{"id":3504,"date":"2024-01-30T23:45:27","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T06:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/?p=3504"},"modified":"2025-04-25T15:55:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T22:55:06","slug":"dd-5e-rules-rolls-high-and-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2024\/01\/dd-5e-rules-rolls-high-and-low.html","title":{"rendered":"D&#038;D 5e\/5.5e Rules &#8211; Rolls, High and Low!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2984\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-300x196.webp\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-300x196.webp 300w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-650x425.webp 650w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-768x502.webp 768w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules-1200x784.webp 1200w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Know-the-rules.webp 1300w\" alt=\"Know the Rules\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" \/><em><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2022\/09\/dd-5e-rules-a-prologue.html\">Part of an ongoing series of <strong>5e (2014)<\/strong> Rules notes.<\/a>\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #800000;\">See the end of the post for notes on <strong>5.5e (2024)<\/strong> rules.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is another thing that can engender confusion until it gets spelled out plainly, especially since it&#8217;s about something that has changed over various D&amp;D editions, varies with other D20-based games, and has been house-ruled for eons.<\/p>\n<p>What happens when you roll a natural (that&#8217;s the face showing on the die) 20 on a d20? What happens when you roll a natural 1?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Nat-20-Skill-Check-meme.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3505 size-full\" title=\"You rolled a Nat 20 on your skill check\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Nat-20-Skill-Check-meme.jpg\" alt=\"You rolled a Nat 20 on your skill check\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Nat-20-Skill-Check-meme.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Nat-20-Skill-Check-meme-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Nat-20-Skill-Check-meme-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Nat-20-Skill-Check-meme-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1>When is a die roll a different die roll?<\/h1>\n<p>There are, in 5e, <b>three types of d20 rolls<\/b>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/combat\/making_an_attack\/#:~:text=When%20you%20make,its%20stat%20block.\"><strong>Attack rolls<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; rolls you make to successfully hit with an attack (against a given Armor Class (AC)).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/rules\/abilities\/ability_checks\/\"><strong>Ability Checks<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; rolls you make to check against an ability or skill to see if you succeed in your attempt (against a given Difficulty Class (DC)).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/rules\/abilities\/saving_throws\/\"><strong>Saving Throws<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; rolls you make to avoid or minimize the effect of a spell or other environmental hazard (against a given DC).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are all done with a d20, but, despite that, each is treated <em>independently<\/em> in the rules.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the Rogue&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/character\/classes\/rogue\/#:~:text=if%20you%20fail.-,Reliable%20Talent,treat%20a%20d20%20roll%20of%209%20or%20lower%20as%20a%2010.,-Blindsense\"><em>Reliable Talent<\/em><\/a> class ability (PHB 96) says &#8220;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.&#8221; That applies <i>only<\/i>\u00a0to Ability Checks, not Saves or Attacks.<\/p>\n<h1>When is a crit not a crit?<\/h1>\n<p>This has a more global aspect. <a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/combat\/making_an_attack\/#:~:text=Rolling%201%20or%2020,misses%20regardless%20of%20any%20modifiers%20or%20the%20target%27s%20AC.\">On\u00a0<b>Attacks<\/b>\u00a0<\/a><em>(only!),<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a <strong>naturally rolled<\/strong> <b>20\u00a0<\/b>is\u00a0<i>always<\/i> a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">hit<\/span> (and a <a href=\"https:\/\/5thsrd.org\/combat\/damage_and_healing\/#:~:text=Critical%20Hits,twice%20as%20well.\">critical hit<\/a>, at that), regardless of modifiers or the target&#8217;s Armor Class.<\/li>\n<li>a <strong>naturally rolled<\/strong> <b>1\u00a0<\/b>is\u00a0<i>always<\/i> a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">miss<\/span>, regardless of modifiers or the target&#8217;s Armor Class. (5e does not have a &#8220;fumble&#8221; rule.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This auto-hit or auto-miss rule, though, does <i>not<\/i>\u00a0apply to <strong>Saves<\/strong> or <strong>Ability Checks<\/strong>.\u00a0 For example, a natural 20 on a Saving Throw does not guarantee success. In fact, it just means that you have met or beat any DC of 20 or below. If the DC is 25, it doesn&#8217;t, Rules-As-Written, mean a thing other than you did not save.<\/p>\n<h1>That said &#8230;<\/h1>\n<p>Most DMs will do something to recognize a natural 20 (especially if it&#8217;s called to their attention), and sometimes a natural 1 as well, on a Save or Ability Check, even if the RAW doesn&#8217;t call for it.<\/p>\n<p>This might be as simple as something narrated, calling out (without game effect) the natural beauty of the thing you did that you rolled a nat 20 on &#8230; or the gob-smacking ineptitude of the thing you did that you rolled a nat 1 on.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>You dive for cover from the dragon&#8217;s breath, but mis-judge and fly through its center instead. You take [the standard] damage, but you can hear the dragon actually <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">laughing<\/span> at you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sometimes they may even given you a partial success for that nat 20.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>You don&#8217;t manage a clean landing &#8212; but you&#8217;re on your feet, even if you&#8217;re going to be at half-speed next round.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>or<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Your valiant effort doesn&#8217;t succeed, but it came closer than you thought it would &#8212; take an Inspiration.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But don&#8217;t count on that, unless the DM is house-ruling something of that sort as a normal case.<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #800000;\">What about in 5.5e (2024)?<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4197\" src=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo-208x300.png\" alt=\"dnd 5.5\/2024\" width=\"208\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo-208x300.png 208w, https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dnd-55-2024-logo.png 215w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 208px) 85vw, 208px\" \/><\/a>Not a lot has changed in 5.5e, besides some nomenclature.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em>Ability checks<\/em>, <em>attack rolls,<\/em> or <em>saving throws,<\/em> all of which involve rolling a D20, are now called \u201cD20 Tests.\u201d Certain spells and circumstances are called out in the rules for affecting D20 Tests, and thus they affect those three different types of rolls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">That said, crits still only happen with a nat 20 on an <em>attack roll<\/em>, and a nat 1 on an <em>attack roll<\/em> is still always a miss. Rolling a nat 1 or nat 20, as with 5e, has no rules-based effect if you are rolling for <em>ability checks<\/em> or\u00a0<em>saves.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yay! I rolled a 20! That means I win everything, right? Right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48,44,78],"tags":[47],"class_list":["post-3504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-onedd","category-dd","category-dd-5e-rules","tag-dnd5e"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3504"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4215,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504\/revisions\/4215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}