Impossible skill check?

[Skinwalker]

Skill roll called for, with a DC of 25. Character has a +4 and rolls a natural 20, for a total result of 24. Does the skill check succeed by virtue of the natural 20, or fail because it missed the required DC?

 

[LokiDR]

Fail

The rule of natural 20s always succeed only applies to attacks, and saves with the errata.

 

[melkoriii]

Fail

The rule of natural 20s always succeed only applies to attacks, and saves with the errata.

What errata is that?

The ones on the WotC website say nothing about saves being quto pass/fail on 1 and 20.

By the books saves are not auto pass on 20 and fail on 1.

we will see what 3.5 says.

 

[Artoomis]

What errata is that?

The ones on the WotC website say nothing about saves being quto pass/fail on 1 and 20.

By the books saves are not auto pass on 20 and fail on 1.

we will see what 3.5 says.

Correct. It's the FAQ that states that saves fail on "1" and succeed on "20."

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

You could always use the critical success/failure variants for skill checks:

Natural 20 = 30
Natural 1 = -10

This still allows for "impossible" skill checks, but allows for the occasional heroic success. We've been using it in our campaign to great success.

 

[LokiDR]

Correct. It's the FAQ that states that saves fail on "1" and succeed on "20."

Oops. Perhaps in the furture I should reference "additional materials published and distributed by WotC".

 

[melkoriii]

Correct. It's the FAQ that states that saves fail on "1" and succeed on "20."

Yet its not in the errata.

For me the FAQ is not offical enough.

If there is a errata then I will say its core.

to me the FAQ is like calling Customer Support. Not reliable and not offical.

 

[Ravellion]

Yet its not in the errata.

For me the FAQ is not offical enough.

If there is a errata then I will say its core.

to me the FAQ is like calling Customer Support. Not reliable and not offical.

That is very nice, but there wasn't any intention after about a year or so to have any errata. So if you don't use the FAQ, you are using suboptimal, and according to Wotc even unofficial rules.

If WotC says it's official, it is. Not that official means anything though.