Paralyzed: saves and close-range critical hits

SRD 5.2.1 · Conditions

At the table

1. Apply Incapacitated and set Speed to zero.
2. Automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws; other saving throws are not automatically failed by this condition.
3. Give attacks against the target Advantage. A hit is a Critical Hit when its attacker is within five feet.

Example decision

An attacker 20 feet away hits a Paralyzed target with an attack roll. Is it automatically a Critical Hit because the target is Paralyzed?

No; the automatic-critical rule requires the attacker to be within five feet.

The condition grants Advantage to the incoming attack roll, but automatic critical hits have an additional distance condition. At 20 feet, that automatic-critical benefit does not apply. An ordinary critical hit can still occur according to the attack rules. Conversely, check the actual attacker distance instead of assuming that a weapon’s label decides this rule.

Watch for this mistake

The condition does not automatically fail every saving throw. Strength and Dexterity are the named saves. It also does not make an attack hit automatically; the automatic critical rule begins with an attack roll that hits.

Ask the table

Did the attack hit, and was its attacker within five feet when it hit?

Source rule

While you have the Paralyzed condition, you experience the following effects. Incapacitated. You have the Incapacitated condition. Speed 0. Your Speed is 0 and can’t increase. Saving Throws Affected. You automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws. Attacks Affected. Attack rolls against you have Advantage. Automatic Critical Hits. Any attack roll that hits you is a Critical Hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of you.

Source: SRD 5.2.1, 186. Online guide.