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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lichmaster" data-source="post: 9141225" data-attributes="member: 6683330">Hmm, I have several things to say.The table you're using is wrong IMO for a specific reason: "If a triple-six is rolled while making an attribute check,and the check is one which succeeds, a critical success takes place. This means that an additional or extra-ordinary benefit occurs—the task is accomplished to a much higher degree"The table should report values of 0% for DCs higher than the max of an nd6 roll, since you cannot obtain a higher value than that. Besides, the rules don't say anything about automatic success, they just say that you obtain an extra effect if you pass the test, so the probabilities shown are all incorrect.Also I do not consider 3 sixes an automatic success because after a certain amount of dice you auto-succeed whatever the difficulty is. Makes sense if this is how you're conceptualizing omnipotent beings, but not for fallible (albeit mythic) creatures. I'm also against all forms of auto success, because some players can use them to justify campaign altering events ("I rolled 3 sixes, thus I convince the king to abdicate in my favor").That said, the chances to score DC 17-18 with 5d6 is approx 50%.For the lock example, let's use a DC of 18 for easy numbers. A character that rolls 3d6 has only 0.5% of success (1/216), making that task nigh impossible for him. A character rolling 5d6 has 50% chance.To me, this says that the task itself is quite difficult, since it's a coin toss even for a quite competent but otherwise normal person, but nigh impossible for untrained people.In your example of being stuck out of the house and calling a locksmith, you could consider that the DC is actually much lower (maybe 10) but you normally don't have the tools and you're probably not very skilled. So assuming normal attributes for 2d6, no skill, and a -2d6 penalty for improvised tools, means you have no chance. The locksmith instead may simply have 3d6 and the right tool, and would succeed in one shot with 50% chance. He could also retry since he'd normally not be in any danger, meaning that barring accidents which jam the lock or break the tools, the lock will be open after a few attempts.Also, my experience is that locksmiths normally drill away your door lock and replace it, they don't pick it like a spy/thief would. So the action they'd be doing is completely different and not really bound to fail. You can always decide that an action is mundane for the people with the right skills and tools, so that no roll is needed in any case.</blockquote>

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