{"id":3171,"date":"2023-12-05T16:21:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T23:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/?p=3171"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:36:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T22:36:46","slug":"dd-5e-rules-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2023\/12\/dd-5e-rules-inspiration.html","title":{"rendered":"D&D 5e Rules – (Heroic) Inspiration!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KnowPart of an ongoing series of 5e (2014)<\/strong> Rules notes.<\/a>\u00a0 See the end of the post for notes on 5.5e (2024)<\/strong> rules.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

So in addition to being a Tactical Guy, I’m a role-player, so I will likely emphasize those aspects in any game I can.<\/p>\n

D&D is not a RP-heavy system by design; it’s originally derived from miniatures warfare gaming (which doesn’t reward someone running into the middle of the battlefield with a white flag to negotiate a truce), and the Experience Points that folk are incented after are for, frankly, killing things. This has “gotten better” over the years, but killing does still seem to be the best way to get XP. So, as a general rule, one does not hop into a D&D game expecting penetrating psycho-drama and lengthy inter-character dialogs.<\/p>\n

Right. Got it.<\/p>\n

There Will Be Role-Playing<\/h1>\n

I still encourage players to think about the personality aspects of their characters — 5e has rather clumsily loaded traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws into the character creation process, related to background. It’s a start, but I would hope players would come up with something a bit more organic, using those background-driven items as, well “inspiration.”<\/p>\n

Role-playing is also important, in my games, when encountering people not in the party. The folk encountered, especially in town, are not pop-up clue dispensers.\u00a0 I can’t promise Shakespeare, but there will be character interactions, so I expect something more than “I walk up to the Bartender and roll on Deceive.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

All of which ties into the post topic: Inspiration<\/a><\/strong> [PHB 125]!<\/p>\n

What is Inspiration?<\/h1>\n
\"Inspiration\"<\/a>
Inspiration!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From a meta standpoint, Inspiration is an optional<\/em> rule, based on whether the DM wants to use it. I’m not sure why they would not, but if your tables doesn’t use it … it’s worth asking why not.<\/p>\n

Mechanically, here’s what the book say (emphasis mine):<\/p>\n

Inspiration is a rule the game master can use to\u00a0reward you for playing your character<\/i><\/b>\u00a0in a way that\u2019s true to his or her personality traits, ideal, bond, and flaw.<\/p>\n

By using inspiration, you can draw on your personality trait of compassion for the downtrodden to give you an edge in negotiating with the Beggar Prince. Or inspiration can let you call on your bond to the defense of your home village to push past the effect of a spell that has been laid on you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Those examples given are a little misleading. You\u00a0get<\/em> Inspiration by (as a limited example) drawing on those personality traits in some fashion … and can then use<\/em> Inspiration to do something better than usual. RP-wise, you can draw on that connection (“As I talk to the Beggar Prince, I remember that morning giving my last gold piece to that hungry child [for which I got Inspiration because it ties into my character origin], and I hold onto that insight as to what hunger really means as I negotiate for my friends’ release”), but it’s not completely necessary.<\/p>\n

Gaining Inspiration<\/h1>\n

The 5e DMG (pg. 240) specifically suggests giving Inspiration for:<\/p>\n