Action Points

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I thought spycraft action dice were done well. You get a certain number per session and they refresh at the beginning of the next one... means less to burn in a single encounter. Uses are much the same as D20 modern...

Think it was
Level: Dice
1-5: 3D4
6-10: 4D6
11-15: 5D8
16-20: 6D10
or something similar.

Although Khaalis SR idea would definitely work for me as well.

"Hold my beer. Watch this!" and "Judo Chop!" are great

 

[Plane Sailing]

Grim tales has an interesting concept - if you roll a '1' the DM can choose to activate a fumble - but he gives you an action point as a consolation prize.

Conan d20 has the more limited but more powerful 'fate points', and it is acceptable for the DM to handicap the PCs at the start of an adventure ("OK, you're all naked in jail") but give them an extra fate point to make up for the disadvantage.

 

[Insight]

As a corrolary, I like the idea of relating an XP bonus to your action points, but in a converse way. In other words, you get a bonus based on how many action points you didn't use in an adventure.

It seems to me that people sometimes blow out the rest of their action points at the end of the adventure just because they know their character will get more in the next game. Now, if they don't refresh (ie they are a tally), you wouldn't want to use such a rule.

 

[DanMcS]

OTOH, I do have mixed feelings about the Feats that provide new uses for APs. They're pretty powerful, but it feels like you'd be able to use them too rarely to warrant a feat. I'd be interested to actually see how they work at the table.

With the stunting rule and a points/adventure or points/session rule rather than points/level, there should rarely be a shortage of action points.

 

[DanMcS]

As a corrolary, I like the idea of relating an XP bonus to your action points, but in a converse way. In other words, you get a bonus based on how many action points you didn't use in an adventure.

It seems to me that people sometimes blow out the rest of their action points at the end of the adventure just because they know their character will get more in the next game. Now, if they don't refresh (ie they are a tally), you wouldn't want to use such a rule.

Depends on what you want to encourage. Nobody awards bonus xp for hps left at the end of the night, or uncast spells, or arrows left in your quiver. They're resources to be used. Same with action points.

The people who would benefit more from a rule like that are the more competant characters- the ones that hit when they attack, and don't need to spend an AP to hit. Those characters hardly deserve an xp bonus, they're already better off.

I think people tend to spend their APs right before a refresh because that tends to be the climax of the adventure anyway; you're up against a tougher opponent and need to use them to succeed faster or easier.

 

[DanMcS]

Grim tales has an interesting concept - if you roll a '1' the DM can choose to activate a fumble - but he gives you an action point as a consolation prize.

Yeah, I like that one. From spycraft originally, and I think it also applies to NPCs rolling critical hits on PCs. IE, PCs can spend an action point to activate a threat, the DM can do the same, but to spend an action point, he basically gives it to the PC who got critted as a bonus.

 

[HellHound]

I'm an action point hater.

I would MUCH prefer something like the Bennies from Savage Worlds - you get three per GAME SESSION and can use them for some specific feats, or for re-rolling a botched roll.

 

[Derulbaskul]

I tried one session using the 1 action point = +1d6 and have to say it was largely a waste of time and abslutely nothing to get excited about, especially when it has to be declared in advance.

I've changed to 1 action point = 1 re-roll and that's much more fun. I still allow 2 action points = reuse class ability.

I also use fate points which are similar to the Conan uses for same although I started using them before I bought Conan: left for dead, rewrite part of your character sheet ("I really shouldn't have chosen that feat").

PCs start with three fate points and get one per level; action point aquisition follows the rules given in Eberron. I tend to award the same XP to all characters but exceptional play earns bonus fate or action points. XP used in item creation also comes off each member of the group.

 

[Insight]

The action pts you have to declare in advance and only give you +1d6 (and later +2d6, +3d6, etc) are really pretty useless to most players. I am all for the re-roll type, as both a player and GM of such games. I am also a fan of action pts that have more than one use - class abilities, save bonuses, state recoveries, etc. Mutants & Masterminds, of the games I've seen that have such a system, really does it the best in terms of scope and usage.

 

[DanMcS]

The action pts you have to declare in advance and only give you +1d6 (and later +2d6, +3d6, etc) are really pretty useless to most players. I am all for the re-roll type, as both a player and GM of such games. I am also a fan of action pts that have more than one use - class abilities, save bonuses, state recoveries, etc. Mutants & Masterminds, of the games I've seen that have such a system, really does it the best in terms of scope and usage.

Even in modern, you didn't have to declare them in advance of the d20 roll. You can declare their use after the roll but before the effect is determined, ie before the DM announces whether your initial roll was a hit or miss.