Critical Flavor – Cinematic Critical Hit Descriptions for 5E

[Draxtonis]

Hello everyone,
I’m excited to share my first Fantasy Grounds module/extension and invite your feedback during the testing phase!
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 Extension Name:
Critical Flavor (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2238/view)
Critical Flavor – Spells (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2242/view) - Companion Extension

 System: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5E)
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 What It Does:
Critical Flavor injects vivid, weapon-specific narrative text into your combat log whenever a PC scores a critical hit and rolls damage. The extension holds its own scripts—no extra tables needed—and it now even calls out the target’s name in the description.
Instead of:
"You crit for 22 damage."
You’ll see something like:


"A seismic blast of power erupts as your hammer strikes Tarris Longstrider for **7** damage!"
"Your longsword glows with deadly intent as it rakes Torant for **7** crushing force, echoing like thunder!"
"The arrow shaft impales Torant in a single shot, delivering **17** devastating damage!"

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 How to Use:

[] Load the extension into your Fantasy Grounds 5E campaign.
[] Activate under Extensions (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/images/864717f01df22eac5235882cc05ae806.png).
Roll a critical hit—flavor text will auto-trigger alongside your damage roll.

Great for DMs who want cinematic combat narration without manual scripting.
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 UPDATE – Spells Edition:
We’ve super-charged Critical Flavor – Spells (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2242/view) with type-specific “connectors” (off of, against, into, etc.) chosen from pools tailored to each damage type (necrotic, fire, cold, lightning, acid, and more). Under the hood, dynamic synonym lists (launch, unleash, send forth) and action verbs (scorching, chilling, crackling) keep every line fresh. After your damage roll, you’ll see:


“You hurl Toll the Dead, leeching off of Tarris Longstrider for 4 damage!”
"You unleash Guiding Bolt, blinding against Tarris Longstrider for **11** damage!"
"You unleash Burning Hands, blazing into Tarris Longstrider for **10** damage!"

These little touches make every spell feel truly epic.
________________________________________
 Feedback Welcome:
Please share:

[] Suggestions for additional weapon types or variants
[] Formatting and UX improvements
[] Ideas for future expansions (spell crits, fumbles, class-specific flavor)
[] Bug reports or odd behaviors

________________________________________
 Development Status:
Currently in testing. The initial release covers crit tables for common weapons; planned expansions include:

[] Fumble flavor tables
[] Class/subclass-specific crit tables (barbarian, paladin, monk, etc.)
[] Skill check flavor tables

________________________________________
 Videos & Demos:
Longbow Demo (https://youtu.be/M7v1PsYug6A) | Crossbow Demo (https://youtu.be/1-lQPSrQX44) | Longsword Demo (https://youtu.be/ffa255WAAGk)
Latest update (flavor placement) – 5/20/2025: HERE (https://youtu.be/C_cCW4FLXcs)
________________________________________
Thank you for checking out Critical Flavor and helping shape its future. Your insights are invaluable to this first-time module creator!

[Draxtonis]

A humble thanks to the noble forum gods and vigilant mods who guided my post to its rightful realm!

[Draxtonis]

�� Update: Critical Flavor Extension v1.2
Author: Draxtonis
Updated: 5/13/2025

What's New in v1.2:

�� Expanded Weapon Coverage
Critical hit flavor text has been added for the following new weapons:

�� Axe

⚒️ Maul

�� Mace

�� Crossbow

Each weapon includes 4 unique, randomized lines that trigger when a player character lands a critical hit, providing vivid, cinematic combat narration.

✅ Existing support for:

Longsword

Greatsword

Dagger

Rapier

Halberd

Warhammer

Bow

�� Intelligent Parsing
The extension still automatically:

Detects weapon name from the attack roll

Pulls matching flavor text or defaults to a damage type (slashing, piercing, bludgeoning)

Only applies to player characters, not NPCs

�� No setup required — just enable the extension and go!

�� Want a weapon added or requesting spell crit flavor support? Drop a reply or message me here on the forums.

