[3.5] Preventing Automatic Failure on Natural 1

[HaikenEdge]

How many ways are there to prevent automatic failures on natural 1s, besides house-ruling that they're not? I know of the Steadfast Determination and Dumb Luck feats, but I'm curious if there are other feats, or even class features or items that will prevent a natural 1 from being an automatic failure.

[Gavinfoxx]

Uhm, don't house rule that they do anything?

Seriously, all rules that a 1 is a critical failure or a fumble in 3.5e in the first place is a houserule.

They are just failures, in some cases, by the rules. Okay, there are a few corner cases with use magic device and such, but by and large, critical failures don't exist.

[HaikenEdge]

Maybe critical failure is the wrong word; I meant "automatic failure".

I'll correct that in the OP.

[Kraken]

It's considered obscure, but by RAW your equipment can be damaged if you roll a 1 on a save (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#itemsSurvivingafteraSavingTh row). So critical failure could have been considered at least partly accurate.

[dragonsamurai77]

Not even remotely useful, but for completeness' sake, having a Divine Rank of at least 1 prevents you from auto-failing on a natural 1.

[Zanos]

Pride Domain power lets you reroll 1s on saving throws. Doesn't stop the 1 from being a failure, but it could be useful for whatever you're trying to do.

You have to keep the reroll if it is also a 1, though.

[bekeleven]

Pride Domain Luck Domain. Alter Fortune, Surge of Fortune. Transfer saves to skills (ToB Levels, Feats or Items, Steadfast Determination, Headband of Conscious Effort). Lucky WSA. Luck feats.

Someone should probably make this a guide sometime. I may once the table change goes through, if none exists by then.

[Chronos]

High-level knights get an ability that removes the auto-fail from all saves. Probably not worth 17 or 19 levels of Knight to get it, though.

Crusaders can take the Aura of Perfect Order stance, which lets you "take 11" on any d20 roll you want, once per turn. If you never roll, you never roll a 1.

Similarly, the Diamond Mind counters and a few other methods can replace saves with skill checks, and skill checks don't auto-fail on a 1, so neither do those counters.

[NoACWarrior]

If I remember correctly Fatespinner PrC has the adjustment feature which alters the dice result. But it results in an arcane caster dropping a casting level just to get that "safety" net.

[Khedrac]

One thing that many people get wrong, and the OP has not made clear...

You are aware that the "auto-fail" rule is for attacks and saving throws only? Skill checks and ability checks do not auto-fail on a one (OK UMD does for activate blindly) and it is a common house rule (through not knowing better) that they do.

[Chronos]

Actually, UMD doesn't auto-fail on a 1, either. If you fail and it's a 1, then you can't try to use that item again for a day, but that's a result of failing, not a cause of it.

[Segev]

As stated, Tome of Battle has three Diamond Mind maneuvers that change your save to a Concentration skill check. Skill checks never auto-fail. More fun, a character with psionics can expend his psionic focus to take 15 on a Concentration check.

[Particle_Man]

I think there is a luck feat that changes a "1" on a save to a "20", once per day.

And PHB II has a feat that changes one of the saves (fort?) so that a "1" is not an autofail (usually only relevant for high fort save characters).

[Chronos]

The OP already mentioned those: Dumb Luck and Steadfast Determination, respectively.