Roll with Emphasis

Rolling with Emphasis

Somestimes a special ability or spell tells you that you have advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, a saving throw, or an attack roll. When that happens, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll - Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage.
“ROLLING WITH EMPHASIS” is a new mechanic introduced by Brennen Lee Mulligan, where the player is prompted to roll two d20s and take the result furthest away from 10, which increases the likelihood of having more “swingy” results, as it means a higher likelihood for either a natural 1 or a natural 20.
This kind of roll could be sparsely called for but makes for more definitive narrative results when employed. This is a tool to build suspense, and allow more coherent results when weaving together the outcome of a narrative.
If you roll two numbers equidistant from 10 (such as 7 and 13), roll both d20s again.

Rolling for Emphasis May Occur When…

Your DM considers ability checks not by DC but by the quality of the roll.

According to the Dungeon Master’s Guide, ability checks are judged on predetermined Difficult Class (DC), in which if a player does not meet the required number, their intended action fails. Many dungeon masters several years out from the start of fifth edition no longer adjudicate in such a binary manner, and this mechanic only works if the DM judges rolls on a curve instead of pass/fail.

You have neither advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, attack roll or saving throw.

Making someone roll for emphasis when they would normally have either advantage or disadvantage can rob the player of consequences that they have spontaneously crafted for themselves or their party.

The situation is so that either great success or horrific failure are the only two outcomes.

This mechanic is at its best when it deals with tense, consequential rolls.