Fellow DM, How do you handle Hit Point at each new level ?

[The Human Target]

I started using a fixed amount modified by Constitution. It works much better than rolling.

 

[haiiro]

I started using a fixed amount modified by Constitution. It works much better than rolling.

What fixed amount do you use? Does it vary by class, race, etc.?

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I let 'em re-roll ones.

 

[reanjr]

Nope. If they weren't going to be happy with a 1, then they shouldn't have been rolling. You can always take average-0.5. Why don't people do this? It's their own fault.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

At 1st level you choose default array or standard 4d6 for abilities. If you chose default array you get average hit point otherwise you roll normally. There is no provision for bad luck other than adapting the character's tactics to suit.

 

[fuindordm]

Roll twice, take the highest.

Simple, effective, and everyone seems to like it. If you get two bad rolls, you can't say you didn't have a chance.

I use ths one too. I like it because it also makes the difference between die sizes more important--the average goes up by about 1.5 per die instead of 1 per die. I don't remember the numbers exactly, but I think
it was something like:

d4: 3
d6: 4.5
d8: 6
d10: 7.5
d12: 9

Ben

 

[A'koss]

I've tried just about every which way over the years but the "beat the DM roll" is a new one on me and sounds fun... My homebrew was definitely out there (high hit points but no Con bonuses), but for core D&D - average, round up or 3/4 depending on the severity of the campaign. First level is always max however...

I've really grown to dislike the idea of random rolls for HPs or stat generation. At least, not with that much variability. The barbarian rolling two consecutive 1's on combat rolls is a lot easier to swallow than rolling two 1's for HP. That can a fun-killer for a player.

 

[Zappo]

IMC, you get half max, or average-0.5. I don't like randomness in character creation and development.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

I encourage them to take the average, but allow them to roll if they prefer. However, if they roll, they must take whatever they get. And yeah, there have been many instances where players have opted to roll rather than take the average and ended up with only 1 more hit point.

When I play, I always choose to take the average.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Player and DM roll dice. The die the DM rolled is hidden however. The PC gets to choose their roll or the DMs.

The game I play in uses this principle.

The game I was running was that if you roll less than half, you get half.

I've come to believe that the policy of "you keep what you roll" makes a mockery of the HD size for different classes (I've had a fighter with 10, 3, 1 - a third level fighter with 14+con bonuses hp is not a viable 3rd level fighter! The HD are rolled so infrequently that the benefit a Barbarian gets for his d12's is negligible - or rather the wide variation is magnified by the low number of rolls. And there is no chance of recovering from a bad roll! If you got a 2 at 2nd level you may have dropped from being the toughest to a middling character in a stroke. Get another 2 at your next level and you might be vying with the wizard for lowest hp award - and you will *always* be behind the guy who happened to roll lucky. Don't like that. We have point-buy to prevent disparity between attributes but nothing to offset the randomness of die rolls.

Just personal opinion.

Regards