Et tu d20?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Since 1986, I’ve had 2 different die rolling sequences my math-inclined buddy called each less probable than winning the Texas State Lottery.

One was a success that led to my PC gaining a Ftr level by the direct intervention of her deity, Tyr, who appeared in person on a dread demiplane to do so. Mid combat.

The other series was such an abysmal failure that the ashes of the Dwarf who died as a result became highly valued material components in the game world.

In a more mundane sequence, my Ranger character amazingly managed to not hit his favored enemies at all during the first combat in which he participated. Never even cracked double digits for his attack rolls.

And then, there was this gem:

You play enough D&D, you get events like that.

For us, it was at the beginning of a campaign.

We were attacked by Harpies, and the quick-thinking Druid hit them with an Entangle as they did a strafing run through some foliage- snagged them all!

That was when the dice went sour.

We only had a few PCs with ranged weaponry- a guy with a bow, a guy with a throwing hammer, one with a sling, and the Wiz had a dagger.

The guy with the Hammer is venturing into the area of the Entangle to retrieve his hammer and the Wiz' dagger.

Most of the to-hit rolls were low. When we did hit, no attack did more than 3HP damage. We finish off the first Harpy just as the Entangle is starting to expire...

So the Druid does Entangle #2...and our futility continues. The dice continue to stay as low as a soldier under fire.

The guy with the Hammer is, by now, having to venture into the area of the Entangle to retrieve arrows that have missed. The PC with the sling is now using rocks.

Harpy #2 is near death but still fighting and Harpy #3 is untouched when Entangle #2 is expiring, so the Druid pops Entangle #3.

My PC and the hammer-thrower are apologizing to the Harpies- in character- for the cruel deaths that we are inflicting upon them...especially after the hammer-thrower retrieved the Wizard's dagger out of the still-living Harpy#2 so the Wizard could throw it again. But he doesn't leave the Entangle area until after he stabs the dying Harpy with that dagger to finish it off.

By now, all of the arrows have been used, either striking the Harpies or being broken downrange. EVERYONE ELSE IS THROWING ROCKS.

The last Harpy dies just before Entangle #3 does.

All of this time, our DM has been flabbergasted- absolutely red faced and flustered- at the action. "F$%^&ing Entangle! That spell is broken!" rant*rant*rant

To which the Druid's player huffily responded "Well, it was either that or Create Food & Water! The Harpies could have had a meal and a bath!"

LOLs abounded.

 

[GMMichael]

So this morning I sit here next to a hammer and the shattered remains of those d20s sipping on a morning beverage. Those dice shall betray me no more.

Well done. Let another set of dice offer you completely random results.

You might try narrating something interesting into your Failures...just because you roll too low or too high doesn't mean that you don't get to play for that round, right?

 

[Henry]

Ah Dice! Sweet Sirens of Fickle Fate! By the Hoary Head of Zocchi, do they vex me (and thee) so!

 

[Ulfgeir]

In my gaming-group, tends to be that one player rolls crit after crit, or more or less always high/max damage. I roll mostly minimum damage.

For example: in our starfinder campaign, I roll a 20 on initiative or the stealth-check for the trick attack, then come the attack itself, and I will roll low and miss. If I do hit, then roll very bad damage. Think I rolled 20 in damage: 1d4+5(str +1 and lvl/2) + 4d8.. When that other player is not present, then I tend to roll much better. He steals my luck, that bastard...

 

[pogre]

My players love that I roll poorly - I am the D.M. I mostly roll in the open - partly so that the players do not think I am giving the game away!

 

[Adamant]

I remember my very first real game of DnD 5e, where I rolled 3 nat 1s in a row and nearly killed myself with shocking grasp. Later, I rolled a nat 20 for intimidation while disguised as a powerful wizard, but the dm forgot that that was supposed to make the cultists run away so we ended up fighting them anyway.

A few months later, having switched to adventurer's league, I rolled with advantage to attack a black dragon wyrmling. Cue two nat 1s from my halfling ranger. Of course, I forgot about lucky and kept the 1s....

On a brighter note, I have in my 2 years of playing, rolled a total of 2 double 20s. Both were on inconsequential things. The first one, I smashed a zombie into pulp with a barbarian, the second one I rolled with disadvantage and got a double 20. Cue dm telling me that I successfully pour wine while drunk!

 

[Umbran]

Since 1986, I’ve had 2 different die rolling sequences my math-inclined buddy called each less probable than winning the Texas State Lottery.

Google tells me that the chance of winning the Texas state lottery is one in 25,827,165. To beat that, it is like rolling 20s on... six consecutive d20s if I have my math right. The smaller the die, the more of them you have to roll to make it work out.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Google tells me that the chance of winning the Texas state lottery is one in 25,827,165. To beat that, it is like rolling 20s on... six consecutive d20s if I have my math right. The smaller the die, the more of them you have to roll to make it work out.

Your math is correct. In the case of the failure, it was a sequence of 1s on a chain of failed saves vs certain magical effects for a character who succeed on 2s, plus system shock, etc. So in a single round, a 20 Con Dwarf got poisoned, keeled over, polymorphed, ignited, died, and became ashes.

In the case of the success, it was a sequence of natural 20s on a demiplane of dread- the first 2 for the hits, the next 2 to see if the Mace of Disruption’s powers would even activate on that plane, the next two to see if the powers activated sufficiently well to disrupt the enemies in question (a pair of Lich lords). After that, I asked of Tyr had noticed such an improbable event done in his name, and whether he would reward his faithful servant. DM said roll a 1 on a d100. I did. So he asked what kind of reward I hoped for- I replied an additional Fighter level (which would move the PC’s # of attacks up to 2/rd) would seem appropriate. He said there was a 1% chance of that, otherwise, I’d just be Blessed for the remainder of the adventure. I rolled that 1 again.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

Yup. What you need to do is whip open your Hackmaster 4e PHB and give all of your dice a serious fame-rub! Then test. If it doesn't work then that die needs to immediately go into the Quarantine Box so that it doesn't contaminate your other dice. Probably best to just give ALL your dice a good fame-rubbing. You should probably set aside a weekend for this...because if you are like any other gamer, you probably have somewhere near 3,462.441 dice, so it may take a while.

Looks like you chose a different method though. The hammer method works too. But that's the easy way out and you probably loose XP for that. Sometimes it's worth it just for the pure violent satisfaction of it all.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[GMMichael]

Your math is correct. In the case of the failure, it was a sequence of 1s on a chain of failed saves vs certain magical effects for a character who succeed on 2s, plus system shock, etc. So in a single round, a 20 Con Dwarf got poisoned, keeled over, polymorphed, ignited, died, and became ashes.

Ouch! I'd be more worried about three 6s in a row. 1 in 8000 chance, and rolling a 6 is just about as bad as rolling a 1. Not sure if it's a boon or a bane that the Dark Lord watches over the rest of your game...