Hero Point Systems: Please Share...
- Thread starter Old One
- Start date
Old One said:
In our modern game, we use a mix of the d20 modern and the Mutants and Masterminds system. You get a number of points every session, they're based on your class and level (5+ 1/2 level for most people, something like that).
You can use them for a ton of things. The d20 modern rules allow you to spend one to add a d6 to whatever you just rolled. That's good if you roll high, but not quite high enough.
The MnM usages are much more versatile. For instance, you can spend one to re-roll the d20 roll you just made, and no matter what you roll, you get at least a 10.
You can spend one to raise your AC by 5 for a round.
One will give you back 3xcharacter level hps.
One will confirm a critical, or prevent a critical from confirming against you (has to be spent before the confirm roll is made).
The DM has a bunch of little tokens that he gives out to show how many you have, which is great, because now we have a physical thing that can be spent, so we tend to use them more. Before we would kinda forget about them.
These work great in a modern game, particularly because we have no magic and obviously, no cleric. They keep the game rolling, give us an action-hero kinda feel, and save our butts.
Unfortunately, the NPCs can use them too
We use the MnM formula for that, and I forget what it is exactly, but the DM ends up with about as many points for his session as each of us does for ours, to spread over all his NPCs. They tend to get saved for the climactic encounters.
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
We use a system based loosely off spycraft.
Each player gets 3 action points to spend per session. You can use these for any creature you play -- your PC, a cohort, a follower, a companion, etc. You don't get extra points for having extra characters under your control. The DM gets 2 action points per player -- if there are four players, the DM gets 8 action points.
You can use them to confirm a critical instead of rolling to confirm; to add 1d6 onto a roll; to add 1d6 to ONE CHARACTER'S save DC vs. any effect; or to bend the rules slightly.
Bending the rules might include being able to charge "up" (e.g., a barbarian with a ring of jumping is being attacked through the window of a ruined castle by a giant, so he charges toward the window, leaps 10' in the air, and grapples the giant's arm by using an action die). It might include being able to have a bard's fascinate ability work against a vampire. It might involve allowing normally unobtainable results with a Use Magic Device check.
Daniel
Each player gets 3 action points to spend per session. You can use these for any creature you play -- your PC, a cohort, a follower, a companion, etc. You don't get extra points for having extra characters under your control. The DM gets 2 action points per player -- if there are four players, the DM gets 8 action points.
You can use them to confirm a critical instead of rolling to confirm; to add 1d6 onto a roll; to add 1d6 to ONE CHARACTER'S save DC vs. any effect; or to bend the rules slightly.
Bending the rules might include being able to charge "up" (e.g., a barbarian with a ring of jumping is being attacked through the window of a ruined castle by a giant, so he charges toward the window, leaps 10' in the air, and grapples the giant's arm by using an action die). It might include being able to have a bard's fascinate ability work against a vampire. It might involve allowing normally unobtainable results with a Use Magic Device check.
Daniel
I have a very simple system that is basically just in place to prevent character death from a series of bad rolls on their part or a series of good rolls on my part.
A hero point can be used...
1) To automatically make a saving throw (even after failing it)
2) automatically stabilize
3) If dropped from + hp to -11 hp in one attack a hero point can be used to automatically stabilize at -10.
I rarely give them out and only after they do something worthy. They started at 5th level and are 10th level and I have only given each character 2 hero points.
A hero point can be used...
1) To automatically make a saving throw (even after failing it)
2) automatically stabilize
3) If dropped from + hp to -11 hp in one attack a hero point can be used to automatically stabilize at -10.
I rarely give them out and only after they do something worthy. They started at 5th level and are 10th level and I have only given each character 2 hero points.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
I give out Fate Points for writing "journal entries" -- for recording the party's exploits, in any format. By spending one, the PC can get:
I figure this will be about 5 per level maximum, which is fair by d20 Modern rules. -- N
- +1d6 (or more) to any roll -- per the Light Side Force Points in SWd20
- "Save Life" divine intervention, go from -11 or worse to 0
- Automatic success on any single skill check
- Bend rules in cool way (DM's approval most likely in plot-oriented actions)
I figure this will be about 5 per level maximum, which is fair by d20 Modern rules. -- N
AeroDm
First Post
I tinkered with a system that was basically Karma. Whenever you did something good or bad (it was essentially the DMs call on these) you made a roll. If the actin was bad you made a DC 10 wisdom check. Success means that your Karma would be reduced by 1. If the action was good you made a DC 15 wisdom check. Success means that your karma would be increased by 1. I made it a wisdom check because it was a sort of "knowing you did wrong" type of thing. I also made it easier to lose than gain because it would usually only be the really bad actions that called for anything, while most good actions would call for a check (to emphasize the rewards of good).
Every session you could spend your Karma at a 1:1 ratio to add to d20 rolls before the roll, or 1:2 after the roll. If you had a negative Karma I could use them against you. Likewise, they also served to be a general luck score. Need some luck? Roll a Karma check.
The other perk was that I ditched alignment and used Karma. If a Paladin ever lost any karma, they lost their powers until they gained two back. It served fairly well, but I didn't get to playtest it extensively.
Every session you could spend your Karma at a 1:1 ratio to add to d20 rolls before the roll, or 1:2 after the roll. If you had a negative Karma I could use them against you. Likewise, they also served to be a general luck score. Need some luck? Roll a Karma check.
