D&D General 1s and 20s: D&D's Narrative Mechanics

[Maxperson]

And yet many don't. Remove the 1 and 20. Return to binary.

If you need more than 20 to succeed, or less than 1 to fail, the narrative should dictate a roll isn't even called for.

Nah. Some groups enjoy a Hail Mary that works sometimes. If it doesn't work for you, great. Don't use it. Saying it should dictate a roll isn't called for, though, is One True Wayism. You're saying they should play your way.

 

[Azzy]

Nah. Some groups enjoy a Hail Mary that works sometimes.

But that's the thing.... It's not going to work because there is no result on the die roll plus any modifiers that results in success. So rolling the dice in such a case is a useless gesture.

 

[Blue]

I think one of the important things to separate out are "narrative mechanics" vs. "critical and fumble mechanics". Because I think a lot of DMs-only (as opposed to GMing other games) conflate the two.

And with that distinction, no I don't feel that D&D has unofficial narrative mechanics in the 1 and 20 at the tables I play at or "in general". But since they are unofficial, in other words homebrew, some tables may definitely play that way. And I can see this, like many other house rules, infecting groups that have player crossover such that it seems ubiquitous among the various groups someone has access to.

 

[Lanefan]

But I'm not andi honestly can't figure out how to make what I'm saying more clear.

The question to me is not what happens on a 1 or a 20 but what happens on, say, a 2 or 19. 1s and 20s IMO should always be something at least a little bit bizarre; and I'll happily expand combat fumbles to include any roll of 1.

Try to jump the DC 5 gap and roll a 1? Good job, you just faceplanted into the far side and (on a confirmed fumble) fell in the hole.

 

[Lanefan]

But that's the thing.... It's not going to work because there is no result on the die roll plus any modifiers that results in success. So rolling the dice in such a case is a useless gesture.

Maybe so, but if they don't know they can't succeed then IMO the roll should happen anyway; and only on a nat. 20 should they realize the task is in fact beyond them.

 

[Maxperson]

But that's the thing.... It's not going to work because there is no result on the die roll plus any modifiers that results in success. So rolling the dice in such a case is a useless gesture.

Except no. If the group plays that way, then there is a result that achieves success. A 20. Telling them they shouldn't play that way is One True Wayism.