Roll That 20!!!

[Ktulu]

Heh, I did the opposite the other night. While a player was rolling his poison save (dwarf), I chanted 3, 3, 3, 3 to psyche out the player. He rolled a 3. Later during the encounter, the rogue missed and used his luckblade power. Wide-eyed I said, "Threeeeeeee" and sure enough. I was banned from using, symbolizing, or saying the number 3 for the evening .

 

[Storminator]

Lame. I'dve let you get a free one just for that roll.

Thrrak (my PC) has earned the time on the ground.

At that point I was out of surges, but no one else had used more than 2, so I said "carry on!" which of course, is what they had to do with me...

PS

 

[chaotix42]

I've DM'ed a 6 PC party from 1st to 7th and so far only one natural 20 death save has shown up. It was a great moment, but unlike Scribble I was hooting-n-high-fiving on the outside.

 

[Uruush]

I would not attempt to maintain any cool, calm DM composure. I would probably shout, "YES!!!" and give them a high five.

I am always rooting for the PCs. Last session, I was really dreading my pending coup de grace of the fallen Paladin with my nearby "Bloodied Raging" Goblin Skullcleaver. Would have cut him in half. Fortunately the party warlock took the Skullcleaver down.

In any case, I haven't seen that third chance natural 20 yet. That would be pretty damn cool.

 

[wedgeski]

See sig.

 

[Agamon]

I also cheer when a player rolls the 20 on the death save. I root on the players all the time, and it's pretty exciting. Haven't had a 20 on a 3rd save yet, but a few times in 3e we had the <10% at -9 hp roll, that's a tension reliever!

 

[Timeboxer]

Remember that you don't have to roll a natural 20 -- the roll is actually DC 20.

I've actually made a human character who maximized her saving throw modifiers just so I could be able to pull this off more often!

 

[Scribble]

Remember that you don't have to roll a natural 20 -- the roll is actually DC 20.

I've actually made a human character who maximized her saving throw modifiers just so I could be able to pull this off more often!

Huh...

How crazy. I don't know if I never noticed or forgot or what... But here my group and I were thinking it was a natural 20.

 

[Shroomy]

We had our second natural 20 death saving throw last night...our cleric was flanked by a pair of foulspawn manglers and was just being manhandled. They dropped her to -4 hit points and I was too far away to use my healing infusion power; she was next in the initiative order and the player rolled a 20. Lucky, since I needed my healing powers to support our fighter who was tangling with three other foulspawn, including a pair of grues (man, their rechargeable psychic attack is nasty).

 

[Lord Xtheth]

If I ever got excited over the player party's success, my players wouls start wondering who I am and what I did with the real me.
There's a certain sence of realism in RPG fights when the players think the DM is out to kill thier dudes... and my players love it.
Trust me, it helps bring back the fear that was takin away by 3 saves vs. death.