Heroic Inspiration in D&D 5e (2024)

An Inspiring Mechanic

For many players, Inspiration in the 2014 Player’s Handbook was one of those mechanics that sounded great in theory but often got forgotten in practice. Awarded by the Dungeon Master for strong roleplaying or heroic deeds, it allowed a character to gain Advantage on a roll—but because it could only be held once at a time and had a somewhat nebulous reward system, many tables struggled to remember to use it.

With the 2024 revision of the Player’s Handbook, Wizards of the Coast sought to address these issues by overhauling the system into Heroic Inspiration, creating a more flexible and mechanically relevant feature designed to encourage its use at the table. Let’s break down the changes and what they mean for your game.

What Was Inspiration in the 2014 Rules?

In the original Player’s Handbook (2014), Inspiration was a DM-controlled mechanic meant to reward players for roleplaying their character’s personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws. If a player had Inspiration, they could spend it to gain Advantage on an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. A player could not stockpile Inspiration—if they already had it, they either used it or lost out on earning another.

How Heroic Inspiration Works in 2024

The most significant change is that Heroic Inspiration now allows for rerolls on any D20 test, it doesn’t just grant Advantage. This means players can now use Heroic Inspiration after seeing the result of a roll they don’t like, rather than having to decide before rolling.

As stated in the D&D Free Rules:

If you (a player character) have Heroic Inspiration, you can expend it to reroll any die immediately after rolling it, and you must use the new roll.

If you gain Heroic Inspiration but already have it, it’s lost unless you give it to a player character who lacks it.

This means you can now use it on everything from an attack roll to a damage roll; Bardic Inspiration dies, Wild Magic Surges, Death Saving Throws, and everything in between.

Another major shift is how Heroic Inspiration is awarded. While Dungeon Masters can still grant it as a roleplaying reward, the new rules introduce more concrete ways for players to gain it:

• Class Features: Certain subclasses, like the 2024 Champion Fighter, gain Heroic Inspiration on a consistent basis. The Champion’s level 10 Heroic Warrior feature, for instance, allows them to start their turn with Heroic Inspiration if they don’t already have it.
• Playing a Human: The Human species gains Heroic Inspiration upon completing a Long Rest.
• Taking the Musician Feat: This feat allows a character to grant Heroic Inspiration to others during a Short or Long Rest.
• Bastions: After spending an entire Short Rest in your Workshop, you gain Heroic Inspiration.

Why These Changes Matter

The biggest advantage of Heroic Inspiration over the old Inspiration system is how often it can be used. Because players can gain Heroic Inspiration reliably, they’ll be more likely to use it, which, in short, makes it a better mechanic.

In addition, the old method only allowed you to gain Advantage on certain attacks, ability checks, or saving throws. This means you would have had to decide to use your Inspiration before you rolled your d20. Now, rerolling any dice means you know you’ll be using your Heroic Inspiration when it matters.

For DMs, this revision simplifies bookkeeping. Rather than tracking who should receive Inspiration for good roleplaying (a subjective decision that often gets overlooked), Heroic Inspiration now has a built-in game loop that guarantees players will interact with it. That said, it’s still a good thing to keep track of as a reasonable reward.

How Is Inspiration Earned?

The Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) outlined several ways to award Inspiration:

You can also use Heroic Inspiration to reward roleplaying, immersion in the game, and heroism. Use it to incentivize the kind of behavior you want to see in your game, such as acting in character, taking risks, thinking strategically, cooperating well, or embracing the tropes of a particular genre.

My only gripe with this system is you can’t receive Heroic Inspiration from your DM if you already have one. For example, if you’re  Human and wake up with Heroic Inspiration, then perform some impressive roleplaying first thing in the morning, you might not have spent your Heroic Inspiration and thus can’t gain any more.

Luckily, under the 2024 rules, you can give Heroic Inspiration to other characters who lack it, ensuring it’s never fully wasted.

An Inspirational Improvement?

The changes to Heroic Inspiration are absolutely an improvement. The 2014 Inspiration system had great intentions but faltered in execution due to its infrequent use and limited benefits. Heroic Inspiration in 2024 takes a much more player-friendly approach, ensuring that it’s a relevant part of gameplay and a new resource that can be used consistently.