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5 years ago ::
May 22, 2008 - 7:17PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2006
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This is not a new idea, but it's something I like and something I think is a good thing to implement.
Instead of using an action point to gain a free action, I was thinking of allowing my players to use an action point to reroll a roll they don't like the look of (before I announce whether it succeeded or not) at a +4 bonus.
The reason I think this is an important mechanic to have is that many times a single roll can determine the success or failure (and possibly death or horrible injury) of a party's plans. Imagine a plan to infiltrate a goblin stronghold, sneak your way past the guards and up a stairwell to release a chain mechanism and open the front gates so that your people's army can get through. Well imagine that your rogue fails his first stealth check and is seen by the guards.
You could either say "Hey that's the way it goes, come up with a new plan" or you could DM in some new concept "The guard turns toward where you're hiding, you can escape, but you'd better find some other way in"
But occasionally, I just want to let the player succeed at something if they want it that badly. A lot of times, I see a player come up with some awesome plan that they really really want to accomplish, then fail their Jump check or something and fall flat. It sucks and it takes away from the player's enjoyment of the game. Allowing them to use a very limited resource, like Action Points, to accomplish this heroic task they want to do so badly, seems like a fair trade to me.
Questions, comments?
(I think there may be something like this in Eberron, but I'm not positive)
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5 years ago ::
May 24, 2008 - 8:41AM
#2
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Aren't there already powers that do that in 4e? Reroll?
Not saying it's a bad idea, but instead of getting rid of Action Points, just allow them to be used for an extra action, or to reroll one roll.
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5 years ago ::
May 26, 2008 - 2:47AM
#3
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Date Joined:
May 11, 2008
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Well, as a DM, you could just fudge the DC challenge if you really want the plan to succeed, though I think the possibility of failure makes actually accomplishing a great plan all the more sweeter.
And you could use a skill challenge for your encounter, allowing the rogue to fail a certain amount before an actual failed result. You can reduce the DC check if you feel that he really needs to succeed.
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5 years ago ::
May 26, 2008 - 12:47PM
#4
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There's something in the Skill Challenge article about failure not being a case of "you can't succeed", but rather a case of "it's a bit/lot harder for you to succeed now", and I think that's a good rule of thumb for any Skill check as well. Failing the Stealth check shouldn't completely scupper the plans of the party, but now they might have to face a combat before succeeding, or maybe the Rogue just failed to move quietly and now has to roll another Stealth check to hide and not be seen, or have one of the other party members cause some sort of distraction (maybe an illusion of a scurrying rat to fool the guards into thinking this was the source of the distrubance?).
But I do think the full Skill Challenge system would be a better choice in 4E than a single check, but then the above would already be moving towards such a system already, eh?
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5 years ago ::
May 26, 2008 - 1:35PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Jul 29, 2002
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This is not a new idea, but it's something I like and something I think is a good thing to implement.
Instead of using an action point to gain a free action, I was thinking of allowing my players to use an action point to reroll a roll they don't like the look of (before I announce whether it succeeded or not) at a +4 bonus.
The reason I think this is an important mechanic to have is that many times a single roll can determine the success or failure (and possibly death or horrible injury) of a party's plans. Imagine a plan to infiltrate a goblin stronghold, sneak your way past the guards and up a stairwell to release a chain mechanism and open the front gates so that your people's army can get through. Well imagine that your rogue fails his first stealth check and is seen by the guards.
You could either say "Hey that's the way it goes, come up with a new plan" or you could DM in some new concept "The guard turns toward where you're hiding, you can escape, but you'd better find some other way in"
But occasionally, I just want to let the player succeed at something if they want it that badly. A lot of times, I see a player come up with some awesome plan that they really really want to accomplish, then fail their Jump check or something and fall flat. It sucks and it takes away from the player's enjoyment of the game. Allowing them to use a very limited resource, like Action Points, to accomplish this heroic task they want to do so badly, seems like a fair trade to me.
Questions, comments?
(I think there may be something like this in Eberron, but I'm not positive)
A reroll with a bonus is too good since it is better than the two racial powers that allow rerolls. I'd allow an AP to be spent to give a +8 bonus to a non-combat related roll (as long as it was declared before the roll) however.
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