:The Listing of New 3.5x "Special Points":

   Each starting 3.5x player character begins with one fate point. Fate points are precious: they represent the fact that the player characters are the main characters in an ongoing story. As such, these characters should be unusually durable and hard to eradicate; if there were theme music, it would play for the characters with fate points. Fate points can be spent (as an instant free action) to modify in-game circumstances in the player character’s favor. For example, let’s say that a gigantic methane explosion has just incinerated your character – you spend a fate point and somehow the pressure wave and heat managed to just miss your character’s position. Let’s say your character’s opponent just beheaded her – you spend a fate point and, instead, your character managed to parry the blow. Fate points are powerful: only the say so of the Dungeon Master has the right to trump a fate point: fate points beat-out every other consideration. Fate points can be earned by accomplishing particularly heroic or astonishing in-game deeds or through role-playing that would earn fantasy-academy-award nominations.

   Some specific examples of the use of fate points include, but are not limited to..

• Your character fails a saving throw: if you spend your character’s fate point, the saving throw is instead successful. A clever player could ask to spend the fate point to pass the save, and to know the source of the attack. This is acceptable, as fate points are mighty: In this case I as DM might allow the save to be passed automatically, and then ask for a DC 15 luck check from the player to get the extra knowledge effect (as fate points are clearly interwoven with luckiness). However, if the player asked for the spell effect to rebound at the caster, the situation is different. Fate points only automatically function when used defensively. Offensive uses of fate points are possible, but these cases always result in opposed rolls favoring the target of the fate point’s offensive quality (as we will see below).
• Your character suffers a critical hit, and would otherwise loose her arm. By spending a fate point, the blow might be parried, dodged, or it might outright miss. The player spending the fate point would get to decide – or at least have a strong say in which reality actually happened. Deciding on the in-game events resulting from the expenditure of fate points can be fun, and should involve all the players (and DMs) at the table. Notice that I left out the possibility that the weapon critically hitting might break. A fate point could cause this, but again this would result in opposed rolls favoring the wielder of said weapon.
• Another player character in your character’s party, as the result of wild magic, gets transmuted into a mass of warm, liquid Jello. You could spend your character’s fate point to allow your party member to make the save and resist the effect. By convention, you can always spend a fate point to help another player character, and this never involves any sort of rolls to “pass” the point on (as is the case with character points and toughness points for example). This act of selflessness should rank as one of the Dungeon Master’s highest experience point awards, because it fosters group cohesion. When spending fate points, keep in mind that it is a metagame action: we assume the player is doing the spending, not the character. Thus, your character does not have to be aware of an event or attack to modify it with a fate point, and there should never be any worry over “what the character would do,” since the character doesn’t know anything about fate points.
• Your character gets picked up by a Titan, and thrown like a football off the edge of the Grand Canyon. Luckily, she has a fate point. By spending the fate point to get out of this situation, any number of things might occur. The DM has final say over what does happen, but again everyone at the table should get involved in the discussion. The character of the particular group plays a major role here. If the campaign is lighthearted and less concerned with “fantasy realism,” then perhaps the character-projectile takes on the aerodynamic characteristics of a boomerang, hooking out and returning toward the Titan. Perhaps a large gust of wind kicks up and carries the character to safety. Perhaps the Titan misses completely or drops the character (but if I were the character, I’d try to argue for no damage from the fall – a fate point could do that.) But, what if the character-projectile were more desperate? In the event of offensive fate point expenditures (in this case, trying to use the fate point to give the Titan a heart attack as he moves to make the throw for example), consider the next discussion point.

