(in D&D at least)
*in the core rules.
If you want to homebrew it then go for it.
this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2025
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I like the idea of extraordinary luck given to players. Giving everything they do a 5% chance of incredible success no matter the difficulty is such a small tweak to let some really hilarious, or awesome things play out. And they will take more risks knowing there is potentially a great reward. How do you balance this? 5% chance of terrible failure no matter how easy. No more automatic success. Sometimes shit just happens and when it happens, it really hurts.
And also, you can just make regular failure more punishing or even make success a monkey's paw thing: "You want to seduce the lich?! already rolling dice "No, you fail. In your attempt to seduce the lich, his aura of evil has made you impotent. Permanently." OR "YES NAT TWENTY!! DM deadpan for 10 seconds, then "I have a fetish for fingers. I'll give you the information you want in exchange for a few those delectable, dainty fingers, half-elf" (Some temporary debuffs that can heal, and they get to skip the fetch quest)
Depends what system you're playing
20 peasants stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon and attempt to jump across. On average, should one succeed?
We don't do averages, just addition and subtraction 😂
While no individual peasant ought make it across, im pretty sure on average, one in twenty people can jump the Grand Canyon
They can’t crit, but success can be determined by numerical thresholds that the dm sets, and they just so happen to align with rolling a 12 for success, 20 for glorious accomplishment, and 1 for terrible snafu.
put bards in garbage can. hm makes sense.
It has the same mouthfeel as a crit, I want my wildest dreams to come true every time I see that two zero
If the players are demanding wild results, especially if they're the kind to roll unprompted, then sure.
But in my experience, it's usually just a little flourish or a small bonus, which I think is fine.
And if the issue is that a nat 20 doesn't guarantee success, technically, sure, but I'd be more annoyed being asked to make a pointless roll. I know there are reasons, like a hidden target number, or other characters being able to do it, but in general, I'd rather just hear "no" than go through a pointless check.
I... did not realize that, I guess it makes sense, but I also think the concept of a skill check being able to do something analagous to critting is actually a good idea, if other rules or the scenario ... fit this as a mechanic.