D&D 5E When an entire campaign comes down to one roll

[Maxperson]

Based on the info provided, I would say this is fine DMing. If the PCs actions do not have consequences, then I’m not sure there is any dramatic tension in your campaign. In my mind, the outcome of a TPK had less to do with the 1s that were rolled and more to do with the low level Drow firing a shot at an angry gold dragon. I mean, what were they thinking? In the end, sounds like it was a fun session that will be talked about for a long time. That is a success right there.

I agree. The player made a horrible decision and shot at the dragon. Had that happened in my game they wouldn't have even gotten a second roll. Dragons kill those who try to kill them. Even the good ones. The DM here was very generous to give them the second roll and it came up a failure.

Even if they tried to run after the drow tried to kill the dragon, that's enough for the dragon to not allow them to get away. Why allow them to flee and come back better prepared to kill?

 

[Maxperson]

You're forgetting none of those "bad choices" happened until after the critical failure that enraged the dragon. So it literally was the result of a single critical failure that caused the scenario. Agree with the DM or not, thats what happened.

Also, it was only one PC who decided to combat. Did you not read my summary?

Your backstory on what happened before that roll indicated that there was at least one bad choice by the rogue in antagonizing the dragon by using it's real name.

 

[Li Shenron]

And that roll is a 1

Dragon Heist spoilers:


Short version: playing dragon heist. Found the gold and the gold dragon. Did a whole bunch of dialog and being as persuasive as we could. He started to get angry with us so the bard plead our case.

DM called for a persuasion check

And that's when the 1 happened

Then it all fell apart. Thinking battle was imminent the drow rogue pulled back her bow and shot. Knowing us low level PCs wouldn't have a chance, I tried pleading one last time

DM asked me to make a persuasion check. I rolled a 1

Two rounds later, we all were dead except the fighter who fled, but died very shortly after when he ran into the cultists coming into the vault.

There you have it lol. The dice can be wicked sometimes lol

I don't see any problem with that

If players don't like randomness, don't roll dice. But then those players should understand that they will be at the mercy of the DM. The dice are the mechanism which relieve a DM from making decisions. Now those players can blame the dice if things went badly; had they not rolled, they would have blamed the DM, except that of course the DM would have made them win to avoid being blamed.

Of course there can be arguments on whether 2 persuasion checks to resolve the randomness might have been too few. However, would have critics argued the same way if the players had succeeded at those checks? Does it really matter to roll once, twice or a hundred times to resolve the outcome, when said outcome is black and white?

What really matters, is that players must feel like the have choices. More rolls can be good if players get alternative choices between those rolls, and this is why nobody complains about the randomess in combat, because you get a new choice next turn.

So did the players get enough choices in this case? I don't know. All I know is that they apparently had only one plan: persuasion. Failed that, they started a near-impossible fight. Perhaps they could not have avoided the encounter, but it doesn't sound to me they tried anything else to avoid the actual fight, and I don't think the DM must have saved them with a deus-ex-machina after that.

 

[Helldritch]

Lawfull Good does not equate to Rigidly Gullible. A dragon, even a gold dragon, is avaricious to the extreme. They live long lives because they do not take any chances, ever. Nothing in your face says:" I am level 4 so I can't hurt you!" The drow attacked it. The dragon defended itself against a drow with deadly force. How is it to know if that bolt was not a bolt of dragon slaying?

You did try to surrender but you were with a drow! In the eyes of the dragon you had already lost any credibility you might have had. No wonder the dragon ignored your plea (especially with that roll of 1). A nice breath of chlorine must have been it's first choice. The game was well played. A bad roll, a bad decision and an other bad roll sealed the deal. Kudo to you to take it as you did.

 

[Sadras]

Spoiler for Legacy of the Crystal Shard

Our table ended Legacy of the Crystal Shard with a full-on roleplaying scene where Hedrun the Witch, and Chosen of Auril, is persuaded/convinced that her course of direction would spell doom for all.

Conversation flowed backwards and forwards between various characters and Hedrun, thus ensuring the one with the best Charisma was not the one always rolling. I used Degrees of Failure, where 10 or less resulted in an absolute failure and anything above 10 which was still a failure remained an unconvincing point. The DCs where high at 15 and 20 and they either needed 6 or 8 successes before 3 failures (I forget which). (Important: The adventure had been modified for higher level play)

If the party failed the SC, the Chosen would dismiss their argument and the situation would result in a deadly combat. Success meant, combat would be avoided and the Chosen would see reason - and Auril's influence and hold over her would diminish as the Chosen's hate and need for vengeance subsided.

I would have run the OP scene as a skill challenge rather than have the entire conversation come down to a single roll, HOWEVER having said that. There were 3 failures...

First Failed Persuasion check.
Attacking the beast results in 2nd Failure.
Second Failed Persuasion check.

That is 3 failures right there - that is a failed SC. The DM played this out correctly in my opinion.

 

[Coroc]

And that roll is a 1

Dragon Heist spoilers:


Short version: playing dragon heist. Found the gold and the gold dragon. Did a whole bunch of dialog and being as persuasive as we could. He started to get angry with us so the bard plead our case.

DM called for a persuasion check

And that's when the 1 happened

Then it all fell apart. Thinking battle was imminent the drow rogue pulled back her bow and shot. Knowing us low level PCs wouldn't have a chance, I tried pleading one last time

DM asked me to make a persuasion check. I rolled a 1

Two rounds later, we all were dead except the fighter who fled, but died very shortly after when he ran into the cultists coming into the vault.

There you have it lol. The dice can be wicked sometimes lol

Fair game, but that is the situation to use an inspiration.

 

[Coroc]

Rolling a 1 on a persuade check don’t transform your interlocutor into a chaotic evil being.

Surely not, but I would interpret it like a phrase meant as compliment was received as an insult.

The second roll intensified this motion.

Maybe if the drow did not attack there might have been a slight chance but the way things went according to OP I would not have ruled it differently either.

 

[miggyG777]

In the late 80s our AD&D1e campaign came down to one roll. We were level 10 and had been slowly destroying an evil cult session after session. It was the final battle against the cult leader, a powerful cleric and his personal guards. We were all unconscious and dying, except for the fighter. He had a vorpal sword and was at 3 HPs. If he didn't hit we would die and the campaign would be over.

The player was not big on roleplaying but that day he stood up from his chair, raised his hands over his head as if holding a sword, and said «Excalibur, I'm calling forth your power!», he rolled and hit with a 20. He rolled on the Vorpal table and decapited the cleric! We were all standing screeming of joy. Even the DM was standing and couldn't believe it.

Epic.

 

[Krachek]

Surely not, but I would interpret it like a phrase meant as compliment was received as an insult.

The second roll intensified this motion.

Maybe if the drow did not attack there might have been a slight chance but the way things went according to OP I would not have ruled it differently either.

You did your best.
if the players really want to save their character they could just make them drop everything and lay down on ground face down, a LG gold dragon would slay a character that submit that way?

 

[billd91]

But, I challenge the DM as to the nature of the gold dragon. The drow shooting at it was a nuisance at best. It would be like being stung by a bee but your nature is kind, forgiving, and good. Would you swat the bee? Probably. Try to kill it? Maybe. Take it out on the rest of the bees who are far away and not annoying you? Hopefully not. Now, if this is an non-good dragon, then it could kill them without concern most likely and still sleep well at night.

Kind, forgiving, and good? I'll give you the last one, but even good dragons aren't Care Bears.