I’m running a game with a couple cousins, and some friends. They were in pursuit of their quarry on a lightning rail, going over a bridge. The quarry had the macguffin they needed, and dove from the door of the train, off the bridge, over a mile fall into a stream. The party had no idea what would happen. One cousin, a halfling Artificer, just leapt after him. The party was stunned, to say the least.
I had to stop the session, and figure out what to do next.
They ended up securing the macguffin, with a couple fights along the way!
#DDBStyle DMing my friends more than a few years ago, using D&D3.x. When I DM, everyone rolls in the open, including me. No hiding dice rolls behind a screen.
PCs are exploring a borderland area where if they create a holding, and keep it, they'll be recognized by the Realm as the owners.
They see a mysterious light at night in the distance so they check it out the next day.
They find a ruined tower from a previous civilization where the mysterious light was coming from.
Climbing the tower, they encountered a wounded bandit who was left behind by his fellows because of his wounds. They helped the guy out by healing him and he told them that something was up at the top of the tower, moving about, and he was freaked out, figuring that it would come down and kill him.
Leaving him there, they climbed the rest of the way up the tower and encountered a flaming giant spider.
Combat did not go well. So I had the bandit NPC show up to help. He rushed in and swung his sword.
I roll the dice in front of everyone -- Crit (Natural 20) on the first hit, killing the monster!
The table went silent and my friends said I got a "Oh, crap!" look on my face. Then they started cheering for the bandit, who became their first retainer!
A barbarian I was playing *really* loved to fish, would come across streams and lakes and I would always roll for fishing. So delving in an old cave and coming across an expansive, perfectly still black void of water immersing ancient ruins - time for fishing right? The Nat 1 procured an Aboleth... it was a narrow escape with resulting PTSD, therapy, and giving up the reel. #DDBStyle
Trying to do a wicked cool flip over a river of lava only to roll a nat 1 and see my character's life flash before my eyes while he sat motionless in the air like Wile E. Coyote. #DDBStyle
One night, my players only tank failed a balance check and fell into a pit and was knocked unconscious. One of the party took the broom of flying and went full speed after him. On his way down the our friend failed 2 death saving throws and needed to survive the next roll for the other player to make it to him and heal him. We went as far as to talk about the next character he was going to roll. He passed the final save and was picked back up. The single most tense roll I've ever had. #DDBStyle
Consider this, a rogue and a ranger buffed with bardic inspiration and pass without trace waltzing right past a green dragon and taking their pickings from its hoard while being practically invisible. Perhaps not pulse-pounding, but a wonderful in-joke that has survived until now.
This one time with my paladin when I did so much damage on a demon during a period where my character was loosing her faith and it made her more confident about herself and her job. #DDBStyle
Personally, I have had many nat 1's and nat 20's. Most of them have been memorable. It would be hard to pick one to speak of, and ignore the others... I've been playing DnD for over 30 years now.
I had a Paladin, we were up against the BBEG and I get knocked out and needed to do death saves. I had 2 failures, no successes. My 3rd roll I get a Nat 20 so I am able to hop back up with 1hp, and its at the start of my turn, so I'm able to attack. I miss on the first attack...but I hit my 2nd time and I CRIT AGAIN! So of course I also smite, and it deals the finishing blow! Lots of screaming and victory screeches for sure!! #DDBSTYLE
Most memorable dice moment happened waaaaay back about 2002. I was playing a foxwere ranger, had just pissed off a red dragon by the liberal application of freezing substances to the only vulnerable anatomy in throwing distance, and had fled with all due haste to a nearby village. The party had been adventuring (read that as tomb robbing and looting for fun) and had stumbled across the elder red dragon's hoard. Sleeping atop his pile of gold/treasure/McGuffinite, the dragon had apparently been napping so long that he had outgrown the entrance tunnel and had just decided to keep lazing away in the depths.
Our party, cheerful and amiable fools one and all, decided to steal all they could carry, which meant that everything was fair game. Of course, all the good stuff was closer to the dragon... dragons love their shinnies after all. Being a foxwere, ONLY the best would do, so while the dwarf and humans were content to shovel coins into bags or heft ancient weapons of dubious manufacture, I NEEEEEEEDED to harvest the best. If I recall, I ended up with a golden grape or something... some fruit made of gold that was literally nothing more than an exquisitely crafted trinket with no special anything. But dangit, it was the best and it was mine... if one were to ignore property laws and the right of the dragon who had clearly outlived its crafter.
Of course, the idiots with me were, shall we say, less than subtle with their looting, rousing the dragon from slumber. Said dragon was not in the giving mood and expressed himself in a most uncivilized manner, getting up, roaring, and preparing to unleash unholy discrimination against the lower races.
Which, coincidentally, placed me in the very unpleasant position of being the closest to said dragon upon his waking.
And that was when the dice decided that I was to be their victim. Yahtzee would have been nice. I should have bought a lottery ticket. Instead, it was time to make my ONLY successful roll of the night.
