Asking for Inspiration

[Notafish]

In the past, have never really understood Inspiration as presented in RAW, and have never used it in my games. It seems to me like a mechanic that is prone to becoming a perverse incentive if it's needed and not terribly necessary in groups that are already comfortable with roleplaying bonds, flaws, etc.

That said, I have run into a few moments as a player in my current game (a 3.5 homebrew) where I wish I could have asked for inspiration on specific rolls - in low level 3.5 it is really tempting to "powergame" instead of doing actions in character, due to the mechanical cost of doing things like attempting to disarm an opponent rather than simply hitting for damage. In those situations, asking for a one-time favor or a resource for later could make it easier to do the in-character action rather than the optimal action. So I might be coming around to being more open to inspiration in my next 5e game.

For those of you who use inspiration in 5e, how does it work for you? Do you have house rules? Do you see players trying to game the system? What are players most likely to use their inspiration on?

[JonBeowulf]

In one of my current games, the DM starts every session with players rolling a d20 with the lowest roll giving a review of the last session and that player's char gets inspiration.

TBH, I usually forget I even have it and deal with the dice as they fall.

When I DM, I have a house rule that a player with inspiration can give it to another player for being awesome -- subject to my veto if I think they're abusing it.

And again, most of the people I play with forget they have it.

I like the mechanic but somehow it needs more marketing so folks remember it's there waiting to be used.

[Keltest]

Well frankly, most of my players will tend to forget they have it entirely. Otherwise they save it for important rolls like save or suck saving throws, or breaking a fumble on an attack roll. Very rarely do they actually fish for it, because if theyre overt about it they know I'll double down on not handing it out as much.

[meandean]

Theoretically, inspiration is a fun mechanic, encouraging players to do creative and entertaining things. The problem is that it's not fun when people start thinking the DM is playing favorites or the system is otherwise rigged against them. You might think that people wouldn't be so petty; if so, you're an optimist. The total subjectivity of it is the entire point, but it can be a double-edged sword.

So, know your group well. If you're not sure that everyone will play nice, I still think inspiration can be a good addition, but in that case, don't give it to one player twice before you've given it to everyone once, and so on down the line. If it's the dud of the group's "turn" and he's gone a couple of sessions without doing much of anything inspired, you can just give it to him e.g. when he hits a big, important attack.

[solidork]

We've recently started experimenting with having everyone pick three "character beats" at the start of each session that serve as a trigger for gaining inspiration. Each one can only trigger once per session, so its a good mix of putting the player in the driver's seat about claiming inspiration without opening the door to the perverse incentives you described. It's an idea that we took from other RPGs (Heart: the City Beneath, Chuubo's Marvelous Wish Granting Engine, Chronicles of Darkness) where these kind of meta level character goals are usually tied to character advancement, but I think it works well for inspiration.

Just to give an example, these are the beats that I picked for my last session with my Harengon Glory paladin:

- Propose something that can be learned from a defeat or failure.
- Do something impressive in front of spectators.
- Encounter someone notable who has already heard of you or your exploits.

I managed to trigger two of these during play, in the following manner:

1. Our bard took exactly the wrong approach to handle a delicate social situation and my character helped her figure out why it went so badly.
2. My character told a story about our battle against the witch that is haunting the town we're in, and rolled well on my performance check because I used inspiration. This was actually a very important roll, as it was part of a plan to lure the witch into attacking us again.

Most of the beats we've chosen have followed from things like personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws - so in many cases these are the kinds of things that you could be getting inspiration for anyways. But framing it this way, and having a concrete list of things to be looking out for/trying to accomplish, really does change the dynamic of the system in a way that has only been positive for our game so far.

Something that hasn't really had a chance to come up yet, but is a major feature of this kind of game mechanic in other games, is that choosing something as a beat/quest goal/aspiration signals to your DM "Hey, this is what I'm interested in seeing" and gives them a chance to work it into the game when appropriate.

[JonBeowulf]

<snip>

Something that hasn't really had a chance to come up yet, but is a major feature of this kind of game mechanic in other games, is that choosing something as a beat/quest goal/aspiration signals to your DM "Hey, this is what I'm interested in seeing" and gives them a chance to work it into the game when appropriate.