The other perk was that I ditched alignment and used Karma. If a Paladin ever lost any karma, they lost their powers until they gained two back. It served fairly well, but I didn't get to playtest it extensively.
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
Torg used a good system, that allowed extra hero points (Possibilities called) if you, for example, fought your nemesis or experienced problems due to a character weakness.
Some good ideas for giving out hero or action points, besides the "you do something very heroic":
Basically anything that improves roleplaying or greatly advances or enhances the plot (creates a subplat), like:
Choosing and fighting an Arch Nemesis (though the player would decide to have such an nemesis, the NPC nemesis will feel the same and causes trouble, even if he isn`t a direct part of the ongoing tasks - and even if the character isn`t near)
Finding a Love Interest (which causes further motiviations or risks in the adventure)
Any kind of great roleplaying or interaction from PC to NPCs (or sometimes even to PCs).
Example: A Bard player decides to sing or play an instrument to roleplay his character, or a Cleric player that uses appropriate prayers for the situation. A Paladin trying to motivate NPCs and PCs to fight his fight for the good and law by holding a speec.
(Most of these tasks are repeatable, but I advice against giving out Heropoints to often for it. It should encourage creative roleplaying, not boring repeating for pure mechanical benefits)
Using Heropoints
Finding a Connection: If a simple Gather Information or Knowledge (Streetwise) check is not sufficient, use a Heropoint to remember someone you know in the region. (Torg had a Card for this.)
You could also use Heropoints to retroactively change things (this came up somewhere else, I believe in a threat about Oceans Eleven). Example:
DM: "The werewolves are chasing you through the back alleys of the city. You know you can`t defeat them directly, and they will outrun you in a few minutes. What do you do"
Player1: thinks a short time, rolls a d20, and passes a note with his character sheet to the DM, along with the words: "I play a Hero Point".
DM: looks at the note, watches the character sheet, laughs and nods. "Okay. Make it so."
Player1: "We take the next corner left, and our trap springs. The Werewolves look into the faces of 4 thugs from the local thief guild, all armed with silver weapons. As the werewolfes look back, they see 4 other thugs."
Probably player and DM would have to talk about it openly, because writing notes takes too much time. The DM might also allow that the players don`t have to come up with an idea on their own, but presents it itself, though this is usually not as interesting and fun. (Torg allowed such things with the Escape Card, but you didn`t always get one, and thus it wasn`t as available as a Possiblity or a Hero Point would be...)
Mustrum Ridcully
Some good ideas for giving out hero or action points, besides the "you do something very heroic":
Basically anything that improves roleplaying or greatly advances or enhances the plot (creates a subplat), like:
Choosing and fighting an Arch Nemesis (though the player would decide to have such an nemesis, the NPC nemesis will feel the same and causes trouble, even if he isn`t a direct part of the ongoing tasks - and even if the character isn`t near)
Finding a Love Interest (which causes further motiviations or risks in the adventure)
Any kind of great roleplaying or interaction from PC to NPCs (or sometimes even to PCs).
Example: A Bard player decides to sing or play an instrument to roleplay his character, or a Cleric player that uses appropriate prayers for the situation. A Paladin trying to motivate NPCs and PCs to fight his fight for the good and law by holding a speec.
(Most of these tasks are repeatable, but I advice against giving out Heropoints to often for it. It should encourage creative roleplaying, not boring repeating for pure mechanical benefits)
Using Heropoints
Finding a Connection: If a simple Gather Information or Knowledge (Streetwise) check is not sufficient, use a Heropoint to remember someone you know in the region. (Torg had a Card for this.)
You could also use Heropoints to retroactively change things (this came up somewhere else, I believe in a threat about Oceans Eleven). Example:
DM: "The werewolves are chasing you through the back alleys of the city. You know you can`t defeat them directly, and they will outrun you in a few minutes. What do you do"
Player1: thinks a short time, rolls a d20, and passes a note with his character sheet to the DM, along with the words: "I play a Hero Point".
DM: looks at the note, watches the character sheet, laughs and nods. "Okay. Make it so."
Player1: "We take the next corner left, and our trap springs. The Werewolves look into the faces of 4 thugs from the local thief guild, all armed with silver weapons. As the werewolfes look back, they see 4 other thugs."
Probably player and DM would have to talk about it openly, because writing notes takes too much time. The DM might also allow that the players don`t have to come up with an idea on their own, but presents it itself, though this is usually not as interesting and fun. (Torg allowed such things with the Escape Card, but you didn`t always get one, and thus it wasn`t as available as a Possiblity or a Hero Point would be...)
Mustrum Ridcully
Rel
Liquid Awesome
The system we use is fairly subjective, but we like it.
Whenever there is a "Great Moment In Gaming", loosely defined by all of us laughing uncontrollably and nearly waking up the baby, the person who initiated it gets a "chip" (we use red poker chips). You can spend a chip any time you want to reroll a die that directly affects your character (i.e. you can reroll an attack you made or one against you or a saving throw for yourself, but you can't reroll an attack or saving throw for a party member).
That's pretty much it.
Whenever there is a "Great Moment In Gaming", loosely defined by all of us laughing uncontrollably and nearly waking up the baby, the person who initiated it gets a "chip" (we use red poker chips). You can spend a chip any time you want to reroll a die that directly affects your character (i.e. you can reroll an attack you made or one against you or a saving throw for yourself, but you can't reroll an attack or saving throw for a party member).
That's pretty much it.
