There are a variety of feats and abilities that say something to the effect of "When you roll a success, you get a critical success instead."
How many of these types of abilities can we fit on one character, to build a kind of Mary Sue style concept?
Here's a few suggestions to get us started.
Class Features (Save Upgrades)
These are the “Evasion/Juggernaut-style” features common to martial and some other classes:
Fighter:
Bravery (level 3): Success on a Will save against a fear effect → critical success (also reduces frightened value by 1).
Battle Hardened (level 9; formerly Juggernaut in legacy): Success on a Fortitude save → critical success.
Tempered Reflexes (level 15): Success on a Reflex save → critical success.
Rogue:
Evasive Reflexes (level 7): Success on a Reflex save → critical success.
Rogue Resilience (level 9): Success on a Fortitude save → critical success.
Agile Mind (level 17): Success on a Will save → critical success.
Swashbuckler: Reflex save upgrade (Evasion-style) and Will save upgrade (success → critical success at higher levels).
Gunslinger: Fortitude save upgrade and Reflex save upgrade (success → critical success).
Guardian: Fortitude save upgrade, Will save upgrade, and a specific Reflex interaction (when using armor’s item bonus to AC on a Reflex save vs. damaging effects, success → critical success).
Exemplar: Will save upgrade (multiple levels) and Fortitude save upgrade (success → critical success).
Inventor:
Resolve (level 11): Success on a Will save → critical success.
Juggernaut (level 17): Success on a Fortitude save → critical success.
Many other classes (e.g., Monk, Ranger, Champion in some builds) gain similar high-level Evasion (Reflex) or equivalent Fortitude/Will upgrades.
Feats – Specific Save Upgrades
These often target diseases, poisons, emotions, fear, mental effects, necromancy, traps, environmental hazards, etc.:
Adaptive Vision: Success on a save against a visual effect → critical success.
Affliction Resistance (Kholo ancestry feat): Success on a save against disease or poison → critical success (with common rider about other upgrades).
Breath Control: Success on a save against inhaled threats/poisons → critical success.
Called (Changeling-related): Success on a save against a mental effect that would make you controlled → critical success.
Cantorian Reinforcement: Success on a save against disease or poison → critical success.
Cold Minded: Success on a save against an emotion effect → critical success.
Divine Health: Success on a save against disease (or disease/poison in some versions) → critical success.
Duck!: Success against effects caused by Huge or larger creatures → critical success (often paired with downgrading certain failures).
Emotionless (Android ancestry): Success on a save against emotion or fear effect → critical success.
Endure Death’s Touch: Success on a save against effects from an undead’s natural attack → critical success.
Glyph Expert (archetype, e.g., Trapsmith-related): Success on a save against trap effects → critical success.
Grove-Harbored (Ardande): Success on a save against poison (among plant/wood/poison bonuses) → critical success.
Irrepressible (often Halfling/Gutsy): Success on a save against an emotion effect → critical success.
Necromantic Tenacity: Success on a save against a necromancy effect → critical success (often with crit-fail rider).
Numb: Success on a save against emotion or pain effect → critical success.
Sewer Rat (heritage): Success on a save against disease or poison → critical success.
Survivor of Desolation (Knight Reclaimant archetype): Success on a save against unnatural weather/environmental hazards in blighted areas → critical success.
Well-Groomed (Catfolk ancestry feat): Success on a save against disease → critical success (with rider).
Unfettered Halfling: Success vs. effects imposing the controlled condition → critical success.
Feats – Specific Skill/Action/Check Upgrades
These upgrade successes on particular actions:
Steady Balance: Success on the Balance action → critical success.
Rock Runner (Dwarf-related): Success on Acrobatics checks on stone or earth surfaces → critical success (also not flat-footed).
Gecko’s Grip (Lizardfolk/Cliffscale ancestry feat): Success on an Athletics check to Climb → critical success (grants Combat Climber as bonus feat).
Flexible Form: Success on a check to Squeeze → critical success (also trained in Acrobatics).
Fluid Contortionist: Success on a check to Squeeze → critical success (often with crit-fail → failure rider).
Forced Entry (Pathfinder Agent archetype): Success on a check to Force Open → critical success.
Lightless Litheness: Success on an Escape check → critical success.
Risky Surgery: Success on a Medicine check to Treat Wounds (after optional self-damage for bonus) → critical success.
Practiced Guidance: Success when you Aid a member of your crop → critical success.
Student of the Canon: Success on a Recall Knowledge check about the tenets of your own faith → critical success (failure → success rider).
Woodcraft: Success on Sense Direction, Subsist, or Cover Tracks checks → critical success (often with crit-fail rider).
Viking Dedication (and similar Marine Marauder Dedication): Success on an Athletics check to Swim → critical success.
Swan Dive: Success on an Athletics check to Swim (until end of turn) → critical success.
Shore Step: Success on Acrobatics Balance (slippery/wet) or Athletics Swim → critical success.
Other Notable Mentions
Mutagens/Items (temporary): Juggernaut Mutagen (Fortitude save success → crit success; higher tiers add crit-fail rider) and Serene Mutagen (Will save vs. mental effects success → crit success).
Abilities that turn crit failure into failure, such as the Pocket Library spell are somewhat similar IMO.
I don't much care for planning for failure. That's what hero points are for.
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Mortal Healing - success on Treat Wounds → crit success
We've got a pretty good list going.
So how many can we fit on a single character?
LOL. Why is it always the rogue?