You still gotta know your players, though. I've played some games where the DM virtually walked over to a player, handed them exactly what they said their character's bond was (redeem dead relative's soul), and said "Here's the thing you said you care about". The player's response was basically "huh, okay."

Some people don't want the spotlight.

The same group had a player who could make ordering a sandwich sound awesome.

Some people bring the spotlight with them.

[Guy Lombard-O]

Theoretically, inspiration is a fun mechanic, encouraging players to do creative and entertaining things. The problem is that it's not fun when people start thinking the DM is playing favorites or the system is otherwise rigged against them. You might think that people wouldn't be so petty; if so, you're an optimist. The total subjectivity of it is the entire point, but it can be a double-edged sword.

So, know your group well. If you're not sure that everyone will play nice, I still think inspiration can be a good addition, but in that case, don't give it to one player twice before you've given it to everyone once, and so on down the line. If it's the dud of the group's "turn" and he's gone a couple of sessions without doing much of anything inspired, you can just give it to him e.g. when he hits a big, important attack.

I've seen it used in two campaigns with different DMs:

The first, one Inspiration was given out at the beginning of each session. Folks mainly forgot about them, but occasionally pulled one out for a big save-or-suck. Additional, in-game Inspirations felt very lopsided and dependent upon favoritism, presumably because that player did whatever it was that the DM particularly liked in his games?

The second was one where they were almost exclusively handed out for particularly clever ruses, strategies or humorous jokes made in-game by the PCs (jokes which fit the situation and didn't disrupt the scenario). Those Inspirations almost always got used for out of combat skill roles (by player choice), things like important social interactions or key crafting roles. This game's Inspiration may well have involved favoritism, but it definitely favored clever and creative players, so it seemed a good deal more fun and accessible.

Also, in both cases it was a reroll after failure, rather than simple pre-declared advantage. Which made it seem more worthwhile.

[Zhorn]

It'd be nice if my players would remember that have those floating about.
I've awarded inspiration a few times this campaign... the points have yet to be used :smallannoyed:

[Mastikator]

For my game that I DM I set everyone's inspiration to 1 at the start of the session, and each player can have at most 3 stored up. (And yes, you lose them if you don't use them)

For brilliant team play I give everyone inspiration, for great roleplaying I give individual players inspiration.

It makes sense because every session is a one-shot and if the players don't finish on time they lose the mission. Next session is a new one shot. (They keep PCs between games for the record)

[Notafish]

...
Something that hasn't really had a chance to come up yet, but is a major feature of this kind of game mechanic in other games, is that choosing something as a beat/quest goal/aspiration signals to your DM "Hey, this is what I'm interested in seeing" and gives them a chance to work it into the game when appropriate.


Yeah, I kind of wonder if inspiration RAW is a little backwards for this reason - as I understand it, Fate Points and the like are generally distributed by some means other than just DM fiat (like having a certain number at the start of each session, or in exchange for suffering a setback), but are invoked for benefits in combination with some character description - often giving some idea of what is important to the player for their character.

So if I had inspiration in my game, I would prefer to spend it to make a tricky disarm attempt easier (in Fate terms, either because my character is a "Flashy Swashbuckler" or because she'd "rather humiliate her enemies than kill them"), rather than gaining inspiration in exchange for the attempt (to be used on a check tbd later). I don't know that I have the drama skills to make the disarm be a notable roleplaying moment in the eyes of the DM, but the use of inspiration and the description of said use would give my group some insight into what makes the character tick.

I like the "story beats" idea - not sure if it would work with my group, but I like it.

[KorvinStarmast]

TBH, I usually forget I even have it and deal with the dice as they fall. yes, I have seen a lot of that.

When I DM, I have a house rule that a player with inspiration can give it to another player for being awesome -- subject to my veto if I think they're abusing it.
Yes.
And again, most of the people I play with forget they have it. [/QUOTE] Players in the two groups I DM use it a lot, but we have adapted the "bad roll, re roll" method to harness that.

Additional, in-game Inspirations felt very lopsided and dependent upon favoritism, presumably because that player did whatever it was that the DM particularly liked in his games? What is the problem with that? Nothing. But then, maybe I play with friends and that makes a difference? No idea.


