Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

[The Main Man]

As I ran a combination Cinematic Martial Arts/Vigilante Crimefighting/Pulp Crimebusting campaign, I happened upon a new use for Heroic Action Points: Players may exceed normal clip capacity at 1 HAP per extra shot in order to simulate cheesy action flicks that pay poor attention to details like actual clip capacity. It's worked well so far and it's beeen fun.

 

That idea has inspired me to ask my fellow HEROphiles if they have alternative uses for Heroic Action Points that they wouldn't mind sharing.

[Darbor]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

I'm not sure if it's exactly the same thing but here is our house rule on the use of what we just call Hero Points.

 

Hero/Fate/(Luck) PointsEach party member starts out with 5 points at character creation. These points can be used to modify almost any roll. Two points gets rid of a critical failure (it still fails). You can acquire hero points by doing really heroic, self-sacrificing deeds. Depending on the situation, I may also give a hero point for a role of a natural '3'.

 

 

They work like luck points. However, once used, they never return.

In practice they only modify the roll by 1. So if you know you just missed a roll that is critical to you then you can use a Hero Point to make that roll. If we tell our GM that we are considering using a Hero Point in a given situation where we failed, he will tell us if using it would change the outcome of the roll.

[The Main Man]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

You just gave me an idea, Darbor: the whole awards based on Critical Hits has me thinking now.

[The Main Man]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

Here are some new HAP ideas I'm considering and I figured I'd share them with everyone:

Comeback - A PC gains +1 HAP per Phase in combat spent Stunned or Knocked Out.

For Our Friend - All PCs gain +1 HAP when a fellow PC dies.

Go Down Swinging - A PC gains +1 HAP per point of Negative BODY (up to +10).

New Hero Smell - A new PC gains +2d6 HAPs in their first game and +1d6 in their second game.

A PC can raise their REC by +1 per 1 HAP; These boosts are only temporary, lasting for single recoveries each.

A PC gains +1 HAP per instance of a Complication substantially hindering them.

 

Thoughts?

[Norm]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

Only +1 HAP for "For Our Friend". I think that is really, really low when compared to "Comeback". If it is truly heroic group, I would probably give +5 or +8. Especially if it was a heroic death. Look at all of the things that happens when a major character dies in the comic books. It should inspire/enrage the rest of the group in the battle.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

A PC gains +1 HAP per instance of a Complication substantially hindering them.

 

As with most similar items, this will depend on the group. However, I suspect you'll see some measure of "leaping to my complications" in the hopes of building up HAP's, and considerable claims of a "substantial hindrance" needing to be adjudicated. Aren't heroes supposed to rise above their weaknesses, not be dragged down by them?

 

A new PC gains +2d6 HAPs in their first game and +1d6 in their second game.

 

So design three or four PC's for a new game, run each for a couple of games and keep swapping before settling into the character you really like? Seems like this could encourage character flipping.

 

I like using HAP to enhance REC. What about allowing a shift up the recovery timing chart for a HAP? Being at -20 or -21 from a lucky hit is a common frustration in Hero, so the ability to get a PS12 recovery by spending a HAP would mitigate those (un)lucky hits. Of course, maybe it's better to stay KO'd for the whole 3 turn fight and pick up (assuming a 5 SPD) 15 HAP for next time. 16 if I get KO'd because of a Susceptibility or Vulnerability (or should that be +1 each phase - I'm substantially hindered every phase by being KO'd, and I'd be up and running without that Complication!). Bonus points if that also results in getting down to negative BOD.

 

Looks like a character with Regeneration would be a good pick, so he can spend time at negative BOD.

[The Main Man]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

As with most similar items' date=' this will depend on the group. However, I suspect you'll see some measure of "leaping to my complications" in the hopes of building up HAP's, and considerable claims of a "substantial hindrance" needing to be adjudicated. Aren't heroes supposed to rise above their weaknesses, not be dragged down by them?[/quote']

Agreed; It'll take a watchful eye and good judgment. I think the litmus test would be the manner of initiation i.e. is the player invoking the complication or is the GM? If the former, HAPs probably shouldn't be awarded; if the latter, then they probably should.

 

 

So design three or four PC's for a new game, run each for a couple of games and keep swapping before settling into the character you really like? Seems like this could encourage character flipping.

I considered that possibility and again relegate it to GM discretion. I'd be more likely to award it if the player's last character departed in a satisfying way rather than they just decided to make a new character.

