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So I have been trying to encourage pirate/swashbuckling shenanigans a number of people have suggested action or hero points. A tweaked it a little to play on the theme and to steer things more in the pirate stunt awesomeness.
Take a look.
Tell me I am crazy.
Be Gentile.
Po8 give character the means to affect game play in significant ways, by improving important rolls or unlocking special abilities. Each character has a limited number of Po8, and once a Po8 is spent, it is gone for good.
Po8 give players some control over poor die rolls. Although this has little effect in an average encounter, it makes it a little more likely that characters will survive extremely challenging encounters and less likely that a single character will fall to what would otherwise be a balanced foe because of bad luck. A reserve of Po8 lets even careful players expose their characters to more risks, heightening the game's tension and opening the door to even more heroic action. This variant also makes it less likely that an entire adventuring group will fall victim to one powerful effect, such as circle of death or cloud-kill.
Po8 also make it more likely that the use of a character's most potent abilities will be successful. For example, although its overall effect on an encounter might be minimal, few things frustrate a paladin more than missing with a smite attack—an event that becomes less likely when using Po8. That said, Po8 can also lead characters to routinely get in over their heads (relying on Po8 to save themselves), and for GMs to unconsciously increase the difficulty of encounters (since characters are more likely to succeed against foes of equal power). This is as fine as long as the characters have a reserve of such points to spend—but if they run out, encounters that would otherwise be merely challenging can become incredibly deadly. Keep the number of Po8 available to your characters in mind when designing encounters.
For GMs who are worried that Po8 increase the power level of characters without an offsetting cost, there's an easy solution. Just think of each Po8 as a one-use magic item with a broad range of possible effects. With that analogy, it becomes easy to justify reducing the amount of treasure awarded to balance out the accrual of Po8. Note that this is merely a tool for GMs interested in carefully monitoring character power levels; Po8 should never be for sale.
Acquiring Po8
Po8 are earned by brash swashbuckling action. Bold moves, brazen defiance, acrobatic flair, or skin of your teeth moments earn you a Po8. While such daring acts might be aided by a Po8 if a Po8 is spent to accomplish a deed it does not grant one. Additionally killing a NPC with a Po8 earns a Po8. You cannot have more than 3 Po8 at a time additional Po8 earned go into the NPC crew pool.
You can spend 1 Po8 either to add to a single d20 roll, to take a special action, or to improve the use of a feat.
You can spend 1 Po8 in a round. If you spend a point to use a special action (see below), you can't spend another one in the same round to improve a die roll, and vice versa.
Add to a Roll
When you spend 1 Po8 to improve a d20 roll, you add the result of a 1d8 to your d20 roll (including attack rolls, saves, checks, or any other roll of a d20) to help you meet or exceed the target number. You can declare the use of 1 Po8 to alter a d20 roll after the roll is made, but only before the GM reveals the result of that roll. You can't use a Po8 to alter the result of a d20 roll when you are taking 10 or taking 20. Depending on character level (see table), a character might be able to roll more than one d8 when he spends 1 Po8. If so, apply the highest result and disregard the other rolls. A 15th-level character, for instance, gets to roll 3d8 and take the best result of the three. So, if he rolled a 1, 2, and 4, he would apply the 4 to his d20 roll.
Special Actions
You're a Class Act
A character can spend 1 Po8 to gain another use of a class ability that has a limited number of uses per day. For example, a monk might spend a Po8 to gain another use of her stunning fist ability, or a paladin might spend a Po8 to make an additional smite attack. Abilities that are limited by rounds per day get an additional 1d8 rounds of Rage or Bardic Performance.
Who Needs a Shield
A character can spend 1 Po8 as a free action when fighting defensively. This gives him double the normal benefits for fighting defensively for the entire round (+4 dodge bonus to AC).
All Together Now
Spend a Po8 to grant 1d8 allies (determined by proximity) use of a teamwork feat for one round.
Daring Example
Your bold display, successful attack, acrobatic maneuver, witty retort, or brazen gambit inspires 1d8 allies (determined by proximity) to greater exploits for 1d8 rounds granting a +1 to AC, Attack, and Damage bonus increases 1 for every four character levels to a max of +5.
