Critical failure and success can be done properly for skill checks, but it's much-much harder than just having nat 1 and 20 rolls. Second edition Pathfinder returned critical rolls on skill checks and saves since aging AD&D times. But it also have system of "locked" checks behind proficiency tier.
As example: wizard asked GM for an arcana check. GM approved, wizard rolled and failed. GM replied that wizard could not recollect any knowledge. Naturally wizard was at very least proficient in arcana.
Then party barbarian jumped in and asked if he can do arcana check as well. Obviously barbarian not proficient in arcana at all, and not even sports good intelligence score for that. GM nevertheless allowed barbarian to roll for check. If barbarian simply roll below required score - GM will reply the same, that he couldn't recollect any knowledge. However if he would roll natural 1 or below 10 of requested DC - GM instead will proved him with entirely false knowledge. And finally, even if barbarian would roll natural 20 - he would not succeed on check, since it would be locked at having at very least been proficient in arcana (with tier in PF2e progressed as: non-proficient, proficient, expert, master, legendary).
There could be skill checks that would not be locked at all, for example trying to recollect fairly common knowledge. But naturally lockpicking would always at very least would require you to be be proficient. You can't pick lock just with sheer luck, if you don't actually know how to do it.
Nevertheless, that's about 5th edition D&D, not 2nd edition Pathfinder. And in D&D 5e critical rolls applied only to attack rolls.
Last edited by Redwyrm; 26/10/21 06:51 AM.
