D&D 5E Taking Advantage & Inspiration

[Iosue]

My rule is to give Inspiration whenever my players inspire me.

Likewise, ad/disad comes up a lot in our games because it’s my go-to when I need to make a ruling.

 

[ECMO3]

I do not play a lot of 5e, but from my experience, advantage/disadvantage (ad/dis) do not come up very often unless a class ability creates or requires it.
I would think that this puts a premium on the ability to gain advantage from inspiration, but like other ENworlders, I haven't seen Inspiration used much, either.
Given that ad/dis were supposed to replace the maze of modifiers from 3e (and 4?) I would expect the majority of battles, if not non-combat checks, would have one or both applying to many of the rolls. . . and Inspiration would be a welcome benefit in the Disadvantaged situations.

Does Inspiration go unnoticed in your games because there's not enough Disadvantage? And using our crystal ball, does WotC want to avoid giving out too much Inspiration (in 1D&D) because it's a bonus (5 points in their view) and that much of a bonus shakes up the balance of bounded accuracy?

Disadvantage comes up a lot in our games due to frightened and poisioned conditions.

Advantage comes up some, usually due to being hidden or invisibile. Also steady aim gets used quite a bit, although that is a class ability.

 

[Shiroiken]

In our games advantage and disadvantage occur quite a bit, usually because of DM adjudication of the situation. For example, while the rules explicitly state that you have disadvantage on Perception in Dim Light, there's nothing preventing the DM from adding disadvantage to another check that requires detailed vision, such as Investigation and insight. Likewise, if the players put themselves in a good position to succeed, the DM should grant advantage as a result. Not to mention the Working Together rules granting advantage on a check.

Inspiration is... less used by my group. Since we seldom award it, mostly because we forget it exists a lot, we've changed it to a reroll. Something else we don't do, and I suspect will continue in 1D&D, is spreading inspiration to other players. If you have inspiration and somehow get it again, you wasted it by hoarding it too long.

As for awarding inspiration on a nat 20 in 1D&D, I'm not a fan because it creates a semi-snowball. If you have advantage, you double your chances of getting a 20, so spending inspiration increases the chance of getting it back again. I think moving it to on a nat 1 would be better, since it then serves as a "catch up" mechanic.

 

[el-remmen]

The only problem I have with that is in calling it "Inspiration". I don't think it's very inspiring to fail. However, if you call it "resolve" (as in, "I resolve to do better this time!")

Well, then I think it would be awesome.

Whatever works. But I think a nat 20 is already rewarded with a crit - but having the resolve to do better (or being inspired by the mistake you just made - people learn from mistakes all the time! - well, ideally ) after a Nat 1 works better and makes more sense to me.

 

[SakanaSensei]

Inspiration doesn’t come up in my games because it feels too meta in a way I don’t enjoy. Laughing at a joke, getting excited for a big crit, feeling loss in a tender moment, appreciating the complications that come from a player purposefully playing suboptimally to fit their character, those are all able to be done without adding on a “here’s a cookie” disconnected element.

I guess I haven’t seen a good reason to justify why Inspiration exists as a thing for our play style.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Whatever works. But I think a nat 20 is already rewarded with a crit - but having the resolve to do better (or being inspired by the mistake you just made - people learn from mistakes all the time! - well, ideally ) after a Nat 1 works better and makes more sense to me.

Learning from mistakes, yes, but I think you could only very rarely describe that as being "inspired" by the mistake. I agree that nat20's are good enough on their own. 1s would be better for the game, both to help end a failure-spiral, and because 20's are already good enough.

I'm not sure that rewarding both (with inspiration) is a good idea, though. Maybe if inspiration was more like bardic inspiration (as I believe you've said you do). Perhaps start it as a bonus d6 and if you get a second source, choose between passing it on and upping the die a tier. Though that's probably too much tracking.

 

[MarkB]

Whatever works. But I think a nat 20 is already rewarded with a crit - but having the resolve to do better (or being inspired by the mistake you just made - people learn from mistakes all the time! - well, ideally ) after a Nat 1 works better and makes more sense to me.

It's only awarded with a crit on attacks, not on checks and saves. And crits have been toned down in the playtest.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I hope they switch this to whenever you roll a Natural '1' instead.

I hope not. I don’t want to be excited to roll a one. It should be painful and disappointing to me. Always happy to add more excitement to rolling a 20 however.

 

[el-remmen]

I hope not. I don’t want to be excited to roll a one. It should be painful and disappointing to me. Always happy to add more excitement to rolling a 20 however.

It is more like a consolation than something to be excited about. There is already plenty to be excited about regarding a Nat 20.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

It is more like a consolation than something to be excited about. There is already plenty to be excited about regarding a Nat 20.

I don’t want a consolation, I thought I made that clear