WotC: Do NOT tie Action Points to level advancement!!!

[Dragonblade]

I edited the title to clarify I'm not talking about the Adventure Path modules!

 

[Dragonblade]

I dont know what it was, but something set off an idea in my head. What if "action points" are the arbitrator of your per encounter abilities?

Sure, if they have a per encounter reset mechanic.

 

[psionotic]

A minority seems to prefer hoarding them, which leads to odd behaviour if the characters are close to level-up:

They suddenly start using action points in every round.

This is exactly what started happening in the Eberron campaign I played in. I'm in favor of PCs having a small, capped number of them that refresh either per day or (better in my mind) per session.

 

[GravyFingerz]

One of the stated goals of 3E was a system that was easier to port to video games.

I've been coming to EN's unofficial 3e news and EN World for 8 years and I've never heard anyone tied to anything to do with 3e and 4e say that even once. Show me a source and I will eat my words; until then I say this: don't fabricate a fictional statement and pass it off as something that was said by someone in reality.

 

[Marshall]

I think that would conflict with the stated design approach of siloing character abilities. If everything is fueled by AP, then you'd have to choose between spending your AP on, for example, a utility spell vs. a combat spell. You'd have one common resource, rather than an independent number of uses for each 'silo'.

Youre assuming that utility and combat are in the same silo and feeding off the same resource. If utility spells are still 'vancian' or in the 'at will' category then you dont have to choose whether to spend APs to activate them. You'd only use 'encounter-refreshing' action points to activate 'per-encounter' abilities.

Heck, take this a step further, class levels gain you "source points" per encounter. You can use those points as either generic actions points or to power per encounter abilities that draw on that power source. Spend "Arcane Points" for spells, "Divine Points" for healing, "Martial Points" for buffs/maneuvers, etc..

 

[JVisgaitis]

I'm not sure what I think of Eberronesque Action Points being in core D&D, but then again they said Action Points are in and they are unlike any of the points that currently exist. I'm surprised no one has thought of this, but I wouldn't be surprised if this new action points are somewhat akin to the Token Pools in Iron Heroes or even if they are just a new method of resource management. I'm not against either option, I'm just glad its not a port of the Eberron style ones as I can't see those for every D&D game.

 

[Nifft]

I prefer to have action points refresh per SESSION.

Me, too. Exact number depends on length of session.

But then feats can exist which give you bonus Points, and you'll feel the benefit every single session.

Cheers, -- N

 

[roguerouge]

Personally, I love them being tied to your level.

First, it makes them special and heroic. You save them for the moments that really matter: an important attack, a save or die effect, or (in our campaign) a stabilization roll. The fact that you get more of them as you go up in level (in our campaign) is a nice signifier of the growing heroism of your character. Once per day can't replicate that feeling of a resource that is husbanded and grows over time.

Second, people have complained about saving them until you're going to go up in level, then spending them in a big burst. Again, to my mind, that's heroism. In my campaigns, you don't level after defeating the kobold guards. Whether it's designed or not, my characters typically level after accomplishing something significant, which gives time for rest and/or training. So, again, these end of level AP bursts tend to correlate with the needs of heroic narrative.

Third, because they're a scarce resource, they lend themselves to a DM reward system. One current DM gives out an extra one to players who write character journals about the session prior. That tends to "flesh out" the campaign with a character's inner thoughts and motivations, which is especially handy in a large campaign that meets less frequently. It's not as damaging as handing out XP to those players who like to write, but it does encourage them to go the extra mile.

 

[Dragonblade]

Personally, I love them being tied to your level.

First, it makes them special and heroic. You save them for the moments that really matter: an important attack, a save or die effect, or (in our campaign) a stabilization roll. The fact that you get more of them as you go up in level (in our campaign) is a nice signifier of the growing heroism of your character. Once per day can't replicate that feeling of a resource that is husbanded and grows over time.

Second, people have complained about saving them until you're going to go up in level, then spending them in a big burst. Again, to my mind, that's heroism. In my campaigns, you don't level after defeating the kobold guards. Whether it's designed or not, my characters typically level after accomplishing something significant, which gives time for rest and/or training. So, again, these end of level AP bursts tend to correlate with the needs of heroic narrative.

Third, because they're a scarce resource, they lend themselves to a DM reward system. One current DM gives out an extra one to players who write character journals about the session prior. That tends to "flesh out" the campaign with a character's inner thoughts and motivations, which is especially handy in a large campaign that meets less frequently. It's not as damaging as handing out XP to those players who like to write, but it does encourage them to go the extra mile.

Two points I'll make to address this. A per level mechanic would be ok only if actions points were something extra in the game. Like the ability to boost a die roll or save yourself from an otherwise lethal blow. I could live with that.

But in SW Saga, they are tightly integrated in the system and into talents. Which means that many of my character's abilities are rendered useless or much less effective if I have no force points. Its not fun to use a class ability when you are painfully giving up a resource that might be required to save your character's life. Its not fun to have talents and abilities that I don't feel like I can freely use for fear of using up a precious resource.

Plus in SW Saga there is no method in the rules for DMs to reward characters with Force points. Having to house rule this simply shows an area where the mechanics of the game have failed to provide the best play experience.

 

[Wolv0rine]

My only experience with Action Points is d20 modern (YotZ to be specific). YotZ was my first d20Modern game, and while we may have been doing them wrong, this was my experience. You can so many APs per level in d20 Modern, and we spent the living bejesus out of them. On the other hand, we didn't do the "You can't keep unused APs on levelup" that I seem to get the idea that most of the AP rules include.
My YotZ character Sam, for example, at level 9 still had 37 Action Points left. And like I said, we used them all over the place (not like water, but not like gold either).

So me, I like action points.