A Dragon Age "Action Point" Mechanic?

[darkfire14]

After reading the rules for Dragon Age Orgins, I find it to be a solid and quite simple system but I criticize one flaw which reminds me of the old Palladium and D&D 3rd ed systems. The lack of any factor that allows PC's to "Do More" than the opposition. Stunts are cool but monsters/NPC's AS well as PC's can do them equally as well. So game-wise the PC's have no "Heroic" factor to even the odds in a pinch.

In White Wolf you got Willpower, in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay you got fate points, in D&D 4th edition you got Action Points. In Dragon Age you got NOTHING. What I would suggest is that PC's (and perhaps some powerful NPC's) have a pool of "Dragon Points". Probably something like two or three of them that recharge at the beginning of each session. A character on their turn can spend a dragon point to do one of the following things.

1. Get an additional minor action on their turn.
2. Reroll the dice on an action but they must accept the second result.
3. Recover 1d6 hitpoints points of damage.
4. Forstall death for another turn when at 0 HP.

SURE Dragon Age is a dark fantasy setting. But its supposed to be a "Heroic" fantasy setting. What is so heroic when Stunts are exactly the same for PC's as NPC's? The PC's should have an edge somewhere and Dragon Points seem like a good idea.

[Brokensoul]

I was thinking of doing something similar.

My thoughts were players and important NPC's had 3 'Dragon Points' (I like your name for them consider it stolen) they recover each day.

>Spend a point to change a normal die result to a 6.
>Spend two points to change a dragon die to a 6.
>Spend one point to take your breather in combat as a major action.
>Spend two points to take your breather in combat while you are at zero health.

[NathanGPLC]

Hmm; I have two thoughts about this, and they both lead me to the same conclusion.

One, strictly speaking, NPCs in WoD can use Willpower to boost their rolls, and important NPCs in D&D get Action Points, too. I don't know about Warhammer, but in Cortex, NPCs can theoretically have Plot Points, just like player characters.

Those mechanics don't really exist to give the PCs a mechanical advantage; they exist to give the PCs AND the NPCs options that they can apply at will, rather than by random roll.

So, on the basis of comparison, I don't think DA needs such a mechanic; even though Stunts are theoretically randomly occuring, because they have about a 45% chance of happening each roll, I don't think we need to have them be much more automatic than that.

Two, adding in a system like that can be a ton of fun, but balancing the options and then using it in play adds complication. As per Chris Pramas' design goal to keep rules to a minimum, I think the stunt system is the best of both worlds---you don't have to worry about point tracking, point hoarding, point handing-out or regenerating, but you still give players and the GM a number of fairly distributed points that can be used to select options at will.

Overall, I like systems like that, but adding another one to DA adds even more 'minigame' rule sets. I'd prefer to stick with Stunts, and just add more Stunts and Stunts for more situations (like my social stunt rules).

Blessed be,
~Nathan

[Carlos]

Hmm; I have two thoughts about this, and they both lead me to the same conclusion.

One, strictly speaking, NPCs in WoD can use Willpower to boost their rolls, and important NPCs in D&D get Action Points, too. I don't know about Warhammer, but in Cortex, NPCs can theoretically have Plot Points, just like player characters.

Those mechanics don't really exist to give the PCs a mechanical advantage; they exist to give the PCs AND the NPCs options that they can apply at will, rather than by random roll.

So, on the basis of comparison, I don't think DA needs such a mechanic; even though Stunts are theoretically randomly occuring, because they have about a 45% chance of happening each roll, I don't think we need to have them be much more automatic than that.

Two, adding in a system like that can be a ton of fun, but balancing the options and then using it in play adds complication. As per Chris Pramas' design goal to keep rules to a minimum, I think the stunt system is the best of both worlds---you don't have to worry about point tracking, point hoarding, point handing-out or regenerating, but you still give players and the GM a number of fairly distributed points that can be used to select options at will.

Overall, I like systems like that, but adding another one to DA adds even more 'minigame' rule sets. I'd prefer to stick with Stunts, and just add more Stunts and Stunts for more situations (like my social stunt rules).

I think exactly the same way.

[Zapp]

I agree with the notion that with Stunts, you don't need action points.

And with a relatively large amount of hit points (this is a level-based game after all) the need for warhammerian Fate Points diminish too.

I can certainly see why no such mechanic was in box set 1 - especially after Chris having explained he wanted to keep the intro rules clean and lean.

---

If I were to add something, however, I would be inclined to not add on a new mechanic, but instead expand on the existing stunt system.

Make it more free-form, to allow a player to come up with new forms of awesome, which in turn could then be awarded by the Games Master with additional stunt points.

That is, you don't get a free lunch just for being a player character. You do get free lunches when you impress your GM, however.

And in Dragon Age, those free lunches doesn't consist of Action or Fortune Points, but Stunt Points.

---

Darkfire, welcome to the forums. My simplest suggestion is that as the GM you award your PCs a number of bonus stunt points equal to their level at the start of each session.

These points can be saved during the evening's play to "pad" the normal stunt point you generate; or even to be able to do a critical stunt even when you miss (and don't get any normal stunt points).

Bonus stunt points not used up when the night's game is over are lost, and does not carry over to next week's gaming.

[Saisei]

Hmm. I think I'll steer clear of adding in new Action Points and the like. However I may allow my PC's to bank SP (Maybe up to 3) to use when times are tough.

For example: You are flanked by a number of Blight wolves and they're closing in. You roll to hit and really need to get around him. Unfortunately you don't get doubles. You spend your three banked SP, cracking a wolf in the face with your shield and sending him sprawling into the dirt (Knock Prone) before quickstepping around the felled creature (Skirmish) and putting an obstacle between you and your attackers.


I think this might keep the heroic feel of the game without unnecessarily adding a new mechanic.

[Zapp]

Good example of my suggestion you've got there, Saisei!

[Troll66]

I like the stunt banking option too. keeps things simple and in line with existing rules.

[Saisei]

Good example of my suggestion you've got there, Saisei!

lol, sorry man. My brain is fried I didn't realise I posted the same thing as you.

[Brokensoul]

Very good idea of the stunt point bank.

I think a cap of three is a good idea too.

How about you start the adventuring day off with 1 stunt point in your bank, you can use banked stunt points on any successful roll no matter if you rolled doubles or not.

You don't save unused stunt points though, the only way your stunt bank gains points is when you roll triples that generates one stunt point for the bank.

[Troll66]

special triple roll + banked stunt point (max 3)...I like.