Inspiration - A Non-Inspired Rule per RAW

D&D 5E didn't add many new elements; it largely streamlined and simplified mechanics that have been in one or more of the earlier versions.  Inspiration is one of the brand new items. It essential provides the DM an ability to give any/all player(s) a virtual cookie, a reward, in the form of advantage on a future roll of his/her choice.   

The idea seems really solid.  Give the DM something other than Gold, Magic, or XP with which to reward players.  Sadly, the actual rule works out to be a tad bit uninspiring. 

In this post, I will take a closer look at the rule, discuss a bit of info from the web and define how I want to try handling Inspiration in my next campaign. 

Inspiration as Defined in RAW

Inspiration as defined in the Player's Handbook is rather straightforward.  I'll include a shortened version below. 

Inspiration 

Inspiration is a rule the game master can use to reward you for playing your character in a way that’s true to his or her personality traits, ideal, bond, and flaw....

Gaining Inspiration

Your DM can choose to give you inspiration for a variety of reasons. Typically, DMs award it when you play out your personality traits, give in to the drawbacks presented by a flaw or bond, and otherwise portray your character in a compelling way. Your DM will tell you how you can earn inspiration in the game.

You either have inspiration or you don’t - you can’t stockpile multiple “inspirations” for later use. 

 Using Inspiration

If you have inspiration, you can expend it when you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. Spending your inspiration gives you advantage on that roll.

Additionally, if you have inspiration, ... , you can give up your inspiration to give that character inspiration.

 While this is a nifty concept, I end up having trouble with it for several reasons.  

Issues with RAW Inspiration

There are two major issues for me:

1. When to Award Inspiration
2. Players remembering that they have Inspiration

Awarding inspiration for play that fits a characters personality traits, ideals, bond, and (or) flaw sounds fine, but it assumes the characters have all written down reasonable information for these *AND* that the DM remembers them.  For me, that is asking a lot, too much.  I am unlikely to remember a handful of those characteristics and frankly I'm not all that interested in trying to reinforce these aspects of the character sheet. 

In my currently running Campaign, Trouble in Dessarin Valley, I have been using a rule suggested by the AngryGM in his article titled: 11 Ways to Take the Suck Out of Inspiration in D&D, option 1: Angry’s Awesome Inspiration System. In a nutshell, this approach lets all of the characters start each session with inspiration that they can spend as they like in that session.  The premise being they are all heroes and therefore reasonably inspirational.  He also defines a setback system that allows for additional inspiration though that system is too much work for too little reward to appeal to me.  While this does fix both of my issues with RAW it ends up negating the reward element and just becomes a standard character ability.

That leaves me unhappy with RAW and dissatisfied with my current approach.  I need something different.

Different Inspiration 

At its root, Inspiration is a reward the DM can give to a player for good play.  I'm tempted to strip it back to that and allow players to essentially nominate other players for inspiration.  Maybe something more like this (only affects gaining Inspiration):

At any time the DM may award a character with Inspiration (if he/she doesn't currently have it) for good play, usually specifically role-play but a brilliant tactical idea is fair game.  Players may nominate other players via a private message to the DM, the DM may act on nominations as seems appropriate. 

This returns the reward aspect, makes it not just an automatic thing and allows players to assist in making the call as to when Inspiration should be awarded.

Effect of Inspiration 

In practice I have been allowing players to opt to use Inspiration after the fact, that is they roll, don't like the result and use Inspiration for what amounts to a reroll.  That is not correct per RAW, but it feels right to me as merely granting advantage makes Inspiration fairly unimpressive.

This leads me to amending the Using Inspiration rule: A player may choose to use Inspiration after seeing the result of their roll. 

Some games may allow inspiration to be used in other ways.  For now, I am satisfied with allowing an after the fact advantage roll to be made.