this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023
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Isn't the only difference between a normal fail and a crit fail just down to how creative the DM is feeling?
in 2e, its a pretty big difference. A failed stealth check bumps down your stealth status to "Hidden" (What was that noise? Who's footprints are these? etc.), while a crit fail makes you full on "observed" (Tony Tony Chopper style.)
The Assurance: Stealth feat is the lynchpin in many a clunky fighter's exploration kit, since it will pretty much never critically fail, giving them time to hide somewhere or get help from a sneakier friend.
Isn't that usually a Session 0 agreement? If the campaign uses crit fails, then yes.
Also: best mechanic I've heard of for crit fails is the player describing the failure. They're going to come up with something better 90% of the time.
Sort of since what the DM says ultimately goes, but no - a crit fail means your effort just fails no matter what. Now, it may also mean that your acrobatics check ends in you slipping on a banana peel and breaking your back, but it doesn't have to be dramatic.
So, crit fail means that no matter how skilled you are, you have a 5% chance of failing anything you attempt (without advantage, lucky, etc. anyway)
Does the DM 'have' to make it worse than a normal fail? I know some swear by it, but I've never actually looked if it's any written rule or suggestion.
No not at all - it's just fun to. A nat one on attacks always misses though. Some DMs say if you nat one your attack you might hit a teammate or do something else disadvantageous, but it's all contextual.