A nat 20 is the best outcome that the character could manage in that situation, if they have no chance of succeeding then the DM should not be letting them roll. If the barbarian suggests mauling a delicate machine with their mace it’s down to anyone else in the party (or the DM if they’re so inclined) to remind them that actions have consequences.
I disagree that the DM shouldn’t let them try. For a lockpicking example, there are plenty of people who think they could pick a lock who have no shot of actually doing it. The DM shouldn’t be telling them no if their character might think they could do it. They should just roll and tell them they failed. Let them try. They don’t have to know they didn’t stand a chance —unless they get a nat 20, because obviously then they’ll know it was always going to fail.
Yeah, obviously mailing it shouldn’t do anything. They should roll to attack and then roll for damage, because that’s what they’re doing, not a skill check. And yeah, it’s going to destroy something. For something like a lockpick, they could roll and break the lock. Pathfinder handles this better with degrees of success.
A nat 20 is the best outcome that the character could manage in that situation, if they have no chance of succeeding then the DM should not be letting them roll. If the barbarian suggests mauling a delicate machine with their mace it’s down to anyone else in the party (or the DM if they’re so inclined) to remind them that actions have consequences.
I disagree that the DM shouldn’t let them try. For a lockpicking example, there are plenty of people who think they could pick a lock who have no shot of actually doing it. The DM shouldn’t be telling them no if their character might think they could do it. They should just roll and tell them they failed. Let them try. They don’t have to know they didn’t stand a chance —unless they get a nat 20, because obviously then they’ll know it was always going to fail.
Yeah, obviously mailing it shouldn’t do anything. They should roll to attack and then roll for damage, because that’s what they’re doing, not a skill check. And yeah, it’s going to destroy something. For something like a lockpick, they could roll and break the lock. Pathfinder handles this better with degrees of success.