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Lord Tataraus
2008-03-07, 06:19 PM
I was just watching the Gamer Radio Zero D&D XP videos and was reminded of action points in 4e. Personally, I don't like how action points work in 4e or 3.5 for that matter, I do use them but in my own fashion. My players get 1 action point and 1 second wind token at the start of the game. The action point can be spent to add 1d6 to the die roll result (it can turn a 16 into a nat 20) or reroll the die, the second wind is to prevent death by stupidity/bad luck. I award action points for roleplaying and minor achievements, but that's it.

Now in 4e, the action point is an integral part of gameplay and actually gives an extra standard action, I don't know much more, but I can assume players get a certain number per level. I don't want a bunch of mechanics relying on their use because my version is so different and its just like a bunch of wasted space to me, I guess I'm really pissed off that its somewhat forced.

So, what are your opinions on action points?

Green Bean
2008-03-07, 06:26 PM
Now in 4e, the action point is an integral part of gameplay and actually gives an extra standard action, I don't know much more, but I can assume players get a certain number per level. I don't want a bunch of mechanics relying on their use because my version is so different and its just like a bunch of wasted space to me, I guess I'm really pissed off that its somewhat forced.

Actually, I think the way it works is that you get an action point every other combat, and they disappear whenever you rest. As well, you can only use one point per encounter. They appear to be designed to encourage players to keep going, rather than resting after every encounter to replenish their daily abilities.

kamikasei
2008-03-07, 06:27 PM
Now in 4e, the action point is an integral part of gameplay and actually gives an extra standard action, I don't know much more, but I can assume players get a certain number per level. I don't want a bunch of mechanics relying on their use because my version is so different and its just like a bunch of wasted space to me, I guess I'm really pissed off that its somewhat forced.

...Huh?

I don't see your point. If 4e uses a mechanic called "action points" to achieve effect X and you want to preserve your use of an identically-named mechanic with a different effect... change one of the names. They do two different things. It's an unfortunate namespace collision but it's not as if they're preventing you from doing what you have been doing.

As I understand it 4e action points are accrued at a rate of one every second encounter, and reset to 1 after an extended rest (one that replenishes your "per-day" abilities). They act as a representation of momentum and a counteragent to narcolepsy - you gain them as you adventure and spend them as you gain them, limited to one per encounter. It seems like an interesting and possibly very good idea to me.

Kurald Galain
2008-03-07, 06:28 PM
I don't know much more, but I can assume players get a certain number per level.

No, they don't. They get one per day, plus more after a number of encounters. After all, we wouldn't want to give the players an exhaustible limit of anything, now would we?

I've used "die roll improving" action points for ages (except I don't call them action points). Most good RPGs in the past couple decades have a mechanic for something like that, to avoid random bad luck when you really don't need it. D&D, notably, has not, and still hasn't in 4E.

I don't care much for them. They're not flavorful or "cool" (unlike, say, Exalted stunts), they're just an extra mechanic that doesn't bring much more to the game, and the fact that you can see a dozen of them used per day over the group means they're not going to be anything special either.

Lord Tataraus
2008-03-07, 06:45 PM
Well, it seems my impressions were, thankfully, wrong. It seems like it won't be a big mechanic like it was in eberron and only have that one function. I'll probably just ignore it.

Squash Monster
2008-03-07, 07:16 PM
Normally, I feel that action points belong in a certain kind of game. If you want something cinematic, you want action points. If you want something gritty, you don't.

As a DM, I felt like character death in 3.5 was too sudden and I didn't want to make it seem like I was randomly killing players off. Eventually I instituted an action point system so I could stop fudging die rolls.

For my system, every character starts with three action points. Every adventure, they get one more. Action points can be used three ways:
1) Reroll a roll you just made (after result is declared)
2) Reroll a roll I just made that pertains to you directly (monster attack rolls and such)
3) In response to something that should kill you: drop to -9HP and stable

So far, I've found that it helps a lot.

As for 4E's action points: my feelings on them are mixed. I'll know when I see all the details.

Charity
2008-03-07, 07:42 PM
As far as I understand it there isn't much to see details wise

- they reset to 1 after a rest
- you gain 1 per 2 encounters (if you win I guess, though I haven't seen that specified)
- you can only use one per encounter
- they give you one extra action of your choice

that would just about cover it, i can't see anything else is needed... though there is bound to be some weird exception rule or something.