Using ideals, bonds, flaws and traits for advantage

So per the phb, you are in theory supposed to be granted inspiration for playing your ideals, bonds flaws and traits.

In practice I think very few people do this.

So I was thinking about an alternative:
Once per session, you can gain advantage on a roll that uses an IBFT. It must be used for that roll and an explanation given as to why.

This is slightly more restrictive than the initial rule but immediately applicable. More importantly it puts the onus on the player to monitor it. Also it encourages players to roleplay their characters inner workings some as it gives a mechanical benefit.

For an optional fun rule you can ask the player to roll a d20 when using their flaw. 1-10 the roll is at disadvantage instead. Makes the use of a flaw risky as it could go either way.

What do you think? Would a rule like this see play at your table?

I find that Inspiration is one of those theory/practice things. In theory, I like the rule from the PHB, but in practice I find that I never remember to give out Inspiration.

In theory, I even prefer the Angry GM's suggested alternative. But in practice I found it didn't work too well - players just never bothered to collect their Inspiration.

So now I just give each player an Inspiration token at the start of each level, which they can use on any one d20 roll. If they don't use it before leveling up, they lose it.

As for your suggested rule, [MENTION=6848185]CubicsRube[/MENTION], it looks fine. I would give it a go, see how it actually works out, and then tweak it to your liking. Fortunately, Inspiration is one of the most modular parts of 5e, so is one of the easiest to change. Good luck!

CubicsRube said:

So per the phb, you are in theory supposed to be granted inspiration for playing your ideals, bonds flaws and traits.

In practice I think very few people do this.

So I was thinking about an alternative:
Once per session, you can gain advantage on a roll that uses an IBFT. It must be used for that roll and an explanation given as to why.

This is slightly more restrictive than the initial rule but immediately applicable. More importantly it puts the onus on the player to monitor it. Also it encourages players to roleplay their characters inner workings some as it gives a mechanical benefit.

For an optional fun rule you can ask the player to roll a d20 when using their flaw. 1-10 the roll is at disadvantage instead. Makes the use of a flaw risky as it could go either way.

What do you think? Would a rule like this see play at your table?

Click to expand...

I like pushing the responsibility of monitoring onto the players - they are the most familiar with their PC (plus only need to keep track of one).

I also like that the IBFT is associated witht he action being done - with the traditional rules it's only associated with gaining it, but the action it's spent on need not have anything to do with it.

I believe it's suggested Inspiration is about once per session per player. Were you thinking of limitations in usage, or any time they can link it? I can picture a paladin saving a princess pulling it out for every roll during the adventure.

Flaws ... I would not penalize characters for using their flaws. Quite the opposite, flaws make someone more interesting and a flawed PC leads to interesting drama. On the other hand, there are a lot of times when a flaw may not be associated with a roll. Having a short (*snirk*) temper when your height is questioned is usually the breakdown of social rolls, not the prelude to a roll. Which could lead to players crafting flaws that get associated with rolls if they are the type to try to maximize it. (Something you'd know best for your table.) "I act without regards to risk to myself when my friends are threatened" can fit into a lot of actions that cause rolls.

In my games, players can get Inspiration up to 4 times per session, once each per category of the personal characteristics. I discuss it here in the Case for Inspiration.

The result of this method is that the group of five players are earning Inspiration about once every 10 minutes which means up to 20 times per session the characters are being portrayed in a fun way according to their personal characteristics and appropriate to the scene.

[MENTION=6848185]CubicsRube[/MENTION] I think that is a nice change. It’s not very different from the actual rule, and te changes put it purely in the hands of the player as a resource to be used. It removes the DM having to grant Inspiration to a player, which seems to be something that is often overlooked. Seems like a solid take on it.

I use Inspiration like Fate uses "Fate" points. It applies to ideals, bonds, flaws, and traits, AND anything that can be tied to their background.

Of course, its still advantage, not Fate's +2 to the roll.

The Rakasta Folk Hero was arguing with a shifty suspect of a crime in front of the guards. The suspect figured he was safe in front of the guards "ha ha sucker, you cant touch me now" kinda situation.

The player of Ket, (the rakasta) said "my background is folk hero, so I'm kinda trustworthy in a scoundrel way yes?" I said maybe, potentially, yes.

So he punched the dude in the face in front of the guards saying "This ruffian despoiled my sister" and knocked him flat on the ground. I gave him advantage on a "persuasion", he rolled well.

The guards laughed at the ruffian and told him to "get outta here scum...."

Good times....

Fate Core said:

You use tokens to represent how many fate points you have at any given time during play. Fate points are one of your most important resources in Fate—they’re a measure of how much influence you have to make the story go in your character’s favor.
You can spend fate points to invoke an aspect, to declare a story detail, or to activate certain powerful stunts.
You earn fate points by accepting a compel on one of your aspects.
A word of warning: don’t use edible things as tokens, especially if the food hasn’t arrived yet.

Click to expand...

