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What Is the Nat 20 Rule in D&D?

A nat 20 guarantees a hit and critical hit on an attack roll—not an automatic success on every D&D check or saving throw.
WorldD&D? Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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In Dungeons & Dragons, a natural 20 guarantees a hit and a critical hit when you roll it on an attack roll. It does not automatically succeed on every ability check or saving throw: those usually depend on the roll total and the target number.

What does “natural 20” mean?

A natural 20, often shortened to “nat 20,” means the d20 itself shows a 20. It is different from getting a total of 20 after adding modifiers. Under the 2024 D&D Basic Rules, the special natural-20 outcome applies to attack rolls.

What happens when you roll a nat 20 on an attack?

The attack hits regardless of its modifiers or the target’s Armor Class (AC), and it is a critical hit. The rule applies even if the attack’s modified total would otherwise be too low to hit. A critical hit is an attack outcome; a natural 20 describes the die result. The 2024 rules glossary also describes circumstances in which a hit can be critical, so not every critical hit has to come from a natural 20.

Does a nat 20 always succeed on ability checks or saving throws?

No—not under the general rule. The 2024 Basic Rules group ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls as D20 Tests: roll a d20, add applicable modifiers, and compare the total with the target number. The automatic-hit rule is specifically for attack rolls, so do not assume a natural 20 automatically passes a check or save.

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The official 2014 Sage Advice Compendium states that ability checks do not score critical hits; attack rolls do. A check or save should be resolved using its own rules and target number, unless a specific rule says otherwise.

Does the rule differ between the 2014 and 2024 rules?

The 2024 Basic Rules explicitly say that a natural 20 on an attack roll hits regardless of modifiers or AC. The 2014 rules also distinguish attack rolls from ability checks and saving throws; the official Sage Advice Compendium clarifies that checks do not score critical hits. Consult the text for the ruleset your group is using, rather than applying the attack-roll rule to every d20 roll. The 2014 Basic Rules provide that edition’s rules reference.

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How should a group handle a disputed nat 20?

  1. Identify the roll: was it an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw?
  2. For an attack roll, apply the natural-20 hit and critical-hit rule in the group’s edition.
  3. For a check or save, use the applicable target number and any specific rule that changes the outcome; do not assume an automatic success from the die result alone.
  4. If the group uses a house rule that changes these outcomes, follow that explicitly agreed table rule.

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