Gaining action points

[Emka]

Age old question I'm sure, but I wasn't able to find a clear answer;

when counting two encounters to (re)gain an action point, do you include the last encounter an action point was spent?
e.g. the party win two encounters, one vs a troll and one vs a brigand band.
a player spends an action point in the encounter vs the troll. does the player get the action point back after the brigands (1 encounter after the troll, but two in total counting the troll), or does he get it back after winning an encounter after the brigands (brigands is 1 after the spent action point).

this confusion has come up quite a bit in my player's group.
thanks a bunch

 

[Nichwee]

You gain an Action Point everytime you complete a milestone (every 2 encounters without an extended rest) regardless of when (or even if) you spent your last Action Point.
In the campaign I play in our healer regularly saves his Action Point for the first 2 Encounters a day (if we are doing stuff where we expect heavy activity that day) so he can spend one in Encounter 3, one in Encounter 4 and the new one, he gets after Encounter 4, in Encounter 5.
This way he is ready to go stronger when the rest of us are running lower on surges/dailies/etc.

 

[SensoryThought]

In my opinion, the RAW for action points suck. They are meant to encourage players pushing on rather than taking extended rests. I found it a poor system that does not make up for spending dailies an doesn't take advantage of a great system for rewarding roleplaying.

I allow AP not to be used for extra actions but indeed for success on an attack or skill challenge. They last until the end of an adventure, regardless of rests. Each of my PCs has 3 beliefs in the style of the burning wheel rpg. Whenever they act, roleplay, or succeed in accordance with a belief they gain an AP. Irregular, but works for my group.

 

[Emka]

right. so basically its entirely possible to gain and use an AP every other encounter.

 

[Viking Bastard]

right. so basically its entirely possible to gain and use an AP every other encounter.

Yes.

A lot of people give it as an encounter power.

 

[Ryujin]

A milestone is achieved AFTER the second encounter, after a long rest. In other words it becomes available during the short rest, following that second encounter, and can be used in the THIRD encounter after a long rest.

This should be a flexible rule though. I've taken to giving it after a difficult encounter, rather than robotically giving milestones after the second encounter. My players have just been sailing through encounters, as a result of a Striker heavy group, optimization, and the use of a Pacifist Cleric. Sometimes they won't hit a milestone until the FOURTH encounter, after a long rest.

 

[Emka]

clear.
thanks guys

 

[Radiating Gnome]

This should be a flexible rule though. I've taken to giving it after a difficult encounter, rather than robotically giving milestones after the second encounter. My players have just been sailing through encounters, as a result of a Striker heavy group, optimization, and the use of a Pacifist Cleric. Sometimes they won't hit a milestone until the FOURTH encounter, after a long rest.

QFT.

I think it's important to see the "every two encounters" definition of a milestone as a guideline. I tweak that often, depending on the shape of the adventure, etc.

 

[fba827]

QFT.

I think it's important to see the "every two encounters" definition of a milestone as a guideline. I tweak that often, depending on the shape of the adventure, etc.

I can't quote the page source but I don't think I'm imagining it (though I guess that's always a possibility) but I'd swear in the DMG it actually says this specifically -- that the DM could consider it a milestone after one encounter if it's particularly difficult, or not consider it a milestone for several encounters if they are particularly easy.

But, yeah, like you said, a guideline/average and should get tweaked depending on the adventure.

 

[Ryujin]

I can't quote the page source but I don't think I'm imagining it (though I guess that's always a possibility) but I'd swear in the DMG it actually says this specifically -- that the DM could consider it a milestone after one encounter if it's particularly difficult, or not consider it a milestone for several encounters if they are particularly easy.

But, yeah, like you said, a guideline/average and should get tweaked depending on the adventure.

It does. To paraphrase it says that a particularly easy encounter, a couple of levels lower than the party might not count towards a milestone, but a more difficult one might count as multiple individual encounters.