As the dragon reared back to unleash his breath attack, I struggled to think of something that would let me survive... escape would be nice, but I'd settle for survive. The DM asked what I was going to do and gave me the time to scour my sheet, items, and inventory for the laughable possibility that I might possess something that would spare me. We were all rather new characters, so greater toothpicks of dragon desolation and their lesser known kin, swords of destruction, were right out. So were enchanted items (hence what raiding a dragon hoard had seemed like a good idea in the first place)... in fact, we collectively had zero magic items between us.
But, I was a vain thing that required the best, and had insisted in purchasing from a wandering merchant a vial of "ice imp blood"... probably an alchemical concoction or something... but what it did was freeze solid upon exposure to air. Flashy, but essentially useless.
I had been my personal treasure since I'd obtained it.
Life, as they say, is life's greatest treasure, and so, though it pained me, I decided upon helping the little vial to fulfill its destiny: I told the DM, I was going to throw the ice imp's blood at the dragon.
The DM pointed out that it was an ELDER red dragon and that there was no way a vial of anything would accomplish much, let alone ensuring our survival or escape. But seeing as I was to be the first line of defense for our group (read that as smoldering pile of ash that would certainly fail to even blunt the attack), and the rest of the group had fled while I panicked with my sheet, I really didn't think I had anything to lose. I confirmed, he smirked and told me to roll to hit.
Remember how I said I got one success? That was it. I hit a dragon. YAY!
Ignore the fact that the dragon was huge and that missing him was likely far more difficult. I was stoked. I hit the dragon! That meant I got to run away and be awesome because I got a good roll! Woo-hoo! Wait... I didn't declare where I was aiming? Well who cares? It's a dragon! They're practically made of "Deathanium"... I just wanted to live.
The DM tells me to roll for "effectiveness"... which should have been a red flag the instant he said it. There's no targeting table, there was no called shot... so he was literally asking me to roll a d20 for how likely it was to injure and dragons are armored tanks of doom. I rolled a 1.
Oh... a 1. That's bad. The DM nodded... then asked me to roll again to confirm how bad. Still, I knew I hit the dragon, so how bad could it be? I rolled a 1... confirming the critical failure.
The DM smirked and informed me that as the dragon reared up to unleash hell, I casually threw the vial of ice imp's blood at him, the bottle shattering on his exposed genitalia. >.<
That was the moment the universe decided to ensure my misery for the rest of the night. While freezing an elder red dragon's hoo-hoo (Family friendly filter activated) did have the benefit of arresting his breath attack, it also brought his focus solely upon me.
I fled... oh how I fled. The dragon toppled and thrashed as I fled. You would too, don't give me that look.
I fled and I kept fleeing until I had fully escaped the cavern... the forest... the general area. I didn't make camp. I didn't rejoin the party (they were all just laughing at me anyway and happily ignored the option to continue play... instead all enjoying my unexpected solo-act). Heck, I didn't even have any encounters as I fled all the way back to the nearest settlement where I promptly raced to the tavern, booked a cot, and did my best to 'blend in' as I tried to get some much needed, post-flight, rest.
The dragon, old and wise beasty that he was, figured out where I was. Not that hard... remember how I fled? Nearest settlement. Yheah... not my brightest move really.
The town militia, bless them, did their duty. They lubricated his toes. Everyone else pretty much ran screaming. I was napping. Running away is hard work, you know.
The screams though... they make with the waking.
Also, elder red dragons, they're big guys. Old red there? He was peeking into the window when I woke up. Well, I was a hero! And what do heroes do? That's right, they try to cheat the reaper. So, I figured I was had so there was no reason not to use everything at my disposal. Thrown weapons, fail... no... critical fail. Found weapons, fail... no... critical fail. Weapons from the other folks sleeping or having fled, fail... no... critical fail. Oh... the dragon's laughing? Fine, let's try a spell! Magic is awesome and makes all things good... fail... no... critical fail.
My 'friends' were rolling in their seats, laughing their heads off as the DM was trying not to piss himself. All the rolls were clear on the table and I'm not one to shy away from my botches, but it was beyond all doubt far and away the worst night of rolls I've ever had.
So, after exhausting all my gear, after destroying or injuring myself with everything left in the room that could be considered a weapon, after the remaining people had woken up, fled, or been sucked out of the window by the dragon's inhales as he laughed, I saw the lantern that had been the sole point of light during the night. I reasoned that I had nothing to lose. No one was going to save me and the dragon, for all his laughter, was absolutely set on getting revenge for my apparently quite painful act of medieval fantasy land male dragon enhancement.
I grabbed the lantern and threw it. Fail... no wait... you guessed it, critical fail. The lantern broke, the oil spilled, and a chip of glass wedged itself in my thigh.
I was done... I had already made 16 critical fails in a row (that's 32 1's with NO OTHER ROLLS AT ALL, IN A ROW) and while funny objectively, I was beyond frustrated. So, I grabbed the chip of glass, scooted myself around on the floor (my other leg was crippled by a failed sword swing, my armor destroyed, I was bleeding everywhere, and was low on hit points) and turned my back on the dragon.
