D&D 5E DMs of EN World: How do YOU assign HP to monsters?

[Zardnaar]

whatever the book says or +50% or max hp if I want a tougher one.

 

[Satyrn]

Do you . . . adjust on the fly during combat?

I can't do that anymore.

After some conversations here about how much is too much when it comes to what the players know, I decided I really didn't care if they knew everything I do. I don't actively share any information that DMs normally keep in their notes behind the screen, but I roll the dice in front of the players. And I track HP in the open, with a thick marker, counting down to 0.

I can't adjust on the fly during combat.

Actually, I still can. I often give monsters a "regeneration mechanic." I put that in quotes because it's completely different than the game's regeneration. I give monsters a way to heal 7sing some sort of action or circumstance. At it's most basic, that just means casting a cure spell. But I've had a devil that healed 100 hp by immersing itself in fire, a gluttonous demon that could attack every round with it's many mouths for a vampiric touch effect (healing 5 or 10 times more HP than the attack dealt so it's primary attack was far more effective, and thus I didn't have to have it healing every round). That sort of thing.

 

[pukunui]

Usually I just go with the average, but sometimes I might give a special monster max hp. I frequently adjust on the fly, though. Like if a minion gets reduced to 1 or 2 hp, I might just say it had fewer hp than average and have it go down. Conversely, if I feel a major NPC or monster needs to survive for just one or two more rounds, to heighten the drama and/or make things more interesting, I might say they had some more hp (up to the possible max).

 

[Nevvur]

I'm a bit surprised by the responses so far. Awhile back I presented max HP monsters as part of a solution to class balance in a less-than-6-8-encounter adventuring day, and I got the impression many players/DMs felt this would turn combat into a slog. So far it seems a lot of people are doing it. The thread is still young, though.

I tend to run creatures at 75% or MAX HP. Depends on various factors, like number of NPC combatants and how important those NPCs are (both in the larger story, and as a tactical element in a given combat). I'll still occasionally deploy average HP monsters, but I can't recall ever using less than average HP opponents.

One of the options you presented was "wing it and adjust on the fly during combat." Could you clarify what you meant by the second half of that? Do you mean like when the paladin or rogue crit smites/sneak attacks a monster so you decide to bump its HP to last a bit longer? I generally consider it poor form, but I'm guilty of pulling that stunt on occasion. It feels a bit like fudging the dice, which I am vehemently against, so when those crazy damage rolls obliterate an encounter I usually just roll with it. Sometimes, though, the storyteller side of me convinces the fair and impartial arbiter side of me it's in the interest of avoiding an anti-climactic fight.

 

[Satyrn]

And I gotta tell you, the look on the players' faces when they watched me put 100 hp back onto that devil was priceless. They made sure to keep it away from the fire after that!

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I don't like to bump up HP during a fight, that is cheating IMO. And yes I know in my god like authority as a DM I can't really cheat, but it feels like it.

The regen mechanic thing is cool since it fits. I had some poison demons healed by the party not realizing it and firing poison arrows at it.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

One of the options you presented was "wing it and adjust on the fly during combat." Could you clarify what you meant by the second half of that? Do you mean like when the paladin or rogue crit smites/sneak attacks a monster so you decide to bump its HP to last a bit longer? I generally consider it poor form, but I'm guilty of pulling that stunt on occasion. It feels a bit like fudging the dice, which I am vehemently against, so when those crazy damage rolls obliterate an encounter I usually just roll with it. Sometimes, though, the storyteller side of me convinces the fair and impartial arbiter side of me it's in the interest of avoiding an anti-climactic fight.

I guess it was really two different questions:
1. do you adjust during combat to make things more interesting (up or down)? I get the bit about how that can be abused and be considered poor form. I would hope that is being used for story purposes and not to screw over the PCs because they're besting the DMs "pet".
2. do you not even have HP written down before the session and simply write down whatever you feel like for HP as the combat starts? This seems strange to me, but maybe someone does it and for good reason.

 

[pukunui]

One of the options you presented was "wing it and adjust on the fly during combat." Could you clarify what you meant by the second half of that? Do you mean like when the paladin or rogue crit smites/sneak attacks a monster so you decide to bump its HP to last a bit longer? I generally consider it poor form, but I'm guilty of pulling that stunt on occasion. It feels a bit like fudging the dice, which I am vehemently against, so when those crazy damage rolls obliterate an encounter I usually just roll with it. Sometimes, though, the storyteller side of me convinces the fair and impartial arbiter side of me it's in the interest of avoiding an anti-climactic fight.

I hardly ever bump hit points up (it does feel like cheating), but I do lower them on a fairly regular basis, particularly where minions are concerned. When you're down to just a few orcs, and the PCs are doing clean-up, and they reduce one of the orcs to just a single hit point or so, it's easier just to say the orc has one fewer hit point and let it die already.

 

[robus]

I give them all the hit points, possibly because my players are overpowered in the magic department thanks to a magic shop that appeared in Waterdeep in my campaign.

And now I've crossed the threads!!!

 

[Warmaster Horus]

...
Do you wing it and adjust on the fly during combat?

I just don't like doing that. If the PCs nail a creature fair and square, so be it. For high-challenge creatures (BBGs, etc) that have a developed sense of self-preservation I'll specify some sort of escape plan in their write up.

Recently it was a black dragon that was toying with a group of adventurers. She had max hp to start with and I decided she would fly off when she reached 80hp. She nearly didn't make it as a couple of PCs got in some wicked licks. In fact the last attack was a last-ditch javelin toss which just went wide (thank you long-range-disadvantage!) and she was in single digits.

Another time about a month ago it was a Warlock of the Fiend escorted by Icespire Ogres. Her escape plan was to Plane Shift when brought down to 30hp. Of course she was stunned when that happened (#@$*! monks) but was carried away by one of her faithful Ogres who provided her 3/4 cover as he hunched over her at a distance while another grappled the monk. Arrows and spells flew but she managed to survive long enough to blip out. Lesson there was to increase the 'gotta go' hp threshold for that particular recurring enemy.