Boon Cards [PEACH]

[powerdemon]

I started using a new system in my games that I created. I call them boon cards.

I wrote on several index cards. Each card has a bonus on it. When the party (usually) or an individual does something particularly awesome/epic, they get to randomly pick two cards from the deck. They look at those two cards and pick the one they want to keep. That character gets a permanent bonus added to their sheet.

If you draw a card that can not apply to your class (such as a spellcasting card for a character without spellcasting, or a card that has been used the maximum number of times) redraw that card until you get a card that can apply to your character. You may not redraw if you simply do not want that bonus.

The bonuses I have so far are (changes included):

+1/2 feat (take it twice to get a free feat. You must have the prereqs for the feat in order to take it)

+1/2 boon bonus to attack

+1 boon bonus to a saving throw of your choice (Max of +2 per save)

+1/2 Dodge bonus to AC

+4 to max HP

1/day +1d4 damage. Second time it's picked it increases to 2d4, and 2/day.

Class feature bonus. Discuss with DM. (this one is really broad. Pick a class feature, and the DM comes up with some kind of bonus to it. Such as the samurai's challenge only giving you -1 AC instead of -2.)

1 dash on an ability score of your choice (5 dashes = an increase. See below for my dash system)

+1 boon bonus to one skill. When chosen a second time, replace the +1 bonus with the skill focus feat, and that skill becomes a class skill.

+1 Spell known. This new spell cannot be of the highest spell level you can cast. IE, if the highest level spell you can cast is 3rd, you must pick a 0, 1st, or 2nd level spell. This new spell follows the same restrictions of learning a new spell as the class you are learning the spell for.

One additional spell slot/spell per day, 2 levels below the highest level you can cast*, OR two additional spell slots/spells per day, 4 levels below the highest level you can cast*, OR four additional spell slots/spells per day, 6 levels below the highest level you can cast*.
*Note that this is recalculated every time your level changes, so the extra slot(s) move up or down as your character levels up, or loses levels to revivification/level drain becoming permanent level loss.

Choose one spell that you can cast. That one spell has it's save DC increased by one. This boon can be taken twice for a total of +2 to the DC. Alternatively, if you have a Spell-like ability or other ability that uses a save DC, increase that by 1.


I also use a dash system. If you do something particularly cool or effective, but it isn't quite deserving of a boon card, you get a tally mark next to the Ability Score that most closely ties into what you did. If you get 5 tallies, your score goes up one. It gets harder and harder to get dashes the more you get though.


Now what I need/want is more ideas for cards. Your a pretty sharp lot, so what do you think?

Thanks,
powerdemon

Original wording:

+1/2 feat (take it twice to get a free feat. You must have the prereqs for the feat in order to take it)

+1/2 attack (functions like BAB except it does not contribute to when you get iterative attacks. IE it adds to all attack rolls)

+1 to a saving throw of your choice (Max of +2 per save)

+1/2 Dodge bonus to AC

+4 to max HP

1/day +1d4 damage. Second time it's picked it increases to 2d4, and 2/day.

Class feature bonus. Discuss with DM. (this one is really broad. Pick a class feature, and the DM comes up with some kind of bonus to it. Such as the samurai's challenge only giving you -1 AC instead of -2.)

1 dash on an ability score of your choice (5 dashes = an increase. See below for my dash system)

+1 to one skill. Chosen a second time replaces the +1 with the skill focus feat and that skill becomes a class skill.

[DracoDei]

These are a bit "sloppy" IE don't expose them to rules lawyers, and consider if I actually balanced them correctly:



One additional spell slot/spells per day, 2 levels below the highest level you can cast*, OR two additional spell slots/spells per day, 4 levels below the highest level you can cast*, OR four additional spell slots/spells per day, 6 levels below the highest level you can cast*.
*Note that this is recalculated every time your level changes, so the extra slot(s) move up or down as your character levels up, or loses levels to revivification/level drain becoming permanent level loss.
One additional spell known, 1 (2?) level below the highest level you know, OR two additional spell known, 2 (3? 4?) levels below the highest level you can cast*, OR three additional spell known, (Some Number) levels below the highest level you can cast*. When you next gain that many spells of that lower level through level up/research, you can forgo gaining that many spells of that level "reset" the effects of this Boon*. This "resetting" may be done an unlimited number of times. Note that you may need to "save up" spells that you have given up learning in many cases to trigger this "resetting".((I'd put in wording about taking spells of mix-and-match levels lower than the degree you selected without permanently nerfing the effects of this boon, which actually makes it easier for sorcerers to reset this boon, but I'm not currently in the mood to come up with stuff this complicated.))

*IE if you initially get this boon while able to cast 4th level spells, and use it to learn a 2nd level spell, and later hit a level where you both can cast spells of at least 5th level spell, AND gain at least 1 2nd level spell known, then you can forgo learning a 2nd level spell to instead learn a 3rd level spell.
+1 to save DCs of a given ability or school of magic, much like Spell Focus, or Ability Focus, and stacking with them. (Max +2? Or maybe just +1?)


I would also say that any player who has the bad luck to draw two boons he can't use (such as a fighter who drew the first two boons I described here or has already hit their maxima for both boons drawn), should be allowed to draw from the deck, one card at a time, until they hit one they CAN use.

[powerdemon]

I totally agree on the redrawing. So far the cards I have apply to everyone.

I don't expect rules lawyers of my players, and would not allow them to be abused, but I am still early in the formating and wording.

Someone on another thread suggested making the bonuses a new "boon" type like enhancment or luck. I plan to impliment that as well.

[powerdemon]

How about:

You sometimes have a stroke of great luck. You gain a small chance to dodge incoming attacks in the form of a 1% miss chance. This does not count as concealment and does not prevent precision damage, such as sneak attack, from being used.

[Debihuman]

I started using a new system in my games that I created. I call them boon cards.

I wrote on several index cards. Each card has a bonus on it. When the party (usually) or an individual does something particularly awesome/epic, they get to randomly pick two cards from the deck. They look at those two cards and pick the one they want to keep. That character gets a permanent bonus added to their sheet.

This reminds me of the Whimsy Cards produced by Lion Rampant (see here for examples: http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/systemdesign/cards/whimsycards.html)

They've been updated by Pathfinder in their Plot Twist cards and also a related deck, Dork 20 was published by Atlas Games. These are all fun additions to a game.

So these are permanent gains? Interesting. I'd worry about being fair and how the balance works out. Otherwise, it's a neat idea.

Debby

[DracoDei]

How about:

You sometimes have a stroke of great luck. You gain a small chance to dodge incoming attacks in the form of a 1% miss chance. This does not count as concealment and does not prevent precision damage, such as sneak attack, from being used.
Sounds a little too fiddly for many groups.
Maybe make it a 20% chance if any attack hits exactly? That would come to the same thing statistically and MIGHT be faster (or it might not).

[powerdemon]

Sounds a little too fiddly for many groups.
Maybe make it a 20% chance if any attack hits exactly? That would come to the same thing statistically and MIGHT be faster (or it might not).

That is a great idea. I like it.