One concept it introduces is "luck points", which are sort of like action points in d20 modern or action dice in Spycraft -- the idea is that your character has a pool of points that can be used to buy exceptional effects. For example, if you just blew your save, you could spend a luck point to re-roll it. Same goes for pretty much any d20 roll. You can also spend them to buy certain things; e.g. confirm a critical automatically, lessen the impact of falling off a building, etc.
The luck system they use in this book is a little too overpowering for my taste -- it skews more toward Spycraft's high-octane approach. However, it did get me to thinking about whether we might want to introduce action dice to the Dark City campaign.
Action dice are described in Unearthed Arcana, and basically the deal is that you get a certain number of dice to start with, and then gain more each level. The number of dice you get depends on level -- at low levels its 1d6, at medium levels its 2d6, and at high levels its 3d6.
The idea is that you spend these dice (one die per roll) to augment some action by your character. Really, REALLY want to make that attack? Spend an action die? A little nervous about making that save? Spend an action die. You can also spend them for a variety of non-roll effects, including getting an extra attack for one round, boosting your caster level by 2 for one round, temporarily gaining a feat for one round (you must qualify for it), automatically stabilizing your character, and buying an extra use of a class ability (i.e. use stunning blow another time a day).
You don't get a huge number of action points per level, so while some of the above uses may seem exceptional, that's kind of the point.
* * *
I think introducing this mechanic into "Dark City" would help reinforce the heroic theme of the campaign by providing characters with the ability to do the exceptional. Further, it should help considerably with Prug (and to a lesser extent with some of the other characters, like Thom, who think big, but roll small) by making it a little easier to stand toe-to-toe with the bad guys. It will also help me with rewards -- I don't intend to give out action points like candy, but if someone does something exceptional (role-playing, combat, whatever) I'd give him an AP. Again, this helps specifically with Prug, who can't have magic items, but who could occasionally use the boost that magic items provide.
* * *
Finally, we've been using action points in George Hardy's campaign. They haven't had a huge impact yet -- to be honest, most of us forget to use them -- but they're sure nice to have around when you do remember, and realize that you might need a little something ... extra ... to take down that werewolf...
Thoughts?
. You gain the same amount of action points each time you level.
