Automatic success on Grapple check?

[Galfridus]

If the defender rolls a natural 20 in a grapple check, do they automatically succeed?

 

[Dr. Zoom]

No. A grapple check is an opposed roll. You must beat your opponents grapple check to have success. If you roll a natural 20 and do not beat your opponents roll, you fail.

 

[Arravis]

What confuses me is this...
Do you roll "to hit" THEN you roll an opposed grapple check? Or do you just roll opposed grapple checks?

 

[The_lone_gunman]

You roll to hit first. It is simply a touch attack that is followed by an opposed grapple roll. If you hit with the touch attack, you are then grappling, however, to do anything, you have to make opposed grapple checks. Remember also that if the provoked attack of opportunity lands you do not start the grapple (from the initial touch attack).

Thus, a natural 20 will always hit, causing you to start grappling (unless your hit by the AOO). But Dr. Zoom is right, a natural 20 on your opposed grapple check is not an automatic success.

TLG

 

[Arravis]

That was Dr. Zoom. Anyway, thanks for clearing that up , one of my players thought otherwise.