I love to come up with creative ways to describe a critical success. The rolling of a natural 20 on a 20 sided dice is a critical success for the task you are attempting to accomplish. You could think of some of the “people are awesome” or “win” videos on YouTube that are great examples of real people rolling natural 20s.
Every so often, a series of natural 20 rolls can lead to creative and wonderful experiences. Which leads us to the tale of Sir Nutcracker, an ordinary squirrel turned hero.
A shaman, paladin, rogue, and ranger were attempting to investigate a local business that may have been involved in some devious schemes in the town.
The player playing as the rogue was running a little late to our session, so his rogue initially woke up with a stomach ache. He unknowingly ate some goblin jerky that was given to him by the half-orc shaman.
The paladin, shaman, and ranger headed to the business to investigate. They arrived to find that the business appeared to be operating, but it was locked and closed. After checking all the entrances and knocking on a door or two, the trio could not find a way in. Knowing their rogue would be joining them soon, they decided to ask some of the closer shop owners a few questions.
The rogue soon arrived. The shaman asked the rogue to “verify” that the rear entrance was actually locked while the ranger and paladin continued with their interviews. The rogue may or may not have found the door wasn’t “locked” but just sticking. While waiting for the rogue to finish checking the door, the shaman attempted to befriend a squirrel. He fed it a few nuts and rolled high on a handle animal check.
Speak with animals?
As the party gathered to enter the building. They opened the door to find a long hallway and a few adjacent rooms. The shaman cast speak with animals and attempted to convince the squirrel that there was a large stash of nuts at the end of the hallway. I asked him to roll a bluff check and he rolled a natural 20.
Since the squirrel was already friendly towards him, the squirrel leapt into action. He darted down the hall, which may have set off any traps had they existed. The party entered the area to find a large room filled with goblins. After removing most of the goblin fifth, the party followed an injured goblin through an exit on the far side of the room.
A goblin was escaping…
After exiting, they found themselves in a small office. The goblin was barely seen running downstairs towards the basement. They heard a scratching sound coming from the door to their right. They prepared their weapons and readied attacks. The rogue throws open the door and in rushes our friendly squirrel. It begins frantically searching the room. The shaman cast speaks with animals again. He tells the squirrel that a goblin has taken the stash and ran down the stairs. He suggests that the squirrel attacks the goblin to get the nuts from him. One natural 20 later and the squirrel removes a rusty nail from a box and charges down the stairs.
As the party takes a second to heal, they soon follow down the stairs. As they come to the landing, they see the squirrel leap at the goblin, using its trusty rusty nail to pierce the goblins eye. Having been dealt the final blow to the goblin, the squirrel begins sifting through its pockets. The party rounds the corner and finds the villain they had been searching for. The shaman yells out in squirrel. He took them!!!
The villain revealed…
One natural 20 later, the squirrel has been convinced the villain is the real culprit and launches himself headlong into the evil monk. The squirrel rolls a natural 20 to hit the monk. The squirrel stabs him in the foot with the nail causing 2 points of damage. The monk takes his first turn and swiftly dispatches our small hero. As the fight continues, the rogue takes a hit or two and the paladin steps in to become the shield. The ranger, who has a soft spot for animals, scores the killing blow. When asked how she wants to finish him. The ranger says “I want to finish him off with the nail.” I describe how the ranger slices into the shoulder of the monk. As he falls to the floor, she reaches down, picks up the nail. As she slowly pushes it into his neck, she whispers, “This is for Sir Nutcracker.”
Our party mourned the loss of this courageous knight. But little did they know. The paladin’s god looked down on this heroic event. The god decided to resurrect and bless the squirrel. The squirrel became a ratfolk fighter that will return another day when the party’s need is greatest.