So here is the 3e Definition of attack roll.
"Your attack roll is 1d20 + your attack bonus with the weapon you’re using. If the result is at least as high as the target’s AC, you hit and deal damage.
Here is the 3e Definition of a critical hit.
"When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 shows20), you hit regardless of your target's Armor Class and you have scored a threat.
5e is different. Look athe the 5e definition of attack roll.
"When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s Armor Class (AC), the attack hits."
5e specifically separates the roll from the modifiers. Roll + modifiers is not the attack roll, the roll is just the d20. In 3e, the attack roll is the roll + modifiers. Now look at the 5e critical hit rules.
"If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. In addition, the attack is a critical hit, as explained later in this chapter. If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC."
Notice how they don't need to call out a "natural roll" in 5e. This is because the roll only ever refers to the d20 roll. In 3e, they needed a separate term for natural roll, because the roll meant the die roll plus modifiers. In 5e, this is no longer the case. The roll is only the result of the die roll.
Some more examples:
Lucky. When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
Superior Critical Starting at 15th level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18–20.
Reliable Talent By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
None of those call out a "natural roll". The roll only means the die roll, not the total of the die roll plus bonuses.
Now for short rests and HD healing.
"A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total."
Notice they don't say "you recover an amount of HP equal to the amount rolled". They are very obviously avoiding 3e style wording where "roll" really meant die roll + total. In 5e, they state that the roll + the total is something. The roll is clearly only the HD rolled. The amount of HP recovered is the amount from the rolled die + the Consitution modifier. This makes sense given the wording of the druable feat:
"When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, the minimum number of hit points you regain from the roll equals your Constitution modifier"
That is from the alpha version of durable. The only way that feat does anything is if the roll relates to only the HD roll, not the HD roll + Con mod. The wording is identical to the final version, the feat was simply buffed. This means that the roll must only relate to the amount rolled on the dice. This falls in line with all the 5e definitions of "roll". There are no instances in 5E that follow the 3e style wording of roll being die roll + modifier.
"Your attack roll is 1d20 + your attack bonus with the weapon you’re using. If the result is at least as high as the target’s AC, you hit and deal damage.
Here is the 3e Definition of a critical hit.
"When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 shows20), you hit regardless of your target's Armor Class and you have scored a threat.
5e is different. Look athe the 5e definition of attack roll.
"When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s Armor Class (AC), the attack hits."
5e specifically separates the roll from the modifiers. Roll + modifiers is not the attack roll, the roll is just the d20. In 3e, the attack roll is the roll + modifiers. Now look at the 5e critical hit rules.
"If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. In addition, the attack is a critical hit, as explained later in this chapter. If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC."
Notice how they don't need to call out a "natural roll" in 5e. This is because the roll only ever refers to the d20 roll. In 3e, they needed a separate term for natural roll, because the roll meant the die roll plus modifiers. In 5e, this is no longer the case. The roll is only the result of the die roll.
Some more examples:
Lucky. When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
Superior Critical Starting at 15th level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18–20.
Reliable Talent By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
None of those call out a "natural roll". The roll only means the die roll, not the total of the die roll plus bonuses.
Now for short rests and HD healing.
"A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total."
Notice they don't say "you recover an amount of HP equal to the amount rolled". They are very obviously avoiding 3e style wording where "roll" really meant die roll + total. In 5e, they state that the roll + the total is something. The roll is clearly only the HD rolled. The amount of HP recovered is the amount from the rolled die + the Consitution modifier. This makes sense given the wording of the druable feat:
"When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, the minimum number of hit points you regain from the roll equals your Constitution modifier"
That is from the alpha version of durable. The only way that feat does anything is if the roll relates to only the HD roll, not the HD roll + Con mod. The wording is identical to the final version, the feat was simply buffed. This means that the roll must only relate to the amount rolled on the dice. This falls in line with all the 5e definitions of "roll". There are no instances in 5E that follow the 3e style wording of roll being die roll + modifier.
