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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Engilbrand" data-source="post: 4898747" data-attributes="member: 44184">I'm DMing an Eberron game for 2 friends. One character is a Changeling Bard. The other is a Valenar Elf Ranger. They started at level 4. They're now level 7. They level up every 2 sessions. Combat is a secondary thing that I only use for them when it would have a point for the story.I knew their issues with 4th edition before we began, so I came up with 2 "hacks" that they seem to love.1. Preroll- Roll 10 combat rolls and 10 skill rolls. Distribute bonuses up to a total of your level. If the characters are 5th level, each set of rolls gets a +5 bonus spread among the numbers. (Still figuring out exactly when to stop this. +30 would be ridiculous.)Why?- This allows the players to be good at what they're good at. Also, it makes combat incredibly more narrative. Their descriptions of what happens take into account hits and misses.Problems?- The skill set might need to be redone. I have found myself being a bit static with regards to the skills that I ask for, and they typically succeed all the time. Ideas?Player reactions- They love this. Especially for combat. They like that they don't usually crit against a minion or continuously miss a normal guy. Combats are even more dynamic and fun than they would normally be. They're usually assured to have a crit or two in each combat, and they find fun ways to miss.My view- I'm perfectly fine with the way that the game normally works. For these guys, though, this has worked out really well.2. Spiffy Points- Each player gets 5 of these per session. They allow more narrative control over events, typically in combat. They can be used to:a. do an effect without the damage. Example: Lightning Lure. It can be used to lasso a friend who is falling and pull him to safety without injury.b. do something extra. Example: The Ranger hit an enemy, spent a Spiffy Point, and cut down a cloth curtain on a tent to tangle up a foe and knock him prone. I had him make a standard melee attack vs Reflex to see if the curtain did what he wanted.c. do something else. Example: I'm sure that it has happened, but nothing is coming to mind. When they ask to do the strange stuff, Spiffy Points are used.Why?- Sometimes, you just want to do something extra. I know that page 42 allows for this stuff. I use the Points as a way for them to do stuff beyond what they normally do anyway in a turn. Also, this gives them a better chance at survival because there are only 2 of them.Problems?- None. They're gradually getting more use to them. I would like to see them use them more often, especially on skill rolls.Player Reactions- They like them. I had a raid on an Airship Cruiseship the other day, and the Changeling was altered into a literary character. Imagine every stereotype of the Scoundrel Pirate. Every stereotype. I told him that he had 8 Spiffy Points, and he should use at least one per round. There was much swinging, flipping, and controlling of Soarsleds. It was a blast.My view- I like them. When used, they've added something fun and dynamic to combats.Comments? Questions? Ideas? This is my first time really DMing anything more than a combat-fest, and it has been a blast. If you're wondering about the balance of these things, I'll be honest and tell you that it throws things off a bit. Then again, they still experience pain, and the story is developing dynamically.I have used some form of the word "dynamic" too many times in this post.</blockquote>

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