Not just villains either. I've noticed that the more I lean into faults for my PCs the more well received they are. Like one of my favorite characters I play right now is a show-off so he'll independently roll for something as the party is doing it. It's pathfinder so if you aren't proficient in something you're going to have a much lower chance of not critically failing, let alone succeeding. So as a result it's basically become a looney tunes act. "Move out the way, I'll break down the door!" *Faceplants into it* "You guys stay here and I'll sneak around to pincer them!" says the guy who is always dripping water (elemental infusion: water) *Splat* *Splat* *Splat* "WAAAH- HOW DID THEY KNOW I WAS HERE!?" My most popular character ever was also the most handicapped by his backstory of being created in a lab. He had the kenku quirk where he'd only talk with words he had heard and only in the tone and volume he heard them. He was also woefully unaware of what "normal" was and deathly curious of everything life had to offer. So that spooky NPC sitting alone in the unlit corner of the room? Time to strike up a convo. That mystery bottle that's probably expired? I wonder what it tastes like! It seems like something powerful is sealed inside this magic prison... DISPEL MAGIC!
Not just villains either. I've noticed that the more I lean into faults for my PCs the more well received they are.
Like one of my favorite characters I play right now is a show-off so he'll independently roll for something as the party is doing it. It's pathfinder so if you aren't proficient in something you're going to have a much lower chance of not critically failing, let alone succeeding. So as a result it's basically become a looney tunes act. "Move out the way, I'll break down the door!"
*Faceplants into it*
"You guys stay here and I'll sneak around to pincer them!" says the guy who is always dripping water (elemental infusion: water)
*Splat* *Splat* *Splat*
"WAAAH- HOW DID THEY KNOW I WAS HERE!?"
My most popular character ever was also the most handicapped by his backstory of being created in a lab. He had the kenku quirk where he'd only talk with words he had heard and only in the tone and volume he heard them. He was also woefully unaware of what "normal" was and deathly curious of everything life had to offer. So that spooky NPC sitting alone in the unlit corner of the room? Time to strike up a convo. That mystery bottle that's probably expired? I wonder what it tastes like! It seems like something powerful is sealed inside this magic prison... DISPEL MAGIC!
I definitely agree the principle works across the rp spectrum. I do need to get better about villains with faults myself though.