CubicsRube said:

So per the phb, you are in theory supposed to be granted inspiration for playing your ideals, bonds flaws and traits. . .
So I was thinking about an alternative:
Once per session, you can gain advantage on a roll that uses an IBFT. It must be used for that roll and an explanation given as to why.

This is slightly more restrictive than the initial rule but immediately applicable. More importantly it puts the onus on the player to monitor it. Also it encourages players to roleplay their characters inner workings some as it gives a mechanical benefit.

Click to expand...

Has D&D not updated Inspiration in an errata yet? I don't see why; advantage is usable in combat...

"Once per session" is an improvement over "DM will grant it to you" because it shows that PCs will predictably gain more Inspiration, and also that they will predictably lose the resource if they don't use it. I wouldn't force players to explain why, as it might deter them from using it, but I'd leave the opportunity open.

Any reason you left Alignment out of the IBFT family?

And from left field...how often do the Critical Role people use their Inspiration?

CubicsRube said:

So per the phb, you are in theory supposed to be granted inspiration for playing your ideals, bonds flaws and traits.

In practice I think very few people do this.

So I was thinking about an alternative:
Once per session, you can gain advantage on a roll that uses an IBFT. It must be used for that roll and an explanation given as to why.

This is slightly more restrictive than the initial rule but immediately applicable. More importantly it puts the onus on the player to monitor it. Also it encourages players to roleplay their characters inner workings some as it gives a mechanical benefit.

For an optional fun rule you can ask the player to roll a d20 when using their flaw. 1-10 the roll is at disadvantage instead. Makes the use of a flaw risky as it could go either way.

What do you think? Would a rule like this see play at your table?

Click to expand...

This kind of thing has been done and works in various systems thru years of game systems. One was... Ars Magica iirc - way back- had player defined virtues or passions which you defined with a score. (Like 1-3) and if you were acting key to your passion you got a + and if opposite you got a -. (Advantage/Disad is just another form of boost/bane.)

I think the drawback here is you will wind up driving the IBF towards more mechanics driven choices if you nail it down to gain advantage. That matches some various system experiences I have seen where you ties directly the trait yo advantage- find ways to define it do it can appear/spawn/apply to combat.

With inspiration, the boom can be acquired anytime it makes sense for and be saved or spent wherever, so there is no direct need or benefit to tiring your flaws to specific minmax areas.

If you weaponize it, you will see it used as a weapon - less as a character defining element.

Not by all of course, but by enough.

Personally, I think instead of either inspiration or another assignable source of bonus, the gains from IBF in play should be opportunities in play that key off that.

Show mercy to someone others want to kill? Later have that called back when some enemy minion "sister of" offers an unexpected twist.

Charge forward in rage over ABC ehrn its dumb to do do ? Get approached later by others equally enraged who like your style.

Etc.

Make story/character flavor bits shown in play resp rewards along the same lines - story and character defining gains.

Blue said:

I like pushing the responsibility of monitoring onto the players - they are the most familiar with their PC (plus only need to keep track of one).

I also like that the IBFT is associated witht he action being done - with the traditional rules it's only associated with gaining it, but the action it's spent on need not have anything to do with it.

I believe it's suggested Inspiration is about once per session per player. Were you thinking of limitations in usage, or any time they can link it? I can picture a paladin saving a princess pulling it out for every roll during the adventure.

Flaws ... I would not penalize characters for using their flaws. Quite the opposite, flaws make someone more interesting and a flawed PC leads to interesting drama. On the other hand, there are a lot of times when a flaw may not be associated with a roll. Having a short (*snirk*) temper when your height is questioned is usually the breakdown of social rolls, not the prelude to a roll. Which could lead to players crafting flaws that get associated with rolls if they are the type to try to maximize it. (Something you'd know best for your table.) "I act without regards to risk to myself when my friends are threatened" can fit into a lot of actions that cause rolls.

Click to expand...

The idea is to make it one user per session per IBFT.

That way it is effectively up to 5 rolls with advantage (two traits and one each of the others) so that the player is looking to take advantage of variety of their character.

Good point about the flaw.

iserith said:

In my games, players can get Inspiration up to 4 times per session, once each per category of the personal characteristics. I discuss it here in the Case for Inspiration.

The result of this method is that the group of five players are earning Inspiration about once every 10 minutes which means up to 20 times per session the characters are being portrayed in a fun way according to their personal characteristics and appropriate to the scene.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll look over the thread in detail later as it's quite long.

I've seen the case made for putting the players in charge and I agree with it. For me if I can get players to take care of some of the mental load I feel I can concentrate on the story (for e.g I make players roll damage on themselves. Yeah, I'm that kind of GM)

For my tastes at least, I like tying advantage gained to the task at hand. It just feels more thematic and more like it is earned. I don't have inspiration because I sacrificed myself for the good of others in that last fight. I got advantage on an attack roll in that right because I was sacrificing myself for the good of others.

I recognize that's my personal taste so it may not suit everyone but perhaps it would encourage people to use those sad little boxes on the character sheet that don't get any love.