Hero coin pool- A collaborative resource!

#1

So I’ve been testing a way for my group to use hero coins these last couple sessions, and it’s worked out great/ I want to share it with you guys!

Basically what I do is instead of giving out hero coins when a player does something really cool and treat it as an award, I treat them as something of a precious resource instead. At the beginning of each session, I put a set number of hero coins in the center of the table. (Usually 3-4, but sometimes more if I know the session will be considerably harder) The players can use these coins whenever they want, it is theirs to do with.

BUT, the catch is that at the end of the session, however many hero points are left are translated to XP points that are awarded to EACH player (if 2 coins are left, each player gets 2 xp). Then, if they have enough coins to hit a MILESTONE, they choose an award! So far, I think a good milestone award is around 7 XP points. Though, i’ve been dabbling with giving different kinds of XP prices for different kinds of leveling up. (getting a rank in magic, learning a SPELL/FEAT, (courtesy of Khan’s spells and feats), or even gaining some LOOT)

So far, this has really upped the collaborative effort made by my group! Each of them, in a desperate moment, ask the group if it’s necessary to take a hero coin from the pile to gain advantage on any roll (I still use D&D advantage rules for hero coins). OR sometimes it happens when something ridiculously awesome is about to happen.

C&C welcome, and let me know what you guys think about it!

#2

Sounds very much like Savage Worlds bennies!.. Cool!!!

Game On!

#3

This is actually a brilliant idea for Champaign progression.

Table rules for allocation of hero points will have to be considered. Or one player can anger the others.

Players knowing or anticipating the difficulty of a session can add to anticipation. The GM can allocate additional hero points on occasion to close out chapters, allowing everyone to level.

The 6 hero points where used for a boss fight, they used all their hero points and still had a death…the next session has an intro to two new characters and the intro to a new adventure series…but the 4 points allocated to the table don’t need to be touched…this is the real reward for the previous boss fight.

I would suggest 10 points = 1 milestone

If the table ends with more than 1 milestone per session on average, you are providing too many.
If the sessions end with 0 and a death too often, you provide a filler session from time to time, to average things to 1 per session…

Modified of course for feel and wanted progression.

#4

This is actually brilliant and therefore insta-bookmarked!

My players want the thrill of gaining XP. Even though XP numbers themselves are meaningless, accumulating something in the way of character progress with each encounter pushes the right buttons (which stimulates their reward sensation in their brains). Me awarding milestones willy-nilly doesn’t have the same result because it not something they gain but something I award.

Tracking progress this way via XP and assigning different costs to different class of mechanical benefits can be great!

Here’s is an example table I made up on the spot (don’t use this as is - numbers are probably wrong):

Reward XP
MILESTONE 5
MILESTONE PATH 6
FEAT 3
SPELL 1/LEVEL
Random SHABBY LOOT 1
Random EPIC LOOT 4
10 Random RARE INGREDIENTS 1
Have 1 bonus HERO COIN each session 1
Have 1 more SURGE die 1
100 COINS 1

This way XP becomes the main gauge to track progress and each player can pick their own path in “leveling up”.

#5

This is good thinking @Khan! I may steal this… The idea is something I have wanted to do for awhile, but only recently have a new group to try (experiment) with! …

Game On!

#6

This was effectively used in the “Old School Hack” rules system. Give that a look if you want some more directions on how to play with the Hero Pool. The coin economy can get pretty intense and the GM can even drive players into some interesting roleplaying by contributing to the bowl as well.

#7

I just checked out ‘Old School Hack’. That’s a pretty cool rule, and very similar! I like seeing that a player has an agency to award things, and it incentivizes teamwork. I’d be careful with that though, as I can see things getting out of hand where players just do whacky actions each turn just to see if someone will award them something. Might give it a shot some time.

And Yes, Khan, I have a very similar ranking system! Mine differs in some aspects, because I like some awards to be much more rare, such as 4th level spells

Feats 5 coins
Spells 5 coins (+2 for each level above 1) (cantrips cost 3)
Spell Mastery 6 coins
Spell power 2 coins (levelling up a specific spell a player has to be able to cast at higher powers)
Milestone award 7 coins

#8

Hero pool is a really fun way to play. :slightly_smiling_face:

#9

@Khan … In many of my games, FEATS and MILESTONES are the same. Can you define what those terms mean to you, for my own clarity?

#10

I meant FEAT as in, well, FEAT in my book, Khan’s SPELLS & FEATS. If you are not using it them, a TAG might be a better replacement. Actually the table above should have a TAG entry as well but I’m not going to edit it.

For those who don’t know, I designed FEATS to be somewhere in between SPELLS from ICRPG MAGIC and POWERS from VİGILANTE CITY. They basically allow the flexibility and depth of SPELLS for non-casters.

It’s quite fun.

#11

I have permanently adopted an xp progression system borrowed from Dungeon World.

You need “7+current level” xp to lvl up. So if you’re a lvl 5 char, you need 12 xp to lvl up i.e

I usually grant either LOOT or a +1 to stats, coupled with a hero coin (that we call Fate Points) each lvl up, so the only way to get more coins is to actually lvl up, so it kinda replaces the CORE milestone (tho we still award milestone moments with crazy custom loot). What happens is that players get reluctant to spend their hero coins in a similar fashion to potion hoarders in video games.

I can certainly see the appeal of this, specially since I already use a VERY similar xp. I really like it

+1 :herocoin: for ye!!!

#12

Hey everyone. I know this is an old post but I’m getting ready to run a game using XP gain from unspent hero coins (as mentioned above). Each player will gain XP each session based on leftover coins. I’ve got a list of XP “prices” for advancement. I wanted to get your feedback as far as whether the “prices” feel right or need to be adjusted. I do plan to be generous with the coins and have a pool of coins instead of individual players having coins. Also, each session the pool of coins will start with 1 coin/player.

Here’s the list:
1 XP - Random Shabby Loot
4 XP - Random Epic Loot
1 XP - 100 Coins
1 XP - 5 Random Rare Ingredients
5 XP - +1 Stat Bonus
5 XP - Milestone Ability
7 XP - Mikestone Path Reward
5 XP - Feat
5 XP (+2/lvl Beyond 1st lvl) - Spell