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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 7248045" data-attributes="member: 4937">Agreed, but my point is that D20 has tended to err on the side of &quot;If there is a very small chance of failure, there should be a chance of failure.&quot; rather than &quot;If there is a very small chance of failure, then there should be no chance of failure.&quot;&nbsp; Back when D&amp;D was less hidebound to a single resolution mechanic, you had D% chances and so forth to model very low chances of failure (or success) when needed, but if all you have is a hammer then everything starts looking like a nail.Some published rules systems do give a 5% chance of failure to everything.&quot;Automatic success&quot; or hand waving a roll misses the point though.&nbsp; The game may realize its limitations enough to define certain trivial things as an automatic success, but typically a game will not make that automatic depend on the skill of the character so that - in so far as the actual rules are concerned - walking across the floor is just as likely to succeed whether you are an arthritic octogenarian or an Olympic gymnast.&nbsp; The level of 'automatic success' available to you doesn't increase as you level up in skill.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 7248045, member: 4937"] Agreed, but my point is that D20 has tended to err on the side of "If there is a very small chance of failure, there should be a chance of failure." rather than "If there is a very small chance of failure, then there should be no chance of failure." Back when D&D was less hidebound to a single resolution mechanic, you had D% chances and so forth to model very low chances of failure (or success) when needed, but if all you have is a hammer then everything starts looking like a nail. Some published rules systems do give a 5% chance of failure to everything. "Automatic success" or hand waving a roll misses the point though. The game may realize its limitations enough to define certain trivial things as an automatic success, but typically a game will not make that automatic depend on the skill of the character so that - in so far as the actual rules are concerned - walking across the floor is just as likely to succeed whether you are an arthritic octogenarian or an Olympic gymnast. The level of 'automatic success' available to you doesn't increase as you level up in skill. [/QUOTE]

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