Do you use Hero Points/Bennies/Re-Rolls?

[Dave G]

I have heard about the idea before, but while playing in GMVictory's game at the EN World K.C. Gameday, I fell in love with them

questions:

How do you use them, what is your experience?

I want to use them, but I want a small little physical (real world) token they have to trade in. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Cyragnome]

I do Billy...I use French 20 Centime Pieces. They're slightly smaller than a quarter, very light, bronze colored and I've got a ton of them from when I lived in France.

They're not working as well as I expected, but I think it's my game, not the idea...Basically, I give everybody 1 to start a major campaign arc (say 14 to 20 sessions) and they can use them for a do-over on any roll (including one of mine), cause and automatic hit, automatic skill success (within reason), to buy a "clue," or do a minor power stunt or 1 EXP (we're playing HERO). They can be saved up and 3 will buy you the ability to avoid a certain death, and 2 a major power stunt.

They're given out when I'm sufficiently amused, a character does a particularly notable act of heroics, etc.

Like I said, they're not working quite out like I wanted but I'm fine tuning the concept...I'm pretty sure it's my side of the equation that's making it "not work" though.

 

[Iron Sheep]

I use a "luck point" system, where a point can be spent by a player to get a free re-roll of any dice roll they make, I make, or another player makes (with that player's permission).

I generally give 2-3 points per session per character (we usually play long, 8 hour sessions), the amount depending on role-playing, amusing the GM, etc. I don't use tokens: the PCs keep track of how their points on their character sheets (I trust them to keep track).

It does seem to serve its intended purpose of preventing dumb character deaths. However, I've noticed two types of player behaviour. Some will hoard the points, and not use them except in dire emergencies, while other players will spend them freely to avoid any bad roll (and then sometimes have to ask the people who hoard them to save their character from the critical hit they just suffered).

Also, I've found that sometimes the players will bite off more than they can chew in combat, relying on their luck points to see them through.

I'm also thinking that I may give some of my BBEGs luck points of their own to spend.

Corran

 

[Crothian]

When I did use them we used poker chips. You can pick them up cheap at a discount store assuming you don't have any around the house.

 

[Azlan]

Something that has worked quite well within my campaigns is my "heroic luck" rules. I've been using these rules for the past 2-3 years; my players really like them, and I've yet to see them being abused or unbalancing the game.

Basically, when rolling a d20 for attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, etc., heroic luck allows you to roll 3d20 and pick out the best one. Player characters (and some major NPCs) can do this a number of times per game session according to their Charisma bonus and their alignment (good alignments get a bonus; negative alignments, a penalty).

With heroic luck in play, I can make adventures a little more dangerous and challenging than they would normally be, given the combined levels of the player characters.

Also, heroic luck allows the players to have some control over situations where they absolutley must make that attack roll, saving throw, skill check, etc. It doesn't assure them success, and it can only be used a set number of times per game session, but it does make the game more fun and interesting.

Hmm... I suppose I could use some form of tokens to keep track of how much heroic luck a player has remaining, at any given point in time, during a game session. Hey, that sounds like a good idea... !

 

[Wormwood]

My old DM used these things and I hated it. Too subjective.

 

[GMVictory]

I always try to use something appropriate for the setting I'm running.

Deadlands uses poker chips.

I thought people might become a little concerned or upset if I brought ammunition to use as bennies for Weird Wars. Shell casings next time?

Glass beads for fish tanks/aquariums for fantasy settings, reminiscent of "fate stones" from WHFRPG. You might check out "Hobby Lobby" or similar store. I recall seeing replica golden coins (roman style) at one of those stores as well.

A few guidelines for use:

1. Player(s) pulls off gutsy, cool, or well received (by other players) action. (ex: at Game Day, major success in tough battle in ritual chamber, Pvt Cheatwood's double crit, etc)

2. Player(s) comes up with idea to deal with situation that is better than yours or throws you off track (in a good way, not someone wrecking the game).

3. Player(s) roleplays scene well, advances the story/plot without DM/GM prompting (LT calls HQ to report and get orders), figures out mystery or secret.

4. Anything else you think a player deserves one.

I usually limit the use of bennies to re-rolls, reduction of damage from an attack, or the sudden recovery of injury. Also, I let the major villains and some villains' lieutenants have bennies too! That recurring villain thing y'know...