   Using fate points offensively: As a general rule, fate points used defensively (to make saving throws and such) do not tempt fate. When fate points are used offensively the DM should treat them like wish spells – if a character gets too greedy (thus tempting fate so to speak) the DM should require an opposed luck check (where Luck is a new 3.5x stat) which favors the victim. The more significance a victim of a fate point has to the overall story the harder it should be to hurt them with it. Thus, player characters are the toughest characters to harm with fate point expenditures. Consider these examples…

   In conclusion, spending a fate point offensively is always dangerous, with the possibility that the desired effect could rebound on the character making the request of fate. Clearly there are more potential situations that can arise than the game mechanics can account for – at some point the DM will have to just make a decision. Fate points are more powerful than wishes and miracles, but greed is always dangerous. Spending a fate point to remove negative levels or ability damage is acceptable, but spending a fate point to become immune to magical weapons should almost certainly fail – perhaps fate sets it up that the character gets kidnapped during the adventure and taken to an extradimensional space for safe keeping?

   Of course, whenever an opponent spends a fate point (or any other special point for that mater) against your character, you can immediately respond by spending a point of your own: a fate point can cancel out another fate point.

   There sometimes comes into question the situation in which the timing of fate point expenditures becomes an issue. The classic example of this occurred one session in which a particularly ridiculous and too-brave gnome bit into a magical pomegranate that bestowed water breathing in such a manner that normal air could not be breathed: when the DM asked if he wanted to spend a fate point to recover the ability to breathe as he was loosing consciousness, the player replied: “No, I’ll see where this goes..” The gnome asphyxiated and died. In this case, the DM did not allow the player to then spend his fate point – the moment, the window for it had gone. This window is totally up to the DM, but generally occurs when he or she says “Ok, now would be a good time to spend your fate point…” It would be poor form for a DM to lie about this, although for some reason certain players tend to suspect DMs are being deceptive in these situations. As a general rule, players can know the effect of a spell or situation before they decide to spend a fate point, unless the DM decides otherwise, which might happen if this knowledge would provide otherwise impossible to know, crucial information that would sway the actions of the other PCs.

The Superior Player Jason Robinson on Fate Points: "Fate Points are cool; they add a cinematic element to gameplay. Kinda like the “Action Points” of the Eberron setting, d20 Modern, Star Wars, etc…"

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   A special point with a “conditional” modifier is one which can only be used in certain contexts or situations. Any kind of special point can be “conditional” if it’s use is limited. By convention, fate points are hard to earn, and as a consequence I started devising more specific and limited conditional fate points that could be more easily earned and given out along with normal experience awards. Typical examples of conditional fate points are as follows…

• A conditional fate point useable only to re-roll a saving throw.
• A conditional fate point useable to dodge one projectile.
• A conditional fate point useable to re-roll any die roll in the game. This one can be particularly powerful, and demonstrates the potential of a more powerful standard fate point.

   In 3.5x D&D, all starting characters begin play with one conditional fate point. By convention, the player rolls a d20 (traditionally referred to as the “d20 of usefulness”) and the DM bases the utility of the conditional fate point on this roll. Thus, a roll of a 1 might be something like a conditional fate point that can only be used to stop a frog from killing you, while a roll of 20 might be a conditional fate point to re-roll any die rolled in the game. Conditional fate points are often awarded with experience points at the whim of the DM, and usually reflect something a player character has done in the game that stood out as being particularly cool.

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   These can be thought of as small-scale fate points. Starting 3.5x player characters begin play with character points equal to d4 + [their luck modifier]. Character points can be spent as instant, free, metagame actions and modify die rolls (or sometimes actions/events) by +/- 1 for every point spent (+/-5% for percentage die rolls). Generally speaking, when a character spends character points to influence an opponent (such as by adding bonuses to a hit roll), the opponent is allowed to react to the expenditure and spend character points which “block,” on a 1:1 basis, the first points spent. Thus, if character A spends 2 character points to modify her hit roll at character B +2, her opponent (character B) is then allowed to spend character points to modify this roll (if any are possessed). Since any expenditure of character points allows a response, this sequence can cycle back again to Character A. Players may only spend character points on die rolls or actions their characters (or their familiars) are involved with. Character points are earned as a direct consequence of good role-playing, which includes such things as speaking in character and separating player and character (in-game and above-game) knowledge. In a typical five hour session, a good role-player might earn 3 character points.

