Fate Points

[sircaren]

Hi all. I'm trying 'fate points' out in my current FR campaign for the first time in 3E. I used them in 2E to great effect. Basically they are used to do 'heroic' things or to avoid disastrous failed saves, etc. I'll list all the current uses in a moment. Each PC starts with one fate point. At the end of each gaming session I award one point to the player who advanced the story the most, IMO. (The players vote on who they thought RP'd the best for a 10% xp bonus, but that's another topic). One thing of note is that monsters and NPCs can have them as well. These points are hard to come by, so they can be used for some powerful things, both by PC's and NPC's. Anyway, here's how we have decided to use them so far:

Automatic Critical (Can be used after attack roll, but before damage is rolled)
Automatic make save
Automatic fail save (use against target of spell) (Counterable)
Automatic SKill Check - with max results (Diplomacy, etc)
Automatic Max roll on any spell / attack that requires one (Attack dmg, or fireball dmg, etc - but not limited to damage rolls)
Minimum Roll on any spell or dmg attack (use against opponents spell) (counterable)

By counterable I mean that the opponent can use a fate point (if he has one) to counter the players. Basically they both burn one point and the dice fall where they may. Now to keep this from becomming a point slinging fest, no more than one exchange of points can occur at any one time. We have been discussing possible changes in the group as well. Possible changes that have been discussed:

Can't be used to affect other's rolls (makes them much less powerful)
NPC's don't have them

Just asking for critiques and/or ideas. Better/Other ways to use them, how they can be too unbalancing, etc. Anything is good.
Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

[Crothian]

This type of thing is really becoming pouliar. We have a similiar thing. Each person gets three an adventure. They can't be saved from week to week. Ours are weaker then yours.

Turn a hit into a threat, +5 on a d20 roll, reroll any die (take the second roll), max damage on one die, +5 to the DC of a spell, force opponent to rereoll die.

I think that's all of them. I really like the idea. I perfer having the many weaker ones as the PCs can spend them more freely. But that's preference.

 

[Greywandir]

Hmmm, sounds like a interesting idea, my own players seem to have their own version of Fatepoints though... True resurrection

 

[Starfox]

We have another version of Fate Points, which give extra lives. Whenever a character would have een killed, he can spend a Fate Point and wake up after a while, miraclously saved.

We get one such Fate Point at first level, and an additional Fate Point every four levels.

Basically, this means nobody ever dies, but you must still be careful, or run out of Fate Points. It means the DM doesn't have to balance his encounters as carefully. It is also a source of status to have al your Fate Points left.

 

[drowdude]

This is what we are using right now. Still being tested.

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Hero / Luck Points

These points may be expended to achieve heroic goals or simply to save your @$$ when the chips are down.
PCs receive 3 initially and then automatically gains + 1 per character level. Characters may also earn these points during the course of the game. What justifies such a reward is completely at the DM’s discretion. A may never have more than their character level +3 held in reserve. Please note that PCs who start their careers at an advanced level only receive 1 point per 3 character levels. NPCs may never possess/earn these points. You may expend these points as follows…

·Proactively spend one point to gain a +20 to a single d20 die roll.

·Reactively spend one to reroll a single d20 roll that was just made.

·Proactively spend one to gain a saving throw versus an effect that normally doesn’t allow one with no special bonuses allowed.

·Proactively spend one to be able to reroll anything below ½ on damage dice for one full round.

.Spend one to turn successful critical hit into a called shot. It requires 2 points to make a called shot to the head or similarly vital area. Roll a d12 with a special size modifier based on how big the weapon is in relation to you (-1 per size smaller and +1 per size larger) to determine the effect of the called shot. The victim receives a Fort save (DC = 10 + your BAB) to negate the effect. Even if this save is successful the victim suffers the effects of specific damage noted on page 67 of the DMG.

·These points may also be spent to accomplish other heroic feats that are beyond the scope of the rules (DM discretion).