Lonely Tylenol
2017-03-04, 09:19 PM
Hey guys! I had this idea for expanding on Inspiration, which, in its current state, is sort of dull; it lets you gain advantage some of the time, which isn't particularly interesting on its own, and doesn't let you do a lot of things you couldn't already do. Moreover, if you already have ways of getting advantage on a lot of things, the inspiration is wasted on you. Inspiration tends not to come up at any of my tables, not because it's not useful, but because it's so forgettable that nobody remembers to recommend it, or use it when they have it. So I'd like to change that by creating an Inspiration-based subsystem which, when you do something that merits Inspiration, lets you translate that Inspiration into cooler things!
The idea behind this sub-system is that you gain a number of unique Inspiration uses (below) equal to your proficiency bonus (two at 1st level, plus one every 4 levels thereafter)or equal to your adventuring tier (one each at 1st, 5th, 11th, and 17th level). You can select any from the following list, although I may decide to have certain requirements for some of them if necessary. At any point when you could choose a new option, you lose one of the old options. In addition to the selected options, everyone gets the standard Inspiration use (advantage on a d20 roll), much like how with Pathfinder's Mythic Power, everyone gets the standard option (+1d6/1d8/1d10/1d12 to the roll based on mythic tier) alongside their path abilities.
This is quite unfinished/what I'd like to get out of this thread: This list is not balanced around itself or around Inspiration's traditional uses. Some of these uses are overpowered, and some are underpowered. In fact, I know for a fact that some of them are explicitly more powerful than others (Rapid Strike is less powerful than Rapid-Fire Casting, because cantrip scaling is supposed to match Extra Attack within the scope of an Action). Rather than balancing them all around a specific power point, I'd like to present them as-is, agree upon which power point for additional Inspiration uses is the most ideal, and then balance them around that use. In general, what I'm going for is either "less generally applicable than the standard advantage use, but more useful in specific cases that make it worth picking up" or "useful when the standard Inspiration use is not."
Without further ado, here are the Inspiration options:
Impediment
When an enemy creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you may spend an inspiration point to impose disadvantage on the roll.
Flexible Inspiration
Anytime you would use your inspiration to gain advantage, you may instead spend an inspiration point to add a d6 to the roll if you would not otherwise have advantage. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 11th level, and a d12 at 17th level.
Special: If you have the Impediment inspiration trick, whenever you would impose disadvantage on the roll, you may instead subtract a die of the appropriate value from the roll.
Rapid Strike
As a bonus action, you may spend an inspiration point to make a weapon attack roll.
Critical Strike
If you roll an attack roll with advantage, you may spend an inspiration point and choose to take the lower roll instead. If that attack roll hits, the attack becomes a critical hit.
Overwhelming Attack
When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack in which you had advantage, you may spend an inspiration point to make one of the following actions in addition to your attack: Shove, Disarm, Overrun, Shove Aside, or Tumble. If you do so, you use both of your rolled results for the attack: one for the attack roll, and one for the opposed ability check. You choose which dice applies to which.
Improvisation
As an action, you may spend an inspiration point to become proficient in a tool, instrument, or skill that you are not already proficient in. The proficiency bonus lasts until the end of your next check with the skill, or until you complete a short or long rest.
Skilled Flourish
If you roll an ability check with advantage, you may spend an inspiration point and choose to take the lower roll instead. If you do, add your proficiency bonus to the check. If your proficiency bonus already applies to the ability check, double the bonus.
Rush Job
When you would perform an ability check that takes an action to complete, you may spend an inspiration point to perform the check as a bonus action instead. If the check would normally require a bonus action, it can instead be done at no action cost. You have disadvantage on the ability check.
Savior
When you roll a saving throw, as a reaction, you may spend an inspiration point and choose to take disadvantage on the saving throw instead. If you do, all allied creatures who are subject to the same effect may choose to take your higher roll instead of their own saving throw.
