Reaction Rolls with ... Four Dice?

I believe I’ve mentioned before that I’m thinking about the viability of “4d6, dropping all 6s” as a possible alternative dice mechanic. It give you a 0 to 20 range, within the parameters of some D&D rolls, but with a bell curve… but also, you can use the 6s in a different way to alter results.

Here’s an idea for a 4d6 drop 6 reaction roll table.

4d6 drop 6	Reaction	Detailed Explanation
Up to 1	The Worst	Enraged, immediate attack.
2-3	Very Bad	Hostile , will attack. No further offers.
4-7	Bad	Unfriendly and threatening. Refuse offer.
8-12	Normal	Neutral but uncooperative. Ask much more on offer.
13-16	Good	Open and cooperative. Ask a little more on offer.
17-18	Very Good	Friendly and helpful. Accept offer.
19-20	The Best	Enthusiastic, offers help or discount.

As with a standard reaction roll, this is used for two main situations:

1. Potential combat situations (Will the opponent be hostile or even attack, or will they be open to parlay?)
2. Negotiations (Will the NPC accept the offer, ask for more, or reject the offer and refuse further haggling, or even hurl a string of insults or accuse the PCs of being a thief?)

If the result is 4 or more, but one or more 6s were rolled, a special effect may be triggered, if one is present. Some special effects:

• Lying: The NPC or monster pretends to have a different reaction, usually to trick the PCs.
• Personality Trait: NPCs or monsters may have unusual behaviors or goals that trigger if one or more 6s are rolled, for example “looking for the perfect sacrifice to their dark god”. Alternatively, PCs who have personality flaws, such as “accident prone” may exhibit these flaws, perhaps explaining a bad reaction, or simply causing embarrassment during an otherwise successful negotiation.
• Curse: If a PC has a curse effect waiting to be triggered, it takes effect at this point. For example, “haunted by a shrieking ghost” might result in the ghost appearing while trying to find a room at the inn.

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