The second was one where they were almost exclusively handed out for particularly clever ruses, strategies or humorous jokes made in-game by the PCs (jokes which fit the situation and didn't disrupt the scenario).
Most common application I have seen

[solidork]

Yeah, I kind of wonder if inspiration RAW is a little backwards for this reason - as I understand it, Fate Points and the like are generally distributed by some means other than just DM fiat (like having a certain number at the start of each session, or in exchange for suffering a setback), but are invoked for benefits in combination with some character description - often giving some idea of what is important to the player for their character.

Yeah, though with Fate Points I think it's still a little up to the DM if they invoke your aspects against you to make things more complicated for you. I've only played a couple of sessions, but maybe you can propose a way that your aspects could complicate the situation and if the DM agrees you get a fate point.


So if I had inspiration in my game, I would prefer to spend it to make a tricky disarm attempt easier (in Fate terms, either because my character is a "Flashy Swashbuckler" or because she'd "rather humiliate her enemies than kill them"), rather than gaining inspiration in exchange for the attempt (to be used on a check tbd later). I don't know that I have the drama skills to make the disarm be a notable roleplaying moment in the eyes of the DM, but the use of inspiration and the description of said use would give my group some insight into what makes the character tick.

One thing that I'm thinking about still is if you're doing the thing that hit one of your beats and grant inspiration, if you can spend that inspiration on the triggering action. Some of this comes down to how you write the beats; for example, I picked "Do something impressive in front a group of spectators." - in this case, getting inspiration presupposes a certain degree of success, so it doesn't really make sense to be able to spend the inspiration on the action that grants it.

BUT, you could write a beat in such a way that it would make sense; say, "Try to do something impressive in front of spectators." I like the idea that my showboat Paladin actually gets more competent when there's a crowd of onlookers, but I feel that even this updated version doesn't quite capture it. It's a work in progress.

Writing good beats is definitely something that takes practice and is possible to mess up by being too broad or too specific. In Heart (the game that directly inspired me to try this) you pick your beats from pre-written list based on your character's background, so they're all very on point for the themes of the game and clearly have been carefully selected. I think if I ever do a big writeup for this system in D&D I'm going to put together a list of beats based on the PHB backgrounds; even if you don't use any of them, seeing a list of pretty good ones helps give you a feel for writing your own.


I like the "story beats" idea - not sure if it would work with my group, but I like it.

Thanks! We're enjoying it. I've got a thread in homebrew about it, and I'm going to keep it updated as we continue to playtest.

[Notafish]

Thanks! We're enjoying it. I've got a thread in homebrew about it, and I'm going to keep it updated as we continue to playtest.

I found your thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?648061-Beats-in-5e-Gamifying-Inspiration&p=25527690) and subscribed. Good luck with the playtest!

[JLandan]

Mostly my players just play themselves, which is generally fine, though we once had in the group an actual coward (in D&D!).

In my current campaign, I wanted my players to do actual role-playing. So, to incentivize them, I developed a slightly different mechanic for Inspiration. (This is all separate from Bardic Inspiration.)

An Inspiration die can be acquired by playing the personality traits, ideal, bond and flaw of the character. When a PC exhibits said behavior, an Inspiration die is gained. The player decides when this is due, but with DM approval. There is no limit to how many can be accumulated, but only one may be used to affect a d20 roll.

The specific die used is a sliding scale, starting at d6. When a 1 is rolled it sucks, but the die type increases by one type to a cap at d12. When a max is rolled it's great, but the die type decreases by one type to a minimum of d4.

The Inspiration die can be used to affect any d20 roll, attack, skill, ability or save. It can also be used to affect an opponent's save against a PC's spell. Multiple targets require multiple Inspiration dice, each rolled separately. Not all targets must be affected, some can be left to the usual save. Only one Inspiration die per d20 roll, PC's or an opponent's.

Players are free to accumulate them or not, as they wish. They are also free to use them or not, as they wish. Generically played two-dimensional characters will be at a mechanical disadvantage to characters that can stand up and cast a shadow.

