Constitution and HP

[Falling Icicle]

I'd like HP to be based on your Con score at 1st level (like in 4e), but then increase very gradually from leveling.

 

[kitsune9]

I can accept whatever the hp balance will be for D&D. If we go back to wizards being d4 HD and fighters only having d8, I'm cool with that. If we have some crazy system of Con Score plus Con bonus plus Class HD plus size bonus plus race bonus at 1st level which can give someone more than 50 hp, I'm cool with that too. So, I'm flexible wherever the system will end up.

 

[Starfox]

3E rewarded Con way too much, the bonus has to be less than that. It is somewhat silly that the weaker your class HD, the more benefit you get from Con. +1 hp/level is a 40% increase on a d4, but only an 18% increase on a d10 and even less on a d12. Con became the Wizard's second stat, almost as important as Int.

In 1E (and possibly 2E, can't remember) the Con hp bonus per die was capped at +2 unless you were a Fighter/Paladin/Ranger. That made 16 Con more or less mandatory for magic-users, but at least it wasn't 18.

Con should be a little more impoortant than it was in 4E. 4E did not reward Con very much, and at least IMC adventuring days were pretty short, making limited healing surges less of an issue. And the limit on healing surges were set by the weakest party member; topping your by increasing Con did nothing as soon as at least one other character had a tendency to run out of surges faster than you did.

 

[Endur]

I think the poll is wrong.

In 3e, the con effect is constant. (not slightly increasing).

It is only slightly increasing if you use the approach of maximum hit points at first level and constant hit points (1/2 or 1/2 plus 1) at level 2+.

If you are rolling hit dice at each level, then con effect remains the same for all levels.

Also, in AD&D, many people rolled hit dice and added con at high levels, and ignored the +1/+2/+3 hit points per level at high level.

In AD&D through 3.5, a fighter's two most important stats were STR (offense) and Con (defense) with dex a distant third. In 4e, con became essentially useless for fighters (only giving a bonus to hp at 1st level), and allowing fighters to use str for fort saves. 4e fixed the toughness feat though, so a 4e fighter should take toughness whereas a 3e fighter avoided toughness (3hp.)

 

[Hassassin]

In 3e, the con effect is constant. (not slightly increasing).

It is only slightly increasing if you use the approach of maximum hit points at first level [...]

That's what the rules tell you to do, so it's slightly increasing. House rules can alter it in any direction.

 

[ren1999]

I'm hoping that 5E will reduce the introductory classes to just 4 and leave the custom classes for the other books.

Because 4E monster hit dice is so high, it is important to give every character a constant number of hit points when leveling up.

I purpose constitution+12 at first level fighter type class/12 healing surges/+12 hit points when leveling up as a fighter

10 for rogue types
8 for cleric types
6 for wizard types

For multi-classes I purpose that if a character is a fighter, rogue, and or cleric and a wizard that the hit points be the median between 12 and 6 which is 9 hit points per level-up and 9 healing surges.

All multi-class characters would have 9 healing surges and increase hit points by 9 every level-up.

 

[howandwhy99]

The effect of your constitution should...

...be multiple in effects.

I like +1 to HP as much as the next player, but CON can be and has been so much more. Let's not limit how each factor relates within the score by a single means. Gained or lost HPs by CON score doesn't work well if a 3 = -5 hp for d4 Wizards, all because -5 to +5 is the mandatory modifier scale for all scores. Why have 3-18 to begin with then? Why not just use the universal modifiers instead?