Nitpicky technical point, simply because I’m a geek with some MMA background: It’s ‘duck and weave’.

I took most of the ideas here along with a few of my own and made a set of 32 cards using Magic Set Editor. I posted a PDF of the cards at https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B5bZQwTzfvYUN2IxNmJlZDUtMGJlNi00MjMyLThjN2EtNmRlMmE3OGU1ZDY2&hl=en. It should be publicly accessible if I did it right. If not, post here and I will fix it.

http://maidenshead.com/2009/07/house-rules/

And I like it because you can tailor how they use the cards. Hero Points / Save Your Butt Points always end up getting used defensively. On the label it says they encourage cinematic gameplay and unexpected events, but smart players just use them to keep from dying. Not in this case: your cards can be environmental and interesting rather than a die roll modifier. I especially like the “break one item” type of idea given above.

I had a GM one time in a 3.5 campaign that rewarded the party periodically with “Hero Points,” which allowed us to make some crazy idea of ours work in spite of the rules. They usually ended up being pivotal scenes, like the time the barbarian literally went out in a blaze of glory. He’d just taken lethal damage, and used the Hero Point to make one last attack, which killed both him (engulfed in the flames of his own fiery spirit) and the BBEG (cleft in twain by the barbarian’s mighty axe). We ended up having to sidequest for his soul in the underworld. That scene, and the aftermath, defined both the character and the group dynamic for the rest of the campaign.

@pseudodragon: Nice list! I especially like Diamond in the Rough. Seems like there’s all kinds of potential story hooks in that one.

Twist of Fate
You may redo one roll of the dice, but you must accept the second result.

Oracle
Stumped? Ask the DM for a clue.

Witching
Convert a fumble into an unlikely success.

Misfire
Avoid one trap before damage is rolled.

Glancing Blow
Halve damage sustained from one attack before damage is rolled.

Grace Under Pressure
Add +5 to one skill roll before the dice are rolled.

Bullseye
Confirm one critical hit automatically.

Out of the Blue
Automatically spot the next secret door or compartment you come across.

Intuition
Avoid being surprised once.

Diamond in the Rough
One seemingly mundane treasure item turns out to be much more valuable.

I’m Not Dead Yet
Automatically stabilize at 0 hit points.

Overlooked
Change the target of an attack from you to another character.

Clean Escape
Avoid one attack of opportunity.

Close Enough
Add +2 to one die roll after the die is rolled.

Heat of the Moment
Gain one additional action for one round.

I will probably try to come up with a few more before I put them into circulation, but I’m really excited about the possibilities!

Gary

These are the types of rewards that players would get excited about, yet they’re are completely within my control. It’s perfect.

I think the idea of Action Points, or Hero Points is indeed a relative to these kinds of features. They all try to stir the pot a bit. Personally I never found AP or HP very interesting, though. “Game breakers” of the more hands on kind, are much more appealing, especially if they will allow you to do something out of the ordinary.

One of these days I’ll have to try it in play. Maybe I just need to break out my copy of Savage Worlds and play…

- Roll 2d20 for initiative; use the highest.
- When making a Death Saving Throw, roll twice and use the higher die. Good for as many rolls as needed, but for only one “near death experience”.

@farfromunique – I’ve played with Eberron Action Points, and I was a bit underwhelmed by the primary use of them (+1d6 on a roll before you know the effect).

Mathematically speaking, this allows you to “act heroically” about 17.5% of the time. (If a +1 is good 1/20th or 5% of the time, then a +3.5 (the average of a d6) is good 17.5% of the time.) Even on a ‘natural 6′ or 30%, I don’t find that very heroic…

On the plus side, I did like the other ways that they worked with the rules (an additional use of an ability, automatically stabilize when dying, etc).

If I used them I wouldn’t be defacing them at all. The boon each granted would be on paper and I’d tell the receiver what it was for them to take note of. They’d hold onto the card until they decide to plop it down on the table and make use of it.

I really like your idea of bumpies and action points. I can see how they would be neat to add to a game.

I played the card. The GM asked what item should break. I said the “The platform. Just the part the leader is standing on. His flames weakened it.”

It was a great! The GM rolled with it and described the platform giving way and the cult leader falling with a heavy thud onto the hard cobblestone beneath it. It was comedic, yet it also made sense. It also gave us an opportunity to organize against the mob and to help us win that battle.

Most important of all though was that it was fun. We enjoyed the results, and it had a very positive impact upon the game. A rules-breaker deck can generate some interesting results in your game.