The Rule of one and the Rule of twenty


Rules Questions


I have it to believe that in some cases a natural 1 is not an auto fail and a nat 20 is not an auto success. Can any out there list the rolls/checks where this is the case? Otherwise as far as I know it only applies to attacks and saves but not skill checks?


It applies only to attacks and saves.


Awesome, thanks!


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

Keep in mind that combat maneuver rolls are attack rolls, and thus auto-success and auto-failures can occur with these rolls.


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Sure, that makes perfect sense, although with that and certain other things we Roll again and add to the 20 rolled. Perfect example being my fighter attempted to disarm Orik Vancaskerkin in RotRL, and Oriks CMD is 18, my fighters CMB was +8 so when I rolled a natural twenty I rolled again and got 7 for a total of 35, enough to disarm his sword and board with one fell stroke! See you have to beat the opponents CMD by 10 to knock out items held in both hands.

Designer, RPG Superstar Judge

It doesn't apply to skill checks.

If you try to jump over the moon, you don't succeed 1 in 20 times just because you rolled a 20.

If you try to remember your name, you don't fail 1 in 20 times just because you rolled a 1.


Uh, when you roll a natural 20, you don't roll again and add the second roll to the first...


Ok so only skill checks are exempt from the 1 and 20 rule? Thank you for the info.

Dark Archive

Yeah, that's specifically a house rule.


Ok, well if it were a creature with a 25 Cmd and I rolled a nat 20 would I still then disarm weapon and shield both? I mean if we're talking critical success with the nat 20 right?

Dark Archive

-e-

Derp, ignore me. mplindustries is right.


Conundrum wrote:
Ok, well if it were a creature with a 25 Cmd and I rolled a nat 20 would I still then disarm weapon and shield both? I mean if we're talking critical success with the nat 20 right?

No, you automatically succeed, but you would still need your total (20+CMB) to beat their CMD+10 to knock a second item out.


Oh, well in this case I like our way better, disarming both sword and shield is more dramatically impressive and there should always be a chance to do so.

Dark Archive

That's fine, your group is fully intended to, and even encouraged to be able to change up some rules to better suit your group. It's still a houserule, though.

Grand Lodge

No. Only Saves and Attack Rolls use the Auto Success/Failure rules for rolling a D20 roll.

That's it.

Trust me, at some tables, I have to repeat this often.

Things like "yeah, I rolled a twenty on my Acrobatics!", and I respond "okay, but what's your total".

Like SKR said(and surprisingly a thing I have said often) there are no jumps to the moon.


blackbloodtroll wrote:

No. Only Saves and Attack Rolls use the Auto Success/Failure rules for rolling a D20 roll.

That's it.

Trust me, at some tables, I have to repeat this often.

Things like "yeah, I rolled a twenty on my Acrobatics!", and I respond "okay, but what's your total".

Like SKR said(and surprisingly a thing I have said often) there are no jumps to the moon.

Well it would be one hell of a Acrobatics (Jump) check DC=238,900 x 4 or just under DC 1,000,000 :p Yeah go for it.

Oops Need to multiply by 5280 as well


Kayerloth wrote:
blackbloodtroll wrote:

No. Only Saves and Attack Rolls use the Auto Success/Failure rules for rolling a D20 roll.

That's it.

Trust me, at some tables, I have to repeat this often.

Things like "yeah, I rolled a twenty on my Acrobatics!", and I respond "okay, but what's your total".

Like SKR said(and surprisingly a thing I have said often) there are no jumps to the moon.

Well it would be one hell of a Acrobatics (Jump) check DC=238,900 x 4 or just under DC 1,000,000 :p Yeah go for it.

Oops Need to multiply by 5280 as well

Not to mention you also can't jump further than you can normally move :P

30ft movement = max jump 30ft.
But yeah, only saves and attack rolls.

Grand Lodge

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For the record you can't apply our distance from the moon to Golarion's distance from the moon. It's possible it's much closer, or that you jump and hit an extraplanar eddies carrying you over the moon.


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Kiinyan wrote:
For the record you can't apply our distance from the moon to Golarion's distance from the moon. It's possible it's much closer, or that you jump and hit an extraplanar eddies carrying you over the moon.

Or you could be a cow. Cows get a +6,000,000,000 modifier for moon-jumping if assisted by a fiddling cat.


Awright! Catfolk bard, here I come...

EDIT: Note to self, make that a FEMALE catfolk bard...


Disclaimer: Houserules may apply. Except in PFS.


Kiinyan wrote:
For the record you can't apply our distance from the moon to Golarion's distance from the moon. It's possible it's much closer, or that you jump and hit an extraplanar eddies carrying you over the moon.

I think they actually touch on the idea of "mundane" travel to and from Golarion's moon in the module The Moonscar. Apparently it takes a very long time.

I so want to run a short campaign for a female minotaur and a catfolk bard now.

There would have to be a laughing dog NPC as well, and somehow ... a dish and a spoon?

All that said, no auto-success on 20s for skill checks. And the thing about rolling three 20s in a row for an instant kill? Also a house-rule. I know it wasn't mentioned, but that's what I thought this thread might be about.


The CON check to stabilize is specifically noted as being an automatic success on a roll of 20. I don't have a page number handy, but it's under "Stable Characters and Recovery" in the Combat section of the PRD.


Was that a bonus the cow had, or was it an ability of the cat? Also, if one cleared the ozone, what would lack of gravity do to your check?


Sean K Reynolds wrote:
If you try to remember your name, you don't fail 1 in 20 times just because you rolled a 1.

To be honest, I don't think SKR has met some of the players here.

Assistant Software Developer

I merged the threads on this topic.


Sean K Reynolds wrote:

It doesn't apply to skill checks.

If you try to jump over the moon, you don't succeed 1 in 20 times just because you rolled a 20.

If you try to remember your name, you don't fail 1 in 20 times just because you rolled a 1.

I thought it also does not apply to ability score checks.

What about caster level checks, and their derivatives (concentration, dispel, spell resistance)?

What about skill checks used "in place of" a combat maneuver, like using Escape Artist to escape a grapple?


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As has been stated before, it /only/ applies to attacks and saves.

Grand Lodge

As many have stated, Attack rolls and Saving Throws only.

The only thing that resembles an exception, is Use Magic Device, which only happens when you roll a natural 1, and you fail the check.

Don't feel bad though.

I don't know how many times I have heard "I rolled a twenty!" or "I rolled a one!" when neither a Attack roll or Saving Throw was rolled, and I have to ask "but what is the total?"


Ciaran Barnes wrote:
Was that a bonus the cow had, or was it an ability of the cat? Also, if one cleared the ozone, what would lack of gravity do to your check?

The cat has an ability called Bovine Launch. Gives all friendly bovines a +6,000,000,000 to jump checks.

Not to be confused with Yertle's climb ability. +6,000,000,000 on climb checks if the climbing surface is turtles.


blackbloodtroll wrote:

As many have stated, Attack rolls and Saving Throws only.

The only thing that resembles an exception, is Use Magic Device, which only happens when you roll a natural 1, and you fail the check.

Don't feel bad though.

I don't know how many times I have heard "I rolled a twenty!" or "I rolled a one!" when neither a Attack roll or Saving Throw was rolled, and I have to ask "but what is the total?"

I deal with the same. There seems to be a reactional "oh man" when people roll a 1 on a skill check. I had a fairly low level rogue roll a 3 and get a 30 on stealth. Most characters in my party couldn't beat that with a 20 at the time.


If you roll three ones in a row, you die. Personal experience.


I've played with the 3 20s = instakill as well. Fun times.

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