D&D 5E (2024) Auto-succeed/fail on ability checks

[Reynard]

A chance of success = a chance of failure, and vice versa. You can't have one without the other or it's automatically success or failure and no roll is called for.

I think there's a difference, but it's hard to articulate precisely why.

 

[Maxperson]

I think there's a difference, but it's hard to articulate precisely why.

The only difference I can see deals with which one has the greatest chance of happening. If I phrase it as, "There is a chance of failure," that implies that the PC is very likely to succeed. If I phrase it as, "There is a chance of success," that implies that the PC will most likely fail. There's still a chance for both success and failure with each phrasing, but there is that difference.

 

[Cadence]

So, a lot of folks will want to set the DC to 31? (Rolls only needed in the playtest for DCs from 5 to 30, right?)

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Don’t wanna open the document again, isn’t there a clause that you can only get a crit roll if the dc is between 5 and 30?

 

[Maxperson]

Don’t wanna open the document again, isn’t there a clause that you can only get a crit roll if the dc is between 5 and 30?

There's a rule to never set a DC higher than 30 or lower than 5. It straight up tells the DM not to.

"The DM determines whether a d20 Test is warranted in any given circumstance. To be warranted, a d20 Test must have a target number no less than 5 and no greater than 30"

 

[Reynard]

The only difference I can see deals with which one has the greatest chance of happening. If I phrase it as, "There is a chance of failure," that implies that the PC is very likely to succeed. If I phrase it as, "There is a chance of success," that implies that the PC will most likely fail. There's still a chance for both success and failure with each phrasing, but there is that difference.

I don't mean so much as a statement but as a philosophy. In other words, I tend toward "saying yes" and if I ask for a roll ot means that yes isn't certain. It's more optimistic, I guess? Like I said, it's hard to explain

 

[Cadence]

"The DM determines whether a d20 Test is warranted in any given circumstance. To be warranted, a d20 Test must have a target number no less than 5 and no greater than 30"

So, the quest is to get an AC of 31...

 

[edosan]

Aside from the whole “this is a commonly misunderstood rule so instead of explaining it better, we’re just going to change the rule” mindset which irks me quite a bit, I am not a fan. I’ve never liked the “I have at least a five percent chance to do literally anything” style of play because it’s too metagamey and reduces the DMs ability to use their common sense.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

There's a rule to never set a DC higher than 30 or lower than 5. It straight up tells the DM not to.

"The DM determines whether a d20 Test is warranted in any given circumstance. To be warranted, a d20 Test must have a target number no less than 5 and no greater than 30"

I’d quibble that this isn’t technically “do not use DCs outside this range”, but it’s close enough.

More importantly, seems pretty clear to me that the guy with no experience in diplomacy simply can’t convince the head of state to act against his own best interests. There is no roll.

 

[edosan]

You're right, it seems to imply that you can set a DC to fifty so that tests aren’t “warranted,” to use their language.

Hopefully a later document more about running the game will codify it better for newbies.