Hit point generation methods

[Anthelios]

I've always done a normal roll of the dice, until this latest game I ran.

Running with a group of almost total newbies, I decided to do a little experimenting and ran with the variant rule in the DMG that gives alternating average HP per level. Example: d4 gains 2 on even levels, and 3 on odd levels.

It worked great! I just use the average hitpoints for creatures in the MM, and the encounters are always balanced. Up the CR for a tougher battle, or lower it for an easier one.

In my new Darksun game, I'm going with a different approach. To represent the "tougher" aspect of the world, players will get 3/4 die per level, instead of 1/2. The same example, a d4 would gain 3 every level, instead of every odd level.

I'll do the same for creatures, and it should have the same results, just extend combat by a few rounds.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Our DM lets us buy hit points, at a cost of 50xp per hp, up to the maximum possible for your level, class and Con. So a 2nd level barbarian with a 16 Con who rolled a '1' at 2nd level could buy up to 11 more hp, at a cost of 550xp, giving him 30hp in total.

 

[Samuel Leming]

Our DM lets us buy hit points, at a cost of 50xp per hp, up to the maximum possible for your level, class and Con. So a 2nd level barbarian with a 16 Con who rolled a '1' at 2nd level could buy up to 11 more hp, at a cost of 550xp, giving him 30hp in total.

I tried something like that in one campaign I ran. A player could buy a HP for his character at the amount of XP it took to jump to his current level divided by twice the value of his HD type. For example: a fourth level fighter could buy a HP for (3000 / (2 * 10)) = 150 XP. Nobody ever went for it no matter how badly they rolled.

Flat 50 XP is too cheap! At higher level everyone would buy up their HP, particularly the arcanists.

Sam

 

[Barak]

Odd..

I didn't see my method mentioned, and yet I figured it wouldn't be that rare..

I figure that complete randomness is more "dangerous" at low levels, so I give my players max HPs at level 1 and 2 instead of only level 1, and after that I go with complete randomness, no re-rolls.

 

[shilsen]

The two I've used in my previous and current campaign (both of which have worked well):

1) Characters automatically get 75% of max for their HD. So barbarians get 9 hp, clerics get 6, fighters get 7 and 8 alternately, etc.

2) Players roll for their PCs, but if the roll is less than 50% for the given hit die, they get 50%.

 

[ruemere]

Methods used in my campaigns.

Heroic characters (PCs, important NPCs):

• 1st levels get maximum hit points,
• upper half of possible hitpoint allotment thereafter (i.e. if you roll below the range of upper half of your dice, you get to roll until you score satisfactory result).

Commoners, mooks:

• 1st levels get upper half,
• random dice roll of appropriate die thereafter.

Commoners working physical jobs or of martial background and mooks get slight hitpoint boost of 1-2 hit points per level. Hence the Orc Warriors have at least 5 hit points at first level, while Inkatha the Blessed, an evil son of monstrous tribal warchief (a villain in the making) gets full 12 (1st level Barbarian).

In exchange, permanent magic items are a bit scarcer. And harder to obtain.

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[Nightchilde-2]

I go as per the book. If they don't like the hp they ended up with, they can take Toughness (or Improved Toughness) when they get a feat.

I used to allow people to choose (before rolling) whether they wanted average hit points for their hit die or a die roll. Nobody ever took the average hit points so that kinda died out.

'course, I'm not a big fan of hit point systems, but that, my friends, is a discussion for another topic.

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

Thanks for all the input. The variety is amazing. Another that I have used to roll for monster/NPC hit points (but not yet for players) is roll 3 dice and take the middle result. That still gives some decent randomness with less extremes.

 

[IronWolf]

I let the players roll once to try and beat the average for their hit die. If they roll below average they get to keep the average. If they roll above average they get to keep their roll. Seems to work relatively well so far. You still get the chance to roll the dice and have it mean something without the worry of rolling a 1 or 2.

 

[Beckett]

2) Players roll for their PCs, but if the roll is less than 50% for the given hit die, they get 50%.

This is how it now works in any game I run. Hit points are one of the few rolls so important that a bad roll can really screw a player mess up balance (ability scores are another, which is why I now do point buy). It just doesn't strike me as fun to take a level of barbarian and pick up 2 HP; likewise, the power of a 5th level barbarian with 20 HP is considerably less than one with 60 HP.

I do something similar for monsters, often rolling up HP, and giving them the average in the MM if I come up with less (major encounter monsters tend to get max HP). A little extra survivability on both sides works for me and for the types of games I want to run.