Heroism: What’s The Point?
Investigating the fundamental and adaptable concept of Heroism Points in role-playing games.
What separates a memorable role-playing game session from an average one often boils down to the moments where players feel most immersed, most in control of their character’s destiny. A pivotal tool that grants such agency to players is the seemingly simple yet infinitely complex mechanic known as the Heroism Point.
This article aims to illuminate the depths of Heroism Points, a mechanic that permits players to spend a restricted and abstract pool of points to secure an advantage in the game. We will delve into their history, how they’ve been manipulated across different games, and their transformative impact on gameplay narratives.
Turning Back the Clock: A Brief History
One of the first games to use this mechanic is Top Secret (1980). An optional rule indeed allows players to spend a Fame point or Fortune point to avoid fatal injury or falling unconscious. The number of Fortune points that a character has is secretly determined by the game master at the beginning of the campaign (by rolling 1d10). Fame points depend on the character’s experience. These points are limited to injury management and do not allow for anything else.
It is another spy game, the famous James Bond 007 (1983), that will introduce heroism points and use them decisively. These points can be used to transform a failure into a success. Technically, heroism points also allow for modifying the environment, but the rules are not very clear on this point.
The Marvel Superheroes role-playing game (1984) uses Karma points as a central mechanic. Of course, the DC Heroes game (1985) does the same with Heroism points. Here, the concept is pushed a little more diversified, as “Hero points” allow you to buy equipment and powers.
The 1987 version of Star Wars role-playing game involves the use of character points and Force points. The latter allows for performing feats and are recovered at the end of the adventure if they have been used heroically, or even the character can obtain one more if they acted in a dramatically appropriate manner. Character points, on the other hand, are experience points, but they can also be used to increase the chances of success of an action.
Shadowrun (1989) uses a single pool of Karma points, which are used for magic, experience, and modifying dice rolls.
Vampire the Masquerade (1991) emphasizes Willpower points, which allow for achieving 1 automatic success on an action, overcoming an effect such as fear or madness, or finally ignoring the negative effects of injuries for one game turn.
From the 90s onwards, heroism points take a more narrative turn with games like FUDGE (1992). The trend continued with Buffy (2002), FATE (2003), and even more recently Seventh Sea 2nd edition (2016). When Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition was released in 2014, Heroism Points had become an integral part of the gaming experience. The Inspiration points of D&D’s 5th edition show how much this mechanic has become common practice. Moreover, in the 5th edition, there are Inspiration points, but there is also an optional mention of heroism points (“hero points”) and plot points (“plot points”).
As a result, Heroism Points became more than just a tool used for powering up players; they were now a way to customize and shape the outcome of each scenario. Today, these points still remain an essential part of many RPGs, allowing players to invest in their characters and enjoy the thrill of achieving victory against insurmountable odds. As they permeated the RPG landscape, Heroism Points began to take on multiple roles, becoming a conduit for narrative control and character development, as well as acting as a survival tool.
Dissecting the Mechanic: Varied Utilization Across Games
One crucial aspect to comprehend about Heroism Points is their adaptability. Different games, drawing from their unique mechanics and narrative styles, utilize Heroism Points differently.
In traditional RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, Heroism Points often play the role of a mechanical wildcard. They offer players a chance to turn the tide of a challenging situation, allowing for unprecedented feats of strength or cunning, or even a timely twist to the unfolding story.
Conversely, in narrative-driven games like FATE, Heroism Points offer players a chance to become co-authors of the story. A player might use a Fate point to introduce a plot twist, inject a backstory element into the current narrative, or even alter the game environment, creating a much more immersive and dynamic storytelling experience.
Heroism points are generally used with the aim of reducing the element of chance, to avoid situations in which characters would suffer overly severe consequences due to simple bad luck.
These points thus play a balancing role. They can also have a compensatory role by being used to accomplish something that is not explicitly stated in the rules.
For example, one of my players had confused the spell “lesser elemental conjuration” with the level 5 spell “elemental conjuration” — he took the initiative to offer sacrificing a heroism point as a way to pay the price for his confusion.
