Hero Points:

Let’s be clear, these are almost identical to Action points from 3.5 Eberron. I’ve said in other posts and on the podcasts that the Eberron setting is my favorite. And it’s not even close. I LOVE that setting. Everything about it just feels right to me, including the Action Point mechanic it introduced. I adopted it immediately (with a few minor tweaks) and have been using it ever since in all my games. When 4th Edition came out and used a similar mechanic under the title of Action Points I re-named mine Hero Points. Although I haven’t played in that system, a current player in my games said that my version is almost identical to Fate points in Star Wars.

Here’s how my version of Hero Points work.

Each PC starts out with a number of Hero Points equal to their level. So starting out at level 1 you get 1 Hero Point.  At no time can you have more than 2xlevel. Hero Points are made to be used, not horded.  You also lose any unspent Hero Points when you level* and then get your new level back.

A Hero Point can be used in the following ways:

• To affect any D20 roll that the player using the Hero Point makes or affects them.  For example: they can use it to modify their attack roll (positively) or on an attack roll against them (negatively).  But again, any D20 Roll can be affected.
•  When used, the player rolls a D6 and adds or subtracts the result of that roll to the D20 roll they are modifying. ( Edit:  Based on a recent discussion I had with Evan and Rob (Dungeon Talk, Episode 4) I’m going to change Hero Points on a temporary basis to giving Advantage or Disadvantage instead )
• They can also be used to affect a single damage die that they roll or is rolled against them. Each Hero point spent this way (in this instance you CAN use more than one in a round) can either maximize or minimize a single damage die roll.
• Misc: if the player just wants to do something crazy, that is either not covered in the rules or would require several rolls (jump up onto a low wall, leap to a hanging chain, swing across the room and then let go and then attack with a charge bonus on an enemy below them) they can use a Hero Point to by-pass all the rolls except for one. In the case above they would still need to roll the attack roll. This would also not negate any falling damage (or roll against that) needed depending on how far the drop was.
• *Hit Dice: as mentioned above, you lose any unspent Hero Points when you level but you can still use them while you are leveling. When you roll for Hit Points at your new level you can spend a Hero point to re-roll that roll. You take the new result regardless. you can spend as many Hero Points as you have left in this manner.
• Custom Feat: I allow for the players to take a custom feat to change the Hero Point Die from a D6, to a D8, to a D10 and then to a D12 as an option.

Similar to the Bitch and While rule, these Hero Points shift the math in the players favor a little bit. I have gone to game style now where I do not follow any Experience points reward as outlined by any book. I give out only story based XP and all the PC’s advance at the same rate so Hero Points are my way of rewarding Players in-game. I try to give them out for being Heroic, but if a player role-plays their character very well or just says something funny that cracks the whole table up, that’s a good time to reward them. I DO NOT allow a Hero Point spent to earn a Hero Point. So using a Hero Point to maximize damage and drop the Ogre will not get them another Hero Point, but fighting said Ogre single-handedly so that the other PC’s can move to safety would be justified in getting a Hero Point.

If you haven’t tried Hero Points (or similar) give it a shot. Let me know how it goes. If you do something similar, post that in the comments as well or submit it for a full fledged Post in the House rules page.

Thanks!!

– Michael, AKA Professor Mumbles

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