By DM Lane (@tyrennii on twitter)

Fifth Edition D&D allows DM’s to ‘reward’ players with ‘DM inspiration’ for roleplaying well, but I was having a problem that I would give out inspiration to players that was not being used. My players would feel that they didn’t have the right opportunity to use it and that it was wasted. A change was needed.

Maybe this was my fault for not putting enough situations in front of them in which they felt like they needed to use it; but nevertheless I wanted something to improve this inspiration system.

Caveat – I did not design this system. I saw it online from a bloke by the name of Jarrad and hijacked it. I contacted Jarrad and he was nice enough for me to write about it. So all props should go to him.

Basically the system goes like this: The DM award players ‘Hero Points’ which the players can gain through exceptional role-play, intelligent, witty, or story defining character decisions; ingenuity in gameplay (both in and out of combat); and at the DM’s discretion when applicable.

The players can have as many hero points as they receive, but once the player cashes them in, they are used. Hero points can be used to influence the game from a meta-perspective. They are a game reward for engaging and exciting gameplay.

This essentially allows the players to ‘save-up’ their DM Inspiration points over a period of time and use them in a lump sum, depending on the situation. I’ve also had players say, “That deserves a Hero Point!” when another player does something cool that warrants it. As a DM, I get the last say, but I don’t think I’ve disagreed with them yet.

This system has led to some last minute quick thinking by my players when have situations have turned for the worse. This has changed combat situations and even stopped character death. It’s alway very cool when a player goes, “I can’t do anything” and another player says, “What about your Hero Points?”

Papers then get tossed around the room until people look at their Hero Points and consult the table below to what they might be able to achieve. It can lead to last second game changing situations!

I have also just included another idea I saw online from a bloke by the name of David Nett (@davidnett on Twitter). He has a house rule where a player can state ‘I know a Guy’ and make up an NPC who they’ve had a past relationship with. I thought this was a good enough idea to incorporate into my Hero Points system. I put it in at 4 points for the following reasons:

  1. I didn’t want PC’s to just make up a guy every time that they were stuck and wanted an easy way out, so 4 is a decent enough price to pay
  2. I wanted to include more ‘role-playing’ effects into the HP system but didn’t want to make it out of reach.
  3. Feedback from one of my players (Thanks Sam). Shes also a newish DM – and I think it’s always good to get feedback if you are going to amend/introduce something mid-campaign.

Without further ado, here is the current Hero Points Table.

I do keep a tally of the Hero Points that have been given out and I try to give out about three per session on average. As I have a group of 7 players at the moment, their Hero Points tally does build up, but not too quickly.

If your players tend not to use their DM inspiration points, maybe suggest a switch to system to them and see what they think. It sure has led to some cool session altering scenarios for me. Click the below link to download yourself a pdf copy.

hero-points-systemDownload

UNT

Other Articles:
DMPC’s – to Play or not to Play, that is the question
The Long Rest Conundrum (and Leomund’s Tiny Hut)
Beefing Up Combat (pt.2) – 10 More Ways to Challenge your Players
Simplifying Complex Combat
DM Burnout
My DM Screen Information (+PDF)
The D&D Escape Room
DM’s Die Rolling for Players Skill Checks 
Concentration Q&A’s
Encouraging Players to ‘Roleplay’
Character Creation: Why Adventure? (on d10again)
Metagmaing – Players Looking up the Baddies
Be a Better Role Player (Pt.3) – How to Improve In-Game
Be a Better Role Player (pt.2) – What your fellow players want from you
Be a Better Role Player (pt.1) – What Your DM Wants From You
5e Combat Cheat Sheet
Temporary Hit Points Q&A’s
DM Disappointment: Players Don’t Follow the Story?
Session 0
Beefing Up Combat pt1
Tips for New Players
New Years DMing Resolutions