2 simple questions

[Ealli]

The six or so campaigns I have seen have either started at level 1 or level 3. Level 1 gives a bit more connection to the character for the long haul, level 3 allows for a little more character background development and history.

Most of the campaigns use what we call the 70% rule for hit points. Hitpoints per level are static according to the following with max hp at first level.
d4 -> 3
d6 -> 4
d8 -> 6
d10 -> 7
d12 -> 9

Next campaign I run will use the same system as Rav. I don't like hp that can vary widly based on the occasional roll, makes fighters a little more vulnerable than I like. I had been using monsters either rolled up or at average hp, now I am starting to give monsters a bit over average so they compare better with the PCs.

 

[SkeletonKey Ed]

I have my players start a 1st level although I may try 2nd in out next campaign (still more than a year away).

As far as rerolls, I let a player reroll once when they got a 1 on a d10. My stipulation was that the roll receive a -1 penalty and that a roll of 1 means that they get no hp for that level. The player rolled a 2 and had to settle for 1 hp anyway.

I haven't had any further requests for rerolls although I would allow them under this rule.

 

[Zappo]

Before 3E, all my campaigns started at 1st level, and for hit points I told a player he could either pick the average and don't roll, or roll and take whatever came. In the latter case, I gave the option to reroll a 1 only if the player would also reroll a maximum result (4, 6, 8, whatever the dice was).

When I got 3E, I started a campaign at level 2 (because I wanted to allow certain ECL +1 races), and another at level 10. This was because it was the level our previous 2E campaign had reached.
Also, I've recently had the players make new 7th level characters to play Dead Gods (need the levels to survive).

Hehe, now I'm giving the impression that I start campaigns at high levels... that's totally false. I start campaigns at 1st as a rule, it's just that the campaigns I've started in 3e until now had special reasons to be higher level.
I've abolished all randomness from character generation and advancement; stats are generated with point buy and hit points are max at first level and half the max at subsequent levels (2 for d4, 3 for d6... 6 for d12).

Notice that the "half max" is, on average, slightly below the average (the average for a d6 is 3.5). However, I think that the certainty of the result is worth that half point.

For monsters and NPCs, I roll randomly if I'm preparing the adventure in advance, or take the average if I'm inventing encounters as I go. I will reroll or change the average only for extremely important NPCs.

 

[noretoc]

I start my campaigns at level 1, unless it is a one-shot, of a special game. As for hitpoints, I like my players to survive. We have a reat time, by playing, not by dying. I have them reroll anything less then half thier hit die. that mean 1-2 on a d4 or 1-6 on a d12. I almost always give my monster max hit points though. If not, they usually aren't much of a challenge, as my players are experienced and use great team work.