Non XP/gold rewards

[Balor01]

I was thinking how to reward players for good roleplay, cooperation, DM-assistance and overall sanity in a game.
(Besides cookies), I think action points are a nice way, but I would also like to ask if there are some other ways good cooperation can be awarded in 3.5 that is not straight gold or items?

[Amnestic]

A specific feat? Might need to homebrew it, tailor it to the campaign and the situation, but giving them a minor feat bonus as a quest reward might not go amiss. Could just be a small bonus to a skill, or a minor attack roll boost against X creature or the like, but it's an explicit bonus that isn't XP/gold.

[Bhaakon]

If the thing the player's getting rewarded for is connected to some type of skill check or other dice roll, I'll usually just DM fiat a successful result (particularly for good role play with social skill checks). Unless passing the roll would screw up the plot somehow.

[NNescio]

Grafts? Preferably from the (relatively) benevolent Silthilar?

[Balor01]

Grafts? Preferably from the (relatively) benevolent Silthilar?

Soundy very good. What books/links can be sources for this stuff? I am quite unfamiliar with it.

[marcielle]

Grafts can be found in Campaign setting and Magic of Ebberon and BoVD IIRC.

Contacts? Give them a wizard friend willing to permanency 1 spell for them or help them craft that fancy new item that's juust too expensive for them.

Divine intervention. eg. St.Cuthbert rewards you for your staunch upholding of the law with Law devotion feat/ just a staight +2 untyped AC bonus.

[NOhara24]

Contacts? Give them a wizard friend willing to permanency 1 spell for them or help them craft that fancy new item that's juust too expensive for them.



This. This all day. Everyday.

[Karoht]

I was thinking how to reward players for good roleplay, cooperation, DM-assistance and overall sanity in a game.
(Besides cookies), I think action points are a nice way, but I would also like to ask if there are some other ways good cooperation can be awarded in 3.5 that is not straight gold or items?


Smart idea (saves the party, solves a puzzle, etc) 50xp * level.
Joke (must be in character, in game, and not just a clever pop culture reference, must actually cause other characters to laugh) 25xp * level
Roleplay moment (discovers something important about a character, cleverly out-words an important NPC, good acting, or anything the DM thinks is relevant enough to reward) 50xp * level.
Cool Action Bro (anything that the player did that you just know is going to be a cool story that they tell later) 25xp * level

The * level is to make sure that the bonus stays relevant, as it will scale with level. 100 xp * level is about 10% of a level if I recall correctly. If you make it worth the players while you will encourage it more. Find a balance that works for you and stick with it. In all of the above, avoid giving out XP for skill checks IE-Giving roleplay bonus for rolling Diplomacy. Bards are very easy to get this, but you have to be careful not to allow them to abuse it.
IE-Bard rolls a decent perform check, followed by actually singing the song in question. Fine once in a while, but you don't want every session to turn into the Bard's karaoke every week.

And yes, I second the motion of contacts as reward. Contacts are very underutilized things, especially in DnD.