Moment of Clarity
When you are subject to an ongoing effect that allows a secondary saving throw to end the effect, you can spend an inspiration point to act as if you succeeded on the saving throw for 1 round. Until the start of your next turn, you may act as though you are not suffering any such ongoing effects. On the start of your next turn, you must continue making saving throws as normal.
Glancing Blow
As a reaction, you may spend an inspiration point to halve the damage you take from a weapon attack. Until the start of your next turn, you gain resistance to the damage type of that weapon attack.
Not My Time Yet
When you are dropped to 0 hit points, you may spend your inspiration to automatically become stabilized.
Last Stand
When you take damage that would reduce you to 0 hit points, you may spend your inspiration to remain at 1 hit point instead. Until the start of your next turn, you gain a bonus to your Armor Class and all saving throws equal to your proficiency modifier. If you are reduced to 0 hit points again before the start of your next turn, you start with one failed death saving throw.
Fancy Footwork
As a bonus action or a reaction, you may move up to 5 feet times your proficiency modifier. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Quick-Fire Caster
As a bonus action, you may spend an inspiration point to cast a cantrip you know. Normal spellcasting rules apply.
Glimpse of Prescience
As an action, you may spend an inspiration point to gain the benefits of one of the following spells:
1st level: Detect Evil and Good, Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease
5th level: Augury, Find Traps, Locate Animals or Plants, Locate Object
11th level: Clairvoyance, Detect Thoughts, See Invisibility
17th level: Divination, Locate Creature
If the spell has a duration, the effects last until the end of your turn.
Gift of speech
As an action, you may spend an inspiration to cast Comprehend Languages. At 11th level, you may spend an inspiration point to cast Tongues, but only on yourself.
Expanded Memory
When you choose spells to prepare, you may spend an inspiration point to prepare a number of additional spells equal to your proficiency modifier from your spells known. The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Channel Divinity
You may spend an inspiration point to use your Channel Divinity feature instead of expending a Channel Divinity use. You can use your Channel Divinity in this way even if you have expended all your Channel Divinity uses.
Quickened Recovery
As an action, you may spend an inspiration point to regain one of the following, which are not to exceed your normal maximum:
- One use of a racial ability that recovers after a short rest;
- One superiority dice;
- One use of Channel Divinity;
- One use of Wild Shape;
- One daily use of Rage;
- One use of Bardic Inspiration;
- Ki points equal to one-half your proficiency modifier, rounded up;
- Sorcery points equal to one-half your proficiency modifier, rounded up.
The idea behind this sub-system is that you gain a number of unique Inspiration uses (below) equal to your proficiency bonus (two at 1st level, plus one every 4 levels thereafter)or equal to your adventuring tier (one each at 1st, 5th, 11th, and 17th level). You can select any from the following list, although I may decide to have certain requirements for some of them if necessary. At any point when you could choose a new option, you lose one of the old options. In addition to the selected options, everyone gets the standard Inspiration use (advantage on a d20 roll), much like how with Pathfinder's Mythic Power, everyone gets the standard option (+1d6/1d8/1d10/1d12 to the roll based on mythic tier) alongside their path abilities.
This is quite unfinished/what I'd like to get out of this thread: This list is not balanced around itself or around Inspiration's traditional uses. Some of these uses are overpowered, and some are underpowered. In fact, I know for a fact that some of them are explicitly more powerful than others (Rapid Strike is less powerful than Rapid-Fire Casting, because cantrip scaling is supposed to match Extra Attack within the scope of an Action). Rather than balancing them all around a specific power point, I'd like to present them as-is, agree upon which power point for additional Inspiration uses is the most ideal, and then balance them around that use. In general, what I'm going for is either "less generally applicable than the standard advantage use, but more useful in specific cases that make it worth picking up" or "useful when the standard Inspiration use is not."
Without further ado, here are the Inspiration options:
Impediment
When an enemy creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you may spend an inspiration point to impose disadvantage on the roll.
Flexible Inspiration
Anytime you would use your inspiration to gain advantage, you may instead spend an inspiration point to add a d6 to the roll if you would not otherwise have advantage. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 11th level, and a d12 at 17th level.
