Trap Non-Sense
After disposing of the threat from the Drow and their minions, the Ninja takes a look at the secret door, as we are intrigued as to what lies behind. With the rest of the us standing safely to one side, the Ninja searches the door for traps, managing to find one that protects the door. He tells us that he thinks he can disable it, and prepares himself to do so. 'Why don't you take 20?', I ask.
Of course, as we all know, taking 20 when trying to disable a trap means that although you are successful in the attempt you also set the trap off in the process. The Ninja didn't like my helpful suggestion for some reason, and rolls his Disable Device check. Much to his chagrin, the die skitters to a halt on a natural 1, and the Ninja doesn't react in time to avoid being cut by a sweeping blade, which also delivers a poison along with the physical wound. Managing to resist the primary effects of the poision, and the Cleric helping a bit later to avoid the secondary effects, the Ninja tries again to disable the trap, which appears to have reset. This time, he rolls a natural 20. He knows exactly what he did wrong last time and deftly manages to bypass the trap for us.
Still, the whole process would have been quicker, with the same results, if he'd just taken 20 in the first place. Listen to the Monk, for he is wise.