�� Forge Listing: Critical Flavor (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2238/view)

[viviolay]

Congrats on your first extension :)

[The Decepticon]

Good luck on this! I would give it a shot on my Thursday campaign, but the main weapons are a hand crossbow, spear (with smites), psychic daggers, and spells. Flavor for all kinds of cantrips would be great and up to at least 3rd-level spells.

[Draxtonis]

Congrats on your first extension :)

Thank you very much. I’m encountering a few challenges and am working on fixes. I believe this will be an exciting project, along with others I have in mind, once the .pak files are functioning correctly and all features are in place. I’m also considering converting it into a complete .mod package, since tables are essential here.


Good luck on this! I would give it a shot on my Thursday campaign, but the main weapons are a hand crossbow, spear (with smites), psychic daggers, and spells. Flavor for all kinds of cantrips would be great and up to at least 3rd-level spells.

I’m working on an update that adds support for all common weapon types by detecting weapon names through keywords. I’m currently refining its performance and aiming to have everything running smoothly by this weekend—if it’s ready sooner, I’ll share it immediately.

Please note this is still in alpha testing. I’m integrating all components and appreciate your patience and feedback. So far, I’ve encountered some console errors on launch and occasional failures to read critical hit messages in chat.

[Tempered7]

Congrats on your first mod. I have time to test it to add it to my Theater of Mind article (in blogs).

I tried to add it from forge, updated the client twice but the mod is nowhere to be found.
I also searched for a zip but couldn't find it.
Can you walk me through for installation?

[Draxtonis]

I hadn’t realized until just now that I needed to set the correct update as active. It should work from the Forge now. if not let me know please.

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[Tempered7]

I hadn’t realized until just now that I needed to set the correct update as active. It should work from the Forge now. if not let me know please.

I disabled and enabled again, updated but it's still not there.

[Draxtonis]

Congrats on your first mod. I have time to test it to add it to my Theater of Mind article (in blogs).

I tried to add it from forge, updated the client twice but the mod is nowhere to be found.
I also searched for a zip but couldn't find it.
Can you walk me through for installation?

The file Critical_flavor.ext should be placed in your [Fantasy Grounds Data Folder]/extensions/ directory. I’m not sure why it isn’t working for some users, but I’m working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Currently, I’m seeing errors like: Extension Info Load (Critical_Flavor): Missing root node maybe its something to do with <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> in the .ext file I know I have it coded to read the lua file fine. Ill have to look deeper when I have time this evening after work.

[Draxtonis]

I disabled and enabled again, updated but it's still not there.

Ill work on this some this evening. let me see if i can get it resolved

[Tempered7]

Sure, np.
Meanwhile, could you upload it here in forum temporarily?
Btw, it might be because of pathing.
I searched my entire SSD for the ext but there was none, so could it be because some systems use "c:\fantasy grounds\" instead of "c:/fantasy grounds/"?

Something in the root doesn't match the 5E ruleset code i guess.

[Draxtonis]

I’ve uploaded the correct version to the Forge, and it’s now functioning perfectly. You should all be able to access and use it—please let me know if you encounter any issues.

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[Draxtonis]

The file is now titled Critical_flavor_trigger.ext and should display correctly after the recent update. I created several variations for testing, but everything appears to be working as intended. Please let me know if you encounter any issues.

The issue with my uploading was the actual file not set directly wth the file tree for the .ext file. as well as the root information in the extension itself.
Critical_Flavor/
├── extension.xml
└── scripts/
└── critical_flavor.lua

[Tempered7]

I tried again without luck.
I'm on a new system: Atlas OS (Win 11 modified)
I tried downloading other mods and they worked fine, though.

[Draxtonis]

I tried again without luck.
I'm on a new system: Atlas OS (Win 11 modified)
I tried downloading other mods and they worked fine, though.

ok try this FILE (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lzy6HCSxXJNeRbzbuVt2NNQJ-KHGZ9r4/view?usp=drive_link) Download it and place in your extensions folder. Why the Forge isn't providing it is unknown to me—unless the client needs to run an update to recognize it? I changed it from test to live. maybe thats the issue?

