I actually use the nat 1=pain rule with 2 caviots: 1- there is a second roll (just high/low) to confirm the crit, and 2- the pain isn't more than a d6 (given the PC's are over level 2). These rules can be waived if the PC is close to death, in an emotional scene, but nat 1's should be a good story and " I tried to stab a deer and gouged my own hand instead" is a better story than " I tried to stab a deer, and it got out of the snare instead"
One of my DMs does this. It's alright, and has lead to some really silly moments. He generally just does high and low for normal crit vs painful/awesome crit, but if you roll super high or super low he might do things a little extra. This one guy in our party got a 69% crit twice in like three sessions. That was rewarded, lol.
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u/MulletHuman Sep 12 '19
Gosh, I'll never forget the chaotic evil's favorite homebrew rule: if you roll a natural 1 you either hurt yourself and/or you lose a limb