Pathfinder Hero Point Deck is one of Paizo’s growing line of accessories to help take your game to the next level. They can be used in a multitude of ways, from being a visual way of tracking your Hero Points to adding new ways to utilize your points.
Heroic deeds are the cornerstone of great characters throughout literary and gaming history. I love systems that reward players for doing heroic things, even better if I can do more cool things because of it.
In Pathfinder, the GM awards Hero Points throughout each session for characters going above and beyond the call of duty. This encourages players to do things outside their comfort zones. These points can be spent to reroll checks or avoid death in the game.
The Hero Point Deck adds another layer to using the points. Each one gives a different benefit when spent, or they can be turned in for the original uses for Hero Points. Not every card will be useful for every character, so there are a few optional rules that can be implemented into the game.
I love that there are plenty of options when it comes to doling out the cards and I’m sure plenty of gaming groups will come up with their own to maximize the usefulness of the deck. At the GM and groups discretion: players can trade cards, cards are laid out in the center of the table for players to spend their Hero Points on, or turn the top card over so the players can see what their next heroic action will get them.
The cards themselves are well thought out. Each one has its own title, when it can be used, what it will do, and flavor text. Knowing when and how a card will work helps keep them from bogging down the game by having to look up the rules. Plus, who doesn’t love a good flavor text?
If you’re looking for a way to help liven up your sessions, the Hero Point Deck is a good way to inject more life into using Hero Points. They make tracking Hero Points easy because the cards are right in front of the players instead of writing down and erasing every time you get or use one.