I like critical fails, both for my NPCs and for the PCs. I like critical successes as well but that's another post. Note that my games are role play intensive so I have a lot more leeway in the results of a critical fail. If your games are more action focused then by all means keep doing what you're doing.
Critical fails are really just another 5% chance on the dice. In theory there's nothing special about them. In practice it's a chance to have some fun.
Yes. I said critical fails can be fun. Let me explain.
I don't use critical fail charts or any of that nonsense. I don't have a PC shoot one of their party members on a critical fail. I don't have the weapon break. Instead I embarrass them.
Yes. I also consider rolling a 1 on anything to be a critical fail, even when there is no such thing. You cannot critically fail a save or a skill check. Those are all additive results. But again, I like to have fun with them. Because there's always a chance that not only will the PC fail but they will fail in a spectacular fashion.
Mind you this is my opinion and my play style. If you like the charts and PCs getting an unexpected arrow in the kidney then have at. Some of those charts are really creative. It's my personal choice not to use them.
I also don't like the idea that one bad roll is going to take a PC out of the encounter. A broken bow string may not sound bad but that's at least one if not more round out of combat and if there's no cover then they're gonna get hammered. A broken sword has much longer lasting consequences. Yes I know both happen in real life. But this isn't real life unless my real life is very very dull.
Where I find this especially fun is where a character literally cannot fail a check. Sometimes the modifiers are so high that even when rolling a 1 they're going to succeed. That doesn't mean they do it well, which is where the embarrassment comes into play.
The oh-so-confident rogue can easily climb the knotted rope without a skill check but I have them roll anyway and tell them "just don't roll a 1". Which of course encourages their dice to try to do it. If so they still climb the rope but they aren't nearly as cool looking as they want to be, people notice, and/or they end up with visible rope burns from a mishap while climbing. Nothing changes the result - they climbed the rope - but the circumstances around it change the action.
Another example is when someone using a bow rolls a 1. There's plenty of options here. They drop the arrow before they can let go of the string. They snap the inside of their wrist with the string when they release (which hurts like a mofo and is why archers have those protective arm guards). The string snaps back and leaves a visible red line down their face for a day or so. None of them mean that the PC is out of the action or has done anything really bad. But they sure didn't succeed at shooting the baddies.
Let's face it. We as regular old people make mistakes. We trip over nothing then look around to see who noticed. We try to use the car remote to unlock the front door. We drip red sauce on white shirts. We critical fail in real life quite a bit more than we want to admit. And for the most part it's harmless but embarrassing. Bring that into your game - if appropriate - and you'll let the players relate to the PCs more. They can imagine a minor mishap very easily. Let them.
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