Heroism points can be used to make a brilliant move — in Star Wars or in 7th Sea. In these cases, they allow the player to “break” the usual resolution mechanics: obtain a significant bonus or an automatic success, allow the use of one skill over another, survive a fatal injury, etc. The possibility of performing brilliant moves gives each character an opportunity to have their moment of glory around the table. Heroism points can thus be seen as a means to balance the influence of each of the characters, and therefore of the players.
Of course, once it becomes acceptable to be able to override resolution mechanics, the door is wide open to manipulations of the narrative plot. After all, if it is about controlling randomness, why not go all the way and allow players to control events?
While heroism points generally limit themselves to giving an advantage to the player’s character, narrative points can have an impact on the entire story, potentially with a deus ex machina effect: the introduction of a timely character or object, an idea or memory that arises in the hero’s mind, the declaration that a certain event took place, etc. Narrative points do not just balance the mechanics, they establish facts.
Some players are uncomfortable with this practice, especially those who believe that it is the role of the game master to establish the facts.
Heroism points, therefore, have a potentially multi-faceted balancing role: balancing randomness, balancing influence, balancing narrative authority. Game systems usually call on different resources to manage these balances.
For example, in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, the concept of Inspiration allows for controlling randomness: a character with Inspiration can spend it to gain advantage (rolling 2 dice and taking the better result), which gives them a better chance of success (roughly +25%). The game master can also choose to introduce narrative points (“plot points”), which allow a player to establish facts within the story. A variant even allows a player to become the game master by spending a point! And there are still people who think that D&D handles the sharing of narrative authority poorly?
In a system like FATE, all three forms of balance are found in the same resource. Indeed, a fate point (“FATE point”) allows: invoking an aspect, meaning obtaining a bonus or re-rolling the dice, establishing facts, or activating a stunt which allows for a brilliant move.
Modifying Heroism Points for Homebrew Campaigns
Here are a few suggestions for game masters (GMs) who are interested in using Heroism Points in their homebrew campaigns.
Custom Abilities
One way of incorporating custom abilities into homebrew campaigns is for GMs to create unique powers and abilities that can be activated using Heroism Points. These powers could give players a strategic edge in the game, allowing them to turn a challenging situation into one of success.
For example, a GM could create a power that allows a character to temporarily increase their strength or speed, giving them an advantage in a physical confrontation.
Alternatively, the GM could create abilities that allow players to summon powerful allies to their aid, or even manipulate the environment of the game world, transforming it into something wholly unexpected and completely new.
Narrative Control
Especially beneficial in narrative-focused campaigns, players could use Heroism Points to introduce new subplots, characters, or backstory elements into the game, opening up a world of possibilities for creative and immersive storytelling. For instance, a player might use their Heroism Points to introduce an unexpected enemy into the game, creating an additional challenge for the group to overcome.
Alternatively, players could even use their points to advance the timeline of a story, allowing them to skip ahead in time and create new opportunities for character progression or plot development.
Ultimately, giving players control over narrative elements can make the game much more exciting and unpredictable, ensuring that every session is full of surprises and unexpected turns.
Unique Rewards
In addition to giving players control over narrative elements, GMs can also use Heroism Points as a means of providing unique rewards for completing in-game tasks or objectives. For example, a GM could create rare items that are only available to those who have earned a certain number of Heroism Points.
These could range from weapons and armor that are much more powerful than anything the players have encountered before, to magical artifacts and enchanted trinkets that give the bearer special abilities or insight into the game world.
Rewarding players with these unique items can add an extra layer of excitement and intrigue to the game, giving them tangible rewards for their hard work and dedication.
GM Guidance
Finally, GMs can use Heroism Points to provide guidance and direction when the players feel stuck or overwhelmed. For instance, if the players are struggling to complete a quest or make progress in their current storyline, the GM could offer up one or two Heroism Points as an incentive for them to keep going or pursue a different path. This can encourage players to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions that may not have occurred to them before.
This can also help GMs keep their game on track, as it ensures that players are always motivated to explore new possibilities and move the story forward. In this way, Heroism Points can be an invaluable tool for helping GMs guide their sessions in a productive and rewarding direction.
The key is to ensure Heroism Points enhance gameplay without undermining its core mechanics. They should empower players and facilitate engaging storytelling, while not trivializing the challenges posed by the game world.