   20 character points can be cashed-in all at once in exchange for a fate point as a metagame action that takes place when the character is in a safe place – usually in between game sessions – but never when a fate point is actually needed in game play.

   Other uses for character points include...

• Add/subtract +1 to a die roll under d100, or up to +5% to a d100 roll, or up to +50 to a d1000 roll. When the modifier per character point is greater than one, the maximum possible + or - doesn't have to be applied; so in the case of a d1000 roll, a character point could add or subtract from 1-50 to or from the roll.
• Instantly gain 5 stat points.
• Instantly heal 1 point of damage [not soak or gain permanently]
• Instantly recover 1 point of temporary stat damage or ¼ points of permanent stat damage.

   Character points are never used to modify the initial 9 base stats (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma, Comeliness, Luck, and Speed) during character generation, but they can be used to modify unusual stat rolls, such as those acquired as the result of wild magic. Character points can be used to add to hit die rolls, but never to exceed the maximum possible roll for a hit die.

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   Characters can permanently spend points of their luck stat for character points at a 1:1 ratio. This is treated as an automatic, instant metagame action. In order to do this, the player makes a luck check (2nd Edition style, which means you roll your luck or under on d20) at the actual value of their character’s luck – if this is successful their luck goes down one and they get a character point which must be immediately spent after the process of burning luck ends. If the situation is such that the character needs to burn more points of luck, repeat the process, this time making the check at the new luck value. Once a point of Luck is burned it does not come back: burning luck is not taking ability damage, but rather permanently lowering the Luck stat. For example, let’s assume character X fails a life threatening saving throw by 3 and needs to burn luck to survive. Character X’s luck is 12. The first luck check succeeds, as does the second one, but the last luck check (requiring a 10 or under on a d20) fails. The character misses the save by one, as burned Luck points have to be immediately spent (although the character could spend the points on some other event happening simultaneously, such as to heal hit points or to make the luck check so as to continue on eating up luck). Once a luck check is missed, it is not possible to continue burning luck, unless of course the character has the following new feat: Luck to burn, which allows them to transcend this rule, and to heal lost luck as if it were ability damage to a maximum value equal to their character level or 10, whichever is lower. In any event, the minimum luck a character can have is zero. At zero luck, the character is in trouble, as he or she takes a -5 penalty to all d20 rolls as a result of having no discernable fate left.

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   Stat points derive from the First Edition Unearthed Arcana Rulebook’s Cavalier section. In those rules, cavaliers could increase their strength, constitution, and dexterity scores through practice and training. Each time they leveled-up, they were allotted 2d10 points to place in each stat, where each point was a one hundredth (1/100) of a full stat point. These fractions of stats were recorded in parentheses next to the base stat number (much in the way 2nd Edition D&D exceptional strength worked).

   Each stat point in 3.5x rules are 1/100th of a stat. Their use replaces the standard +1 to a chosen stat every 4 levels. 3.5x stat points are awarded along with normal experience points. When a character is awarded stat points, that character’s player decides “where” the stat points are placed. Stat points can be distributed as the player sees fit, and “put in” any stat. When a stat’s stat point total equals 100, the stat increases one, and the associated stat points are reset to zero. Thus, if a character had stats as follows…(and notice the stat points already existing in wisdom, constitution, and speed…

Strength 16
Intelligence 14
Wisdom 12 (45)
Dexterity 16
Constitution 14 (73)
Charisma 18
Comeliness 12
Luck 19
Speed 22 (12)

   And received 30 stat points after an adventure, the player might (for example) place 27 stat points in constitution (raising the stat to 15), and distributing the remaining three points as follows…

Strength 16 (01)
Intelligence 14 (01)
Wisdom 12 (45)
Dexterity 16
Constitution 15 (0)
Charisma 18
Comeliness 12
Luck 19
Speed 22 (13)

   In 3.5x rules, one character point can be exchanged for 5 stat points as a metagame action that can take place when the character is in a safe place. Also, stat points can be purchased with experience points, but generally they are earned along with normal XP. Stat points are usually positive, with 100 hundred combining to raise a stat one, but they can also be negative, with 100 negative stat points combining to lower a stat one. When a player places stat points, she decides if they are + or -, as awarded or purchased stat points can be either one. All 3.5x player characters start play with a few stat points (see the character generation section).