 

I like using HAP to enhance REC. What about allowing a shift up the recovery timing chart for a HAP? Being at -20 or -21 from a lucky hit is a common frustration in Hero, so the ability to get a PS12 recovery by spending a HAP would mitigate those (un)lucky hits. Of course, maybe it's better to stay KO'd for the whole 3 turn fight and pick up (assuming a 5 SPD) 15 HAP for next time. 16 if I get KO'd because of a Susceptibility or Vulnerability (or should that be +1 each phase - I'm substantially hindered every phase by being KO'd, and I'd be up and running without that Complication!). Bonus points if that also results in getting down to negative BOD.

 

Looks like a character with Regeneration would be a good pick, so he can spend time at negative BOD.

1) The Time Chart reduction is somewhat interesting, but I intended for HAPs gained from being Stunned/Knocked Out to go hand in hand with the REC enhancement house rule. So in an indirect way, it would work. But otherwise, yes, I think that having 10-15 new HAPs would make it worth a PC's trouble if they wanted to wait out their KO.

 

Now that you mention it though, I hadn't considered how to make it worth their while if they waited, saved the HAPs, and then don't get the chance to spend them that game. Would be kind of a cheat. Maybe 1/2 HAPs could be retained from session to session until a story is completed?

 

Example: Bob rolls 2d6 (6e Standard) and gets 7 HAPs for the game. He only spends 3 of them in that game session, leaving 4. If the next game continued a story that left off from the last game, Bob would start said game with (4/2=2) +2 HAPs in addition to what he rolls for that game's 2d6.

 

On the one hand, it could have an appropriate feel for when the final confrontation is reached if HAPs were saved, but OTOH, it could promote hoarding behavior. Hm...

 

 

 

2) I didn't consider Regeneration enhancement, but considering its nature in 6e (REC bumped up the Time Chart), you raise an interesting idea. I'm a little weary of it though, but it certainly could create a Wolverine/Lobo-style hyper-regenerative special effect.

 

Have to think about that one though...

[The Main Man]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

Only +1 HAP for "For Our Friend". I think that is really' date=' really low when compared to "Comeback". If it is truly heroic group, I would probably give +5 or +8. Especially if it was a heroic death. Look at all of the things that happens when a major character dies in the comic books. It should inspire/enrage the rest of the group in the battle.[/quote']

 

I originally considered dividing up the dead PC's HAPs amongst the surviving PCs with a minimum of 1. I also was weighing it against the other new ideas. Maybe +1d6 would work?

 

Also, I did indeed intend For Our Friend to occur for heroic deaths, not deaths that result from petty squabbles, the PC being a moron, PvP combat (at least in general), or the like.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

Have to think about that one though...

 

I wasn't thinking of using HAP to boost regeneration, but a character who has relatively low defenses (possibly more reliant on Damage Reduction), so he routinely takes (and regenerates) BOD. I'm running a character with about 6 defenses, damage reduction, high REC and 1/phase Regen (APG). He spends a lot of time down BOD, but his Regen takes care of it. Not often at negative BOD, but I could certainly tweak a character to hit negatives consistently without a lot of danger of death.

[The Main Man]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

Oh, I see what you mean now. Good point. On the one hand, said PC keeps getting knocked into Negative Body and keeps gaining HAP as a result. This could potentially be accomplished by a fantasy group with a healer too. Maybe that +10 HAP maximum ought to be a limit for that too.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

Agreed; It'll take a watchful eye and good judgment. I think the litmus test would be the manner of initiation i.e. is the player invoking the complication or is the GM? If the former' date=' HAPs probably shouldn't be awarded; if the latter, then they probably should.[/quote']

In our group acknowledging or playing to your character's complications is considered good roleplaying. I guess we wouldn't get a lot of HAPs with your group?

[The Main Man]

Re: Alternative Uses for Heroic Action Points

 

In our group acknowledging or playing to your character's complications is considered good roleplaying. I guess we wouldn't get a lot of HAPs with your group?

Well, if a PC has Susceptibility to Electricity, is it good roleplaying to stick their finger in electrical sockets or to pick unnecessary fights with Thunderbolt every chance they get? Are they not playing up their Complications? Hence the "watchful eye and good judgment" part.

 

For another example, should a PC with Code Versus Killling get HAPs for beating up everything that moves to within an inch of their life, but never killing them? Watchful eye, good judgment.

 

It comes down to if the Complications truly limit the character in a given situations. Sure, a PC can initiate that if it becomes so, IMO. As the rules point out, Complications are more a GM tool than a player tool. IOW, while a PC might be wheelchair-bound, I won't award HAPs until it hinders them in the course of the story. If they chase the bad guy who goes down the stairs, they get a HAP. If said PC tries to take the stairs over the elevator at every opportunity (i.e. unimportant to story/game) because "woe is them," then no HAPs for them.

 

That's what I get at.