[Trenloe]

@Tempered7 - I also can't download the extension via the updater. The updater isn't showing the Forge item ID number (3722b446-2f71-11f0-a251-0050562be458) in the updater log when I run an update, so this suggests that the product isn't available right now - probably due to recent updates, or maybe there's not a valid version enabled in the live channel right now.

@Draxtonis - I'd recommend not loading versions into the Forge in quick succession. A new version will need approval, and the product may not be available during that approval process. Check the status in the "Manage Builds" tab of the Manage Craft interface in Forge and verify that the latest version is assigned to the "Live" channel. Also, try not the change the name of the .ext file - this is the FG reference name to the extension and it could clash with older version with different names or result in it being disabled from campaigns that had previously enabled it.

EDIT: It's there now - probably waiting for an update to be approved.

[Tempered7]

Im also on Live. Update doesn't see it.
This time I enabled the ext and made a test campaign but this time my crit text don't show.
It's definitely on my end. Atlas OS is new to me.
Tomorrow I'll test it more thouroughfuly and report back.
Thanks for working on it :)

EDIT: Just saw Trenloe's post. This is a good learning opportunity for both of us. I will test it tomorrow and add it to resources in my blog. Good luck, man.

[Draxtonis]

That's a fair point about the versions I'm uploading. I'll definitely keep the name where it needs to be—when I originally loaded it, I hadn't thought of that.

[Draxtonis]

Im also on Live. Update doesn't see it.
This time I enabled the ext and made a test campaign but this time my crit text don't show.
It's definitely on my end. Atlas OS is new to me.
Tomorrow I'll test it more thouroughfuly and report back.
Thanks for working on it :)

of course and thank you. please let me know how it works out

[Tempered7]

LOL I'm a slow old man. I got it and now checvking it.

[Draxtonis]

I'm 50 years young myself. lol

[Tempered7]

It's working perfectly now :) Got the "You cleave into the opponent, blood spraying from the wound."
But wait.

EDIT: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/entry.php?467-Theater-of-Mind-in-Combat

I added it to the Resources section at the bottom.

[Trenloe]

It looks like the one in live 10 minutes ago is "Critical_flavor_specific" (build number 11) - probably an earlier version that's been approved.

@Draxtonis - you may need to double check which build is currently showing as active.

[Tempered7]

It looks like the one in live 10 minutes ago is "Critical_flavor_specific" (build number 11) - probably an earlier version that's been approved.

@Draxtonis - you may need to double check which build is currently showing as active.

It's working but sometimes weapon attack button throws double d20s (dunno why), when that happens I don't see nat20 and it doesn't work even if it's a crit.

[Draxtonis]

The file Critical_flavor.ext should be placed in your [Fantasy Grounds Data Folder]/extensions/ directory. I’m not sure why it isn’t working for some users, but I’m working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Currently, I’m seeing errors like: Extension Info Load (Critical_Flavor): Missing root node maybe its something to do with <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> in the .ext file I know I have it coded to read the lua file fine. Ill have to look deeper when I have time this evening after work.

That’s great news—I’m glad it’s working! I’ll rename the file appropriately now, and this will be the final build for the time being since I just added the bow and crossbow-specific flavor. Thank you so much for your help in getting this added. As time goes on, I’ll be expanding it with even more random flavor text. Right now, each weapon has 4 to 5 different messages that should display.

[Draxtonis]

It's working but sometimes weapon attack button throws double d20s (dunno why), when that happens I don't see nat20 and it doesn't work even if it's a crit.

advantage roll maybe if condition of what attacking is affected.. or ctr click maybe but good to watch out for. Im gonna fix the name on the build right now. and leave it at that. now for feedback from this hoe it works well

[Trenloe]

I’ll rename the file appropriately now...
Once you rename it, stick with that name (for the reasons I mention above). Don't use the extension filename to track versions.

[Draxtonis]

Just updated the original post on the first page to include some videos showcasing the bow and crossbow. I think this will definitely shake things up a bit and help reduce the reliance on some tables—though they’re still useful in their own right.

[Draxtonis]

The extension now includes the target’s name in the flavor text. For example: “Your arrow pierces through Bormas’s armor, tearing at their flesh,” or “Your sword cleaves the Goblin, cutting through their armor and flesh.”

