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Having just finished a fun packed first session of Serpent's Skull and contemplating the idea of party roles i had the idea of reward traits.
These would be traits like the campaign traits used to further the plot and/or fill role gaps based on character actions but judged by the GM. Such as a character unexpectedly thrust in a leadership role could earn a trait based on that concept ect.
Obviously they would only be awarded occasionally but seem to me a better reward for out of the box thinking or good roleplaying than a few more xp or another minor trinket.
I'd like to "hear" other peoples suggestions and thoughts on this idea.
I like the concept.
It makes me think of Burning Wheel a little, a different RPG. In that game, at the end of the session you are allowed to propose a trait for your character, if the group unanimously feels you played it well, you add it to your sheet. They start as descriptive words, but if you continue to play it well, it can be voted up to a mechanical effect.
I wouldn't give one every session, but maybe set a predetermined number of sessions/levels, or at the end of an AP book. This has the benefit of letting players propose interesting trait ideas as well, instead of putting all the creative work on your shoulders.
You're exactly right that it has more flavor than just giving out XP and treasure. I think it's a great idea, and I've done it myself in D&D 3.0/3.5.
At the end of each story arc, which is generally 3-5 levels in my campaigns, I would give bonus feats chosen by the GM. They were generally weaker feats that were not important prerequisites for stronger feats, so they didn't seriously effect the power level of the game.
For example, I might give a character who spent his first 5 levels riding a horse but had no ranks, Skill Focus: Ride.