Inspiration & Favor

Player Rewards

Player characters receive a number of rewards during a game of D&D: XP, gold and other treasure, NPC contacts and favors, magical items, new spells or abilities, and so on. Usually these rewards are handed out as a result of character actions: slay the dragon, take the treasure and experience. But when the players themselves do something awesome like crush it during a role-playing scene or make a choice that their character would make but they themselves definitely would not, they should get a little something extra too.

Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition includes a system for player rewards called Inspiration. We’re using Inspiration to reward players, albeit with a couple minor tweaks from the Inspiration rules as written, as outlined below. However, we’re also incorporating a second reward system that is a little less subjective in how it is awarded, but hopefully will allow for some exciting new wrinkles to the game sessions. This reward is called Favor, and it represents a minor blessing bestowed by a god at a key moment. Let’s look at both rewards in detail.

Inspiration

In the Feodris campaign, Inspiration is awarded at the end of each session. The amount of Inspiration the DM has to distribute is equal to half the number of players who participated in that session, rounded down. Inspiration works mostly like it is described in the Player’s Handbook on page 126, with the following exceptions:

  • You do not have to declare and use Inspiration prior to a roll. You may add Inspiration after a failed roll (effectively a re-roll) on a saving throw, ability check or attack roll.
  • You may re-roll any number of times, provided your active party has Inspiration available to spend.

Inspiration remains on your character sheet until you use it. You may transfer your Inspiration to another player at any time. You are never obligated to transfer your Inspiration to another party member.

Also note that the DM is not obliged to award all available Inspiration each session.

Favor

Favor is a new kind of player reward. Instead of being a dice-based reward, Favor is a bit more flavorful and also potentially more powerful, which is why Favor is only granted at the end of each session. To earn this reward, you must volunteer to help with “above table” duties. Typically this will mean writing session recaps, but there may be other opportunities presented by the DM to earn Favor. To be eligible for Favor at the end of a session, you must have participated in that session.

Favor does not expire, but you may only ever have one point of Favor at a time. Favor can be used no more than twice in a given session, and two players cannot use the same Favor Flavor (see below). Once a Flavor has been used, it is gone (see Refreshing Flavors, below).

The only other way to gain a point of Favor is to exchange three points of Inspiration for a single point of Favor. This exchange can be done at any time.

The DM will track Flavor availability and usage, there is nothing you need to add or remove from your character sheet. Using Favor does not require an action or expend any resources other than the Flavor point itself.

Favor Timings

Flavors have two possible timings: unlimited, and limited.

Unlimited

Unlimited Flavors can be used whenever you wish. There are no restrictions, including during combat when it’s not your turn.

Limited

Limited Flavors have some kind of restriction about when they can be invoked. The limitation is meant to accommodate mechanical necessity; thematically the deities named by the Flavor should be able to circumvent any natural law. The invoked limitations are meant to avoid mechanical confusion during game sessions but they also serve as a reminder for effects that may be worth actively looking for the circumstance to arise (or perhaps even working toward it!) in order to maximize the use of the Favor point, especially given the Refresh mechanic.

Favor Flavors

When you choose to use your Favor, you must select one of the flavors it comes in. Favor is meant to represent the subtle influence of the gods on Feodris, which is why they are associated and named after specific deities in the Feodrian Pantheon.