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   Starting 3.5x player characters start play with as many toughness points as their constitution modifier, but must start with at least one. When a toughness point is spent, it “soaks” d4 damage that would have otherwise just reduced a character’s hit point total. While toughness points seem to serve a healing purpose, they can only be used when a character takes damage to reduce this damage. Spending a toughness point is an instant (and free), automatic, metagame action that takes no real time in-game.

   Toughness points are earned by taking damage in the course of an adventure (by getting your ass kicked). The standard toughness point is a d4 scale, but other types of toughness points are possible: d6, d8, etc. As a metagame action that takes place while in a safe place (never when immediately needed), a character can cash in 20 toughness points to gain a +1 permanent damage reduction (damage reduction 1/–). If, say, a character had damage reduction 2/– as a class feature, trading in 20 toughness points would raise this to damage reduction 3/–. Twenty more cashed in would earn the character damage reduction 4/–. A character with no damage reduction cashing in 20 toughness points would gain damage reduction 1/–.

   As a general rule a character will earn one d4 toughness point for every X hit points of damage they have taken where X = their maximum possible hit die roll times their level. Thus, a level 4 sorcerer would earn a d4 toughness point every time they took 16 points of damage in the course of adventuring (not necessarily all from one source). These earned toughness points are given out by the DM with normal experience points. Sometimes, a DM may decide to give out toughness points as special rewards, upon surviving critical hits, or out of sheer whim. In particularly challenging campaigns, PCs might start with more than the usual amount of toughness points.

   Other die types of toughness points may count as more than one toughness point when trading them in: take the die type, divide it by 4, and round up. Thus, a d6 toughness point counts as 2, a d10 counts as 3, etc. For example, a character could trade in 10 normal toughness points along with 2 d20 toughness points to earn a damage reduction bonus. Conditional toughness points, while rare, count at half value (rounded down) in regard to trading them in. Therefore a d20 conditional toughness point, only useable for blunt weapons, would trade in as 3 toughness points because 20/4 = 5 and 5/2 rounds up to three. In this way a conditional d4 toughness point is just as useful as a toughness point when trading in.

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   Giving other characters your character’s special points: This is a great way to earn experience points in 3.5x D&D. In order to “pass” a character point, toughness point, or conditional fate point on to another character, there are two main options a DM has to use. Option one would be to call for a second edition style luck check from the passing character (thus, roll d20 and get luck or under), which would pass the special point on. To “catch” the point, the same roll is required of the recipient: a second edition style luck check. Option two is similar, requiring DC 10 luck checks from both the passer and the recipient. Whatever option used, if both checks succeed the point is passed (a free metagame action taking no real time): if either fail the point is lost as it fades into the cosmos, unless someone nearby has the Luck Magnet 3.5x feat. Obviously, passing a point on to another character means you no longer have it. Keep in mind that fate points never need rolls to transfer - nor do they really need to transfer as a character can spend them for anyone/anything else in the game.

   Do NPCs have special points too? Sure, why not. As a DM I try to limit fate, toughness, character, and toughness points to special NPCs and major villains. You could assume everyone else spent their special points getting out of childhood alive, or perhaps they just aren’t cool enough to have as any / as many. But let me warn you, there’s nothing so demoralizing to a group of PCs than hearing “Your critical hitting death blow misses as it spends a fate point…”

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