Do Something Cool

[Piratecat]

Along with Malraux's idea (above) there's also a very good post by Piratecat here concerning exactly what you're asking about.

Good timing, and thanks! I was just about to weigh in with this advice, which I'll repost to save the link-clicking.

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Question for you - In another thread, don't remember which one, you mentioned that have your players print out a "Do something cool" power card to always remind them that is an option. I'm wondering how you adjudicate the benefits, particularly damage, when they use this?

First, I've house ruled that everyone gets expertise - effectively a flat +1 per tier to attack. I try to remind folks that this applies to special stuff, too. (Hey, Alomir, Blackjack and Sagiro- this should also apply to alchemical items! We forgot that. Note it on your character sheets if you think of it.)

Second, I often give an ad hoc +1 or +2 to attack with improvised weapons if they're cool, sort of a proficiency bonus they get for doing something cinematic. This doesn't always happen, but I want to make an improvised attack a viable choice AND I want to reward the player for being creative and cinematic -- that makes the game more fun for everyone and encourages the player to always be thinking.

Third, I generally use the damage numbers on page 42 of the DMG with the following guidelines:

- Is it clearly a one-time thing ("I leap onto one end of the broken tree, angling the other end up towards the charging monster like a pointy spear") that's unique to this fight? Be sure to use the limited damage expressions. If it's something that could be repeated every fight ("I shoot the monster in the eye with my arrow"), I use the regular expressions.

- The first time in a fight an improvised attack is used by a player, I raise the damage expression one notch higher than I would normally, just to reward the player for thinking outside the box.

- If the improvised attack is just doing damage, I lean towards the highest damage expression (whether normal or limited), then I lower the damage one or two notches depending on the effectiveness of the special effect that the player wants to add.

- I like the idea of making each unique trick into an encounter power - so that a person can try multiple improvised stunts, but each one only once. I'd allow a stunt to be used more than once in an encounter, honestly, but I'd mitigate the special effect and dial the damage down one notch each time to discourage this.

For instance, using the aforementioned examples for 6th level PCs:

"I leap onto one end of the broken tree, angling the other end up towards the charging monster like a pointy spear": Limited damage expression, as this is both cinematic and highly situational. 3d10+4 -- reduced to 3d8+4 if the PC wants the tree trunk to immobilize the monster.

"I shoot the monster in the eye with my arrow to blind it": This could happen every fight. Normal damage expression, start high and reduce by two levels because blind (whether save ends or end of your next turn) are both really good. A mere 1d6+4 damage plus the special effect, or bumped up to 1d10+4 if it's that person's first improvised attack of the encounter.

Don't sweat the numbers too much. 4e monsters have enough hit points that it's better to err on the side of more damage if you're trying to reward creativity.

 

[Nifft]

That sounds neato, definitely worth looking into. But what's "ISTR"?

ISTR = "I seem to recall".

Cheers, -- N

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

ISTR = "I seem to recall".

d'oh! I thought you were referring to the name of a game system "ISTR", Industrial STrength Rpg or something.

 

[Nifft]

d'oh! I thought you were referring to the name of a game system "ISTR", Industrial STrength Rpg or something.

Quick, someone register Industrial Strength Tabletop RPG!

Cheers, -- N

 

[Delgar]

It was your thread PC that got me thinking about it in the first place.

I run a game online and I've put the "do something cool" in there power set, but because it's so nebulous hardly anyone tries anything cool.

Just last session I had them get ambushed in a lumber mill, but a bunch of bounty hunters with similar abilities to the PC's and I had the bad guys using the terrain against the PC's and using the chains to swing around and try and push the PC's into the saws, etc. I had one of the opponents wrap a chain around the defenders neck and kick him up against the wall (Die hard style).
One player did attempt to do something cool and try to pin one of the opponents to the conveyor belt with his arrows. Which was totally cool but he rolled a 1 on the attack roll.

One of the other things is that when people think of cool uses of terrain they only think of it in a martial sense. Most players playing an Arcane or Divine character lack the physical prowess to be athletic or acrobatic but I still want them to do something cool.

The player who plays the wizard in my game, told me afterwords that he was thinking of using his mage hand to try and wrap the chain around one of the bad guys neck. Which in my opinion is totally cool and I'd totally allow it.

So I guess another question is, what are ways that arcane, divine, primal and soon to be psionic characters can do cool things outside of there powers.

Would you allow a primal character to cause a root to trip a foe, or cause vines to entangle them?

Would you allow an arcane character to do something arcany outside of their power set?

I think it's easier to see terrain and decide I want to do something cool with it in a martial sense but a lot harder with other power sources.

After thinking about the hero points a little more, I think it's an extra layer that is uneccessary.

Perhaps I just need to make cool actions have a greater chance of success and a greater effect to make them happen more often.

Thanks for all the thoughts so far.

Good timing, and thanks! I was just about to weigh in with this advice, which I'll repost to save the link-clicking.

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