I had planned on pouting as the dragon ate me... a kind of poetic middle finger to the beasty, but the DM asked what I wanted to do... I'm pretty sure he was just asking to be nice at that point. You know... asking if you'd like a complimentary sample of shampoo after losing your hair and eyebrows in a birthday cake accident or whatever. But I was just... so... done.
So, I told him I was facing EXACTLY away from the dragon (I turned my head and looked to make sure my back was facing the window), I lined up my body with the stairwell that would go back down to the tavern, checked again, just to make sure the window hadn't moved (it hadn't), and told him I was calling my shot.
He reminded me that I didn't have a bow anymore. I yanked the chip of glass from my leg and told him I was using it as a thrown weapon and I was calling my shot as ABSOLUTELY NOT THE DRAGON... that I was throwing it down the stairs were it COULD NOT POSSIBLY, IN ANY WAY, IMAGINABLY hit the dragon.
He said I was throwing away my only 'weapon'... and I told him yes. He pointed out that that was suicide.
I said no... if I threw it where there was no possible way to hit the dragon, when I failed... when I CRITICALLY failed, it COULD NOT, by definition, hit my target... which was EVERYTHING BUT THE DRAGON.
He shook his head and told me to roll.
And as I did, I yelled "GODDESS OF SUCK, DON'T FAIL ME NOW!"
And failed.
He tried not to laugh... I'll give him credit... he tried not to laugh but asked me to confirm... and in front of everyone, I rolled another 1.
For those counting, that's 17 critical fails in a row. Statistically insane.
He didn't believe it, but it was right there... on the table for everyone to see. I must have looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Everyone kind of went silent as he pieced it together in his head, then he just kind of shook it off and said the world grew still before a strange shudder rippled through everything. A rumble came from deep in the earth and a keening wail pierced the air. The skies darkened and lightning erupted between clouds as the gods themselves paused to watch.
And then the chip of glass exploded up through the stairs and floor, and flew unerringly into the dragon's eye (through my already injured leg and remaining good arm), before bouncing around in its skull as it liquefied the brain of a several millennia old elder red dragon... killing it instantly.
I cheered and asked how much xp I got.
The DM looked at me and said "zero."
Shocker... but... I killed the dragon!?!?!?
He explained that, no, I hadn't. I'd failed to even hit my target... moreover, I'd critically failed, so even if he thought it was clever, it was a mechanical technicality.
I said that the dragon was dead... the xp had to go somewhere and I clearly set things in motion... there was blood in the water and I WAS going to get something out of that sadomasochistic nightmare of a session.
The DM said if I was demanding xp, the chip of glass got it.
I was feeling juuuust a little spiteful at that point and told him I was pulling myself to the stairs. He asked what I wanted to do.
I grinned and told him the dragon was dead... it wasn't resisting... and I fully planned of retrieving that shard of glass to use as my new weapon.
Everyone stared before looking the the DM who facepalmed... ran the numbers, figured out that the inanimate object had acquired enough xp to become sapient, and allowed me to adventure alongside it as its partner.
I still got zero xp... but once I wrapped the sharp edges of that shard of glass, I did end up with a legendary weapon... after my night of 17 critical failures.
that would be when i was being chased in a underwater cavern, swimming for my life because i was failing saves and skill checks alike and then i saw a giant fish coming for me, and thats when i rolled the nat one and i died sadly but it was such an intense moment
I woke in a forest without my companion heard footsteps coming, A troop of enemies were coming and rolled a nat 20 and on stealth. I nearly was caught or killed by a team of cultists with a demon! #DDBStyle
At the last room of the death house. My brand new shiny sanguine dice refused to hit the final creature. I was so disappointed in them since i had just switched to them. A critical fail and a couple other rounds of all misses with my mace was causing me to worry. Luckily A couple of lucky mace hits later and relying on some crucial teammates allowed us to slay the beast and escape the death house successfully.
The time where my pulse started racing was the first time I had an encounter as a DM using the Essentials Kit. I was hoping that I didn't make the monsters to strong for my group of 12 players. They fought hard and one nearly died. My heart raced having realized the player had one HP and the next monster to attack only had that player within reach. I rolled and it was a Nat 20, I stated it was a Crit Fail just to keep my player from dying in the first encounter. We're on session 4 now and pushing into Gnomengarde.