Pillage Feat
At the beginning of a character's turn, he may spend 1 Po8 as a free action to gain the benefit of a feat he doesn't have. He must meet the prerequisites of the feat. He gains the benefit until the beginning of his next turn.
One More for Good Measure
During any round in which a character takes a full attack action, he may spend 1 Po8 to make an extra attack at his highest base attack bonus. Po8 may be used in this way with both melee and ranged attacks.
Negate Miss Chance
You can spend 1 Po8 to negate your miss chance for a single attack.
Sneaky Bastard
Sneak attack damage increases to 1d8 for 1 round.
Spell Boost
A character can spend 1 Po8 as a free action to increase the effective caster level of one of his spells by 2. He must decide whether or not to spend a Po8 in this manner before casting the spell.
Spell Recall
Spell-casters who prepare their spells in advance can spend 1 Po8 to recall any spell just cast. The spell can be cast again later with no effect on other prepared spells. This use of a Po8 is a free action and can only be done in the same round that the spell is cast. Spontaneous spell-casters such as sorcerers and bards can spend 1 Po8 to cast a spell without using one of their daily spell slots. This use of an Po8 is a free action and can only be done as the spell is being cast.
Swashbuckler's Step
Reckless Audacious Movement in a moment of swashbuckling insight you move, climb, swing, acrobatics, slide at a rate twice your normal base movement for move, climb, ect.
Improving Feats
The use of Po8 opens up a whole range of possible feats. However, it's easier on characters simply to improve existing feats to take advantage of Po8—that way, characters needn't spend their precious feat slots simply to gain the ability to use their Po8. Below are a few examples of how Po8 can be used with existing feats. Unless otherwise stated, each effect requires a free action to activate and lasts 1 round.
Combat Expertise
You can spend 1 Po8 to double the bonus to Armor Class granted by the feat. For example, if you take a penalty of -3 on your attack roll, you gain a +6 dodge bonus to AC.
Dodge
You can spend 1 Po8 to increase the dodge bonus granted by the feat to +2. The effect lasts for the entire encounter.
Improved Initiative
You can spend 1 Po8 to double the bonus on initiative checks granted by the feat, from +4 to +8.
Meta-magic Feats
You can spend 1 Po8 to add the effect of any one meta-magic feat that you have to a spell you are casting. The spell is cast at its normal level (without any level adjustment because of the feat) and takes no extra time to cast. Heighten Spell automatically raises a spell's effective level to the highest level of spell you are capable of casting. For example, if a 7th-level wizard with the Heighten Spell feat casts burning hands and spends 1 Po8 to heighten the spell, the spell is treated as if it were a 4th-level spell in all respects even though the wizard prepared it normally (as a 1st-level spell).
Spell Focus
You can spend 1 Po8 to double the increase to save DCs granted by the feat, from +1 to +2.
Spell Penetration
You can spend 1 Po8 to double the bonus on caster level checks granted by the feat, from +2 to +4. The effect lasts for the entire encounter.
I know that this is a necro, but damn, this would fit my campaign perfectly. Even the name!
Cool.
Do what I do, rather than using numbers on a sheet buy some plastic dubloons and give them out to the players.
I use a modified hero point system similar to Savage Worlds, they have 3 per session and can use them like hero points. If they die they can lose a coin permenatley to come back (at a price). So far 1 player has used up a coin in this way. I did go with the swashbuckling moves as well myself, spend a coin to use one (based on some of the conan d20 maneuvers) but to be honset the players have not used them, they prefer to just use re-rolls or +8.
My players love them, they add a life line and it keeps the game going and the characters alive. There is nothing more satisfying then seeing coins flung at me through the evening as they use them to re-roll or add +8 to a roll. Its a gamble for them sometimes as they always try to keep one back just in case. It makes it better for me as a GM too as I don't have to pull punches and can be a little more ruthless if needed.
Nope, hero points, fate, pieces of eight are a no brainer for me,love them.