Special: If you have the Impediment inspiration trick, whenever you would impose disadvantage on the roll, you may instead subtract a die of the appropriate value from the roll.
Rapid Strike
As a bonus action, you may spend an inspiration point to make a weapon attack roll.
Critical Strike
If you roll an attack roll with advantage, you may spend an inspiration point and choose to take the lower roll instead. If that attack roll hits, the attack becomes a critical hit.
Overwhelming Attack
When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack in which you had advantage, you may spend an inspiration point to make one of the following actions in addition to your attack: Shove, Disarm, Overrun, Shove Aside, or Tumble. If you do so, you use both of your rolled results for the attack: one for the attack roll, and one for the opposed ability check. You choose which dice applies to which.
Improvisation
As an action, you may spend an inspiration point to become proficient in a tool, instrument, or skill that you are not already proficient in. The proficiency bonus lasts until the end of your next check with the skill, or until you complete a short or long rest.
Skilled Flourish
If you roll an ability check with advantage, you may spend an inspiration point and choose to take the lower roll instead. If you do, add your proficiency bonus to the check. If your proficiency bonus already applies to the ability check, double the bonus.
Rush Job
When you would perform an ability check that takes an action to complete, you may spend an inspiration point to perform the check as a bonus action instead. If the check would normally require a bonus action, it can instead be done at no action cost. You have disadvantage on the ability check.
Savior
When you roll a saving throw, as a reaction, you may spend an inspiration point and choose to take disadvantage on the saving throw instead. If you do, all allied creatures who are subject to the same effect may choose to take your higher roll instead of their own saving throw.
Moment of Clarity
When you are subject to an ongoing effect that allows a secondary saving throw to end the effect, you can spend an inspiration point to act as if you succeeded on the saving throw for 1 round. Until the start of your next turn, you may act as though you are not suffering any such ongoing effects. On the start of your next turn, you must continue making saving throws as normal.
Glancing Blow
As a reaction, you may spend an inspiration point to halve the damage you take from a weapon attack. Until the start of your next turn, you gain resistance to the damage type of that weapon attack.
Not My Time Yet
When you are dropped to 0 hit points, you may spend your inspiration to automatically become stabilized.
Last Stand
When you take damage that would reduce you to 0 hit points, you may spend your inspiration to remain at 1 hit point instead. Until the start of your next turn, you gain a bonus to your Armor Class and all saving throws equal to your proficiency modifier. If you are reduced to 0 hit points again before the start of your next turn, you start with one failed death saving throw.
Fancy Footwork
As a bonus action or a reaction, you may move up to 5 feet times your proficiency modifier. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Quick-Fire Caster
As a bonus action, you may spend an inspiration point to cast a cantrip you know. Normal spellcasting rules apply.
Glimpse of Prescience
As an action, you may spend an inspiration point to gain the benefits of one of the following spells:
1st level: Detect Evil and Good, Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease
5th level: Augury, Find Traps, Locate Animals or Plants, Locate Object
11th level: Clairvoyance, Detect Thoughts, See Invisibility
17th level: Divination, Locate Creature
If the spell has a duration, the effects last until the end of your turn.
Gift of speech
As an action, you may spend an inspiration to cast Comprehend Languages. At 11th level, you may spend an inspiration point to cast Tongues, but only on yourself.
Expanded Memory
When you choose spells to prepare, you may spend an inspiration point to prepare a number of additional spells equal to your proficiency modifier from your spells known. The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Channel Divinity
You may spend an inspiration point to use your Channel Divinity feature instead of expending a Channel Divinity use. You can use your Channel Divinity in this way even if you have expended all your Channel Divinity uses.
Quickened Recovery
As an action, you may spend an inspiration point to regain one of the following, which are not to exceed your normal maximum:
- One use of a racial ability that recovers after a short rest;
- One superiority dice;
- One use of Channel Divinity;
- One use of Wild Shape;
- One daily use of Rage;
- One use of Bardic Inspiration;
- Ki points equal to one-half your proficiency modifier, rounded up;
- Sorcery points equal to one-half your proficiency modifier, rounded up.