 

[hammymchamham]

First off, thanks for reminding me. I use bennies, and have been meaning to bring poker chips so the players don't forget them. I even spent 3 bucks for some cheap poker chips to use.

No one has used them yet. I use them so they can reroll one roll, or get back 1d6 hit points. Tonight I'm going to change it to 1d8+1 (sorta like a cure light).

 

[D'karr]

This is a system I've been thinking of implementing for my campaign. This is a cut and paste of a message I sent to my players for discussion of the idea.

I've been thinking about this for a while. As a matter of fact I was thinking about this at the beginning of the campaign but I didn’t have a good way to do it. So I just kept milling over a way to implement it.

Have you ever had one of those game sessions when nothing goes right? Do your dice betray you at the most inopportune moments? Is your spot roll so bad that you can't spot the Red Dragon bearing down on you at a 15' distance, in broad daylight (Tim you don’t have to answer that one)? Do you ever wish you could reroll that failed Fortitude save against being turned to stone? Do 1's seem to be the only number you ever roll for hit points?

Well, real heroes should have the fates looking out for them. Of course real heroes can afford to "grease the palms of the fates every once in a while." They charge a lot more than you guys to go adventuring. You guys have to make do with what you have. So I've been thinking about a system similar to Shadowrun's Karma Points. It’s somewhat different in scope, of course, but employs the same general concept.

I'll call it “Vic’s Good Stuff”. Well the Legend System or the Legend Score sounds better so I guess that’s what I’ll call it.

First of all, why do we need this in our game? Isn’t it obvious? Chance is a bitch. She could care less if you roll a 1 on your Fortitude save or not. So here is a way to cheat death. Even if it only pays off once.

So, how does it work?

A campaign is made up of adventures. Adventures are made up of story segments and story segments are made up of events.

Every surviving PC receives 1 Legend Point at the end of a story segment. Just for surviving. They also receive a second Legend Point at the end of an Adventure. The character must be alive at the end of the adventure or story segment to receive these points.

Then everybody has one additional Legend Point to assign secretly to another player. This is like a peer evaluation. If you thought somebody had a brilliant idea on how to resolve a problem or you really like the fact that they sacrificed themselves to save your hide you can assign that Legend point to them. This is done secretly and the DM just tallies the total and gives them out.

Legend Points are used to cheat fate. They are expendable and once used they are gone forever. Using a Legend Point is considered a free action and does not provoke an Attack of Opportunity. Every 10 points gives you one point to assign to your Legend. Don’t worry too much about that one yet. I’m still working out some of the details. The DM must approve all use of Legend Points.

Typical uses for Legend Points are listed below:
1 point – adds +2 to a particular skill check, save, or attack. Must state the intent of using the Legend Point before making the roll.

2 points – add +2 to some other person’s skill check, save, or attack. Must state the intent of using the Legend Point before making the roll.

3 points – adds +5 to a particular skill check, save or attack. Must state the intent of using the Legend Point before making the roll.

4 points – maximize the number rolled on a single roll. For example a Hit Points roll. Each die rolled requires a separate allocation of points. A maximized 6d6 roll would require 24 points. Must state the intent of using the Legend Point before making the roll.

5 points – reroll any single die roll. The second roll supersedes the first roll.

6 points – reroll any single die roll. Take the highest result. Results that are equal are not rerolled.

7 points – reroll any single die roll. Take the highest result. Results that are equal allow a second reroll.

8 points – achieve a success at a failed roll. Applicable only to attack, save and skill rolls.

9 points – grant one additional partial action in a round. The action must be taken before the end of the turn but can be taken at anytime during the turn. Initiative is adjusted accordingly.

10 points – grants a virtual feat for the following 24 hours. The virtual feat can not be an Item Creation feat.

 

[S'mon]

I don't think it's a good idea for regular D&D - for some d20 modern campaigns it might well be. IMO D&D characters are quite powerful enough without needing an 'out'. Fate/luck points work best where the odds otherwise seem against the PCs, in a low fantasy and swashbuckling type environment - a world like Indiana Jones, Stargate or Buffy tVS, for instance. They're not so good for either high fantasy, high-powered fantasy, or serious horror games (eg Alien or Call of Cthulu) - in the latter they're likely to detract from the tone.