill checks (although that's not RAW) because I think they're a lot of fun. But in combat there are too many rolls. Even if your players just a single attack, there are going to be a lot of 1's over time. I found that the fun really goes out of it by like the fifth time your fighter drops his sword or your ranger's bow string snaps.