Battling a blue dragon in their lair, my poor squishy wizard got knocked unconscious. Making things worse, the dragon had one more attack and now I'm at 2 failed death saves, and my turn is next. I roll a 20! standing back up and polymorph myself into a Mammoth, turning the tide of battle. 2 rounds later, the dragon is dead, impaled by my tusks. #DDBStyle
I had created two characters which had merged stories (I did not enjoy playing the one and swtiched). The short version of this is that my wizard had mindcontrolled the barbarian until an npc broke the mind control (customized spell created by my awesome DM). When the party came back to the mansion to find the barbarian, the barbarian tried to kill the wizard. It came down to getting the barbarian down and another PC (who knew the barbarian from backstory) had to roll to see who he sided with to save and kill. With a nat 20, the wizard got to burn away a shred of his past to keep things hidden from the rest. #DDBStyle
When at the end of my first ever campaign, Curse of Strahd, our party was not faring well. As a goliath Barbarian/fighter I was pretty useless against an airborne vampire. I prayed to the Raven Queen and was able to convince her while chaos was happening around me to give me aide. She gave me the ability to transform into a Raven my own size. A PC jumped on my back and I chased Strahd around using an ability he gave the Raven to use fearful presence and due to his extremely low rolls all Strahd could do every turn was run. The PC on my back attacked while I chased Strahd down as others from the ground attacked too. It was heart pounding from start to finish.
This event occurred during a 3.5 game that I was apart of. My character had succeeded in dropping a stalactite blocking off a cave entrance saving his party and a group of non combat NPCs from a swarm of giant spiders. This feat was really tough due to the multiple climbing skill checks with increasing difficulty and the fact that I was almost not able to break the stalactite.
“Shhhh” if you keep talking at that volume something is going to hear us” whispered a young Gnomish bard, blue eyes piercing though the blackness of the cavern, searching for any sign of movement, finding none. “What an’ your there glowing like that doesn’t give us away.” mumbled a stocky armour clad dwarf. “I bloody ate’ Gnomes, who even asked em’ on this ere’ venture anyway, always harping on... literally at times.” The dwarf chuckled to himself. “if I had it my way I’d bust those strings over his tiny little bonce and be had done with.
”Quite down Garret, he is needed, also it would do you well to listen to the gnome.” a wise spoken human, clad in black, speaks from the shadows.
”Roll initiative”
(Party)
“For Frigas Sake Garret”
Now surrounded by an overwhelming force of Deeper Goblin the party begins to bicker between themselves for at least 5 minutes as the 40 strong threat approaches, as the bickering about how to escape the imminent gobbling by goblins that was about to take place subsided, the party decided, that instead of fighting to the death like any honourable party would. They would instead hatch an elaborate, daring and darn right stupid plan to escape.
the human recalled a bridge they had crossed earlier in in the cavern, about a 100ft bridge made of stone, supported by 8 huge pillars. “Follow me” the human cried. “Follow me” the party ran off into the cavern burrows, chased now by around 50ish goblins, (cos you’ve got to have those Tolkien elements) as they ran they cried to the party leader, “what are we doing Etchlen.”
Etchlen did not answer, but just strode on toward the bridge the clattering of goblins charging behind at a range of about 40f and gaining quickly. 50+ goblins now charging on their position. They held fast at the end of the bridge, the party members looking towards each other across the table in fear after a brief moment of whispering between one another.
Etchlen spoke and asked if he could take a moment to tie something to an arrow, (at this point I should explain that earlier in the campaign I had allowed “for fun” the party to keep a box that contained a large amount of combustible crystals) when dropped the crystals create massive explosions they had 3 left.)
“Etchlen, dex check to tie the Crystal to the arrow”
18 pass
the goblins now half way across the bridge and picking up speed.
Etchlen leans to the side of the bridge and asks to loose the arrow into the 3rd support of the structure.
I allow it on a dex check.
Roll to hit
Nat 20
the arrow takes flight, it finds the support and blows out not only one, but 6 of the supports surrounding in total, the party cheer, but they are not safe yet.
I role a saving throw to see if the bridge collapses fully or partiality we need 12+ on a D20 to save the bridge and make sure the party become goblin food.
Nat 1
the bridge collapses taking 60 or so goblins with it and leaving the party safe and sound on the other side.
For me it was my first ever session and the one that got me hooked on D&D. The old you meet in a tavern start. Me (Dragonborn Ranger), a Dragonborn fighter, half elf rouge, and a tifling sorcerer. Me and the Fighter were together at a table. 2 cultists burst into the tavern spouting there cultist nonsense in a non-threatening way. Me: I want to throw one of my hand axes at one. Nat20 DM (dumbstruck): without looking up from your conversation with fighter you throw your axe and it impales the cultist in the chest. The force of your throw send him flying out the door killing him. Everyone roll initiative. Sorcerer is first in the initiative order. Sorcerer: I cast fire bolt. Nat1 DM: as you start to cast your hand twitches just enough to cause you to loose control. Your spell explodes as you finish causing the tavern and everyone within 15ft to take damage. You do happen to kill the second cultist though. Sorcerer: sweet. Me: and I’m unconscious. It was amazing, in the span of 6-12 seconds I 1 hit a dude just to be 1 hit by a party member. #DDBStyle
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I’m running a game with a couple cousins, and some friends. They were in pursuit of their quarry on a lightning rail, going over a bridge. The quarry had the macguffin they needed, and dove from the door of the train, off the bridge, over a mile fall into a stream. The party had no idea what would happen. One cousin, a halfling Artificer, just leapt after him. The party was stunned, to say the least.
