Enchanted Realms Rulebook
Raw Dice Values
The general concepts of combat have been given in the Basic Mechanics part; however, there are many details that may need more explanation. Therefore, this “advanced” part of the book has been designed to address the specifics as well as those peculiar, less common scenarios.
| Roll Type | Raw Score | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 20 | Always a hit |
| Attack | 1 | Always a miss |
| Melee w/2d20 | 20 | Crit |
| Range w/2d20 | 20 | Always a hit |
| Awareness Check | 20 | Success |
| Awareness Check | 1 | Quite Distracted |
| Competition Roll | 12 | Determined By Total Score |
| Competition Roll | 1 | Determined By Total Score |
| Picking a Lock | 20 | Determined By Total Score |
| Bartering Action | 20 | Determined By Total Score |
To ensure it is always possible for the untrained to score a hit, despite the math – and conversely, for the highly-talented veteran to occasionally miss, two raw numbers have special characteristics on an attack roll. If the raw die score is 20 (natural 20) or is 1 (failure), then the math and modifiers do not matter. A “natural 20” always scores a hit for an attack die, and a “failure” always misses. However, that is the extent of the rule; by purely rolling one of these numbers in no way indicates a “critical” or “special” hit, nor does it imply the dropping of one’s weapon. Crits and fumbles happen but not purely based on the raw die roll itself.
Further, the always-hit and always-miss only apply to combat, to saves and to Awareness. For skill checks and attribute checks, these are not guaranteed. This is because the Target Value has been calculated based on the expected modifiers. Yes, this means that beginning characters just might not be able to notice certain types of superior, advanced or highly magical stealth -- or that those same beginning characters just don't have a chance to sneak by that grand wizard with multiple sensory buffs. A party must learn when and where to engage, what things to avoid, and mostly when to run.
What is a Crit?
| Die Roll | Crit Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| 01-10 | Hard Hit: +d3 Damage | |
| 11-15 | Agony: +d3 Pain | |
| 16-20 | Unnerved: +1 Anxiety | |
| 21-25 | Smote: +1 Spite | |
| 26-30 | Off Balance: Attacker gains advantage against same target next turn | |
| 31-35 | Reeling: Opponent pushed 5 feet | |
| 36-40 | Garb Issue*: Opponent suffers -2 to Defense until corrected | |
| 41-45 | Stuck: Opponent unable to move or use dodge reaction until end of its next turn | |
| 46-50 | Rocked: Opponent knocked prone | |
| 51-55 | Rolled: Opponent pushed 5 ft & prone | |
| 56-60 | My eyes!: Opponent blind until end of its next turn | |
| 61-65 | Confusion: Opponent will attack a random target on its next turn | |
| 66-70 | Heavy Blow: Opponent placed at disadvantage until end of its next turn | |
| 71-74 | Awe-Struck: Opponent frightened until end of its next turn | |
| 75-78 | Crushed: Opponent stunned until end of its next turn | |
| 79-82 | Beaten: Opponent at disadvantage on Resilience saves until short rest | |
| 83-86 | Shocked: Opponent at disadvantage on Judgment saves until short rest | |
| 87-90 | Ear-split: Opponent deafened until short rest | |
| 91-93 | Leg Strike: Opponent’s movement reduced by 10ft until short rest | |
| 94-96 | Marked*: Opponent suffers permanent scar | |
| 97-98 | Wardrobe Malfunction*: Opponent suffers -2 to Defense until repaired | |
| 99-00 | Bleeding: Opponent suffers -1 damage at the start of its turn until bandaged or healed | |
|
* Garb Issue - This remains in effect until an action is used to correct; if armor is not worn, this this has no effect * Marked - A moderate treatment spell will remove the scar, but a salve will not; while scarred social interactions are at disadvantage * Wardrobe Malfunction - The repair will cost 10% of the armor value and is above the normal maintenance fee; if armor is not worn, this this has no effect | ||
As discussed above, the math of the game could allow some unfairness on the extremes. Powerful characters would never miss and high Defense values could never be hit. Thus, there is a statistical equalizer used when a “natural 20” is rolled, that it always stricts the target despite the math of the combat rules. Conversely, a “natural 1” will always miss, even if the math would have struck the target Defense.
In many fantasy RPGs, people play that a “natural 20” not only hits but indicates a strike to a vital area and inflicts more than normal damage. This is commonly called a critical hit or “crit.”
Enchanted Realms does have a crit system, but these do not occur just based on the raw score of the die. All the “natural 20” means is that die effectively struck the target. The specifics of how a crit happens may be in the description of the skill, spell or effect, but most often a crit happens when one of the skills of style: bludgeoning, style: cleaving, style: polearms or style: slashing, and a “natural 20” is rolled.
That may sound like a conflict: a raw score is not a crit, but in this case it is. If thinking back to how combat skills work, the more skills used, the more dice rolled. So, consider this general rule: It requires at least two d20s in the primary pool before a “natural 20” becomes a crit. So while those novice combatants may get lucky enough to hit something they normally wouldn’t, their lack of skill simply does not permit a critical strike to happen. Once a fighter is trained and has more skill, then that is when those lucky hits turn into vital strikes. Of course, if that novice combatant is advantage and rolls a “natural 20,” then the two-d20s rule is satisfied and the hit would also be a crit. However, don’t forget that range attacks do not have the ability to crit no matter how many dice in the pool.
Regardless of how it comes about, the result of a critical hit is always the same: the wielder gains an immediate d20 added to the attack. This additional roll is not from skills but rather an award; therefore, it can exceed the 5d20 limit. If multiple crits occur from the original attack roll, only one d20 is granted. That said, the reward dice could create an exploding chain of crits. Should that new d20 result as another “natural 20,” then another d20 is granted and rolled in the chain. This perpetual explosion of crits is unlimited.
A crit will result in an additional effect. The effect is based on the table on the right. If multiple crits occur, rolling on the table will occur for each crit. The API should handle this for most crits. And yes, the crits are effects without a save. Some creatures may be immune to fear or being stunned, etc. If that happens, then it is just bad luck for how the crit struck that creature. Contrariwise, the bad guys can also crit the PCs.