History Main / CriticalHit

** The hit location table, a roll made upon a successful hit, has a "critical hit" on the extreme low-end of the roll as well. While a roll of 2 Sixes results in a head hit, a roll of 2 Ones results in a potential thru-armor critical hit. Depending on rules of the game, this applies to just the center torso, or the "floating crit" rule means re-roll the location and do a critical hit chance roll on the new hit location. This is because 2 Sixes has the same odds of occurring as 2 Ones, with the "least helpful" rolls (values of 7 plus or minus 2 or so, most common range on two 6-sided dice) being the "center mass" torso hits, which usually have (or start off with) more armor than the rest. Scatter-shot weapons (cluster munitions, missile weapons) or large arrays of small weapons tend to increase the odds of getting such quasi-critical hits on the hit location table than more focused-damage weapons. Conventional center-torso-only rules increases the odds of an engine or gyro damage kill, while floating crits instead increase the odds of an ammo critical hit kill.

** The hit location table, a roll made upon a successful hit, has a "critical hit" on the extreme low-end of the roll as well. While a roll of 2 Sixes results in a head hit, a roll of 2 Ones results in a potential thru-armor critical hit. Depending on rules of the game, this applies to just the center torso, or the "floating crit" rule means re-roll the location and do a critical hit chance roll on the new hit location. This is because 2 Sixes has the same odds of occurring as 2 Ones, with the "least helpful" rolls (values of 7 plus or minus 2 or so) being the "center mass" torso hits, which usually have (or start off with) more armor than the rest. Scatter-shot weapons (cluster munitions, missile weapons) or large arrays of small weapons tend to increase the odds of getting such quasi-critical hits on the hit location table than more focused-damage weapons. Conventional center-torso-only rules increases the odds of an engine or gyro damage kill, while floating crits instead increase the odds of an ammo critical hit kill.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' introduces the Krushing Blow, a critical hit that is activated by performing a certain move in a way that leads to not only more damage, but a close-up and X-ray shot of the specific part of the body getting brutally damaged in the process for effect.

*** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' from ''Brawl'' onward references this, giving [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Marth]] the Final Smash "Critical Hit" which does a ridiculous amount of damage (60%) and is the most likely attack to KO an opponent in one hit, aside from an attack used by the SNKBoss. When it hits, they even show a ''Fire Emblem'' health counter going from full to zero. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Lucina]] also has this as her Final Smash, as does [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Roy]], though he pulls his off differently.
** An offshoot of this is the Lethality/Silencer skill that Assassins have from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemBlazingBlade Blazing Blade]]'' onward (with the exception of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Fates]]'', where it's associated with the similar Master Ninja class), which is even less likely than a Critical Hit [[note]]unit's critical rate/2 up until in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'', where it is instead determined by the unit's Skill stat divided by 2 or 4 depending on the game[[/note]], which just kills the opponent regardless of how much more damage would be needed. The Assassin might only be able to do 1 natural damage per hit, but if they pull this out, the enemy--even at full health--just drops. As a counterbalance, the activation rate is halved against normal bosses in ''Blazing Blade'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones The Sacred Stones]]'', the final bosses of both games nullify its use, and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'' and ''Fates'' have rarely seen, enemy-exclusive Skills that prevent Lethality from triggering. The Tellius duology went a step further by making ''all'' bosses are outright immune to Lethality. The Iron Rune item in ''Blazing Blade'' and the functionally-identical Hoplon's Guard in ''The Sacred Stones'', which negate critical hits, also guard against Lethality.

* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' has a plant with this ability -- the Phat Beet. It attacks with area soundwaves that hit all zombies near it for minor damage (less than a peashooter's shot), but every fifth to sixth attack will send out a much more potent soundwave that deals 3x the damage.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' introduces the Krushing Blow, a critical hit that is activated by performing a certain move in a way that leads to not only more damage, but a [[UpToEleven close-up and X-ray shot]] of the specific part of the body getting brutally damaged in the process for effect.

* One of Leva Bates's finishing moves is a front cracker she calls "[[NameOfPower critical confirmation]]", a concept she tried to explain in Ring Warriors to Sienna Duvall using ''Tabletopgame/DungeonsAndDragons''.[[/folder]]

** Leadership tests in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' (one of the few rolls where rolling less is better) automatically succeed when a double one is rolled, in spite of any penalties or debuffs that would require to roll 1 or less. PsychicPowers use leadership tests where double ones and double sixes cause miscasts: The rules explicitly state that when rolling a double one, a psyker manages to cast the spell even if it kills him.

** ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' has ''SMAAAASH!!'' attacks, the chances of which are based on your Guts stat. The InfinityPlusOneSword, the [[RandomlyDrops Gutsy]] [[BatterUp Bat]], lets you get a lot of these.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' ''lives'' by this trope. The series even has special animations for each unit when they do this. And they do ''obscene'' amounts of damage, three times as much as normal. And from the third installment onward, [[AlwaysAccurateAttack they can't miss]]. (Of course, this is because critical hit checks are made after accuracy checks; attacks have to be able to connect before critical hits can even land.)
** Except in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Thracia 776]]''. In those games, criticals double the user's attack stat before damage calculation instead. This actually means that criticals in ''Genealogy'' and ''Thracia'' are ''more'' powerful, unless you totally outclass your enemy (in which case he's going down anyway). Oh, and one family gets a Skill that grants automatic criticals if the character is below 50% health.

** An offshoot of this is the Lethality/Silencer skill that Assassins have from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Blazing Sword]]'' onward (with the exception of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Fates]]'', where it's associated with the similar Master Ninja class), which is even less likely than a Critical Hit [[note]]unit's critical rate/2 up until in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'', where it is instead determined by the unit's Skill stat divided by 2 or 4 depending on the game[[/note]], which just kills the opponent regardless of how much more damage would be needed. The Assassin might only be able to do 1 natural damage per hit, but if they pull this out, the enemy--even at full health--just drops. As a counterbalance, the activation rate is halved against normal bosses in ''Blazing Sword'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones The Sacred Stones]]'', the final bosses of both games nullify its use, and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'' and ''Fates'' have rarely seen, enemy-exclusive Skills that prevent Lethality from triggering. The Tellius duology went a step further by making ''all'' bosses are outright immune to Lethality. The Iron Rune item in ''Blazing Sword'' and the functionally-identical Hoplon's Guard in ''The Sacred Stones'', which negate critical hits, also guard against Lethality.

* VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft ''loves'' critical hits. Every class in the game has talents that provide further benefits from them occurring or at least increase they potency, while others get guaranteed Critical Hits under certain circumstances. You can increase your chance to get criticals of any kind based on stats granted by your equipment. There's even a chance for healing spells to have a critical effect. And for that matter, an increasingly large number of periodic damage spells can crit. You can poison someone, and the poison currently running through their veins will sometimes and somehow score a critical hit.

* ''Videogame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim'' and other 3D games in the series have [[LuckStat luck-based]] critical attacks(which the enemies can also do on [[HarderThanHard Nightmare difficulty]]), obtaining a certain item increases the frequency of these.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' had critial hits even before Marth got his aptly named Final Smash (and before Final Smashes were implemented): [[UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch Mr. Game & Watch]] has a move where he whacks the target while holding up a number ranging from 1 to 9. The damage and side-effects vary, but the nine is a hard-hitting attack that certainly qualifies as a Critical Hit.

-->-- '''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''', tip regarding [[VideoGame/DragonQuest Hero]]'s smash attacks.

** The game has pages upon pages of critical hit tables. It is famous for them. Overcoming your opponent in a battle in Rolemaster isn't so much about draining their hit points but landing criticals. Each attack consists of an attack roll (adding your skill bonus for the weapon you're using and subtracting the enemy's defensive bonus), and if the weapon's attack table indicates that you get a critical hit you roll for the critical (the severity of which depends on whether your hit resulted in A, B, C, D or E criticals) and see how well you succeed in that critical, the results of which range anywhere from small wounds to smashed skulls, so the criticals play a... erm, ''[[IncrediblyLamePun critical]]'' role in resolving a combat.

** Also, while not necessarily determined by luck (just good spacing), some characters' attacks are more powerful at particular points in their attacks' hitboxes (areas of effect for attacks). For instance, Marth's attacks are most powerful at the very tip of his blade; one well-placed forward Smash can kill opponents as early as 50% or so, depending on the attack's position on the stage. Another prominent one is [[LightningBruiser Captain]] [[VideoGame/FZero Falcon's]] "[[FanNickname Knee of Justice]]", his forward-A aerial. These are called "sweet spots" by fans.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', a critical hit can be achieved while falling.

** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' introduces [[VideoGame/DragonQuest Hero]] as [[DownloadableContent DLC]], who can occasionally score critical hits with smash attacks. There are also several usable Spirits that give critical hit chances.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'', every weapon has an innate critical hit chance per shot, ranging from 0% to 50%, along with a critical damage multiplier. Weapon modifications can increase the chance and multiplier, and certain Warframe abilities can increase it as well. A weapon with a crit chance over 100% can inflict "red" crits for massive damage when it rolls two crits on the same bullet. A separate statistic governs the status chance, which can inflict StandardStatusEffects such as bleeding or freezing. Several Warframes and weapons are [[CriticalHitClass built specifically for critical hits]].