I had to stop the session, and figure out what to do next.
They ended up securing the macguffin, with a couple fights along the way!
#DDBStyle DMing my friends more than a few years ago, using D&D3.x. When I DM, everyone rolls in the open, including me. No hiding dice rolls behind a screen.
PCs are exploring a borderland area where if they create a holding, and keep it, they'll be recognized by the Realm as the owners.
They see a mysterious light at night in the distance so they check it out the next day.
They find a ruined tower from a previous civilization where the mysterious light was coming from.
Climbing the tower, they encountered a wounded bandit who was left behind by his fellows because of his wounds. They helped the guy out by healing him and he told them that something was up at the top of the tower, moving about, and he was freaked out, figuring that it would come down and kill him.
Leaving him there, they climbed the rest of the way up the tower and encountered a flaming giant spider.
Combat did not go well. So I had the bandit NPC show up to help. He rushed in and swung his sword.
I roll the dice in front of everyone -- Crit (Natural 20) on the first hit, killing the monster!
The table went silent and my friends said I got a "Oh, crap!" look on my face. Then they started cheering for the bandit, who became their first retainer!
A barbarian I was playing *really* loved to fish, would come across streams and lakes and I would always roll for fishing. So delving in an old cave and coming across an expansive, perfectly still black void of water immersing ancient ruins - time for fishing right? The Nat 1 procured an Aboleth... it was a narrow escape with resulting PTSD, therapy, and giving up the reel. #DDBStyle
Trying to do a wicked cool flip over a river of lava only to roll a nat 1 and see my character's life flash before my eyes while he sat motionless in the air like Wile E. Coyote. #DDBStyle
One night, my players only tank failed a balance check and fell into a pit and was knocked unconscious. One of the party took the broom of flying and went full speed after him. On his way down the our friend failed 2 death saving throws and needed to survive the next roll for the other player to make it to him and heal him. We went as far as to talk about the next character he was going to roll. He passed the final save and was picked back up. The single most tense roll I've ever had. #DDBStyle
Consider this, a rogue and a ranger buffed with bardic inspiration and pass without trace waltzing right past a green dragon and taking their pickings from its hoard while being practically invisible. Perhaps not pulse-pounding, but a wonderful in-joke that has survived until now.
#DDBStyle
This one time with my paladin when I did so much damage on a demon during a period where my character was loosing her faith and it made her more confident about herself and her job. #DDBStyle
He/Him | Pro Casual Gamer | True/Chaotic Neutral | PP : Baydews (Tumblr) - https://picrew.me/image_maker/582810 | Pimacs.carrd.co
Personally, I have had many nat 1's and nat 20's. Most of them have been memorable. It would be hard to pick one to speak of, and ignore the others... I've been playing DnD for over 30 years now.
#DDBstyle
I had a Paladin, we were up against the BBEG and I get knocked out and needed to do death saves. I had 2 failures, no successes. My 3rd roll I get a Nat 20 so I am able to hop back up with 1hp, and its at the start of my turn, so I'm able to attack. I miss on the first attack...but I hit my 2nd time and I CRIT AGAIN! So of course I also smite, and it deals the finishing blow! Lots of screaming and victory screeches for sure!! #DDBSTYLE
Most memorable dice moment happened waaaaay back about 2002. I was playing a foxwere ranger, had just pissed off a red dragon by the liberal application of freezing substances to the only vulnerable anatomy in throwing distance, and had fled with all due haste to a nearby village. The party had been adventuring (read that as tomb robbing and looting for fun) and had stumbled across the elder red dragon's hoard. Sleeping atop his pile of gold/treasure/McGuffinite, the dragon had apparently been napping so long that he had outgrown the entrance tunnel and had just decided to keep lazing away in the depths.
Our party, cheerful and amiable fools one and all, decided to steal all they could carry, which meant that everything was fair game. Of course, all the good stuff was closer to the dragon... dragons love their shinnies after all. Being a foxwere, ONLY the best would do, so while the dwarf and humans were content to shovel coins into bags or heft ancient weapons of dubious manufacture, I NEEEEEEEDED to harvest the best. If I recall, I ended up with a golden grape or something... some fruit made of gold that was literally nothing more than an exquisitely crafted trinket with no special anything. But dangit, it was the best and it was mine... if one were to ignore property laws and the right of the dragon who had clearly outlived its crafter.
Of course, the idiots with me were, shall we say, less than subtle with their looting, rousing the dragon from slumber. Said dragon was not in the giving mood and expressed himself in a most uncivilized manner, getting up, roaring, and preparing to unleash unholy discrimination against the lower races.
Which, coincidentally, placed me in the very unpleasant position of being the closest to said dragon upon his waking.
And that was when the dice decided that I was to be their victim. Yahtzee would have been nice. I should have bought a lottery ticket. Instead, it was time to make my ONLY successful roll of the night.
