The Head of Conan

[MindForge]

Okay. I just found an interesting thread at Wizards and decided to post here too. Sometimes getting people to RP is difficult. Let's say you bring out your big bad and you want some RP and Billy over there decides he is going to say "No, he doesn't say that because I shoot him in the mouth with my crossbow." There are other instances where you want to really push the characters to RP. I inadvertently did it one day on a whim in a single game session. I created a way to inspire players to step it up a notch; the Head of Conan. Sometimes, I have players who don't want to rp sometimes and bringing out the head really wakes them up and puts a reward out there.

Here is my post from the Wizards forum.

I have a token that is used in my games now and for awhile. I like to call it the +2 Head. It is a Conan head from an action figure, it was a He-Man head for awhile. It was used on the fly a long time ago and now it just stuck.

I award the token for great RP and it can be used for any reason and makes a natural number naturally higher. So a natural 18-19 becomes a natural 20. The head also grants an action point to the character. If someone doesn't use the head soon I just take it away and set it in the middle of the table.

Sometimes at the beginning of a scene I will set the head in the center of the table and basically create a competition to get that head. I also award bonus XP for winning the head in these RP challenges along with an action point and the +2 bonus. When the head is used the character still gets to keep the action point... and now the rules actually work with me to get rid of the action point via the extended rest which really makes me want to use the head more. Now, my players cannot stack up the action points for their characters and might even RP more than they do now.

You know what setting that head in the middle of the table really does though. It says, no if you just attack this guy with that head in the middle of the table I will use it for him. Because I will use the head for the enemy if I deem that this RP challenge was not met to my satisfaction or if one of the characters pull the classic "No, he doesn't because I shoot him with my crossbow." I say, he takes the head... and spends an action point. He also gets the +2 for the fight.

By the way, the +2 must be announced ahead of time. I used to let players use it after a roll... but it was too powerful that way. So I allow the action point that you get to keep and the +2 bonus that you get for turning in the head. You get to keep the action point.


Another note...

Conan's Sword... I have a small Conan sword that went with a figurine. I keep this sword in reserve. It might come out once every few sessions. If a player manages to make the game table lose it with laughter via RP he gets the sword for the rest of the session unless someone can manage to do the same (which I have never seen happen). I have discovered that this can never really be planned and is always the product of a funny idea and a perfect RP opportunity.
The Conan sword grants +1 on all actions while the player possesses it. This is a natural increase so that it actually increases the die's natural number say from 19-20. I only let them keep it for a session or if late in the session they can have it for the first half of the next session.

[RafeIxeian]

I really like this...I'll have to use it.

[MindForge]

The thing that sucks... I lost both the head and the sword in a move. So, I have to go on a voyage through my crap and maybe go to some garage sales and find something cool to use again.

[Scorch]

Wow!! What an ingenious idea, some of my group don't tend to RP, generally going for the, "I ATTACK HIM" choice. I'll point my DM in the way of this post as I think it would tempt everyone including myself into really competing with the RP.

Thanks :)

[MindForge]

There was an instance where the group was nervous and decided to let him have the advantage of the head and they attacked. He spent the action point on initiative (the feat adding +4 to the roll) - only one character went before him.

Then, he performed a crit using the +2 from the head and almost killed a player with almost maximum damage, it was sad and he was telling the other players "We won't be skipping the head next time.". It was that moment that determined their fall because on his next attack he rolled another crit and dropped him. He was the cleric and in 3.5 if the cleric fell in a big fight that early it was over. By the way, he still hit him again with another attack to make sure he was dead - and he was. I do that from time to time with particularly vicious enemies - like dragons, demons, etc.. they spend on more attack to fling your body aside kind of thing.

That fight was so sad and it was completely because they skipped the head. If it was only the one crit he would have lived probably, especially because the first one was a crit from the +2, he had rolled a 16 and with that it put him at 18, which was his crit. I mean if you look at the odds, if you use the head you go from a 15% chance to like a 25% chance (with his crit range). Needless to say, it has become a custom to outwit in the roleplaying part to get that Conan head it has created some very cool RP.

[brekkers]

I've NEVER had this problem :)

I wouldn't know who to give this head...really!

- Brek

[MindForge]

Here is where this really helps. Face to face game that I run are sometimes with random people. I run games at the local shop (when it was here - it closed about 6 months ago). Sometimes, these are games with random people. I have my home group and yeah, out of the 8 or so regular players 2-3 are definite hack and slash types. So, even they keep their cool so one of the people that want to roleplay can get the head. It is a lot of fun that way. I have never needed it in forum play - ever.

I sometimes have 3 games running at once. I am a master level RPGA GM and sometimes you need tools and a plan to get a table of strangers to start interacting. At our little local cons, I actually dropped a tube of dice and said the best RP'er gets those. I didn't have the Conan head then. Sure, it cost me a few bucks a day to do that but I usually made up for it in my freebies, usually easily.

Sometimes, RP can get too heavy and two players are having a great time and the two others are falling asleep in their chair because honestly they only like combat and the other two are listening but they are kind of RP'd out and want to get down to some action. To expedite, I remove the head from the center of the table and hand it to the player that I think did the best RP job overall and we move on and wrap it up. It can control a scene without words.

[VoidPointer]

This sounds like a useful reward for players. I would just change one thing: i wouldn't give the head to my NPCs. That seems more like penalizing the players than anything else, and mostly my players don't do anything to merit punishment of that sort.

That said? The head of Conan is probably one of the coolest gaming widgets I've ever heard of. "Crom smiles on you! Hrrrawwrl! Get to dhe choppa!"

[MindForge]

This sounds like a useful reward for players. I would just change one thing: i wouldn't give the head to my NPCs. That seems more like penalizing the players than anything else, and mostly my players don't do anything to merit punishment of that sort.
That head only goes to my NPC if the characters say "screw that lets shoot him in the mouth!"

It's like this. Anakin Skywalker runs into the room where Mace Windu is taking down the Sith Lord Palpatine. The head comes out on the table instead of Anakin just swinging away at someone when he comes in the room. In that particular scene, the Emperor wins the RP session (if Anakin and the Emperor were the PC's) and spends and drops the +2 bonus to drop the lightning attack that crits Mace for 'Ultimate Power'. The action point is probably just lost because it was not necessary or perhaps he used it to make a second lightning attack.. I mean that is a general idea of using the head. The head is for the players to realize that the scene is build for an RP element.

I run especially high paced games sometimes where an entire session might be combat and active traps and some RP but it might be in the middle of a chase. I am not one to want to sit around in the King's throne room and act in character - sorry, not my style - I will spend some time RP'ing, I think that here needs to be some even time spent 50/50 in RP and combat but sometimes I use the head as a cool way to get that extra oomph out of a game... too bad the head is lost right now... I have a few ideas for the alternative.

[Sunfist]

This seems like a pretty interesting idea that would work well with the system I'm currently using: Ramlar. Ramlar has a momentum system for combat that uses points. Using this to give one or two momentum points would just be awesome - especially in round one.

[MindForge]

Now that I have lost that head, I am trying to come up with a new idea that will be more suited to the game play. I am thinking that I will make it even more valuable because of the combat focus it has.

I think maybe I will try this. The new object will have a specific power available that they can use if they want to - but they do not have to. It will also give an action point. I don't know how I like the +2 natural die bonus now that I think about it, I remember a few times that a character used it only to come up empty handed with it. I want to create something that is more solid and less random.

I think I will create a power that is flexible. Like, allows you to make a standard action at any time, as if an immediate interrupt or reaction (players choice when used). This would be in addition to getting the action point. Maybe I can let them choose between receiving an action point or a healing surge.