D&D 5E Player Hit Points

Players should determine hit points via:

  • Average hit points. Always.

    Votes: 42 33.9%
  • Rolling straight up. If you roll bad, you roll bad.

    Votes: 17 13.7%
  • A percentage (70% of max, 80%, what have you).

    Votes: 2 1.6%
  • Let the player choose (between rolling or average).

    Votes: 48 38.7%
  • Something else.

    Votes: 15 12.1%


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Shiroiken

Legend
Because the "average" rounds up, it's always better to take the average. Technically I allow rolling, but all of my players can do math, so no one ever does. I've heard of a homebrew option where you roll twice, taking the better roll, and I'd probably allow that since it makes the average about the same as the official "average."
 


Lanefan

Victoria Rules
Ever since we had a rogue that had not only more HPs then the fighter focused on CON, but more HPs then possible given max rolls and their CON, we just use the average.

Same for Point Buy.

Prevents "misunderstandings".
Such "misunderstandings" are far better prevented by having ALL rolls done on the table at the session, in full view of others.
 


Kurotowa

Legend
Random HP is random, and I dislike randomness in character creation. Results for in-game actions, sure, some randomness is great. Essential, even. But I want character creation to be fair, balanced, and under my control. It's the same reason why I was all for point buy ability scores over rolled scores as soon as it was offered.

Having random HP is another of those things that made sense back when D&D was a Rogue-like with permadeath, and fishing for the god character with high ability scores and good HP was part of the appeal, but doesn't fit with how I play the game these days.
 

Distracted DM

Distracted DM
Supporter
I like how WWN does it. Always roll all your HD at every level. If you roll lowers HP than your previous level, you get your previous level’s HP+1.

At first level, you can end up with only 1hp but over time, it averages out or, if you roll luckily on a given level, you can have lots of hp.

I wonder how it would work in 5e.
I've considered this too- I do wonder how out of whack it'd throw things? Considering how many levels in 5e.. would you have a very good chance of getting high-arse HP pools? 🤔
Don't know how the odds work out there.
 



Average always. We don't randomise whether you get the other class features as you level up either, why would we randomise the HP? It is part of the balancing that some classes get more HP, it seems very counterproductive to let randomness potentially upset that balance.

I also notice that a lot of people seem to be using houserules than increase the amount of HP the PCs have. If I'd alter anything, I'd revise the HP downwards, I think the PCs might already have too much HP.
 

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