** The 3rd Edition allowed critical successes under other circumstances as well, and had weapons with different odds of critical hits. A "natural 20" no longer resulted in an automatic critical hit, either, but did mean an automatic hit and a chance to "confirm" a critical hit with a second roll.

** In the classic games, the critical hit chance is determined by luck stat, relevant perks, and type of attack (called shots to specific body parts have a higher chance of making a critical hit). The result of a critical hit was determined by rolling on a table, with effects including increased damage, crippled limbs, ignoring the target's armour, and instant death. The "Better Criticals" perk granted better results on this table, while perks like "Sniper" and "Slayer" vastly increased the chance of making a critical hit. An "instant death" result on the table may not necessarily have an "ignore armour" effect attached, creating the infamous "[Target] was critically hit for 0 damage and died from the pain" message.

** Now an official rule, in 8th Edition. Also, Irresistable Force now not only counts as a critical cast, but also a miscast - kind of a [[BuffySpeak "Critical Magical Swing Where You Hit The Enemy Really Hard But A Bit Of Their Blood Hits You In The Eye And You Accidentally Then Stab Yourself In The Spleen. Only With Magic"]] situation. There are also a decent amount of situations where rolling a 1 for terrain and the like means you've lost a model, and if you're playing as [[YouDirtyRat Ska]][[LethalJokeCharacter ven]] then you can expect to be taking tests every single turn, where a Critical Fumble means that something's exploded, caught fire, been eaten, melted, snapped, shot into space or keeled over from toxic fumes.

* ''VideoGame/{{Wildermyth}}'' calls it "stunting" (as in, to perform a stunt). Some accessories and abilities can increase a hero's stunt chance, and heroes with a friendship or rivalry established between them gain an increased chance to stunt after their friend or rival lands a stunt. A stunt normally does additional damage, but performing a stunt with an elemental weapon triggers other effects based on the weapon's element.

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* ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' has on in ''The Golden Pince-Nez'', where the murder is committed by [[spoiler:a very nearsighted woman, panicking at being caught by the secretary, who grabbed the first object to hand and swung wildly. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the object was a letter opener and the target was the secretary's jugular.]]

* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'''s crit system works on more than simply added damage: an attack with a chance to bleed/blight/stun/debuff has a much higher chance to proc, enemy crits increase the heroes' stress, while a crit from a hero does the opposite. Once upon a time, crits on multi-target moves were highly sought after ''and'' feared, as the calculation was one before being distributed among the targets, which meant that a Breakthrough or Grapeshot Blast could and ''would'' wipe out the enemy's first three slots, and a critical Blanket Fire would not only deal ridiculous party-wide damage, but the stress caused one each target would influence all the others' and vice versa, meaning that a Fusilier would easily increase stress by ''60 points or more ON ALL CHARACTERS''. Later on, this was re-balanced so the crit chance for each target is calculated separately. An enemy killed by a crit doesn't leave a corpse to fill up the foe's combat line, much like if it was killed by a corpse-clearing move like Purge. Finally, with a later update, healing moves can crit for massive healing as well, and if a hero is the target, he or she gets relieved of 4 stress points.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}: The Ark of Napishtim'' and other 3D games in the series have [[LuckStat luck-based]] critical attacks(which the enemies can also do on [[HarderThanHard Nightmare difficulty]]), obtaining a certain item increases the frequency of these.
* Some of the ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' games have critical hits which not only do more damage, but also ignore the enemy's defenses. This can be handy since enemies in this series are notoriously picky about what weapons will damage them. If you don't have the right weapon, your best chance to win is to keep attacking till you get a critical hit.

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'' and ''[[VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII Original Sin II]]'': Each attack has a chance of being a critical hit, which deals a {{Percent Based|Effects}} damage bonus. The chance and multiplier are both modified by racial abilities, {{skill scores|AndPerks}}, and special equipment. Additionally, a BackStab deals an automatic critical hit, and spellcasters can learn a Talent that allows their spells to deal critical hits.

* ''{{TabletopGame/BattleTech}}'' has a system of critical hits that applies during a variety of situations. The most common being that after the external armor in a location has been eliminated, every successful attack made to its internal structure has a chance to critically hit and disable components and/or weapons placed there (anything from knocking out the small laser you weren't using anyway to penetrating the cockpit and killing the pilot on a lucky headshot) or even touch off an ammo bin resulting in predictably spectacular fireworks. (Modern units can have [=CASE=] -- anti-blast magazines by any other name -- installed to mitigate the damage to an extent; for anything without, it's usually a OneHitKill.). Most components suffer a CriticalExistenceFailure upon a critical hit, even if they occupy multiple critical slots, but a few major components instead suffer penalties but still function (up to a limit of hits).

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