Since being involved in a regular campaign, I have rolled my fair share of natural 20s and my fair share of natural 1s. In Dungeons & Dragons, a d20 is rolled to either attack an enemy, make a skill check, or avoid a spell effect from another spell caster. Rolling a 20 is considered a critical hit or in some cases a critical success, while a natural 1 is a critical failure. I don’t think anyone enjoys rolling a natural 1, but in my case, I tend to roll natural 1s on a D20 at pivotal moments in our game. I wanted to share two examples where I rolled a natural 1 and how the lower dice roll furthered my character’s journey within the campaign.

Both stories are set in our current campaign where I’m playing Vesper, the Variant Human Sorcerer. Vesper had to make a Constitution Saving Throw after a long battle our group finished. When I stated I had rolled a 1, the DM revealed a disguised enemy came up behind me and removed my eyes. Our whole group was shocked! When this first happened, I will admit I was devastated. I wasn’t sure how Vesper would progress through the story considering that as a spell caster, she needed to be able to see everything around her. In a turn of events, Vesper accepted help from Zariel which unlocked a new feat for Vesper. If she calls on Zariel’s aid, she gets added benefits in battle but she can’t cast all her spells. Vesper eventually regained her eyes and vision with help from the other players in our party.

Rolling a natural 1 in this instance altered Vesper’s story. I don’t think she would have made a pact with a god. There were several in-game conversations between the other players where they expressed concerns over Vesper’s partnership with Zariel. These conversations were fun to have and I think bonded Vesper with the other characters. They expressed their empathy, but also kept Vesper in check and not letting Zariel take over. None of this would have happened had I not rolled a 1.

The second story happened pretty recently. Vesper is currently in a relationship with Cam, an NPC who is Vesper’s academic adviser at the magical academy she graduated from before the campaign started. In one session, Cam had accepted an opportunity that would permanently change his character. Our DM asked me to roll a d100 which would reveal how well this would go for him. I rolled a natural 1 on a d100 which is a 100-sided die. Rolling a 1 on a d20 is one thing, but a d100. I can’t even believe it. As a result, Cam almost died. I did not expect myself to care as much, but I started crying during the session. I thought of Vesper’s feelings toward Cam and how she would lose somebody she loved. With no help from myself, the other players rallied around me and we were able to give Cam assistance to pass his Constitution Saving Throw. I cannot look at d100s the same now.

From a story perspective, this was much needed for Vesper. The way I roleplayed Vesper, she always put Cam at a distance. This comes from her back story, but as a way to protect herself. Throughout the sessions, Cam got Vesper to open up which led to them confessing their feelings for each other. Vesper took Cam for granted and that was intentional on my end. The fact I rolled a natural 1 and almost killed him woke Vesper up to the fact that she truly loves him. As far as how that benefitted the campaign, I think it solidified Cam as a permanent member of our group.

With these natural 1s, Vesper wouldn’t be where she is today without them. I think it’s easy to feel disappointed or sad when a natural 1 is rolled, but hopefully, this gives some reassurance that sometimes, they aren’t always bad.