D&D 5E Yes, Inspiration

[mflayermonk]

Mr Angry DM seems to have borrowed from FATE a fair bit

Alot of this comes up in Burning Wheel or even older stuff like Runequest.

 

[brokadocious]

Taking a cue from fate ( or how I interpret/play it anyway). I would generally treat it as a compel. That is to say inpiration would be used to prompt or reward playing in character when it is disadvantageous to do so.

If players are actively seeking inspiration in combat to gain advantage I would require them to describe how they plan to gain it spend an action (and make any relevant skill checks) to create the situation that grants them inspiration. This is similar to fates create an advantage action.

 

[hawkeyefan]

[MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION], I've felt the same way about inspiration,, at least as far as the mechanic being pretty boring. It hasn't interfered too much with advantage seeking tactics, but that's probably because I am pretty stingy with awarding it.

Other than the regular use, I've let my players try to come up with uses for it. I leave it up to then to figure a use for it, and then ask me if they can use the inspiration to achieve what they want. So far that's kind of worked, but it's a very loose way to go about things. So far it hasn't gotten out of hand, but I can see the potential.

Examples they've come up with so far...regaining use of a spent ability (limited to those regained by short rest), using an additional reaction, reroll ing a failed die roll (basically retroactive advantage), and retain concentration without having to roll. There are a couple of others, but those were more story or interaction based...finding the info needed when doing research, knowing personally an NPC who has knowledge they need...things like that.

So far it's really worked and it engages the players and encourages creative uses. Nothing they've asked for has been that out of line...I think I've turned down maybe two requests and that was really more about setting expectations (one request was for an extra attack, the other I can't recall).

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Really, this just strikes me as the natural consequence of the mechanical pendulum swing. You equip to fight the previous war and all that. 4e tried to work in some degree of limiting bonus proliferation (Combat Advantage was clearly meant to encapsulate all "you're in a superior fighting position than this enemy"), and 5e took this goal to an extreme--succeeding in making a bonus structure about as simple as it could possibly be. But that simplicity is exactly where the new problems, like this one, will arise. Advantage is best used as a tool of last resort, but the rules, particularly for Inspiration, make it a tool of first resort much of the time, exactly as I predicted during the playtest. When someone hands out like candy the best bonus the game allows, because it's (at least seen as) the only "givable" bonus, it will soon feel pretty limiting.

As for solving the problem, there are already some good ideas in the thread. Personally, I'd go for something like "Driven: you may treat one die roll as 2 higher, or 2 lower, than its shown value, but not higher or lower than that die is capable of rolling." This stacks with advantage, is a unique mechanic, doesn't make impossible things possible, and is small enough (the equivalent of level 1 Proficiency) that you can hand it out as often or as rarely as you like. I've intentionally left it open whether it applies only to the player's rolls or to rolls made against them too; that seems like a thing best deliberated. Heck, even the "or lower" part might be better left out.

 

[pukunui]

I started a similar thread to this not that long ago. I was also looking for alternatives to just getting advantage. I got some good suggestions and ended up deciding to go with the uses for PF's Hero Points. I recommend checking them out.

 

[77IM]

One good alternate use for Inspiration is to get an additional attack, bonus action, or reaction. I wouldn't allow a whole extra action, as that gets really messy at higher levels with multiple-attack routines or casting multiple spells. But an extra single attack (or bonus action or reaction, which tend to be about as powerful as a single attack; for example, off-hand attacks or opportunity attacks) is a bit more powerful than advantage (since you might hit with both attacks; with advantage if both dice roll well you still only hit with one) but not so powerful as to break the game. But it stacks with advantage, which seems to be your main complaint.

 

[Saeviomagy]

* Avoid being reduced to 0 hitpoints
* Natural 20 a death save
* Heal a small amount of hitpoints
* Get an extra reaction
* Get an extra bonus action
* Reduce incoming damage
* Get a hunch (ie - vague metagame info from the DM, like which door the prize is behind, or whether it's safe to rest here)
* Backdate an action (ie - DM announces that a trap goes off, PC uses his inspiration to search for the trap before that happens)
* Come back from the dead without needing resurrection magic
* Duplicate a spell

 

[Psikerlord#]

we dont use inspiration - it devalues getting adv in other ways imo.

If I were to use it, I would give Paizo Plot Twist cards out in lieu of Adv. More fun/creative.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Really, this just strikes me as the natural consequence of the mechanical pendulum swing. You equip to fight the previous war and all that. 4e tried to work in some degree of limiting bonus proliferation (Combat Advantage was clearly meant to encapsulate all "you're in a superior fighting position than this enemy"), and 5e took this goal to an extreme--succeeding in making a bonus structure about as simple as it could possibly be. But that simplicity is exactly where the new problems, like this one, will arise. Advantage is best used as a tool of last resort, but the rules, particularly for Inspiration, make it a tool of first resort much of the time, exactly as I predicted during the playtest. When someone hands out like candy the best bonus the game allows, because it's (at least seen as) the only "givable" bonus, it will soon feel pretty limiting.

As for solving the problem, there are already some good ideas in the thread. Personally, I'd go for something like "Driven: you may treat one die roll as 2 higher, or 2 lower, than its shown value, but not higher or lower than that die is capable of rolling." This stacks with advantage, is a unique mechanic, doesn't make impossible things possible, and is small enough (the equivalent of level 1 Proficiency) that you can hand it out as often or as rarely as you like. I've intentionally left it open whether it applies only to the player's rolls or to rolls made against them too; that seems like a thing best deliberated. Heck, even the "or lower" part might be better left out.

Yeah we still use misc bonus/penalties up +/-3, as well as adv and disad (which we generally equate as more potent than +3).

For example, if you flank in our game you get +1 hit.

Retaining these kinds of more granular modifiers are not inconsistent with the design. Cover effectively gives at +2 or +5 bonus, for example. And obviously magical weapons etc. The good old "Dm's friend" of +/-2 is well used in our game.

 

[CapnZapp]

Maybe +1d6 like action points? I don't know how that would interact with Bardic Inspiration though.

Thanks.

Had a Bard in my last game, didn't want to upstage that, so... alternatives! In a bardless game, thou.