Post/Author/DateTime	Post
kroh 10-01-04, 07:32 AM	I was just wondering if anyone out there on either side of the DM screen has seen any creative uses for action points. We have been hearing a lot of cool rules regarding their use, but not any stories on HOW people are using them. Any one have any cool action point stories??? Walt
fizzbang 10-01-04, 08:46 AM	I was just wondering if anyone out there on either side of the DM screen has seen any creative uses for action points. We have been hearing a lot of cool rules regarding their use, but not any stories on HOW people are using them. Any one have any cool action point stories??? So far, a lot of the action point uses in our party have been for just adding that last second touch of luck we needed in a pitched fight. While not always terribly dramatic, they've mostly been for making a saving throw or getting a hit on an enemy that's stomping the party. When one of us has "a brilliant idea" and describes an elaborate and difficult tactic in a fight, it's sort of a given that we're ready to spend an action point to back it up. At one point, our low-level party was divided in half by a chasm, with some of us getting wailed on by dolgrims. Eventually, my shifter ranger desperately attempted a mad scramble along the wall over the chasm to dive into combat with the enemies and pull them off of the nearly-dead artificer. With a little bit of help, the climb check and the attack rolls worked out. On the other hand, I find that there are some times when an action point just isn't going to be enough. NO matter how cinematic, if your roll is in the 2 or 3s, then the bonus of a d6 (or even a d8 if you've got the feat) just doesn't cut it. I find that members of our party use about 1 or 2 action points per session, maybe one every two or three encounters. It takes a little time to get the feel for handling them, but since you can't save them between levels, you're encouraged to make sure you use them up before you hit the next level. And while it's a bit metagame, most players can tell whether or not they'll level at the end of the session (or at least get enough XP to do so). This does end up with some characters spending frivolous action points towards the end of some sessions, though...
ENHenry 10-01-04, 10:56 AM	I have two: 1) Kalashtar Cleric in our party was playing dead before a whole COMPANY of Karrnathi Skeleton melee troops. Just as the Karrnathi Necromancer bends over to check his vital signs, the player spends an action point, attacks the necromancer with a tree branch grabbed from the ground, scores not only a critical but a "6" on the action dice, and moves over his dead body before jumping off an escarpment, and taking off at full run before two dozen nearby Karrn Skeletons. They charge after him a round later, but with full run and action points to boost the CON checks during his flight, it was, shall we say, eventful. :D He even escaped. 2) A halfling rogue in the game with action boost (d8's for action die rolls) is attempting to time a fall through a steel sewage sphincter that was opening and closing at 5 second intervals. He falls through, perfectly, before noting ANOTHER steel slicing valve just beyond it! He uses an action point for his tumble check, and makes it through in the nick of time. In both cases, the action point helped save them from a messy, messy end.
kroh 10-01-04, 12:18 PM	:OMG! That is ONE LUCKY HALFLING ... Walt