When the heroes fail to hit, don’t just tell them they miss. Tell them how they hit but didn’t hurt their foe or how their foe blocked the blow. I say an attack that fails to hit armor class 10 is a total whiff, but everything else is something more.

Have the player roll their damage die along with their attack die; this speeds up combat in the event of a hit and gives you a result to base your narration on in the event of a miss. Use the natural roll, not modified with bonuses and such.

Melee or Missile

Damage die	Description
1, 6	Close shave: You barely miss, startling the opponent and just brushing their clothing/hair, perhaps hitting the wall/table/barrel/rock nearby.
2, 7	Glance: Your attack glances off the opponent’s weapon/shield/armor/thick hide harmlessly.
3, 8	Block: The opponent whips its shield/weapon/claws up just in time to block your blow, or your missile sticks in the opponent’s shield or catches in its fur/fold of hide/clothing.
4, 9	Dodge: The opponent steps back or aside slightly or ducks to turn your attack into a glancing blow.
5, 10	Narrow escape: The startled opponent must move aside or back 5 feet to turn your attack into a glancing blow or else take half damage.

Sneak Attacks

The opponent twists in your grasp, and your attack lands heavily on the opponent’s armor, or an unarmored opponent wrests free before you can land your blow.

A Simpler Version

Perhaps instead merely say…

• An attack that can’t hit AC 10 is a genuine miss—a whiff.
• An attack that hits AC 10 but not the opponent’s AC is a glancing blow or block.
• An attack that’s 1 point shy of hitting is a narrow escape and forces the opponent to move 5 feet or take half damage.