I’ve run a couple sessions now of my FrankenD&D, and overall things are running pretty smoothly. Last Friday, I laid out my plans for dealing with treasure parcels, and this week I’m addressing the second major chunk of those bells and whistles I’m adding to the D&D chassis: Fate Points. Or rather, I’ve taken to calling them Fudge Points, just to get across in the very title what they’re to be used for. I have at least one player who has a hard time “thinking outside the box.” He gets extremely fixated on the rules, and in order to encourage him (and anyone else that drops into this game) to consider how to use these points, I describe them as a way to fudge the rules when you need something just a little bit extra–hence, Fudge Points.
Below, you’ll find the excerpt from our houserule document regarding the earning and use of these points, and yes, much of it has been lifted straight from the Spirit of the Century SRD.
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This is a living document. It is subject to change at any time we feel something just isn’t working or at any time we want to mod the game further.
Action points: the regular action point system is in place. In addition to this, though, we will be using Fudge Points. To add this mod to the game, we will have the following:
* Traits – each character must have at least three traits written on his character sheet. You can pick more but it gets hard to juggle them after 5 or 6, so three is a good start at low levels. Do remember that these aren’t carved into your gravestone–I expect that these traits will change and evolve over time. “Retraining” traits: At the start of any session, you may adjust, switch, or add traits to your character, but you must justify it to the DM. As in, it must reflect some development for your character.
* Fudge Points–FP are earned via use of your traits, either by you or the DM. The DM can use your traits to “compel” you to an action–basically tugging on your character’s strings–but in exchange you gain FP. Keep in mind, you can act against your traits (or your nature), but you will not gain any FP by doing so, and in fact if you are in a situation where the DM is attempting to compel you, it will cost you a FP to resist. Alternatively, when you act according to your traits, and if that action adds to the game in some way (at the DM’s discretion), you can ask for FP to reward you for that action. You start each day with an amount of FP equal to your action points, but unlike action points your coins do “roll over,” which is to say you keep any coins that you haven’t used.
* Using Fudge Points - You can expend any number of FP at any time to fudge the rules slightly. Certainly you are encouraged to use y0ur imagination when asking to use an FP, so that you can add just the right extra oomph to a given action. Some examples of how you can use these FP are as follows:
- Resist a compel by the DM
- A +2 bonus (+4 at paragon and +6 at epic) to any skill roll
- Reroll any skill check and use the new result
- A +1d6 bonus to any attack roll
- Resist 5 (10 at paragon and 15 at epic) to any one damage type for one turn.
– Reroll the attack roll for a daily power
- Make a Declaration (see below)
Declarations - You may simply lay down FP and declare something. If the GM accepts it, it will be true. This gives the player the ability to do small things in a story that would usually be something only the GM could do.
These things can’t be used to drastically change the plot or win a scene. Declaring “Doctor Herborn drops dead of a heart attack” is not only likely to be rejected by the DM, it wouldn’t even be that much fun to begin with. What this can be very useful for is convenient coincidences. Does your character need a match (but doesn’t smoke)? Spend a fate point and you’ve got one! Is there an interesting scene happening over there that your character might miss? Spend a fate point to declare you arrive at a dramatically appropriate moment!
Your DM has veto power over this use, but it has one dirty little secret. If you use it to do something to make the game cooler for everyone, the DM will usually grant far more leeway than she will for something boring or, worse, selfish.
As a general rule, you’ll get a lot more leniency from the DM if you make a declaration that is in keeping with one or more of your traits. For example, the DM will usually balk at letting a character spend FP to have a weapon after he’s been searched. However, if you can point to your “Always Armed” aspect, or describe how your “Distracting Beauty” aspect kept the guard’s attention on inappropriate areas, the DM is likely to give you more leeway.
/*******FP in play*******/
The fudge points created a really interesting dynamic at the table. It not only encouraged players to take on penalties (by the end of last session, one PC had a twisted ankle and lost half his HP before combat even started, but had a pile of FP to show for it), but it also made me feel like less of a dick.
What I’m saying is that the dynamic that’s usually created by the sense of player entitlement–the idea that when anything bad happens it’s because the DM is mean and unfair–is demolished by this system. Because now the players are rewarded when bad stuff happens to them, I had to deal with precisely zero complaints. For that alone, the FP are worth it.
It was also interesting to see how players used their FP. Some of them used them willy-nilly to smooth over every botched roll they could (one of them used it to “make a declaration,” summoning a deeply buried coffin so he could wrench the lid off and use it as a sled), while others hoarded them like precious jewels. Since they carry over from session to session and you can use as many FP as you like on any given action, I imagine that at some point the latter player is going to push in all his chips and do something incredible.
Both of which are the point of FP. It helps mitigate the swing of the random chance that comes from rolling a d20 to resolve every conflict, but encourages players to redistribute their “luck” or “fate” as they see fit. Some players are going to try to even out the adventure, and some players are going to let their character reach some pretty dark depths for the opportunity to leap to the greatest heights.
I gotta say, I’m sold. How about you? Do you think you’d implement this in your game?
