Do you allow multiple Inspiration?

[pogre]

The DM [MENTION=6793324]AriochQ[/MENTION] in the one campaign I actually play in has the players award inspiration to each other. Players award inspiration for excellent roleplay and it seems to work very well. I am thinking of using the same system in my campaigns, because it eliminates something for the DM and keeps inspiration in the game. He also allows the accumulation of inspiration, but we spend the points freely and it really does not present a problem.

 

[OB1]

I allow multiple inspiration up to your proficiency bonus. You can only have 1 after completing a long rest, so my players are encouraged to use them.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

I tried it. We stopped using it. It breaks the game. It's super SUPER strong.

This has not happened in my experience, but I can see how it could potentially be abused at some tables. That said, I think double super strong with the emphasis on the second strong is a bit of an exaggeration. I've had players still fail rolls WITH the advantage granted by inspiration. I've also had a player break out inspiration just to overcome the deleterious effect of a level of exhaustion (so the roll was made normally instead of with disadvantage). Hasn't broken our game... yet.

Also, I've been incorporating a new feature where the players can vote via secret ballot at the end of a session for the player's choice award for inspiration. I ask them not only to name the PC who should receive it, but why. That has generated some additional buzz at our table.

Luck is basically one of the most powerful feats. Getting the ability to do that - burn several advantages in one session - trivializes drama.

I'm fully with you on this. I hate feats that mess with my critical fumble table! Lucky (and the XGtE derivative, Bountiful Luck) are story killers. When I played a halfling in one of my rare appearances as a player, I refused to reroll ones (ok, maybe I actually forgot, but nonetheless it was more interesting and memorable for my halfling monk to slip and fall embarrassingly into the river than to just reroll). Most of the players at our table won't use inspiration to negate a crit fail either - maybe just because they're itching to learn what else is on my critical fumble table - so that's not really an issue at our sessions.

 

[iserith]

My Inspiration house rule:

"Since I will not be able to keep track of 16+ individual personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws, it will be on you to claim Inspiration whenever you play these out. I will always assume you are making a good faith claim. So if you have a personality trait that says, for example, 'I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example...' and you actually do that, say "I'm taking Inspiration for that." Or just output the personal characteristic into the chat. Then mark Inspiration on your character sheet.

The only limitation I'm placing on this is that you can't gain Inspiration for playing the same characteristic twice in a session. If, for example, you've claimed Inspiration for playing to your bond, you cannot earn Inspiration for playing to your bond again this session. You therefore have the opportunity to gain Inspiration four times during a given session - one for each category of personal characteristic."

Then, in certain campaigns, there are options to gain additional Ideals or Bonds based on, say, alignment (when that sort of things is important to the campaign) or membership to an organization. This increases the number of ways you can get your 4 Inspiration per session. You can only have one Inspiration at a time.

 

[Shiroiken]

I haven't really used Inspiration much, as I'm not a huge fan. I used it in my first campaign as a reward after completing a section of the campaign, so going from levels 3-18, they got it 3 times (around level 8, 12, and 16). Despite this, I still had a character or two that failed to get the reward, because they forgot to use it.

In my new campaign I haven't used it yet, and I don't know if I'm going to. If I use it, I definitely won't allow for multiples!

 

[Hjorimir]

Group inspiration pool capped by the number of players sitting at the table. To spend an inspiration from the pool, you need at least half of the players present agree to the expenditure.

 

[Li Shenron]

I basically do not use Inspiration, I am ready to grant it only if a character does something purposefully sub-optimal for a good narrative motivation, as a sort of compensation. I won't stack more than one in that case.

 

[cthulhu42]

I allow multiple inspiration, but I'm very stingy about giving them out. I will, but it has to be for extremely good role play or something similar.

I do allow all players to roll a d20 at the end of each session. A natural 2o gets you an inspiration point. So they're still pretty rare. So far it hasn't been an issue.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

One inspiration at a time, no banking. I try to give out at least a couple of Inspirations per game. One issue with Inspiration is that people treat it like Luck. It's not Luck. It gives you Advantage on a roll (so announce that BEFORE the roll).

 

[Doc_Klueless]

I bought the d20 coins from Campaign Coins (gold, silver and copper). Every time a character gains inspiration they get a different type of coin until they have one of each. So it maxes out at 3 but adds a certain aesthetic that I really like. This lets them save a bit for the big bad boss fight but lets them know that they are gonna max out and not earn more so they might as well spend on here and there.

Forgot to add that they lose one inspiration point to expiration every long rest to a minimum of one. Sort of like Momentum from 2d20 Conan (from what little I understand of that game).