expanding on inspiration - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 pukunui May 23, 2015 16:54:05	For a while now, I've been using Plot Twist Cards instead of the default inspiration mechanic in one of my 5e games. Unfortunately, just as with regular inspiration, I find it difficult to pay close attention to when the players play to their characters' traits, so I tend not to hand out more than one or two cards during any given session and quite often the players get cards that they don't find all that useful, so they end up handing them back to me unused at the end of a session. As a result, I've been thinking of abandoning the cards, but I'm not sure I want to go back to the default. I've been contemplating making inspiration and personality traits work more like aspects from FATE, where you can have a pool of points that you can spend to "invoke" your traits in a positive way. You can get more points by allowing the DM to "compel" your traits in a negative way to complicate things. I've been discussing this with my players, and one of them - who's been playing a wild mage - had this to say: i don't think limiting the applications of iinspiration is going to help with anything, making characters have a "versatile and surprising" aspect. to actually use it properly. advantage as a mechanic, especially for combat doesn't seem to be enough of a difference, or special enough when you have spell effects, rogue's cunning actions to hide trips for various reasons etc. as a rogue, spending a point on inspiration feels like a waste... and there's nothing awesome for a saving throw based attacker to make fireballs feel more awesome in the same way that other characters work. maybe have inspiration have a stronger thing than advantage? auto hits as if with advantage? disadvantage on saving throws? Advantage also doesn't feel to be "special" enough for the rarity of inspiration (Are we limited to only having one point of inspiration availible as well?) It feels guilty to spend something with so little effect on an inconsequential roll to hit, even in super boss fights, because there could be that roll of the century coming up, where you need to save a dying party member, and if only you had kept that advantage for the skill check instead of wasting it on a 8 damage hit.
#2 Noon May 23, 2015 19:33:58	You can give your own inspiration to other players, IIRC. Also the cap of one inspiration is essentially moot with a versatile minded GM. The GM can give you inspiration at any time. Therefore the GM can say 'you have five inspiration - as soon as you use one, just take it that I said you get another one the moment after' I'd actually recommend having something like 2 inspiration, but the second is lost after a long rest. This stops players hording inspiration and never using it - instead they will try and use the second before the long rest occurs.
#3 pukunui May 23, 2015 19:54:11	Noon wrote:
#4 Noon May 24, 2015 2:42:44	Are they failing any rolls? Part of the problem I think is having to choose to use advantage before the roll. People forget, then they've rolled already so it's all over. If you're not doing AL, it might be interesting to try a house rule where they can choose to use inspiration after the roll, see how that makes it. Another interesting experiment might be to make inspiration 10 dice rolls! Because if they fail to use it then, is it a lack of incentive or is there a problem with the players?
#5 CapZapp May 24, 2015 3:20:42	pukunui wrote:
#6 Noon May 24, 2015 17:05:46	I think it'd be terrible to make the distribution of inspiration tied to something as unthematic as 'a session'. One reason I think GM's lose track of inspiration is that generally players just don't do things that are big enough to earn it. That's why I started telling players to put an asterix next to their inspiration, for various things they do. Once they get three of them, they earn an inspiration. I regularly do this during a session because players are regularly earning part of what they need for inspiration, just not enough for a whole one. So I let them earn one over time instead of expecting a stellar performance. Also I think players think in terms of their attacks - they think of doing a fireball, or hitting with their mace. They don't think of inspired hitting with their mace as an attack - it's not listed on their character sheet, after all. It might be worth just getting players to write an inspired version of their melee or ranged attack along with their other weapons.
#7 Nevvur May 24, 2015 17:47:07	An idea I discussed with my players last night (still haven't implemented) is to let them choose an easily defined trigger which causes them to gain Inspiration. For example, the boastful warrior might gain inspiration for reducing an opponent to 0 HP. The water genasi could gain it for soaking in fresh water for an hour. A bard could gain it by performing to a crowd. However, after gaining inspiration in this way, that trigger is on cooldown (see below), and they must declare a new trigger before spending the point they just gained. If the new trigger comes up before they spend the current point, it is wasted and they must still choose a new one. In this way, they are encouraged to actually use the one they have. Further, the triggers should actually be something that make a character feel inspired. They don't necessarily have to conform to his defined personality, and can even be used to promote character growth. For instance, the player of a greedy character might decide the PC will gain inspiration if he gives to charity, because he wants to portray his character as softening his heart. The cool down is a more or less (unfortunately) arbitary condition I haven't fleshed out. It may be a period of time, or a total number of different triggers being used. Cool down periods will probably be based on their frequency. Something common like "the first time I am injured in combat" might have a month long (or 6 different trigger) cool down, while "reducing an enemy to 0 HP with a critical hit" might only have a week (or 2 trigger) cooldown. As the DM I have final say on whether any trigger is appropriate, but I'm leaning toward keeping it very open ended. If Inspiration advantage is coming up too much, I'll have to find a way to scale it back, but there's already so many ways to gain advantage that I'm not especially worried abouti t.
#8 pukunui May 24, 2015 21:49:38	CapZapp wrote:
#9 pukunui May 25, 2015 3:28:17	CapZapp wrote:

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

pukunui

May 23, 2015 16:54:05

For a while now, I've been using Plot Twist Cards instead of the default inspiration mechanic in one of my 5e games. Unfortunately, just as with regular inspiration, I find it difficult to pay close attention to when the players play to their characters' traits, so I tend not to hand out more than one or two cards during any given session and quite often the players get cards that they don't find all that useful, so they end up handing them back to me unused at the end of a session.

