Free tables Natural 20 — skill checks

Natural 20 Table — Intimidation Skill Checks, d20

A free d20 table for a natural 20 on a Intimidation check in 5e. Twenty outcomes, from solid to legendary.

A natural 20 on a skill check is not a critical success in fifth edition — criticals apply to attack rolls only, and a 20 on a check is simply a 20. Which is why a legendary roll so often feels like nothing happened. This table gives it somewhere to land.

Twenty results written for Intimidation specifically. A legendary Intimidation roll has nothing in common with a legendary roll at anything else, which is why there are eighteen of these and not one.

Roll d20 when a player rolls a natural 20 on a skill check and succeeding quietly would be a waste.

Severity tiers

Each result names its tier, so you can see at a glance how bad a roll was without decoding a colour.

Solid 1–10 — Cleanly done, with something small to show for it.
Impressive 11–17 — Better than anyone expected. Momentum, or an obstacle gone.
Legendary 18–20 — Scene-shaping. The kind of success people repeat afterwards.

The table

20 results. Roll d20.

d20	Result	Tier	What happens
1	They Back Down	Solid	Immediate compliance, no violence needed. No extra effect.
2	And They Talk	Solid	They tell you one thing you didn't ask for, hoping it's enough.
3	Nobody Moves	Solid	Their companions don't intervene either.
4	Quietly	Solid	You get compliance without raising your voice or drawing attention.
5	They Stay Backed Down	Solid	They won't reconsider later. This is settled.
6	Handed It Over	Solid	They give up something they were holding — a weapon, a key, a package.
7	Reputation Precedes	Solid	You have advantage on your next Intimidation check this scene.
8	An Example Made	Solid	One other creature present becomes markedly more cooperative.
9	Read the Fear	Solid	You learn what they are actually afraid of, which is not you.
10	Clean Exit	Solid	They let the party leave, and they don't follow.
11	The Whole Group	Impressive	Every hostile creature that can hear you reconsiders. The DM should let some of them withdraw.
12	Frightened	Impressive	The target is frightened of you until the end of its next turn, with no saving throw.
13	Named Their Boss	Impressive	They give up who they answer to, and where to find them.
14	Switched Sides	Impressive	They would rather work for you than face you again. For now, they will.
15	No Fight at All	Impressive	The encounter ends before initiative is rolled. They stand down entirely.
16	Word Spreads	Impressive	Others in this organisation hear about it. Future Intimidation checks against them have advantage.
17	They Owe You	Impressive	You extract a promise they will actually keep, out of fear rather than goodwill.
18	Broke Them	Legendary	The target will not oppose you again, ever. They leave, they comply, or they change profession.
19	The Room Empties	Legendary	Every hostile creature present that isn't compelled to stay simply leaves. The DM should honour it.
20	The One They'll Talk About	Legendary	You face down something that should have been far beyond frightening. It yields. The story of it precedes you into every room from now on, for better and for worse.

Questions

Is a natural 20 a critical success on a skill check?

Not by the rules. Criticals apply to attack rolls. A 20 on a check is a 20 — which is why a spectacular roll so often produces a shrug. This table is the house rule that fixes that.

Does a natural 20 automatically succeed?

No. On an ability check there is no automatic success — if the DC is 25 and your total is 22, you failed with a 20.