Triple HP at 1st level?

[Ahglock]

Sorry, but while the begginers should be amateurs, and well, beginners - they should not be necessarly so goddang easy to take out.

Then start at level 3. I want the beginning characters to be so goddang easy to be taken out. I want every time someone swings at a level 1 character its a potentially fatal blow.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

Then start at level 3. I want the beginning characters to be so goddang easy to be taken out. I want every time someone swings at a level 1 character its a potentially fatal blow.

Not so realist as you thin k - an human is harder to kill than you may think.

And this is fun for you, or a saddistic DM - not for the players.

My idea is that lethality should remains in D&D - but toned down. Perhaps like the first few levels... and then you rise the danger level.

It's not fun to loose a character as soon he is rolled out. really.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, I like fragile firsties.

IME, players who manage to get their PCs to climb out of that pit play their PCs more realistically. They're more aware of their PCs mortality, and as a result, seem more real in their reactions to threats. Instead of wading into battle and just duking it out until one side or the other is dead, they may instead use tactical & strategic decisions...like NOT attacking every evil guy who crosses their path, or even trying the occasional retreat from combat.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

Newbies we want, not porcelaine pots.


It could be also argued the reverse.... very, very few survives at later level - more power. more opposition, more danger.

I'd rather loose a guy after a few levels than at start, more fun.

 

[FadedC]

There is actually another piece of evidence for triple HP at level 1, and that is the fact they revealed the mechanics for the toughness feat, and it gives 3 HP at lvl 1, and 1 at every additional level.

Personally it's not that so much that I have such a hard time with fragile PCs (but it annoys me a little) but I always thought it was wierd how PCs become twice as powerful when they go from lvl 1 to lvl 2, but only a little bit more powerful each additional level. The x3 at level 1 will help even that out a bit, which is a good thing.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

And I means, not necessarly tripling the hp, but perhaps reviewing the hp rates a bit would be good,... at least.

 

[vagabundo]

Upping PC survivability is a good thing. Getting killed by rats or one goblin for your heroic PC sucks donkey balls.

If people want to play a less heroic campaign they do no have to start with triple the max, just max. It is a good default that is easy to turn off.

PC characters are special, best of breed ususally, but the rules wont preclude you from playing, turok the sickly, who is threatened by all manner of large rodents and insects.

 

[Melan]

I can't get it into my head why so many people who dislike playing on low levels insist on doing so. We have been starting most new PCs on 3rd level since, what, around 1993, and didn't need the game designers to adjust starting hit points or spells or whatever.

Why do we need a major rule revision for something so trivial to fix?

 

[Aus_Snow]

(. . .) or, it might be a solid "kicker", like your CON score + one max hit die, or something.

That's what I have used for a while now, in D&D. Levels beyond 1st, it's half hit die (fractions carry) + Con mod.

It works great. But I suspect they'll be going the Saga way. Mind you, that probably has a very similar net effect, with only a different 'design philosophy' involved.

 

[delericho]

Why do we need a major rule revision for something so trivial to fix?

Because new players are going to start at level 1, spend two hours creating their characters, get into their first combat, die before they even get to act... and never play the game again.

If all they're doing is giving 1st level characters extra hit points*, it's just as trivial to house rule "in my campaign you need to earn them", once you know what you're doing. But it's better to set up the game so that experts can house rule the system, rather than newbies have to house rule the system.

* I suspect they're doing more than that, and that a 4e 1st level PC will be equivalent to a 3e 3rd level PC. In which case, house ruling the low levels back in becomes much harder.