Core materials: Action Points and Insider

[Morrus]

First, where did this information come from? I saw mention of a podcast, but am clueless.

News is all on the news page. Best way to keep up-to-date.

 

[Mallus]

No. I am talking about forcing your character to ham it up for the DM in order to gain more AP. This happens in M&M.

You're talking about Complications then? That still doesn't imply hamming it up. They can be handled in a strictly mechanical fashion (though I don't understand why you'd want to do it that way).

You have to perform in order to get them and if you do not have them, you can be seriously screwed.

Am I missing something? There isn't a mechanic for awarding Hero Points just for soliloquizing/role-playing, is there? If so, my group doesn't use it. We get additional Hero Points during a session when 1) the DM uses Fiat (love that mechanic) or 2) a characters Complications come into play.

BTW, we ham it up out of the sheer joy of doing so. A lot.

 

[Geron Raveneye]

I wonder if a split along the fate/luck axis would make for an interesting mechanic..something like 1 Fate Point and 1D6 Luck Points at character creation. Fate Point regenerates at next level, Luck Points at the begin of a gaming session. Fate Point allows for an auto-success on something (stabilize dying character, save against death effect, etc.), Luck Point allows either to add 1D6 to any roll (after the result is known) for a "little luck" or to completely reroll one check to get a better result.

 

[BadMojo]

I'd like AP to be more than just "reroll" points.

I'd like to see more mechanics related to them.

You really need that extra Smite? Burn an AP

Unless I'm mistaken, the Eberron version of AP lets you take an extra use of a class ability.

I'm a huge fan of action points and have used them as DM and player in several different games (not just Eberron).

It's interesting to note that in all of those games (3 or 4 separate campaigns using action points) nobody has ever taken one of the feats that tied in to action points. I think it's great to see the action points start flying when desperation sets in and a TPK is looming over the party's heads.

 

[Jhaelen]

I like action points. I immediately introduced them in my game when I first read about them (or rather I asked my players if they'd like to have them and to noones surprise they did).

 

[Agamon]

If I had to make a list of things to port from Eberron to core, APs would be near the top. warforged would be at the bottom. So I'm not too upset about APs. I used a similar mechanic in my games pre-3E, I use hero points in M&M, it's all good.

 

[Felon]

I agree on both counts. I don't like action points and I don't like whiny players having yet another excuse to whine about their DM house-ruling out a mechanic which the DM doesn't like. And that's assuming that APs can be easily house-ruled out. If there are class abilities, feats and whatnot that rely on APs it'll be a pain to house rule out and even more of an opportunity for players to whine.

Gotta love DMs who have so little regard for their players' concerns. Forget AP, perhaps the best service D&D could render is to make it so that the need to play with other people--whiny lot they are--could be easily excised from the rules.

 

[Felon]

No. I am talking about forcing your character to ham it up for the DM in order to gain more AP. This happens in M&M.

"Forced to ham it up"?

Oooooh, you mean players are rewarded for immersing themselves in the game through roleplaying. Yeah, that's an awful design. Simply dreadful. :\

You think that's bad? I hear there are some games where you're forced to get into fights and kill things in order to advance one's character.

Seriously, though, there are multiple options for gaining APs in M&M. Roleplaying (i.e. "hamming") is just one of them.

 

[Felon]

I am starting to get the feeling I'm the only one who heard the part of the podcast where it was stated clearly that "these aren't your dad's action points" and that they will serve a different function than they currently do. Because here some folks are reacting to the news that AP's will be in the game and speaking as if they will function exactly like they do in Eberron.

My bet is that they simply act as a recharge utility for reusable per-encounter abilities. Or conversely, they are expended to activate high-end abilities the character is only meant to use occasionally.

 

[pawsplay]

I am starting to get the feeling I'm the only one who heard the part of the podcast where it was stated clearly that "these aren't your dad's action points' and that they will serve a different function than they currently do. Because here some folks are reacting to the news that AP's will be in the game and speaking as if they will function exactly like they do in Eberron.

My be is that they simply act a recharge utility for reusable per-encounter abilities. Or conversely, they are expended to activate high-end abilities the character is only meant to use occasionally.

Maybe all classes are factotums now?