Sadras
Legend
I've felt, for a long time now, that my players were not using their PCs' characteristics to earn Inspiration and just in general, not playing up to their flaws and ideals, as much as I'd like them to.
So I finally attempted to change this in our last session. I noted all the PCs' flaws, some had more than one. One PC had the flaw Impatient another had Self-Absorbed.
In a planned ambush awaiting for the BBEG to show up, the Impatient fighter PC was meant to stand within 30 feet away from the sorcerer who was tasked with casting Haste on him.
I offered the fighter to play on his flaw Impatient, by having him be just outside the range of the Haste spell for that first round of combat and this due to his character's over-eager pacing while waiting for the BBEG. In exchange he would earn himself an Inspiration point. He liked the idea and surprisingly agreed to it.
I proposed to the player with the Self-Absorbed character that her PC would be deep in thought at the time of the BBEG (which made sense with her backstory given the relationship with this BBEG), resulting in her going last in the round of combat, essentially an initiative roll of 1. She agreed to it thereby earning herself an Inspiration point.
Just to be clear, the above were like soft compels (Fate) and did not cost the players anything upon refusal, unlike in Fate where it costs a Fate point when the player refuses. Thinking out aloud: Perhaps introducing a 1 HD cost would be fair with a limit of 1 or 2 compels of different characteristics (aspects) per session.
Both players enjoyed the use of playing up their flaws, instigating a situational setback in exchange for a mechanical benefit. My intention is to continue with this process, introducing the rest of the personality characteristics and hopefully get the players to start petitioning me, instead of having me to do all the creative legwork.
So I finally attempted to change this in our last session. I noted all the PCs' flaws, some had more than one. One PC had the flaw Impatient another had Self-Absorbed.
In a planned ambush awaiting for the BBEG to show up, the Impatient fighter PC was meant to stand within 30 feet away from the sorcerer who was tasked with casting Haste on him.
I offered the fighter to play on his flaw Impatient, by having him be just outside the range of the Haste spell for that first round of combat and this due to his character's over-eager pacing while waiting for the BBEG. In exchange he would earn himself an Inspiration point. He liked the idea and surprisingly agreed to it.
I proposed to the player with the Self-Absorbed character that her PC would be deep in thought at the time of the BBEG (which made sense with her backstory given the relationship with this BBEG), resulting in her going last in the round of combat, essentially an initiative roll of 1. She agreed to it thereby earning herself an Inspiration point.
Just to be clear, the above were like soft compels (Fate) and did not cost the players anything upon refusal, unlike in Fate where it costs a Fate point when the player refuses. Thinking out aloud: Perhaps introducing a 1 HD cost would be fair with a limit of 1 or 2 compels of different characteristics (aspects) per session.
Both players enjoyed the use of playing up their flaws, instigating a situational setback in exchange for a mechanical benefit. My intention is to continue with this process, introducing the rest of the personality characteristics and hopefully get the players to start petitioning me, instead of having me to do all the creative legwork.
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