How ‘Banzai’ Became Our Description of Damage

How a player failed to pay attention and proceeded to jump off a 60ft tall tower with no plans on how he was going to stick the landing.


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This took place during the second session of my very first Fate game. I know, not technically DnD, but it functions the same in story-telling and character development.

Our GM had created a multiverse for this game, and I was coming into it about a year in. I was brand new to tabletop games, though I had always wanted to play, and a friend had managed to get me a spot in this game. I. Was. Thrilled.

I did, however, have some issues picking a character. When you have a multiverse of worlds to choose from, it's not exactly easy. Then, one of the players text notification went off. It was the message noise from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

I now play the Pink Libra Ranger, the sole survivor of his teams massacre, protector of the multiverse!

All this to say, my character is made for agility and to take a hit.

Well, our second session begins. Our players are trapped atop two towers, with horrid creatures surrounding us at the bottom. The fighters must somehow find a way down, but without stairs or a ladder, we are effectively trapped. One player, our tank, decides to jump off! However, as he is afflicted with 'The Boogie', his bellbottoms open up to create a parachute and he floats down harmlessly.

I decide this is my time to shine. I jump off, aiming for the head of one of the creatures!

I do land the hit, however I do no damage and spring off the things back to stick my landing. Two of our fighters have now made it down!

It then comes to be our paladins turn. This player is the youngest of us by at least five years, and tends to have a hard time paying attention. This was the problem today. He had heard two other players jump and land safely, he hadn't heard how high the towers are, he decides it is now his turn!

Now is when I should probably mention our GM takes everything we say seriously. There is no such thing as a joke. Can work out both amazing and… not so amazing.

The player says he shouts "Banzai!" when he jumps, obviously joking. GM decides it is not a joke.

GM says roll.

Crit fail.

The monster beneath the character hears the shout, looks up, and steps out of the way. Character is now falling to his doom.

But this is a crit fail.

There is always more.

Hidden beneath the sand at the bottom of the tower is a trap down. A trap door our paladin is now hurtling towards. His is horizontal to the ground. He is six feet tall. The trap door is five feet wide. He slams through the door, breaking all four of his limbs and none of us have any idea if he is still alive.

The game stops. Just… stops. The monsters have to go see this idiot. His companions have to go see this idiot. The fighting stops, all characters miraculously make it to the ground and both monsters and companions crowd around the trap door. The monsters look to us. We shrug, baffled. None of us have any idea how someone could be this stupid.

The monsters then proceed to allow us to go back to our previous positions, as if what had just happened hadn't, and once everyone is back to where they started, the battle begins again.

We now measure damage by how many Banzai's worth of damage we have.

And that is how our player, for one glorious moment, brought monsters and monster-killers together to marvel at his stupidity.


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