Critical Skills Critical successes and failures apply to skill checks as well: sometimes amateurs get a lucky break, and sometimes highly skilled experts fold under pressure. A natural 1 almost always fails and a natural 20 almost always succeeds, but you may be asked to “roll to confirm” (e.g. roll a d20 again) to find out what—if any—additional effect or condition may apply to the critical success or failure. For example, since it is possible to get a really lucky hit against an opponent of similar capability, rolling a critical hit against an opponent then confirming it with a natural 20 forces an opponent of equal HD or less to make an immediate Death Save; on failure, they drop to 0 hp and begin dying. Sometimes a character is not under pressure to complete a task with which they are familiar; see Taking Ten. Special circumstances and preparation may also allow a character to give a task their best effort; see Taking Twenty. Certain things can’t be done untrained, so even a natural 20 won’t succeed if it is literally impossible. A character who lacks proficiency with a specific musical instrument isn’t going to be able to pick it up and