Should I add Action Points to my game?

[Piratecat]

I'm considering adding Action Points to my non-Eberron game, using the rules found in Eberron (5+1/2 lvl every level, using non-exploding and non-stacking d6s to get a bonus of 1-6 points on a d20 roll.)

I've got to admit, though, I'm a little hesitant. How are they working out for people? Is there anything I should be aware of before instituting them?

 

[Guillaume]

My problem is actually getting my players to remember they have action points to spend! I've had games where they could have used them three or four times to save their hides and didn't, prefering to retreat or, worse, die.

Personally, I like the mechanics. However, my players use it so rarely that I have diffculties judging how they actually affect game play, which doesn't help you much I guess.

IOW, you should be aware that if your players are not used to having action points available to them, they might very well forget totally to use them.

 

[Glyfair]

It's not for every campaign, but I think they are a fine fit from what I know of yours. They aren't ideal for the grim & gritty type campaigns.

I do agree that sometime players forget they have them. That ends up with a lot of rushed uses of them as players get ready to level and realize they still have all or most of their action points left. That changes once players get used to them.

Personally, I avoid the whole "you can't use an action point once the DM tells you whetehr you succeed or not." It just makes the whole use of them too metagamy for me, and tends to penalize players who don't know the system as well (some players know their target numbers for skills better than others, and will know whether their roll succeeds immediately).

I also recommend expanding their use in minor ways, too. For example, assume in a low level campaign the PCs escape from a jail and stumble upon an armory. The fighter looks for his favored weapon of the scimitar and you don't have one in the armory. If a player spends an action point you might allow them to find a scimitar there.

This sort of thing tends to encourage players to think about creative ways to use their action points and players tend to think about their use more often.

Players will be making their rolls more often. The close calls will more often become hits, especially in key situations. This means to give the same challenge to players you'll need to up the ante a bit and perhaps allow the key players a few action points (Eberron has a feat that will give NPCs 3 action points).

 

[Kazinsky]

I have had good experience with the Eberron-based action point system. In the low to medium levels, the players get a ton of use out of them. Unlike Guillaume's group, mine use these things pretty liberally.

I'm thinking about even expanding the system a bit. Perhaps allowing 2 APs to be spent for a special exploding and stacking die or mixing in some of the uses from Malhavoc Press' system. Though, I think that APs lose some of their appeal as you get higher in level, since there are more modifiers that you can apply, even some that can be done in a reactionary fashion.

Hope that helps.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

You might want to start with a different "awarding" system, if they're new to the concept.

I also just prefer to make APs a little more of a Table Element.

Our current D&D group, playing in Greyhawk, uses Action Points. Characters gain 2AP every level and can gain additional APs from the GM as awards for good behavior ... or, more regularly, extremely pithy comments.

I like to use Grim Tales' method, which makes APs more of a give-and-take. The GM can award APs to the players in order to SPEND APs for NPCs, etc. If you make them more a part of the game, people will be more likely to use them.

Note that, for my group, about 50% of APs are used to make non-mission-critical rolls. If, for instance, they make a skill check and realize they got a 13 or 14 ... my players will usually spend an AP to get 15+, because they know DCs are usually 10/15/20/25. I actually LIKE this, since it helps to move the game along.

--fje

 

[Finley DaDum]

I have been running an Eberron campaign for about a year now taking characters from 2nd level to 11th level. At first they often forgot they had action points and would have to be reminded. This led to some situations where they were close to making the next character level and would start using them for almost anything to use them up. Another effect if fairly predictable like any resource they would almost always save them for the "big" fights. As the campaign got farther along the main effect is that they have been used almost entirely for saving throws. This from a player standpoint is probably the best use of the resource but I had originally hoped that the action points might have been used more to try to do things that they might have not attempted without them.

All in all I have a mixed reaction to them they help character survivability which is a good effect but my main goal to add a herioc element to the campaign was not realized in any meaningful way. I am starting a campaign as a player that will be using them with slight adjustments so hopefully I will get the other side of the picture.

 

[Abraxas]

It really depends on why you are considering them, and truly, after reading your story hour I am curious as to what that "why" is. From the story hour, your game seems darn near perfect, what are you thinking action points might add?

 

[heimdall]

My problem is actually getting my players to remember they have action points to spend! I've had games where they could have used them three or four times to save their hides and didn't, prefering to retreat or, worse, die.

I've tended to have the same issue. My players forget they have action points and they don't remember to use them. When it's been a life or death situation or when they could really use those extra points to get more information, I'll toss in a reminder. Overall I'd say they add to the game at the right moments without being a gamebreaker.

 

[BadMojo]

We've been using Action Dice (as written in the Eberron campaign setting) in our game for some time now and it's been working really well.

It adds an extra little bit of drama to already exciting combats. It does add some more metagame elements to play, but the player's often don't know the difficulty of a specific roll so it's a blast to see players agonizing over whether they should use an Action Point or not. IMO, it's not enough to through a game out of balance but it does give the players enough of a bump to (usually) prevent complete and utter disaster.

It is worth noting that we had two near TPK's since using the Action Point rules.

You also know when the errr... stuff has hit the fan when Action Points are being spent neary every round by all the players.

 

[BSF]

I like them! We are using Bad Axe Games' Mythic Heroes for both the archetypes and the action points. I encourage players to use action points liberally. Toward that end, I refresh AP each session. I knew that if I didn't, AP would just be another resource the players would hoard and were always afraid to use.

One of the more fun uses we have seen in my game were when the group was getting ready to ambush a flying ship. The Favored Soul didn't have enough slots to give everyone in the group air walk. Then they remembered they could use an AP to refresh a spell immediately after it was cast. The entire group ascended to attack the flying ship just as it flew into a valley. It was a great combat! It was even more fun when the martial artist was pushed off the side of the ship, but didn't fall since he had Air Walk on himself. Then he blew an AP to emulate the run feat so he could sprint fast enough to catch back up to the flying ship and join back in the fight. In another instance of the same scene, I awarded an AP to one of the players when I chose to confirm a crit on his PC. I admit that I did this because he kept using AP to bump up his AC so he could be hard to hit. So he took a crit, but received another AP that he used the next round to bump his AC.

The players had a great time with it as we had just introduced AP. They knew they were going to have a difficult time with the fight, and they did. But using AP they suddenly found themselves with a few more options than they were accustomed to. Once they got into the swing of things, the descriptions and heroics went up a notch. Admittedly, you have a great group and you probably don't need to encourage the players to think outside the box. But for my group, it was a nice little bump to refresh the feeling of wonder and heroism in the game.