Action Point-granting Template?

[treehouse]

Hello! I'm currently running a high-powered gestalt game set in Eberron, and I'm trying to devise a template that will allow my BBEGs to fully utilize the action point system as if they were PCs (i.e. not limited to the three granted by Heroic Spirit). I'm wanting to utilize feats like Action Surge and Pursue to keep my players on their toes in the three or four really climactic fights of the campaign.

I'm not sure how much such a template is worth CR-wise, however. It would be an inherent template that gives the NPC a number of action points equal to 5 + 1/2 their HD.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Ashtagon]

Since it was an intentional design decision that NPCs should not generally get action points, I doubt you'd find anything in core. If you really want an NPC to have APs, just give them. They are basically just a formalised mechanic for fudging dice rolls anyway.

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

If all you want is to give the BBEG more action points, there's the unfettered heroism spell in Races of Eberron--5th level sor/wiz, 1 round/level, you gain a free temporary AP every round and can spend multiple APs each round, but are fatigued at the end of the spell's duration. Each AP has to be used in the same round or it's lost, but since without the spell you can only use 1 AP per round anyway, it's basically equivalent to giving him 5 + 1/2 HD APs.

 

[Mark Chance]

I use a rule set that gives solo BBEGs 2 Action Dice (not Points) per PC the BBEG faces. The BBEG can use these Action Dice (d6s) to boost its own rolls or reduce the rolls of the PCs. Once an Action Die is used, it is removed from the BBEG's pool. No CR adjustment applies.

(There are a few other rules for solo BBEGs as well as elite monsters, but the Action Dice part is most relevant to this thread.)

 

[jdrakeh]

Trailblazer contains two such templates, the Elite template and the Solo template. The Solo template sounds more up your alley. Basically, the creature gains one Action Point per PC that they are facing and also multiplies its HP by the number of PCs that it is facing. CR is not adjusted. And, yes, Solos should be encountered alone (hence the name).