Reward Tokens

Game Tokens

My bi-weekly game is utilizing standard Pathfinder rules in my own game world. I've gone through various levels of optimization and home brew rules over the years wwhen using the D&D (1e, 2e 3.x)  but am trying to stick mostly to the core stuff for a whole bunch of reasons. One difference is in how I reward players - with ongoing tokens, it tracks both good / bad actions, successes as well as awesome moments. It is similar to action points, but there are many more benefits they can potentially utilize them for.

Players are given two red & two blue tokens at the start of every game; players earn a white chip at the end of the adventure not always a session. Players keep any unused blue or white green tokens at the end of the session at the start of the next session. They need to declare their use before a dice is rolled.

Blue: +3 to  to any roll deciding roll (attack, saving throw or skill check but not damage or initiative checks)
before the dice is dropped for either their own or another player's rolls. Having five unused blue tokens, a player can trade up for a white token at the end of a session. Blue tokens are open, meaning other players can throw down another blue without limit.

Red: -2 to any roll deciding roll; if someone puts down a red token, no other player can put then put another token (either red or blue) down on that same roll. The rolling players can put down one other token if they so choose.  If the dice roller fails the check, they take the normal in-game penalty and keeps that red token. If they succeed, they trade the red for a blue token. Any unused red tokens at the end of the game will penalize the player in an equal number blue tokens.

Green:  +4 to any roll (attack, damage, initiative, save, or skill roll.) These are given to player whose character are at least two levels below the highest level character in the party. Unlike Blue or Red tokens, these are use or lose, they do not count if you have them at the end of the game, every session you gain these tokens if you play a character at a lower level. This is really a way to help minimize character level difference.

White: +5 to any roll or a re-roll. Using these tokens will enable players to purchase Player abilities

The GM can also reward red and blue chips through-out the game, normally a red will be given if someone rolls a natural 20 and a blue for a natural 1,2 or 3 assuming failure at that specific action.

After every adventure (not session) the DM rewards one white token for every player.

Typical Player Abilities (1st - 5th level; double at 6-10, triple at 11-15)

5 white tokens: being able to lay a blue token down after a dice is rolled

5 white tokens: being able to lay double the normal tokens at any one time

5 white tokens: create a character to be in the character pool. Creating a character is open to every other player after the first mission.

5 white tokens: receive double starting red or blue tokens at the start of a game

5 white tokens: being able to lay a blue token down to add to damage (only your roll)

5 white tokens: being able to lay a blue token down to subtract damage (your roll or others), never less than 1 damage

5 white tokens: lay a blue token down to grant auto success for skill checks before dice are thrown, this is permitted once a game and never in a final boss scene

5 white tokens: lay blue token down to grant auto success for saving throws before dice are thrown, this is permitted once a game and never in a final boss scene

5 white tokens: lay a blue token down to re-roll initiative

5 white tokens: lay a blue token down to re-use a character ability, if normally limited to a certain number of times a day

10 white tokens: being able to play two characters at the same time

5 white tokens: Making a character exclusive for one player

2 white tokens: re-do character skills, feats & spells

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I have used the red and blue token rules at some local cons and had some pretty good feedback.  Decided to incorporate them in my game sessions. Players seem to like it but what I have found thus far, is that players are *stingy*. They keep the blue ones for themselves to build up, and rarely help the other players. However, when players deviate from the group, players certainly won`t hesitate to penalize using the reds one after the other.

Also hope that the player abilities don`t become overly burdensome to either keep track or or unfairly affecting the game. There is still a cost in blue tokens so you might have lots of abilities, but you can use only them four times or so a session, not too over-powering I hope.