As the dragon reared back to unleash his breath attack, I struggled to think of something that would let me survive... escape would be nice, but I'd settle for survive. The DM asked what I was going to do and gave me the time to scour my sheet, items, and inventory for the laughable possibility that I might possess something that would spare me. We were all rather new characters, so greater toothpicks of dragon desolation and their lesser known kin, swords of destruction, were right out. So were enchanted items (hence what raiding a dragon hoard had seemed like a good idea in the first place)... in fact, we collectively had zero magic items between us.
But, I was a vain thing that required the best, and had insisted in purchasing from a wandering merchant a vial of "ice imp blood"... probably an alchemical concoction or something... but what it did was freeze solid upon exposure to air. Flashy, but essentially useless.
I had been my personal treasure since I'd obtained it.
Life, as they say, is life's greatest treasure, and so, though it pained me, I decided upon helping the little vial to fulfill its destiny: I told the DM, I was going to throw the ice imp's blood at the dragon.
The DM pointed out that it was an ELDER red dragon and that there was no way a vial of anything would accomplish much, let alone ensuring our survival or escape. But seeing as I was to be the first line of defense for our group (read that as smoldering pile of ash that would certainly fail to even blunt the attack), and the rest of the group had fled while I panicked with my sheet, I really didn't think I had anything to lose. I confirmed, he smirked and told me to roll to hit.
Remember how I said I got one success? That was it. I hit a dragon. YAY!
Ignore the fact that the dragon was huge and that missing him was likely far more difficult. I was stoked. I hit the dragon! That meant I got to run away and be awesome because I got a good roll! Woo-hoo! Wait... I didn't declare where I was aiming? Well who cares? It's a dragon! They're practically made of "Deathanium"... I just wanted to live.
The DM tells me to roll for "effectiveness"... which should have been a red flag the instant he said it. There's no targeting table, there was no called shot... so he was literally asking me to roll a d20 for how likely it was to injure and dragons are armored tanks of doom. I rolled a 1.
Oh... a 1. That's bad. The DM nodded... then asked me to roll again to confirm how bad. Still, I knew I hit the dragon, so how bad could it be? I rolled a 1... confirming the critical failure.
The DM smirked and informed me that as the dragon reared up to unleash hell, I casually threw the vial of ice imp's blood at him, the bottle shattering on his exposed genitalia. >.<
That was the moment the universe decided to ensure my misery for the rest of the night. While freezing an elder red dragon's hoo-hoo (Family friendly filter activated) did have the benefit of arresting his breath attack, it also brought his focus solely upon me.
I fled... oh how I fled. The dragon toppled and thrashed as I fled. You would too, don't give me that look.
I fled and I kept fleeing until I had fully escaped the cavern... the forest... the general area. I didn't make camp. I didn't rejoin the party (they were all just laughing at me anyway and happily ignored the option to continue play... instead all enjoying my unexpected solo-act). Heck, I didn't even have any encounters as I fled all the way back to the nearest settlement where I promptly raced to the tavern, booked a cot, and did my best to 'blend in' as I tried to get some much needed, post-flight, rest.
The dragon, old and wise beasty that he was, figured out where I was. Not that hard... remember how I fled? Nearest settlement. Yheah... not my brightest move really.
The town militia, bless them, did their duty. They lubricated his toes. Everyone else pretty much ran screaming. I was napping. Running away is hard work, you know.
The screams though... they make with the waking.
Also, elder red dragons, they're big guys. Old red there? He was peeking into the window when I woke up. Well, I was a hero! And what do heroes do? That's right, they try to cheat the reaper. So, I figured I was had so there was no reason not to use everything at my disposal. Thrown weapons, fail... no... critical fail. Found weapons, fail... no... critical fail. Weapons from the other folks sleeping or having fled, fail... no... critical fail. Oh... the dragon's laughing? Fine, let's try a spell! Magic is awesome and makes all things good... fail... no... critical fail.
My 'friends' were rolling in their seats, laughing their heads off as the DM was trying not to piss himself. All the rolls were clear on the table and I'm not one to shy away from my botches, but it was beyond all doubt far and away the worst night of rolls I've ever had.
So, after exhausting all my gear, after destroying or injuring myself with everything left in the room that could be considered a weapon, after the remaining people had woken up, fled, or been sucked out of the window by the dragon's inhales as he laughed, I saw the lantern that had been the sole point of light during the night. I reasoned that I had nothing to lose. No one was going to save me and the dragon, for all his laughter, was absolutely set on getting revenge for my apparently quite painful act of medieval fantasy land male dragon enhancement.
I grabbed the lantern and threw it. Fail... no wait... you guessed it, critical fail. The lantern broke, the oil spilled, and a chip of glass wedged itself in my thigh.
I was done... I had already made 16 critical fails in a row (that's 32 1's with NO OTHER ROLLS AT ALL, IN A ROW) and while funny objectively, I was beyond frustrated. So, I grabbed the chip of glass, scooted myself around on the floor (my other leg was crippled by a failed sword swing, my armor destroyed, I was bleeding everywhere, and was low on hit points) and turned my back on the dragon.
