Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 cerberuspuppy May 23, 2010 0:01:10	I might be running a game soon, and if I do I plan to change action points so that they are not awarded based on time but on roleplaying.  Basically, any time a player does or says something cool in character they get an action point.  Ever play 7th Sea?  It's like that. So what do you think of such a rule?
#2 FrozenWastes May 23, 2010 0:44:19	Make sure the definition of cool doesn't end up screwing people out of action points.  Perhaps other players can say "that's cool!" too instead of it just being what you think is cool. Also it represents a disconnect in game design.  You're awarding combat power as the reward for non combat excellence.  That's a bit of a disconnect.
#3 pluisjen May 23, 2010 2:47:54	If you keep the "no more then one action point per encounter" rule and apply it to this as well, it should be ok. Basically; you do something awesome in an encounter, you get an Action Point to spend in that encounter. Multiple awesome things per encounter don't work, there's a one point limit. And you have to do the awesome in the encounter, so no doing something awesome against a minion and saving the point for the big boss. It'll certainly make players want to do cool (in character?) things.
#4 Bandikoot May 23, 2010 3:01:31	If you do this you should keep a piece of paper behind the screen and keep track of how many action points you are giving out and to whom.  It could lead to some unhappy players.  Perhaps you should consider a second pool of something like the panache points from Savage Coast.  It looks like it's still free to download in the Previous editions section.  Basically under that system when the DM felt the player had done something with flair that should be rewarded they handed out points, and then the player could "spend" them later on to accomplish a task.  If the PC got desperate, the could go in debt to the DM by purchasing Gauche points.  It allowed them to do what they needed to do, but then the DM could spend those Gauche points to make life more difficult for the character.  Even though its a free download it'd probably violate some term of use to cut and past the whole section so I'll just use some of the examples.  If you like what you see, you can always download the book and adapt it to fit your needs. Gaining panache: The second character, Melisande Sharp, is a swashbuckler who has learned panache. She could draw her rapier and follow her large partner through the crowd, arriving in front of Pirate Pete at the same time, but that would be extremely dull. Instead, she chooses to grab the rope of a nearby chandelier and cut it with her dagger, using the force of the descending weight and her tumbling proficiency to swing over the bar fight, right at Pirate Pete. When she gets there, instead of kicking him or drawing her sword, she kisses him full on his lips, stunning the scoundrel and allowing Miguele (who catches up breathlessly) to attempt to disarm the man. DM spending Gauche Currently, Melisande is dodging Pirate Pete's blows. She grabs up a chair and swings it at him, catching him right over the head and doing maximum damage. The DM notices that this would knock Pete unconscious and end the fight, so he tells Melisande to mark off a GP right away and then describes how the action failed.    "As you raise the chair over your head, you notice the fear in Pirate Pete's eyes. Desperately, he raises his arms to protect his head, but too lateÑyou bring the surprisingly light chair down on his skull! Well, you think you do. When you look at your hands, you notice you are holding two broken chair legs. Next time, you should look more closely at the weapon you choose. Meanwhile, Pete growls and hefts his cutlass again. This fight is far from over!"
#5 johnnii May 23, 2010 3:59:30	I do this as well and I approve of it. I also hand out APs to people that do something clever or cool (in or outside combat), so that those that doesn't feel comfortable with "dialogue roleplaying" that much can also get something out of it.
#6 cerberuspuppy May 23, 2010 9:03:26	Yeah, I'd still limit the spending of action points to one per encounter.
#7 oldguygaming May 23, 2010 13:55:35	To ensure that players don't become upset when, over time, one player receives more APs than another, you could award all players an AP when any one of them does something cool. Not only does that ensure a balanced distribution, but it adds positive reinforcement from the other players. As others have said, be sure to maintain the one per encounter rule.
#8 cyber_wolf May 24, 2010 15:15:34	I hand out action points when characters level or the battle was particularly good/epic.  e.g. If the battle is strongly going against the players and they do something miraculously to pull the battle in their favor, I give them an action point for it.
#9 super_rats May 25, 2010 15:14:53	Are you doing this because you run a roleplay heavy game where all your players roleplay more than they fight? Or are you doing this to encourage the non-roleplayers or the quiet ones to roleplay more?
#10 cyber_wolf May 26, 2010 13:30:09	I do it this way as I believe action points are something that should be earned for doing something exceptional.  This is just my personal belief.  My last group wasn't much into roleplaying; but if during roleplay, had they thought of a way that was totally outside the box and engenious for getting out of a problem (passing a skill challenge) or getting the information they needed, then I would also give an action point for that.
#11 erik_the_guy May 26, 2010 17:36:51	I would suggest using your action point awards IN ADDITION to those granted by milestones. Once you see how it goes, once your certain that the players will all get action points under your houserule, then remove the milestones if you still want to.