Critical failure optional rules and a critical miss table - 5e

[JamesIntrocaso]

So I know critical misses aren't for everyone, but for those interested I wrote up some quick optional rules for 5th edition D&D and created a critical miss table. Take a look and let me know what you think.

http://worldbuilderblog.me/2015/08/20/critical-failures/

[ewoods]

I've always felt like if we're going to say that a natural 20 is a spectacular hit, a natural 1 should also be a spectacular miss. I like the effects from the table, but I tend to think combat already runs too slowly without having to add another table to check in the middle of a fight. I try to keep it more basic than that. You roll a d6. 1-2 means you hit yourself. 3-4 means you hit a nearby ally. 5-6 means your weapon goes flying off in a random direction.

[Roderick_BR]

My group uses critical failures for combat since AD&D, and we always make up rules. The table has fun stuff, but as ewoods said, it can slow down combat, specially when critical hits are so simple.
The rules my group use are usually like this:

* Ranged weapon/magic: Pick a different, random valid target (ally, foe, etc), and roll againt it. Natural 1 and 20 are just auto miss/hit.

* Melee weapon/magic with focus or component. You drop your item, and lose any additional attacks in that turn with that item. You can still use your off-hand attacks if any. Next turn you need to spend an action to retrieve the lost item, or just draw another weapon, if any, as normal.

* Unarmed/Natural weapon/magic without focus/component: You fall prone that round. Next round use normal rules to stand up/crawl away, etc.

* Special: If you are in a position that can make you fall if you lose your balance (on top of narrow stepping like a wall, climbing on a tree, or riding a horse) make an appropriate check to not fall and become prone, unless it was an unarmed/natural attack/magic as above.