I had planned on pouting as the dragon ate me... a kind of poetic middle finger to the beasty, but the DM asked what I wanted to do... I'm pretty sure he was just asking to be nice at that point. You know... asking if you'd like a complimentary sample of shampoo after losing your hair and eyebrows in a birthday cake accident or whatever. But I was just... so... done.
So, I told him I was facing EXACTLY away from the dragon (I turned my head and looked to make sure my back was facing the window), I lined up my body with the stairwell that would go back down to the tavern, checked again, just to make sure the window hadn't moved (it hadn't), and told him I was calling my shot.
He reminded me that I didn't have a bow anymore. I yanked the chip of glass from my leg and told him I was using it as a thrown weapon and I was calling my shot as ABSOLUTELY NOT THE DRAGON... that I was throwing it down the stairs were it COULD NOT POSSIBLY, IN ANY WAY, IMAGINABLY hit the dragon.
He said I was throwing away my only 'weapon'... and I told him yes. He pointed out that that was suicide.
I said no... if I threw it where there was no possible way to hit the dragon, when I failed... when I CRITICALLY failed, it COULD NOT, by definition, hit my target... which was EVERYTHING BUT THE DRAGON.
He shook his head and told me to roll.
And as I did, I yelled "GODDESS OF SUCK, DON'T FAIL ME NOW!"
And failed.
He tried not to laugh... I'll give him credit... he tried not to laugh but asked me to confirm... and in front of everyone, I rolled another 1.
For those counting, that's 17 critical fails in a row. Statistically insane.
He didn't believe it, but it was right there... on the table for everyone to see. I must have looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Everyone kind of went silent as he pieced it together in his head, then he just kind of shook it off and said the world grew still before a strange shudder rippled through everything. A rumble came from deep in the earth and a keening wail pierced the air. The skies darkened and lightning erupted between clouds as the gods themselves paused to watch.
And then the chip of glass exploded up through the stairs and floor, and flew unerringly into the dragon's eye (through my already injured leg and remaining good arm), before bouncing around in its skull as it liquefied the brain of a several millennia old elder red dragon... killing it instantly.
I cheered and asked how much xp I got.
The DM looked at me and said "zero."
Shocker... but... I killed the dragon!?!?!?
He explained that, no, I hadn't. I'd failed to even hit my target... moreover, I'd critically failed, so even if he thought it was clever, it was a mechanical technicality.
I said that the dragon was dead... the xp had to go somewhere and I clearly set things in motion... there was blood in the water and I WAS going to get something out of that sadomasochistic nightmare of a session.
The DM said if I was demanding xp, the chip of glass got it.
I was feeling juuuust a little spiteful at that point and told him I was pulling myself to the stairs. He asked what I wanted to do.
I grinned and told him the dragon was dead... it wasn't resisting... and I fully planned of retrieving that shard of glass to use as my new weapon.
Everyone stared before looking the the DM who facepalmed... ran the numbers, figured out that the inanimate object had acquired enough xp to become sapient, and allowed me to adventure alongside it as its partner.
I still got zero xp... but once I wrapped the sharp edges of that shard of glass, I did end up with a legendary weapon... after my night of 17 critical failures.
#DDBStyle
that would be when i was being chased in a underwater cavern, swimming for my life because i was failing saves and skill checks alike and then i saw a giant fish coming for me, and thats when i rolled the nat one and i died sadly but it was such an intense moment
#DDBStyle
I woke in a forest without my companion heard footsteps coming, A troop of enemies were coming and rolled a nat 20 and on stealth. I nearly was caught or killed by a team of cultists with a demon! #DDBStyle
-GWKim
At the last room of the death house. My brand new shiny sanguine dice refused to hit the final creature. I was so disappointed in them since i had just switched to them. A critical fail and a couple other rounds of all misses with my mace was causing me to worry. Luckily A couple of lucky mace hits later and relying on some crucial teammates allowed us to slay the beast and escape the death house successfully.
#DDBStyle
The time where my pulse started racing was the first time I had an encounter as a DM using the Essentials Kit. I was hoping that I didn't make the monsters to strong for my group of 12 players. They fought hard and one nearly died. My heart raced having realized the player had one HP and the next monster to attack only had that player within reach. I rolled and it was a Nat 20, I stated it was a Crit Fail just to keep my player from dying in the first encounter. We're on session 4 now and pushing into Gnomengarde.
