I have an issue, folks. The issue is as the subject describes- whether or not a swashbuckler can parry a natural 20.
Now, before anything, I'll say that I had a good, long discussion about this with my GM, and he ruled that in fact, you cannot parry a Nat 20, because it automatically hits. Simultaneously he ruled that I cannot counter that with a natural 20 on the Larry's attack roll (and cited that it would be so incredibly rare that it would never happen, declining to argue more about it).
I respect him a great deal, and I'm more than fine to go on playing with him because I greatly enjoy the game we play, the people we play with, and him as a friend, even though I both don't like and personally disagree with the ruling he's made. Personally, I find that the text of the swashbuckler's Parry deed (The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature’s result, the creature’s attack automatically misses.) and this FAQ post are on my side, and I did mention them both to no help for my argument.
However, for future's sake, I'd like a clear answer. The base question: Can you parry a natural 20? The followups: If you can't, why not? Since it's an attack roll, why doesn't a nat 20 on the parry auto-parry? A natural 20 is an auto-hit versus AC, does a parry change that or is it an additional effect?
Thank you to anyone who answers, for either side. I've seen many forums threads about this in previous years, but never a clear answer.
