D&D 5E Hero Points

[LexStarwalker]

I'm curious if any of you have used the hero points optional rule in the DMG.
If so, how did it work for you in your group, specifically in the different tiers of play. E.g. did you find the d6 added to the d20 quite powerful at 1st tier and middling at 4th tier, or was it useful throughout?
What were your feelings on the number of hero points being given per level--too few? too much? about right? What were your feelings on those points resetting when the PC gains a level?
Thanks!

 

[iserith]

I use them in my Eberron one-shots with some modifications. Instead of getting a set number per level, you have to earn them. You can do so in Character Creation or at the end of an adventure for meeting specific criteria. Some examples follow:

[sblock]Character Creation Achievements:

Catchy Name
Create a pulpy name for your character that says something about him or her e.g. Doc Savage or Chuck Dagger.

Genre Savvy
Create and post a character using an Eberron-specific race, feat, or other option from Unearthed Arcana.

Pithy Backstory
Create and post an evocative character background/personality of 140 characters or less e.g. "A half-orc deserter from the Shadow Marches with a zeal for adventure, a criminal record, and a craving for fried toad."

General Achievements:

Action Hero
You have expended all of your hero points.

Inspiring Hero
You have earned and spent Inspiration more than twice.

Actually Useful Backstory
You used your background feature to achieve a goal.

The Scribe
You took notes for the group.
Scenario-Specific Achievements

First Responder
You saved 12 or more commoners during the caravan escape scene.

Party Animal
You chose to Carouse during your downtime. It's Wildnight, baby!

Protector of House Medani
You prevented Baron Trelib d'Medani from dying in the lightning rail collision and rescued Zalina d'Medani from Dick Barrage's clutches.

Bounty Hunter
All of the escaped prisoners have been captured or killed as a result of your efforts.

Villain's Menace
Dick Barrage has been captured or killed as a result of your efforts.[/sblock]

I didn't find they were powerful enough to be worried about them in actual play. I keep my Eberron games under 11th level though so I can't really compare what they are like above that tier. I do prefer that the players earn Hero Points rather than simply get a set amount per level as evidenced above. The way it worked for my games is that you would earn Hero Points at the end of the adventure that carried over to the next adventure. New characters could start with some if they did a few things to buy into the premise.

 

[Croesus]

We've used them in my group since LMoP came out and they are a big hit. Our hero points are different from the DMG, however.

-Each PC gets 2 hero points at the beginning of each session, usable only by that PC. They don't roll over, so use or lose.
-The GM also awards community hero points for crits by primary opponents. These can be used by anyone.
-Hero points can add a d6 or reroll any Attack, Skill Check, and Save. They can also be used to regain hit points similar to burning a Hit Die.

The two most common uses are gaining hit points in the middle of combat to avoid dropping, and on saving throws.

I'm a big fan of hero points for one simple reason: sometimes the dice just have it in for the players. Maybe they can't make a save to (no pun intended) save their souls. Sometimes the enemy just doesn't miss on attacks. Whatever it is, if you roll enough dice, there will be times when they skew so badly, there's nothing the player can do. That's what hero points are for. They give the players at least a chance to even out the luck a bit.

Hero points are useful at all levels, though perhaps more critical at low levels, when a single attack can drop (or kill) a character. They're not overwhelming in play, but can sometimes have significant impact if the HP keeps a character from being banished, or saves a character from dying in a dragon's breath.

 

[GlassJaw]

As both a player and DM, I love Hero Points. In the current group I'm DMing, we only had 3 players (up to 4 + DM now) and everyone was somewhat inexperienced so HPs gave them additional survivability at low levels.

As mentioned, they give a bit of safety net if the dice are really going against the players in a given session. I also like that they give me - the DM - another resource I can chip away at in addition to hit points. As they use up their HPs, the tension increases since they know they won't have that crucial HP to save their butts. I'm also fine if they save them for boss battles. In my experience, the addition of HPs makes boss battles that much more epic. Finally, I know that if I throw something at the players that might be a bit too challenging than I wanted - or an encounter turns out to be unexpectedly difficult - I know it won't turn into a trainwreck.

I started with the rules in the DMG for HPs but I modified the rules for my game, borrowing heavily from 3ed Trailblazer:

Hero Points

All characters have 5 Hero Points. Hero Points are refreshed when a character gains a level; unused points are lost.

Spending Action Points
• Improve an attack roll, ability check or saving throw. Roll a d6 and add the result to your d20 roll. You may only use a Hero Point to improve the result of a roll before the DM informs you of the outcome of the roll. You may only use one Hero Point per roll to improve any given d20 roll.
• Negate a critical hit scored against you by an opponent.
• Improve your AC. As a bonus action, spend a Hero Point and roll a d6. The result is added to your AC until the start of your next turn.
• Heal in combat. As an action, spend a Hero Point and spend up to half your Hit Dice to heal.
• Whenever you fail a death saving throw, you may spend a Hero Point to convert the failure into a success. If you roll a 1, you can only convert one of the failures.

Party Pool
A Party Pool is a pool of Hero Points shared by the party. The Party Pool represents the characters learning to work together as a team.
Hero Points in the Party Pool function normally and may be used by anyone in the group. When Hero Points refresh (upon gaining a level), each player may contribute 1 Hero Point from their own total to the Party Pool.

There is no maximum to the Party Pool, and Hero Points in the Party Pool are not lost when Hero Points refresh. However, if the current number of Hero Points in the Party Pool is equal to or greater than the number of characters in the party, a character can not contribute to the Party Pool. This may result in not all characters being able to contribute a Hero Point to the Party Pool.

The DM may also choose to award Hero Points to the Party Pool when the party performs heroic deeds or accomplishes difficult quests, especially those that are optional.