D&D 5E Optional Inspiration Die Rule: Home-brew

[Whithers]

I am thinking of offering a home-brew rule for inspiration to my players outside of what is in the book. The mechanic is to make the lows a little less dark and the highs a little less bright. The RP justification in this goes: Desperation inspires heroes to show their metal, while pride goeth before the fall.

Standing: The Party Inspiration Pool (PIP) can never be reduced below 1 by this rule. It may only be reduced to 0 by the decision of the party.
From the Bottom: The PIP gains 1 die of inspiration for each natural 1 rolled on a d20 as the party collectively digs in with resolve to overcome their obstacles.
From the Top: The PIP loses 1 die of inspiration for each natural 20 rolled on a d20 where the player fails a wisdom save and becomes overconfident in the party's ability.

Any constructive criticism?

 

[cooperjer]

I would recommend keeping it positive. I also hand out inspiration on a roll of 1 to hit, but I use it as a risk vs reward system. If the player wants the inspiration then they accept a roll on the critical fail table. The active player gets one for themselves and gets to hand one to a fellow player. The DM only gets one inspiration die if he accepts the roll on the critical fail table.

Keeping the system positive should the energy positive in the game.

 

[GMMichael]

Having a PIP is a good way to encourage Inspiration use, since a player can see that with more than one available, there's the possibility of saving one for when it's "really needed." I wouldn't award them for die rolls, though. Tie them to character traits (flaws, alignment etc) so players get more investment and immersion.

 

[Whithers]

Thanks for the input. I wanted to weight it in favour of the players, but not let go without risks. My players also do amateur pool tourneys and a little friendly wagering. I added the inherent risk because they like that sort of thing. But I can see your points.