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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Laurefindel" data-source="post: 8122565" data-attributes="member: 67296">Natural 1s can be awesomely memorable, but in my experience, not much more so than natural 20s. Unless you're only speaking about combat? But even then, I can, as a player and as a DM, remember as many memorable and critical (ha!) natural 20s than natural 1s.Striking the right balance between "naughty word happens" and an episode of the Three Stooges can be tricky. So much depends on the players' tastes, the tone of the game, and style sought after by the DM. But then again, what doesn't... Playing games like Edge of the Empire and Blades in the Dark gave me new insights on how complications can be brought in the game, and nat 1s are a good vector for that. It doesn't even need to target the player specifically, or immediately. I've used nat 1s to trigger rotation of guards, bad guys targetting a player as "the leader to be captured", getting low on arrows, succeeding at a cost (losing rations during the attempt, or getting wet and thus rolling with disadvantage on cold temperatures saving throws etc), taking way more time than anticipated etc. It gets the action moving in unexpected directions, but they happen too frequently to be that memorable.My most memorable natural 1s moments usually imply a succession of 1s. I have a Star Wars game in mind where we all had to roll for riding (which few of us were proficient), all succeeding with the exception of one character rolling 1. Like in the movies, the one guys not getting along with its camel (or Star Wars equivalent). Then another day, another challenge, all roll riding again. All of us succeed except the same player... with a nat 1. Decidedly, him and his mount don't get along. IIRC, minor penalties arose from that. Then a firefight! Roll riding to control your mount. All of us succeed except for you know who. With a 1 at that. Character falls, get some damage from that. Then, stampede in a canyon threatens our mounts from being trampled. Guess who roll natural 1. At this point we can barely believe it. His mount didn't survive... because he shot it down himself!</blockquote>

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