As a result, I've been thinking of abandoning the cards, but I'm not sure I want to go back to the default. I've been contemplating making inspiration and personality traits work more like aspects from FATE, where you can have a pool of points that you can spend to "invoke" your traits in a positive way. You can get more points by allowing the DM to "compel" your traits in a negative way to complicate things.

I've been discussing this with my players, and one of them - who's been playing a wild mage - had this to say:

i don't think limiting the applications of iinspiration is going to help with anything, making characters have a "versatile and surprising" aspect. to actually use it properly.

advantage as a mechanic, especially for combat doesn't seem to be enough of a difference, or special enough when you have spell effects, rogue's cunning actions to hide trips for various reasons etc. as a rogue, spending a point on inspiration feels like a waste... and there's nothing awesome for a saving throw based attacker to make fireballs feel more awesome in the same way that other characters work.

maybe have inspiration have a stronger thing than advantage? auto hits as if with advantage? disadvantage on saving throws?

Advantage also doesn't feel to be "special" enough for the rarity of inspiration (Are we limited to only having one point of inspiration availible as well?) It feels guilty to spend something with so little effect on an inconsequential roll to hit, even in super boss fights, because there could be that roll of the century coming up, where you need to save a dying party member, and if only you had kept that advantage for the skill check instead of wasting it on a 8 damage hit.

Noon

May 23, 2015 19:33:58

You can give your own inspiration to other players, IIRC.

Also the cap of one inspiration is essentially moot with a versatile minded GM. The GM can give you inspiration at any time. Therefore the GM can say 'you have five inspiration - as soon as you use one, just take it that I said you get another one the moment after'

I'd actually recommend having something like 2 inspiration, but the second is lost after a long rest. This stops players hording inspiration and never using it - instead they will try and use the second before the long rest occurs.

pukunui

May 23, 2015 19:54:11

Noon wrote:

Noon

May 24, 2015 2:42:44

Are they failing any rolls?

Part of the problem I think is having to choose to use advantage before the roll.

People forget, then they've rolled already so it's all over.

If you're not doing AL, it might be interesting to try a house rule where they can choose to use inspiration after the roll, see how that makes it.

Another interesting experiment might be to make inspiration 10 dice rolls! Because if they fail to use it then, is it a lack of incentive or is there a problem with the players?

CapZapp

May 24, 2015 3:20:42

pukunui wrote:

Noon

May 24, 2015 17:05:46

I think it'd be terrible to make the distribution of inspiration tied to something as unthematic as 'a session'.

One reason I think GM's lose track of inspiration is that generally players just don't do things that are big enough to earn it.

That's why I started telling players to put an asterix next to their inspiration, for various things they do. Once they get three of them, they earn an inspiration.

I regularly do this during a session because players are regularly earning part of what they need for inspiration, just not enough for a whole one. So I let them earn one over time instead of expecting a stellar performance.

Also I think players think in terms of their attacks - they think of doing a fireball, or hitting with their mace. They don't think of inspired hitting with their mace as an attack - it's not listed on their character sheet, after all.

It might be worth just getting players to write an inspired version of their melee or ranged attack along with their other weapons.

Nevvur

May 24, 2015 17:47:07

An idea I discussed with my players last night (still haven't implemented) is to let them choose an easily defined trigger which causes them to gain Inspiration. For example, the boastful warrior might gain inspiration for reducing an opponent to 0 HP. The water genasi could gain it for soaking in fresh water for an hour. A bard could gain it by performing to a crowd.

However, after gaining inspiration in this way, that trigger is on cooldown (see below), and they must declare a new trigger before spending the point they just gained. If the new trigger comes up before they spend the current point, it is wasted and they must still choose a new one. In this way, they are encouraged to actually use the one they have. Further, the triggers should actually be something that make a character feel inspired. They don't necessarily have to conform to his defined personality, and can even be used to promote character growth. For instance, the player of a greedy character might decide the PC will gain inspiration if he gives to charity, because he wants to portray his character as softening his heart.

The cool down is a more or less (unfortunately) arbitary condition I haven't fleshed out. It may be a period of time, or a total number of different triggers being used. Cool down periods will probably be based on their frequency. Something common like "the first time I am injured in combat" might have a month long (or 6 different trigger) cool down, while "reducing an enemy to 0 HP with a critical hit" might only have a week (or 2 trigger) cooldown.

As the DM I have final say on whether any trigger is appropriate, but I'm leaning toward keeping it very open ended. If Inspiration advantage is coming up too much, I'll have to find a way to scale it back, but there's already so many ways to gain advantage that I'm not especially worried abouti t.

pukunui

May 24, 2015 21:49:38

CapZapp wrote:

pukunui

May 25, 2015 3:28:17

CapZapp wrote: