So I am starting in the world of pen-and-paper RPGs, and sometimes the material I read mentions a natural roll, like a natural 1 is always a miss, and a natural 20 is always a hit.
I understand that rolling a 1 will miss, but why is it called "natural?" Is it just to indicate the value before modifiers, and if yes, does that mean the final result is still called a roll? What other types of rolls are there?
The number you see printed on the die when you just throw it. Not adding or subtracting bonuses, penalties or rerolling. Just the number you see.
Terms will differ in individual games and groups, but usually the total result (natural roll plus any modifiers) is just called your "roll," or we'll say "I got a 25." In some systems (sounds like you're reading a D&D book), your natural roll has implications regardless of the modifiers you can add to it, so it's important to have a way to talk about the difference.
"I rolled a 25 on a natural 1! My modifiers are awesome! ...but I still missed, because natural 1s always miss in our game."
"Man, I got a -2 on a natural 5. I need to get this curse removed as soon as possible or I'm gonna die of a stubbed toe."
