DM Mechanic - Heroic Inspiration
Added 2019-05-02 20:35:28 +0000 UTCInspiration is a cool mechanic of 5e, but I've always felt it could be better. In my games, I run a modified system called "Heroic Inspiration". At the start, it is the same as Inspiration - allowing you to spend 1 Inspiration to reroll a die, and that's still the most common use of it. But it does allow you to go well above and beyond that when the time is right.
The reason that I like the system is it gives both the DM and the player more control of destiny. As a DM, I don't much like fudging dice or monster health, and tend to let things fall where they fall - this means that sometimes my players are in a situation that is best described as "hopeless".
Heroic Inspiration allows me to nudge their chances for survival - if they've heard it - a bit by awarding a few stacks of Heroic Inspiration just when the situation is at its darkest, but as the use of it is fundamentally in the hands of the player, even the Dues Ex Machina feels less of a Dues Ex Machina saving them.
It's anti-hoarding mechanic (by halving rounding down on long rest) also serves a second property of encourage players - or enboldening them - to travel further and dare more during an adventuring day, while making thematic sense that as a Hero is at the end of the line, their normal resources draining, they gain a second resource to allow them to take that one extra step.
To be perfectly clear - this is system is not balance neutral. These rules will only make your players stronger, as it's just "more stuff" on top of normal Inspiration. But as awarding Inspiration is still under the DM discretion, it won't be something that gets more out of hand than you let it, while allowing you to make the more daring plays of your players have at least a small chance of success.
...I don't know if this will be useful to everyone. Ultimately this probably shows my hand as a malevolent DM that runs a dangerous world pulls few punches, but hopefully some people get a use of out this, and as I've really enjoyed the mechanics I figured I would share it see if anyone else found it useful :)
