Laying Waste: A Guide to Critical Combat - Pathfinder RPG Critical Hit System

What is Laying Waste: A Guide to Critical Combat?

Laying Waste is a comprehensive 166-page combat supplement that revolutionizes critical hits and fumbles in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and OGL d20 systems. This guide introduces an elegant system featuring 600 unique critical hit and fumble effects that reward player skill and add dramatic realism to every battle.

Who This Appeals To

This supplement is perfect for Pathfinder game masters seeking to add depth and excitement to combat encounters, players who want their weapon mastery to matter, and gaming groups looking for memorable moments that go beyond simple damage multiplication. Whether you're running gritty campaigns where wounds tell stories or epic adventures where heroes earn their scars, Laying Waste delivers the tools you need.

Features

• 600 critical hit and fumble effects that scale with character skill and weapon proficiency
• Over 100 combat feats designed specifically for the critical hit system
• 16 new martial archetypes built around critical combat mastery
• Lasting wound mechanics that create memorable battle scars and heroic stories
• Optional combat rules for enhanced tactical gameplay
• Balanced healing and treatment options for clerics to address severe injuries
• Compatible with Pathfinder RPG and any OGL d20 system
• Simple, elegant mechanics that integrate seamlessly into existing games

What You'll Experience

Every threat roll becomes meaningful as characters are rewarded for all their combat prowess, not just confirmed criticals. Skilled warriors deliver devastating blows that reflect their training, while fumbles create tense moments of vulnerability. Combat transforms from a damage race into a dynamic narrative experience where each critical hit can turn the tide of battle or leave lasting marks that become part of your character's legend. The system emphasizes fun and dramatic moments while maintaining game balance, ensuring that critical hits enhance your story rather than derailing it.

How Does the Critical Hit System Work?

The Laying Waste system replaces standard critical hit rules with a graduated effect table that considers weapon type, attack roll result, and character skill level. When you score a threat, you roll on the appropriate critical effects table to determine the outcome—ranging from minor advantages to devastating injuries. The system rewards weapon specialization and high attack bonuses, making martial characters feel truly masterful with their chosen weapons.

Enhance Your Pathfinder Combat Experience

Pair Laying Waste with other essential Pathfinder combat resources like the Ultimate Combat rulebook for comprehensive martial options, the Pathfinder Combat Pad for tracking complex battles, Feats Reforged Vol 1 for scaling feat options, or Strange Brew: Skills and Feats for additional character customization.

Get your crit together and enjoy laying waste upon your enemies now and for years to come! Created by Brian Berg, Clinton Boomer, Brian Boonstra, Creighton Broadhurst, Rick Cox, Thilo 'Endzeitgeist' Graf, Hal Greenberg, Adam Meyers, Jason Nelson, James Olchak, Tom Phillips, John Reyst, Rachel Ventura, Jim 'Drawmij' Ward, and Mike Welham. Published by Total Party Kill Games.