[Demonslayer666]

In the past, have never really understood Inspiration as presented in RAW, and have never used it in my games. It seems to me like a mechanic that is prone to becoming a perverse incentive if it's needed and not terribly necessary in groups that are already comfortable with roleplaying bonds, flaws, etc.

That said, I have run into a few moments as a player in my current game (a 3.5 homebrew) where I wish I could have asked for inspiration on specific rolls - in low level 3.5 it is really tempting to "powergame" instead of doing actions in character, due to the mechanical cost of doing things like attempting to disarm an opponent rather than simply hitting for damage. In those situations, asking for a one-time favor or a resource for later could make it easier to do the in-character action rather than the optimal action. So I might be coming around to being more open to inspiration in my next 5e game.

For those of you who use inspiration in 5e, how does it work for you? Do you have house rules? Do you see players trying to game the system? What are players most likely to use their inspiration on?

I give it out frequently and for just about any reason: making the group laugh, good roleplaying, trying to roleplay when you usually don't, heroic moves, good ideas, etc. I allow Inspiration to carry over between sessions because they are short sessions. I let them last for the scene instead. If you already have inspiration and get it again, it spills over to a group pool that anyone can use (we put small beads in a glass). I also allow players to use Inspiration after they roll, and multiple times.

The problem is that the players never use it. They hold on to it for dear life. I am considering changing over to gaining inspiration after a rest, so they know they will regain it and use it more often.

[Spider_Jerusalem]

I've played OWoD, especially Vampire, for as long as I've been playing D&D, and when we switched to 5e, I noticed a bigger focus on DM adjudication for a lot of stuff. As a DM, the ruling I use for inspiration is kinda similar to how you'd get willpower in Vampire according to your nature.

What I did to help me decide when a character gets inspiration was tie it to that character's traits, bonds and flaws. If the character does something relevant to the story that has some relation to those traits, I'll award that character inspiration. I also limit it to no more than once per player per gaming session.

I don't necessarily think this is the best way to do it, but it works for our campaign, which has a lot of social interactions and less combat than our last campaign had. For me, the most important thing with any ruling is consistency. Maybe it's a good idea to talk to the players before the campaign begins and define how to rule it. Some cool options might include:

° Inspiration is given to a character who solves a combat encounter. That could mean someone who kills the BBEG, but it could also mean an illusionist who creatively avoids combat completely and allows the party to continue the quest without expending lots of resources, for example. Alternatively, this could be a group decision called by the DM, like "ok, the encounter's over, let's decide who was the MVP of this one".
° Inspiration could be put in specific points during the preparation of the adventure, and treated almost as treasure is treated. Stuff like "whoever finds out the answer to the statue riddle gets inspiration" or "the Baron is unfriendly to the party and the interaction will likely end in combat; should combat be avoided by diplomacy or intimidation, the character(s) involved in the attempt gain inspiration".
° After specific milestones, every character gets inspiration. "Freeing the town from the troll king ends this part of the adventure. After that encounter, if it is successful, the party gets inspiration"
° If your campaign has a bigger integration between the characters and the setting, inspiration could be awarded to characters after big personal advancements/discovery. "Thraim the Wild succeeded in his trial to ascend to a new druidic circle; he gets inspiration". "Baldric discovered the documents proving he is the lost son of the archduke; he gets inspiration". "Vianna, the pirate, was successful in her mutiny and now is the captain of the ship; she gets inspiration".
° Using specific triggers tied to the game's mechanics, i.e. finishing the last enemy in an encounter on a critical hit awards inspiration; getting a 20 on a death saving throw means the character regains consciousness and gets inspiration, etc.

Anyway, as long as the rulings are consistent, I think it can be a solid mechanic to apply to the game.

[Kaviyd]

I am seriously considering the extreme solution of simply giving out one or more uses of Inspiration automatically at the start of each adventuring day. I have noticed that when Inspiration has to be earned and is subject to DM whim, players never know when or even whether they will ever gain Inspiration again and thus are reluctant to spend it except in the most extreme situations. If they know they will regain Inspiration the next morning, that reluctance should go away.

Any Inspiration that they actually earn would just be an extra bonus in this scheme.