Card Rewards for Players

Partially inspired by what I've seen at events like D&D Encounters and the most recent D&D Game Day, I want to create a group of bonus cards that I can hand out to players as rewards for things like excellent roleplaying during a session, providing food & drink for everybody for a night, giving other players rides to the game, or anything else that I, as the GM, feel deserves some recognition and reward.

Some cards will be better than others, but I don't intend on tailoring cards too specifically for any particular role or situation. I don't want cards that are only useful to Leaders or Defenders, let alone for specific classes. I know that the cards as written are pretty potent and that's deliberate. I typically award small bonuses reasonably often, so the cards need to be powerful to make the players appreciate them. Other DMs may want to avoid the best effects or tone them down, depending on the needs of the game.



Here's some of my tentative rules for the reward cards.

• When you play a card, you turn it in. It's not like the D&D Encounter cards where you hold on to them and can play them every week.
• You have to use the card the next session after you receive it. If you don't, you lose it. I don't want people hoarding cards, whether it be because they don't want to waste it or because they're waiting for a "boss" encounter. This encourages people to use them quickly.
• Can only use one card on any given action.
• Card effects do not stack with any other similar effect (by GM's discretion)
• Cards may be traded once. Meaning that Player X can trade it to Player Y, but Player Y cannot then turn around and give it to Player Z.

Here are some of the ideas I've got for cards. I'm sure I'll have more later.

• Until the end of the next turn, a players attacks crit on a 19-20. A 19 is still not an automatic hit.
• Until the end of the next turn, a players attacks crit on a 18-20. A 18 or 19 is still not an automatic hit.
• Player may treat their next dice roll as a natural 20.
• Player may treat their next roll as a 20. This is not considered a critical hit for purposes of attack rolls, but is an automatic hit.
• Player gains resist 2 to all damage as an immediate reaction until the end of their next turn. This increases by 3 at Paragon and 3 more at Epic.
• Player gains resist 5 to all damage as an immediate reaction until the end of their next turn. This increases by 5 at Paragon and 5 more at Epic.
• Player may shift 2 squares instead of 1 until the end of their next turn.
• Player may reroll any die roll and take the better of the two.
• Player may reroll any skill check, but must take the result of the second roll.
• Player may add +5 to their next roll
• Player may add +5 to their next skill check roll
• Player can choose one type of damage. Until the end of their next turn, any attack they make inflicts +1d6 of that type of damage in addition to normal damage. The damage increases to +2d6 at 11th Level and +3d6 at 21st level.
• As a minor action, player may spend a healing surge.
• When the player regains HP through the spending of a healing surge (theirs or from someone else), they regain an additional 5 HP. This increases to 10 at Paragon and 15 at Epic.
• Player may choose to make a saving throw at the beginning of their turn. If they take it at the end of their turn, they may make it with a +2 bonus to the roll.
• Player may choose one expended Encounter power and use it again.
• Player may reroll all damage dice from an attack, taking the better result of the two.