What do you think about action points?

[Crothian]

I'm not a big fan of them. I prefer the type of points that the PCs get fewer, they are given based on in character action, and they are way more versatile.

 

[wayne62682]

Now those "Hero Points" thing above sounds exactly like what I'm talking about. Count as a natural 20 (which is pretty much the same thing as an auto-success) for heroic things, and are awarded by the DM due to heroics.

 

[Draxo]

I havent really used them much, and my group has been using them for a little while.

Every now and again we use them in a fight.. like a fighter swings and rolls fairly poorly, someone pokes him with a 'try action points?' same for a saving throw.

I can see myself using them for my sorcerer i'm starting though, for the single purpose of using metamagic that i dont have, since we use the version that lets us emulate a feat.

 

[blargney the second]

What would happen if there was an additional rule to APs: If you roll the action points at the same time as the d20, the result on the d20 is increased by the amount on the action dice. (So no natural ones, more natural 20s, increased critical threats, etc.) If you roll the action dice after the d20, it is a regular bonus as usual.

-blarg

 

[shilsen]

I've never played M&M. If it's not too much trouble, would those of you more familiar with the game mind explaining briefly how they are better?

I'm genuinely interested.

In M&M, they provide rerolls rather than a bonus, but each reroll is at least an 11 (if you roll 1-10 on the reroll, you add 10 to it).

They're also able to give you access to a feat for one round, to double your dodge bonus, to attempt to counter a power used against you, to cancel fatigue, to recover from a stunned condition (being hit in M&M can often stun you), to escape death by automatically stabilizing, and to gain inspiration of some sort.

M&M also allows PCs to use Extra Effort to do things like temporarily add a feat to a power, gain an extra standard or move action (very handy in a system with only one attack a round), make an additional save against an effect, use a power with increased effectiveness, etc. Extra Effort fatigues the character, so Hero Points are often used with Extra Effort to cancel the fatigue.

It's an absolutely brilliant system for superheroics and pulling off a climactic move. Considering the genre, it's also excellent for explaining those comic book moments when a character pulls off an amazing move that it never otherwise uses.

 

[Glyfair]

Good call, but. . . I'd change "efficient" to "cool" or "exciting". Efficiency isn't a hallmark of action/adventure genres. Indeed, I can't think of too many times (if any) that Indiana Jones or The Shadow were overly concerned with efficiency and practicality when taking action

One option is to give a chance for an action point to not be lost if it is used for "heroic action." Maybe 1-3 on a d6. You might want to tweak the number of points given with this system.

I've been using some variation of hit points since the 80's and the James Bond RPG. It was great for the uses of them in that game. Besides bumping a result one class, you could use them for minor changes to the world. For example, if you grab a clothesline in an apartment, where the GM didn't place one, you could spend a hero point for one to be there.

The method for awarding them was bad, IMO, You got one for every non-combat quality result 1 roll. That's just adding a good result to a good result.

 

[The Human Target]

In theory, I really really love them.

They do help cut down on the "PC makes one bad roll, looks like a goober" aspect of most D20 games.

I'm not a huge fan of the general WotC version.

The Thieve's World variant is brilliant, and the Spycraft 2.0 version is pretty good.

Spycraft's end up being a bit more useful than in DnD, and do more than just add to rolls (you have to spend them to active criticals, fumbles, use certain class abilities etc.)

TW's are amazingly useful. They guarantee a roll of no less than 11 (before modifiers), can be used to emulate feats, and do a whole bunch of other stuff.)

 

[Agamon]

It's an absolutely brilliant system for superheroics and pulling off a climactic move. Considering the genre, it's also excellent for explaining those comic book moments when a character pulls off an amazing move that it never otherwise uses.

That's a good point. I don't think I'd like HPs out of context, but they work really well for a supers game.

 

[arscott]

I've primarily used action points in D20 Modern. Modern APs differ in a few ways from Eberron APs and Unearthed Arcana APs:

1) you get to keep them when you level
2) they're required for certain class abilities
3) They don't have the added uses like stabilization and feat emulation. The just add to the d20 rolls.

In general, my only complaint was that they weren't being used enough--If i ran another game with APs, they would go away (or at least diminish) after every level.

I think they're particularly suited to Modern games for a couple of reasons:

First, spellcasting is rarer. If you're taking an action, you're more likely to be rolling. One of the problems I've seen in Eberron games is that the Fighter and Rogue blow through their APs, while the Wizard rarely uses his.

Second, skill checks tend to be more important. Since skill-based encounters are usually resolved in just a few rolls, Action Points spent on skill checks tend to pay off.

I like the fact that they're not automatic. That you can choose to spend an action point on something and still fail--something that's much less likely with M&M hero points.