[Tempered7]

advantage roll maybe if condition of what attacking is affected.. or ctr click maybe but good to watch out for. Im gonna fix the name on the build right now. and leave it at that. now for feedback from this hoe it works well

D'oh! Advantage roll throws 2d20s keep the highest. I can confirm now, when adv rolls for nat20 the extension works at the atk roll.

[Draxtonis]

Excellent catch! I’m glad it worked out. I’m refining the roll flavor text, and I’m excited to announce the upcoming launch of the companion to Critical Flavor: Critical Flavor – Spells.

[Tempered7]

Can't wait to test Spells one. Good job, man!

[Draxtonis]

Ask no more.. here you go Critical Flavor - Spells (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2242/view)

[Tempered7]

Ask no more.. here you go Critical Flavor - Spells (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2242/view)

Oh, that was fast.

I tested it: There is something wrong with it if it should only trigger on crits. Because Melfs Acid Arrow critted and it didn't trigger but Scorching Ray didn't crit and it triggered.

[Draxtonis]

Oh, that was fast.

I tested it: There is something wrong with it if it should only trigger on crits. Because Melfs Acid Arrow critted and it didn't trigger but Scorching Ray didn't crit and it triggered.

Yes, I’m on it. Each spell is unique, and I’m focused on getting them to work correctly. Spells will show miss text, hit text, and special flavor text on a critical hit. It’s a work in progress, but I’m steadily building it out.

[Draxtonis]

I’ve made a few updates—the script wasn’t recognizing some spells, but it looks fixed for now. I’ve got a few things to take care of at home tonight, but I’ll continue refining this over the next few days. Please allow 10–15 minutes for the new update to appear correctly in The Forge. I’ll check back soon.

[Tempered7]

Yes, I’m on it. Each spell is unique, and I’m focused on getting them to work correctly. Spells will show miss text, hit text, and special flavor text on a critical hit. It’s a work in progress, but I’m steadily building it out.

Ah then it's working as intended with what's included.


I’ve made a few updates—the script wasn’t recognizing some spells, but it looks fixed for now. I’ve got a few things to take care of at home tonight, but I’ll continue refining this over the next few days. Please allow 10–15 minutes for the new update to appear correctly in The Forge. I’ll check back soon.

It updated. I just wanted to add that some spells (like magic missile) doesn't have atk roll, it's just dmg roll as they always hit. I don't know how would they work against, say, an opponent with shield spell (protection from missiles). I mean as in coding, otherwise I guess miss text would trigger.

Im looking forward to its completion.

[Draxtonis]

Update: I’ve enhanced Critical Flavor so that it now:

1. Delivers more cinematic flavor text than before
2. Displays the narrative only after all rolls are resolved
3. Inserts the damage directly into the description
4. Accurately recognizes every standard weapon name, even magical variants (for example, +1 Mace or Trophy Dagger)

You can watch an example in this video: HERE (https://youtu.be/C_cCW4FLXcs)

[Draxtonis]

We’ve super-charged Critical Flavor – Spells (https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/2242/view) with type-specific “connectors” to make every line flow beautifully. Now, after your damage roll, you’ll see something like:

“You hurl Toll the Dead, leeching off of Tarris Longstrider for 4 damage!”

Connectors (off of, against, into, etc.) are chosen from tailored pools based on each spell’s damage type: necrotic, fire, cold, lightning, acid, and more: so every hit reads like a mini-scene. Under the hood, we’re still pulling from dynamic synonym lists (launch, unleash, send forth) and action verbs (scorching, chilling, crackling) to keep things fresh and dramatic. It’s the little touches that make every spell feel epic!

[Robot32]

I have critical flavor but for some reason it doens't work on my barbarian players, all the other class get a crit text but my barbarians.

[daargrim]

Is there some special trick to making these work? I have them turned on in my extension list, but nothing is showing up in the Chat window. Tried a lot of different combinations of attacks, damage, etc

[SmackDaddy]

Has this been abandoned?

[Zacchaeus]

Has this been abandoned?
The author hasn’t been active on the forums for several months and the extension has not been updated for a similar period so I would assume that it is unlikely to get further updates.