Action Points -- Too Good?

[Animus]

The UA variant is more powerful than the Eberron version, but not too powerful, IMHO. IME, though, players forget they have them. I had to remind my old group that they had them, even in the trivial cases where they would have known they were short by 1 on a d20 roll. Besides, you can always give your BBEGs APs .

 

[Dracorat]

I use APs to reward not resting. You gain them as you win battles and then they reset to zero when you rest.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Personally, I loves me some AP.

I actually prefer an AP-centric game style, like Grim Tales, where Action Points are required to confirm critical hits and/or the GM can dole them out to confirm his own crits or activate critical fumbles.

Of course, for me, I like a bit more literary drama in my game, and it allows myself and the players a little more control over things ... they can decide not to confirm the crit on the mook with 2hp left anyway, or choose to confirm on the mook who they just hit and maybe get the one-shot-drop for "Woo Hoo" standing-up-at-the-table fun.

I too allow them to be used to emulate feats, which I haven't found to bog down the game. Usually it's a feat like Improved Initiative or Cleave or something in a feat chain they're building TOWARD but don't yet have. By making sure they have the prereqs, it cuts down on what's available and I don't let people go flipping through manuals looking for "The Perfect Feat For Right Now". IME, people usually use it for a feat they're going to actually take later ... sort of a Feat Test Drive.

I'm even in the process of drafting up a new house rule to add to APs ... not finished with it yet. Basically:

If you have a Racial or Feat bonus to a save or skill check, you can use an AP to "Get 20" on a check of that type once per (session?).

Either "Get 20" or "Reroll Check" ... not sure yet. At any rate, the reasoning behind it is to highlight the "racial identity" bits a little more heavily. Early levels, a +1 to hit Goblinoids might be okay, but by lvl12 you usually forget you have it. This lets you crank up the "Elfness" once in a while and say: "I did this because I'm an Elf and we (see secret doors) or (are resistant to Enchantments)." It also adds benefit to the +2-to-Save or +2-to-two-skills feats, by opening up a chance to say: "I have unusually Great Fortitude, thus I resisted that poison."

The flip side would be the GM could then give you an AP and force you to "take 1" or "reroll" a check on which you have a racial penalty AND open up role-playing-oriented "Disadvantages". A Disadvantage, then, would net you nothing up front ... but if you, say, took "Dimwitted, -1 to Knowledge checks" as a disad, it opens things up so that the GM can "award" you APs by activating your disadvantage and forcing you to reroll or fail thematic checks.

Still in the rough-cut stages.

--fje

 

[rvalle]

Wow, I like that idea a lot HeapThaumaturgist.

I wonder if it would be any good to roll AP's into Exp ala Serenity RPG's plot points.

rv

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Here are my Hero Point house rules, FWIW:

6. Hero points

a. At first level a player is allocated one hero point, and gains one additional hero point per level gained thereafter. Characters starting play at fourth level or above begin play with three hero points.
b. A hero point is expended to guarantee success (treat as natural 20) on a single die roll, OR guarantee an opponent’s failure (treat as natural 1) on a single die roll. Expenditure of the hero point must be announced prior to the die roll. This does not apply to situations where a success or failure is impossible (ie, a 20 still does not mean success).
c. A player may also spend a hero point to stabilize his or her character when dying, or to restore a character whose hit points fall from above zero to below –10 hp to –1 hp, at which point the character is dying.

I found they worked well to ease fatality rates a bit -- I let the dice fall where they may -- and encouraged players to do what would otherwise be low-probability-of-success heroic actions. They seemed to enjoy the mechanic, and they didn't have so many points that it unbalanced the game.

 

[Felon]

I found that players use them up so quickly upon getting them that in the big scheme of things they didn't make that much difference.

 

[wayne62682]

I find Action Points to be rather lacking.. they don't really DO anything cinematic. I would have rather seen them like Willpower in WoD games; you can burn one to get an automatic success on something (cinematic of course. Such as do a running jump, swing on the chandelier and land behind the bad guy in a flanking position).

I prefer to use the Unearthed Arcana variant but I caution anyone who does that with the "emulate a feat" ability.. you basically eliminate the need to ever take Metamagic feats if you can just emulate the Sudden variants by spending one Action Point.

 

[brehobit]

I find them to be very powerful indeed. I'd have had a TPK tonight had it not been for those (which were burned through at a very rapid rate indeed.) Once you know the value you're looking for it makes it a lot easier to know when to spend them which in turn makes them very effective.

Eberron rules btw....

Mark

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Of course the other thing to note is that I think many GM's up the challenge that they put there PC's against because they know that they have Action Points to help them get out of a few more tight spots than those characters without. I know I do. [insert evil grin here]

Olaf the Stout

 

[Crothian]

Of course the other thing to note is that I think many GM's up the challenge that they put there PC's against because they know that they have Action Points to help them get out of a few more tight spots than those characters without. I know I do. [insert evil grin here]

Olaf the Stout

So, the players then advance in level faster?