[3.5] New uses for Action Points

[tsatthoggua]

How are these? I basically just wanted for instance a rationalization to allow APs to increase damage (added two possibilities) and hit dice re-rolls. Those weren't given enough thought, please harshly criticize and promote alternatives.

1 AP


+1d6 temporary HPs for 10 rounds
If you declare after a successful melee or ranged attack (but not after the confirmation of a critical), you may increase the hit die category of the damage by 1 (the punch of a 7th level medium-sized monk will cause 1d10 damage, for instance)


2 AP


If you declare after a successful attack of any type, you may re-roll one damage die and keep the best result (you can for instance re-roll one of the d6s of your Fireball damage or one of the d6s of your Greatsword damage)
During any action (not necessarily during a full attack), you may perform one extra attack at your highest BAB


3 AP


After you've earned your APs per level up, you may re-roll your class HD but you have to stick with the new result

[Limos]

Wait, I thought that after every extended rest you go down to 1 AP again. So how are you supposed to get a hold of 3 AP?

[hiryuu]

Wait, I thought that after every extended rest you go down to 1 AP again. So how are you supposed to get a hold of 3 AP?

It's 3.5. You get 5 + 1/2 your level in action points each level.

Anyway, I could see these as feats and prestige class abilities, but not as "expanded uses." There already are feats floating around Races of Eberron and Secrets of Xen'drik that let you use your action points for damage.

[tsatthoggua]

If those feats exist I'll forget about the idea of using APs to add damage.

Given that, what should be the design guidelines for inventing new uses for APs?

I believe first that they should be general enough that would make them interesting for any character (the exception being AP uses that only make sense to magic users like Spell Boost (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/actionpoints.htm) of the expanded SRD).

Conceptually, APs should be used to represent untrained, larger-than-life feats and deeds. Consider making a long jump. If you use 1 AP on a Jump check, there's 33% of chance that you'll end up jumping an extra 5 feet, which is significant.

Improving existing combat maneuvers (like the effectiveness of Fighting Defensively) should also be sound. An extra blow, an extra class ability use should also fit that concept.

The "energy boost", "last breath" kind of thing I was trying to emulate with the temporary hit point increase was also based on that. I really want a mechanic for that, I don't want characters to spend a feat for that just the way they can spend 1 AP to automatically stabilize but I want something different that could stack with similar abilities with deathless frenzy.

[tsatthoggua]

Hmm, now that I've given more thought I consider that it is a bad, redundant idea to allow damage increase by the use of APs.

You can alredy do that indirectly by some means. First, it would be redundant to have a specific AP use for that because the critical hit mechanic already represents lucky, well-placed blows despite being unpredictable - you can control the precision of your hit but not how powerful it is going to be without feats.

You can already use APs to increase the chance of a critical hit confirmation.

I think I'll enable the following rule of thumb: you can use 1 AP to double the effects of just about any feat. Then, taking the suggestion of the Expanded SRD, if you have Improved Critical, you can use 1 AP to increase the threat range.

If you subtract 2 from your melee attack while using Power Attack and spend 1 AP, if the strike is successful you'll make 4 extra damage, doubling your initial subtraction.

I think I'm satisfied with this.

[MageSparrowhawk]

would you throw out some more suggestions for what you mean by 'double the effects' of a feat? Many are pretty obvious, Dodge, manyshot, evasion. And does this follow the standard rule that two doubling equals a tripling? E.g. what does widen spell do? How about the Reserve feats? Whirlwind? heritage feats?

[tsatthoggua]

And does this follow the standard rule that two doubling equals a tripling?

Definitely, or else improved critical and the likes would become too broken. One AP on "Run" would allow you to move 6x your base movement, for instance.


E.g. what does widen spell do? How about the Reserve feats? Whirlwind? heritage feats?

I'll think of those. As I've proposed based on UA suggestions, Widen Spell should be an area increase of 200%, Whirlwind Attack should be 2 attacks on high BAB instead of 1, etc.