Hero points

[Greatwyrm]

You may want to take a look at how Spycraft uses the Action Dice mechanic. I ran a Spycraft game for several months and was pleasantly surprised with how they affected the game.

 

[Henry]

I'm planning to trial a hero point system in my game this weekend...[SNIP]
Any comments or suggestions? Has anyone used this sort of mechanic in their D&D game?

Heroes? HEROES? This is D&D! Why do we need to muck it up with people acting heroically?

Seriously, your system sounds a lot like the "bennie" system from the Savage Worlds game - you start with three, you get more for wowing the DM with really cool selfless actions (among other things), and they can do several things with the "bennies," including rerolling die rolls, stopping fumbles or reducing massive damage to yourself.

I would suggest a max number equal to your level, or three points, which ever is greater - but I would say that there is not a limit to the number you can use on one action, and if there is a critical fumble (a roll of a "1"), you cannot use any more hero points on that action.

 

[Zogg]

Re: Re: Hero points

Heroes? HEROES? This is D&D! Why do we need to muck it up with people acting heroically?

Finally someone who agrees with me....if even in jest.

And that "chip" system Munin uses is even worse....."Do something the DM likes, get a chip."

Uh, no. As a player running a PC I'm going to have my PC do whatever HE likes based on his backstory and personality. If he happens to be heroic (which for most people is unlikely), then I will act that way....

I'm telling you, these chips, hero points, luck points do nothing but pigeon-hole people into role-playing a certain way....the DM's way. If the DM wants to have the PC's act a certain way they need to retire from DMing for a while and be a PC - otherwise they would quickly be labelled control-freaks in my group and we'd all stop playing.

 

[Azure Trance]

Your players agree to simply allocate all their hero points to one player until he gets to a feat/attribute score. Then they move onto the next one. In a 6-person group, the favored player should walk away with about 11-12 hero points a game, meaning every other session, someone will pick up a feat. Given 4 sessions a level, this means that everybody would pick up a bonus feat (with a few people being able to save for attribute points instead), every 3 levels, effectively doubling the feats in game.

If it were that blatant, your group has problems with powergaming. And what GM would allow this? Any sane minded one would reprimend [sic] or take it away after so many adventures. Follow the spirit, or the GM should whack you. Hard.

In most normal groups this shouldn't pose a problem.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Oy, some of those systems seem fun, but too much bookkeeping.

Here's our hero point system:

- Characters earn one hero point per level (once used, they're gone). Hero points may be used to:

- Guarantee success on one roll (treat as a natural 20 or maximum result), or alternately, guarantee failure on one opponent's roll (treat as natural 1 or minimum value). Use of the hero poitn must be declared before the dice are rolled.

- Stabilize a dying character (if you go from positive HP straight to dead, expending a hero point puts you at -1 hp, dying).

Players will occasionally spend multiple hero points in a row to guarantee crits (once three hero points for a max-damage crit) or do other highly cinematic stuff. It takes a little randomness out of the game, and allows for the occasional controlled overwhelming success, but there aren't enough to go around that it unbalanced the system.

 

[anonystu]

Okay, so I agree, it's probably too far out of the spirit. Still, I stand the same analysis that if hero points are equally distributed, you get an extra feat every 3 levels just by default. You're going to find players scraping and conserving to get those extra feats.

 

[anonystu]

I concur with you, Olgar, on the bookkeeping being a lot on some of these: the AU system is about at the top of what's worth it, for what you get back.

The spycraft action dice system is cool in some respects, and I like the inspiration check mechanic as well. I strongly dislike the GM's action dice. It feels all too arbitrary to me when I use them.

 

[Azure Trance]

Okay, so I agree, it's probably too far out of the spirit. Still, I stand the same analysis that if hero points are equally distributed, you get an extra feat every 3 levels just by default. You're going to find players scraping and conserving to get those extra feats.

FWIW, I recall the author saying he's been using this system for many levels following the guidelines and not once were his players close to having an extra 20 to 30 points. Though your math is math and can't be disputed, I like the versatility of it and see many players using the 1, 2, and 5 point options frequently (avoid getting hit, dying, what have you.)

 

[Brekke]

Re: Re: Re: Hero points

Finally someone who agrees with me....if even in jest.

And that "chip" system Munin uses is even worse....."Do something the DM likes, get a chip."

Uh, no. As a player running a PC I'm going to have my PC do whatever HE likes based on his backstory and personality. If he happens to be heroic (which for most people is unlikely), then I will act that way....

I'm telling you, these chips, hero points, luck points do nothing but pigeon-hole people into role-playing a certain way....the DM's way. If the DM wants to have the PC's act a certain way they need to retire from DMing for a while and be a PC - otherwise they would quickly be labelled control-freaks in my group and we'd all stop playing.

I think you are getting bogged down with the word hero. I have asked our group tp start using some form of hero points. They can be a reward for good role playing even if that role playing is to betray the party or kill the cleric. As long as it was done well. I think it makes a good carrot to encourage better play.

Another thing they could be used for is coming up with a creative use of spells or tatics. They don't have to be used just for being heroic.

 

[omnimpotent]

I myself am fond of the AU system, at least so far as "spend a point - convert a death result into a disfiguring injury". A little classier than the current "get killed, get raised, not a scratch on you". I think a good disfiguring injury would be a neat roleplaying experience, or at least a neater experience than losing a level and standing up.