Heroism Earned: Acquiring Heroism Points
As heroism points have various effects, and often unexpected ones, it seems evident that the way they are obtained must be carefully controlled. The most common way to manage this kind of resource is to grant a certain quantity for each unit of time determined by the game — in other words, each player receives a fixed number of heroism points at the beginning of each game (or each scenario, campaign or other time unit used).
This method allows giving the resource a “neutral” status, as it is provided by the system and not by a participant. However, this can create some strange narrative effects, for example, due to a clumsy crossover between the diegesis and the extra-diegetic framework.
If, for example, a player receives heroism points at the beginning of each game session (extra-diegetic time), won’t this have a paradoxical influence on their character’s actions? If it’s getting late, and the session is about to end, wouldn’t the player be tempted to spend resources quickly since they will be replenished next session?
This can be even more problematic as the duration of a session varies greatly from one group to another, and I find it clumsy for a game system to rely on such a “soft” dimension to frame such an important mechanic (I am thinking particularly of FATE).
Heroism Points as rewards
If heroism points are not provided by the system itself, where do they come from? In many cases, they are given by the game master. They then become a sort of reward.
Indeed, Heroism Points aren’t typically bestowed freely. Players must earn them through various means, making each point feel like a true achievement.
Fully embodying a character’s personality, backstory, and objectives can be one of the most rewarding experiences for any role-player. Every character is unique and has their own motivations and reasons for doing what they do. A player that puts in the extra effort to really bring this to life will often be rewarded with Heroism Points.
Completing challenging quests or achieving major milestones in the game can also earn players Heroism Points. This is a great way to reward players for hard work and commitment, as well as encouraging them to strive for new heights of success in-game.
Making difficult decisions or taking risks that benefit the party can be another source of Heroism Points. This encourages players to think outside of the box and come up with creative solutions that may not have occurred to them before. It also helps to create a sense of camaraderie between characters, as they work together to make difficult choices for the greater good.
Ultimately, Heroism Points should serve as an incentive for players to become more deeply invested in their characters and the story of their game.
Not only do they reward good role-playing, but they serve as a great way to facilitate narrative arcs that span multiple sessions and campaigns. They also make it easier to recognize individual achievements in a collaborative setting.
The management of heroism points can result in an intriguing economic system: I can accumulate points by undertaking perilous missions, and I can use those points to steer clear of risky situations.
The pitfall of the system remains the subjective acquisition of the resource
If the player acts in a way that nurtures the fragile harmony of the collective fiction, i.e., by enriching their character, others, and the imaginary universe, the goal is achieved and the system works. If they act in a way to meet the expectations of the game master, the dynamics seem less interesting to me. In this regard, I find the Inspiration mechanic of D&D 5th edition very uninspiring (pun intended). Game masters grant Inspiration “when you role-play your traits, flaws, or bonds, or when you play your character in a compelling way.” (from the AideDD website). This seems both too generic and too subjective.
An interesting way to avoid this situation might be to make it so that heroism points are given by the other participants, individually or collectively. In 7th Sea, a heroism point is more powerful when provided by another player.
No matter what method you choose for awarding Heroism Points, make sure you always take into consideration how it will impact the game and your players. Encourage creativity, reward effort and dedication, and create an environment that encourages everyone to have fun! That’s what it’s all about.
From Crutch to Engine
Historically, meta-resources such as heroism points emerged as a crutch to address the frustrations of randomness. The fertile imagination of game creators allowed them to later make very varied uses of them.
In some systems, heroism points are even the driving force of the game. This evolution can be attributed to both the emphasis placed on narration and the integration of mechanics from board games.
Indeed, heroism points are primarily resources and should therefore be designed in a way that fits into a coherent economic system to serve the role-playing game, whether it is to balance luck or the influence of participants.
An Epic Conclusion
Heroism Points represent an indispensable tool in a player’s arsenal. Their flexible nature allows them to serve as life-savers in dire situations, as a method for characters to achieve the impossible, or as a device through which players can shape the narrative.
As a game master, judiciously balance the acquisition and potency of Heroism Points to maintain a captivating and challenging gaming experience.
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Eager to share your Heroism Point stories? Made a last-minute save that made you jump from your seat? Share your tales in the comments, and let’s revel in the glory of battle!
[ This article was originally published in French on Ludomancien: Les points d’héroïsme ]
