D&D General Hit Point alternate to + CON mod?

[dave2008]

Recently I have participated in another futile debate about what are hit points. However, it got me thinking: if HP is luck, skill, exhausting, toughness all wrapped into one abstract package, why don't we reflect that in how we determine hit points. So my proposal, use all your stats! Basically you determine your hit point bonus gained at each level by:

• Option #1: Add all of your ability modifiers together and divide that total by 6 and round down.
• Option #2: Add one "physical" ability modifier and one "mental" ability modifier of your choice together, divide by 2, and round down.
• Option #3: Add two "physical" ability modifiers and two "mental" ability modifiers of your choice together, divide by 4, and round down.
• Option #4: Add any four ability modifiers of your choice together, divide by 4, and round down.

Just an idea I thought I would share.

 

[Horwath]

or,

remove CON and paste it's mechanics to STR.

 

[DEFCON 1]

At that point I'd just wonder why you'd bother using any stats to begin with. If you're going to just go with an average results across 2, 4, or 6 scores almost all players are going to end up adding the same +1 or +2 each and every level so there's no point. You might as well just ignore the scores and just go with the standard max at 1st level + average hit die each subsequent level and not add bonuses to them whatsoever.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Due to the abstract nature of HP (skill, luck, endurance, favor of the gods, etc.) we house-ruled for a while that you can add your highest ability score modifier to your HP when you level, not just CON.

But, since then our desire to remove HP bloat from the game, you add your highest ability score modifier ONCE (at level 1) and then just gain HD when you level (no ability bonus). If your highest ability score modifier increases (likely), your HP also increase by the same amount.

It works well IMO, but to simplify things even further, we now just award +5 HP at level one (since nearly every PC gets a +5 ability modifier somewhere eventually), getting max HP at level 1 for your HD, and then only HD after level one.

So, the "rule" we use is. You do not add your CON modifier to HP. You gain +5 HP at level one and that's it.

You might as well just ignore the scores and just go with the standard max at 1st level + average hit die each subsequent level and not add bonuses to them whatsoever.

This would work nicely, too.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Interesting idea, but I don't think anybody is interested in making Dex and Cha even more desirable, which is exactly what Option 2 would do, and I think Options 1, 3, and 4 regress to the mean so significantly that they basically say "just add +2".

I guess I would rather do something like:

d12 = 10 hp per level.
d10 = 8 hp per level.
d8 = 6 hp per level.
d6 = 4 hp per level.

No modifiers. And everyone gets double hp at level 1.

or,

remove CON and paste it's mechanics to STR.

I'd be up for this, but then I'm in favor of going down to four stats: Brawn, Agility, Intellect, and Personality.

However, that's so unlikely to ever happen that it's kind of a non-topic. I don't ever see them eliminating dice for HP, either.

 

[Xeviat]

I've been thinking about going back to 4E style Con. No Con to HP per level, but add Con score to HP at first level and add Con mod to HP healed per hit die. So high con will give you a little more hp to start (your meat), and it will help you recover faster (your endurance), but your class and level will determine the bulk of your hp.

My favorite thing about HP in 4th edition was I actually saw lower Con characters. Players didn't feel like they had to boost their con all the time. In 5th, I tend to see Com 14 all the time. At least 12.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I've been thinking about going back to 4E style Con. No Con to HP per level, but add Con score to HP at first level and add Con mod to HP healed per hit die. So high con will give you a little more hp to start (your meat), and it will help you recover faster (your endurance), but your class and level will determine the bulk of your hp.

My favorite thing about HP in 4th edition was I actually saw lower Con characters. Players didn't feel like they had to boost their con all the time. In 5th, I tend to see Com 14 all the time. At least 12.

I never played 4E, but this is a nice option too.

 

[Horwath]

I've been thinking about going back to 4E style Con. No Con to HP per level, but add Con score to HP at first level and add Con mod to HP healed per hit die. So high con will give you a little more hp to start (your meat), and it will help you recover faster (your endurance), but your class and level will determine the bulk of your hp.

My favorite thing about HP in 4th edition was I actually saw lower Con characters. Players didn't feel like they had to boost their con all the time. In 5th, I tend to see Com 14 all the time. At least 12.

one of the few favorite things about 4E was fixed HP per level and fixed healing surges.

that should have stayed in 5e
might even replace healing surges for HD healing.

 

[NotAYakk]

Gonzo:

• Merge Str and Con. Call it Might.
• All magical healing requires a HD, which you roll and add in. Might adds to HD healing. (Regeneration, Mass Heal, and Heal spell excluded)
• Add new stat "Size". Size adds to melee weapon damage, carrying capacity, jump distance, shove, and grapple and stacks with str.

HP is size + "average" HP/level (no max at level 1). Every 5 levels add size bonus HP (5,10,15,20).

Size 6 is small, size 10 is medium, 16 is "large build", 22 is large, 26 is huge, 30 is guargantuon.

 

[Wasteland Knight]

To me, once you get past the point of an individual surviving a very small number of hits from a reasonably competent warrior, hit points are a pure abstraction. They exist so the game can be played at higher levels. Anything more is flavor text.

So I see no reason why you can't use some combination of stats beyond just CON.

The more stats you average the less and less ability modifiers will play a role in HP. This is neither good nor bad, simply the result of the math.

Before I made this change, I'd try to define why I wanted to make the change from a game mechanics perspective. The "fluff" of why and how this change to HP calculation works in the game world is less important in my mind than the reason it's being implemented from a mechanics perspective.