  • Zogugh’s Reflexes — You may change your initiative order value. This can be done at any time, provided you have not taken a turn in the current round. Your initiative remains in its updated order value for the remainder of combat. Timing: Limited. Must be in initiative order.
  • Innera’s Shielding — Spend a number of Hit Dice (up to your proficiency bonus) to roll those dice and add your Constitution modifier. You gain that many hit points as temporary hit points. The temporary hit points last for 1 hour. Timing: Unlimited.
  • Halamar’s Focus — You may recover any number of spent spell slots provided the combined level of the recovered slots does not exceed half your proficiency bonus (rounded down). Timing: Unlimited.
  • Anuxolo’s Defense — You or a target ally you can see gains a +3 bonus to their AC until the beginning of your next turn or for 1 minute (whichever is shorter). Timing: Unlimited.
  • Mok’s Darkness — Choose a creature you can see. The next time the targeted creature makes an attack roll or an ability check, they must do so with disadvantage. Timing: Unlimited.
  • Irkretsh’s Tears — You or a target creature you can touch who is Fighting For Life automatically stabilizes. Timing: Limited. Your turn.
  • Nour Breeine’s Gamble — USED. You may re-roll any single die roll made by you. You must use the result of the second roll. Timing: Unlimited.
  • Idi’s Whispers — On any skill check made to recall or discover information, you may have advantage on that roll. Timing: Limited. Prior to a skill check relating to data, clues, memories, knowledge, foresight, insight, or deduction.
  • Bonerivyr’s Retort — You may use your reaction to make an attack against a creature that has just made a successful attack roll against you. Timing: Limited. After a successful melee, ranged, or spell attack by a creature within range of your attack, before damage is rolled. If the reaction attack would drop the attacking creature to 0 HP, the incoming attack fails and deals no damage.
  • Kana’s Foresight — USED. After a creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you may force that creature to re-roll. The target must use the result of the second roll. Timing: Unlimited.
  • v’Karra’s Fortune — The next time you find or acquire gold, you gain an extra 1d10+10 percent, rounded up (e.g. if you find 10 gp and roll a 5, you gain an extra 15% or 2 extra gp for a total of 12). Timing: Limited. The first time a payment or discovery of a particular single piece or group of pieces of gold for the same purpose/payment results in you gaining money. The effect lasts for 5 seconds once activated.
  • Rol’s Knack — Choose a weapon type other than improvised weapons. You gain Expertise in that weapon for the next 10 minutes (double your Proficiency Bonus and add it to any attack rolls made with that weapon). Timing: Limited. Must be initiative order.
  • P’mbru’s Respite — USED. You instantly receive all the benefits of a Long Rest, except you don’t regain all lost Hit Points. Instead, you may roll Hit Dice equal to your proficiency bonus. Timing: Unlimited.
  • Vardostr’s Willpower — USED. Automatically pass a failed saving throw to maintain concentration on a spell. The spell must be level 6 or lower. Timing: Limited. Immediately after a saving throw fails.

The adjudication of each Favor instance is at the DM’s discretion.

Refreshing Flavors

Flavors, once used, are “deactivated” and cannot be selected again.

The time frame for this restriction is not yet known. We’re live testing this so it feels correct to be flexible about a game state we aren’t anywhere close to yet. But, to serve as a guideline for how zealously to guard the perceived “best” flavors, at the very least once the entire list is exhausted the whole batch will be added back into the pool.

Pool Refreshment Possibilities

Aside from resetting the used Flavors once they’re all gone, there are some other ideas on the table for how to set the dials for this system. The good news is there is no rush to set those in stone until we’ve at least had a few sessions to try this out.

But that means that right now is the perfect time for YOU to shape your own in-game fortunes! So please, send me your Flavor ideas! Send me your input on the Refresh mechanic. Any feedback you have, I’m all ears! This is a cool place where you can help flesh out the game world by picking a deity and designing to their aspects. Or, designing an effect and choosing an aspect/deity/pantheon/etc to match it. Or you can come up with your own ideas for how to refresh used Flavors, or pitch me your idea for how to give everyone 16 points of Favor each session. Whatever you think would be cool in a “gently break the rules in my favor” kind of way.

One thing is for sure, we’ll have to either add some new Flavors or decide to have an infinite Refresh cycle. Otherwise, we’ll only get a few session’s enjoyment out of this reward. And maybe that could be part of it too, replacing this system with a new one once we’ve “finished” it. I’m really hoping to collaborate on this system with at least a few of you.

HR05, Active, v1.0.3