#DDBStyle
Battling a blue dragon in their lair, my poor squishy wizard got knocked unconscious. Making things worse, the dragon had one more attack and now I'm at 2 failed death saves, and my turn is next. I roll a 20! standing back up and polymorph myself into a Mammoth, turning the tide of battle. 2 rounds later, the dragon is dead, impaled by my tusks. #DDBStyle
I had created two characters which had merged stories (I did not enjoy playing the one and swtiched). The short version of this is that my wizard had mindcontrolled the barbarian until an npc broke the mind control (customized spell created by my awesome DM). When the party came back to the mansion to find the barbarian, the barbarian tried to kill the wizard. It came down to getting the barbarian down and another PC (who knew the barbarian from backstory) had to roll to see who he sided with to save and kill. With a nat 20, the wizard got to burn away a shred of his past to keep things hidden from the rest. #DDBStyle
#DBBStyle
When at the end of my first ever campaign, Curse of Strahd, our party was not faring well. As a goliath Barbarian/fighter I was pretty useless against an airborne vampire. I prayed to the Raven Queen and was able to convince her while chaos was happening around me to give me aide. She gave me the ability to transform into a Raven my own size. A PC jumped on my back and I chased Strahd around using an ability he gave the Raven to use fearful presence and due to his extremely low rolls all Strahd could do every turn was run. The PC on my back attacked while I chased Strahd down as others from the ground attacked too. It was heart pounding from start to finish.
This event occurred during a 3.5 game that I was apart of. My character had succeeded in dropping a stalactite blocking off a cave entrance saving his party and a group of non combat NPCs from a swarm of giant spiders. This feat was really tough due to the multiple climbing skill checks with increasing difficulty and the fact that I was almost not able to break the stalactite.
#DDBStyle
“Shhhh” if you keep talking at that volume something is going to hear us” whispered a young Gnomish bard, blue eyes piercing though the blackness of the cavern, searching for any sign of movement, finding none.
“What an’ your there glowing like that doesn’t give us away.” mumbled a stocky armour clad dwarf.
“I bloody ate’ Gnomes, who even asked em’ on this ere’ venture anyway, always harping on... literally at times.” The dwarf chuckled to himself. “if I had it my way I’d bust those strings over his tiny little bonce and be had done with.
”Quite down Garret, he is needed, also it would do you well to listen to the gnome.” a wise spoken human, clad in black, speaks from the shadows.
”Roll initiative”
(Party)
“For Frigas Sake Garret”
Now surrounded by an overwhelming force of Deeper Goblin the party begins to bicker between themselves for at least 5 minutes as the 40 strong threat approaches, as the bickering about how to escape the imminent gobbling by goblins that was about to take place subsided, the party decided, that instead of fighting to the death like any honourable party would. They would instead hatch an elaborate, daring and darn right stupid plan to escape.
the human recalled a bridge they had crossed earlier in in the cavern, about a 100ft bridge made of stone, supported by 8 huge pillars. “Follow me” the human cried. “Follow me” the party ran off into the cavern burrows, chased now by around 50ish goblins, (cos you’ve got to have those Tolkien elements) as they ran they cried to the party leader, “what are we doing Etchlen.”
Etchlen did not answer, but just strode on toward the bridge the clattering of goblins charging behind at a range of about 40f and gaining quickly. 50+ goblins now charging on their position.
They held fast at the end of the bridge, the party members looking towards each other across the table in fear after a brief moment of whispering between one another.
Etchlen spoke and asked if he could take a moment to tie something to an arrow, (at this point I should explain that earlier in the campaign I had allowed “for fun” the party to keep a box that contained a large amount of combustible crystals) when dropped the crystals create massive explosions they had 3 left.)
“Etchlen, dex check to tie the Crystal to the arrow”
18 pass
the goblins now half way across the bridge and picking up speed.
Etchlen leans to the side of the bridge and asks to loose the arrow into the 3rd support of the structure.
I allow it on a dex check.
Roll to hit
Nat 20
the arrow takes flight, it finds the support and blows out not only one, but 6 of the supports surrounding in total, the party cheer, but they are not safe yet.
I role a saving throw to see if the bridge collapses fully or partiality we need 12+ on a D20 to save the bridge and make sure the party become goblin food.
Nat 1
the bridge collapses taking 60 or so goblins with it and leaving the party safe and sound on the other side.
”so how do we get back across” says Garret.
#DDBstyle
For me it was my first ever session and the one that got me hooked on D&D. The old you meet in a tavern start. Me (Dragonborn Ranger), a Dragonborn fighter, half elf rouge, and a tifling sorcerer. Me and the Fighter were together at a table. 2 cultists burst into the tavern spouting there cultist nonsense in a non-threatening way. Me: I want to throw one of my hand axes at one. Nat20 DM (dumbstruck): without looking up from your conversation with fighter you throw your axe and it impales the cultist in the chest. The force of your throw send him flying out the door killing him. Everyone roll initiative. Sorcerer is first in the initiative order. Sorcerer: I cast fire bolt. Nat1 DM: as you start to cast your hand twitches just enough to cause you to loose control. Your spell explodes as you finish causing the tavern and everyone within 15ft to take damage. You do happen to kill the second cultist though. Sorcerer: sweet. Me: and I’m unconscious. It was amazing, in the span of 6-12 seconds I 1 hit a dude just to be 1 hit by a party member. #DDBStyle