D&D 5E Player Hit Points

[The Myopic Sniper]

Max hit points.

 

[Micah Sweet]

We always roll after level 1, but my players talked me into letting them re-roll "1", so technically I fall into "something else".

 

[overgeeked]

Max at 1st. After that decide every level, average or roll. No take backs. But you get to re-roll 1s.

 

[CleverNickName]

We use Matt Mercer's method: you always roll, but you can reroll 1s.

 

[Mistwell]

Expected value ends up around 60-66% of max depending on hit die. Hardly a “good lord”, pearl-clutching moment.

Uh yeah, that's a good lord range. Anything else in the game causing that huge a swing is considered a good lord element, why wouldn't that one be?

 

[Clint_L]

I let players choose. For my own characters, I always choose the "average" option, because it's slightly above average and produces a few more HP over time, with less stress.

 

[Charlaquin]

The fixed amount is the average rounded up, which means it’s mathematically suboptimal to roll if given the choice. I fix this by allowing players who choose to roll to reroll 1s. This results in an average that equals the fixed value in the book, and I let players choose either option.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I really lost my fun with rolling when my 16con ministrel knight bard had an average of less than 6 hp per level. With the rule of being allowed to reroll 1s.

(FYI: it was an AD&D bard subclass with 1 extra hp per level: so with con 16, she got 1d6+2+1, average 7 hp per level (with the explanation of @Charlaquin right above this post)

Being under the average is never fun. 1 hp under tge average means that the benefit of extra hp from the ministrel knight felt take away.

 

[Ondath]

I think taking the average is too samey, but getting a 1 or a 2 on a hit die roll is disproportionately annoying for players, so if you give them the choice, they will try rolling once and then stick to the PHB average.

I've devised a middle way which goes like this: everyone has to roll, but if your result is lower than the average rounded down (e.g., 3 for d6, 4 for d8...), then you get the average rounded down. So you have a 50% chance of getting more hp than you normally would, and 50% chance of getting an average result. I've heard no complaints so far.

 

[Distracted DM]

I think taking the average is too samey, but getting a 1 or a 2 on a hit die roll is disproportionately annoying for players, so if you give them the choice, they will try rolling once and then stick to the PHB average.

I've devised a middle way which goes like this: everyone has to roll, but if your result is lower than the average rounded down (e.g., 3 for d6, 4 for d8...), then you get the average rounded down. So you have a 50% chance of getting more hp than you normally would, and 50% chance of getting an average result. I've heard no complaints so far.

Who would complain about a casino where the odds were even on winning or losing, and then if you lost money at the end of the night they'd give you almost all of it back?