Colorful ways to describe attacks, hits, and damage?

[paladinguy]

I'm a new DM, and am looking for people's favorite examples of phrases, words, or anything else to describe attacking and hitting in combat. I don't want to just sit there and roll dice with my players and say "he hits, he misses", so, I'd like some cool examples of words and phrases people use to add to my lexicon :)

Thanks.

[The Artaxerxes]

"Well, THAT ogre looks pretty unhappy!" You say that after a critical hit.
"The ogre chuckles as your sword flies right over his head." After a natural 1.

[Frisket]

"Your sword slashes the target; a clean cut! Blood spills from the wound as the (creature) roars in defiance!"

"The axe comes down with a wicked keening wail! The (creature)'s arm dangles at its side, a bloody wreck!"

"The javelin soars into its target, sinking into the (creature's) shoulder with a thick, meaty thud"

"Your dagger darts forth, a steel snakebite! Your blade gleams with crimson."

"The quiet whisps of arrows thunk noisily into the (creature's) belly, blowing its wind out with a huge whoosh!"

"The crossbow clangs as another quarrel strikes true! A spreading dark stain blemishes the archduke's chest"

"The arsonist has oddly shaped feet"

...and so on.

Best way to go about it is to act it out at the table! Get involved! Show them how the desperate fighter's face looks as he stabs up at the looming troll! Let the determination of the mage shine forth in your eyes as you describe the fury of their burning hands attack!

In short, have fun! :)

[ngc7293]

Role Master had an Arms Law book and it had Critical Hit and Critical Fumble tables. It was rather detailed but also very funny. There were things like " Arrow punctures lung making it hard to breathe ...Shouldn't have gotten up this morning"

I am sure that wasn't on the table but I left the book with my gaming group, else I would post a whole list of Critical D Fumbles.

[Zhayne]

If you can't think of anything, ask the player to describe what happened.

[Bill Kirsch]

Hit: Slash, bash, slice, pummel, cut, stab, strike, gouge, eviserate, crack, shove, lunge, smack, throttle, crush, knock the wind out of, bring to one's knees, put on one's heels, coup de grace, etc.

Miss: parry, block, graze, dent, interpose, duck, dodge, raise one's shield, grunt as one takes the blow, the armor holds, arrow whizzes pass your ear, blade slices air where opponent used to be, intercepts the blow with his weapon, etc.

Verbs and adjectives. It's all verbs and adjectives, my friend.

[awp832]

Personally I emphasize a style that suggests strength of both the PCs and the monsters. That is, if I am describing things. I admit that often I fall back onto the "hits, misses" trap because it's easier. But in important combats I should try to be more descriptive... anyway:

If your player fails to hit the AC of a target, I try to pass it off in the most badass way possible.

"John lands a solid blow with his axe, but that armor is just too thick to cut through"

"Jill fires an arrow straight for his heart, but the enemy was aware of her attack and blocks it with his sheild."

see what I mean by emphasizing strengths? The PCs didn't "fail" in these examples, but bad luck or good combat skill on the part of their opponents is what prevented them from dealing damage.

When it comes to hits, I take the approach of HP representing energy/capacity to continue fighting. You can describe an attack that hits and deals damage as a miss, provided that its clear what your intent is.

"John unleashes a fury of blows with his axe, the enemy is hard pressed to block them all. You can feel the enemy tiring, and soon you feel you should be able to land the killing blow."

"Jills arrows punch holes in his shield, each arrow she lets fly further weakens enemy armor, he's now almost unprotected."

[Khelreddin]

The Arms Law critical tables, as mentioned above, were brilliant. My favorite arrow critical was "Shot through both ears proves effective. Carry on." And their fumbles were great too - "Trip over invisible imaginary undead turtle."

I guess I should say they are brilliant, rather than were - I haven't played the system since the 80's, but it's still around and available here.

[bojac6]

I like to break it down by the AC modifiers.

Let's make it really easy. The target has a AC 25, from 10 (normal ac) + 5 dex mod + 5 Armor + 3 shield and +2 ring of protection.

So, when describing what you hit, look at what they rolled. You need a minimum of 10 to have a chance of hitting, so if you hit under a 10, "You swing wildly and miss completely."

Next up is dodge, so if you hit a 10-14 "You swing and he deftly steps aside, causing you to miss."

Then, there's shield, in the 15-17 range "You swing and he isn't able to dodge out of the way, but knocks your blow aside with his shield"

I do magic next, though that could be where ever. So they hit a 18-19 "You swing, he tries to block with his shield, but you avoid it. However, you glance off of a the air around his body" (If they are higher level, I just say "magical protection" because by the time a fighter is 4th level or higher, he should have experienced that and know what it looks like).

Then armor, at 20-24. "Your blow connects, but his chainmail is tough and absorbs the damage."

At 25 or higher "You hit cleanly and feel your weapon dig into flesh. Your opponent grimaces in pain."

For a critical "You catch him in the neck/head/vitals and plunge the weapon in deep." Then you can add some variation for feats. Bleeding crit? "You sever an artery and see blood continue to flow from the wound at an alarming rate" Etc. Same for a sneak attack.

I just believe the numbers should reflect what's going on. People tend to associate 1 "Standard Action" with just doing one thing, but it has to be more than that. 6 seconds is a long time, especially in combat. People are moving in their 5 foot square, lining up distance, setting up shots and feints. Think, realistically, how much a person has to do in a grapple check. Move in, grab the guy, move to get himself in a superior position, and hold on. Combat is very dynamic and should be described as such. A single roll in Pathfinder can represent a whole sequence of actions. Don't be afraid to describe what makes sense, even if it's not what happened mechanically. A guy is going to bullrush with his shield, even if he's not shield bashing. It's how it looks.

Then, from there, let the dice guide your description. For instance, a character is fighting a big guy with a warhammer, who swings and misses, Describe it as something like "the brute swings his warhammer at you, putting all of his weight into the mighty blow. You leap back, out of the way at the last second." Then, when the PC attacks back, describe it from that place. If the PC misses "You're so rattled by the orge's strong attack barely missing, that you hesitate and your counter attack misses." If the PC hits: "Thrown off balance by his mighty blow, the brute leaves himself exposed, and you jump at the opportunity, slashing into his now exposed head." If the PC crits: "The Brute practically trips in the follow through of his swing, exposing his armpit for just a second. But a second is all you need, as you plunge your rapier deep into his chest, causing massive damage and the orge to scream in pain."

What's great about this method is you'll find the dice cooperate. I can't explain it, but when somebody rolls a 1, the person attacking them usually does quite well. If a person criticals, their opponent usually has an off round. Maybe it's just confirmation bias, but it makes for exciting combat.