Hit points: High side, average, straight roll, what?

[JoeGKushner]

I've done all sorts of things. I've done the random roll. I've done the two random rolls and take the best. I've done the random roll with 1 reroll. I've done the DMG thing where you get half and then greater than half.

Now I'm doing FR where characters get Action Points and Maximum Hit points. Major NPCs get max and major monsters. Others get standard or just above standard.

 

[tburdett]

I'm going to use 3/4 max in my new game. It's like rolling high-sides without the weird randomness. Incidentally, I used 3/4 max wealth for 1st level. Worked really well so far!

I've used this since 3rd edition first came out. It works well for us and I've had no complaints.

 

[Fauxargent]

Reroll on 1/4 or less. If re-roll is less than 1/4 add the two results

 

[iwatt]

First level max

Reroll al 1s. (being doing this since 2e).

My latest hp rule is to lowe the dice 1 size and add 2.

i.e d12---> d10+2

we still reroll all 1s.

 

[shilsen]

Max at 1st lvl. 75% of max from then on.

 

[Shadowdancer]

We give max HP at 1st level. Subsequent levels, you have the option of rolling or take half the max plus 1. Everyone almost always takes the half plus 1.

 

[ForceUser]

You mean like that craptastic feat, Toughness? While I don't disagree that high-side HPs can skew the challenges too much in the PCs favor, a string of bad luck can leave a PC in a near-useless state. Try playing a fighter who rolled 1, 2, 1.

Yep, Toughness is best taken by a 1st-level spellcaster. For a fighter, I'd go with the Improved Toughness from Complete Warrior, or the Dwarf's, Giant's, Dragon's Toughness series from Masters of the Wild if 3.0 is your bag. As for the fighter who rolled low hps - them's the breaks. If you're smart and lucky he'll survive long enough to either even out the crappy rolls or buy hp-buffing magic items. If he doesn't survive the player can try out a different character concept. I don't know about you, but I always have half a dozen concepts I'd love to run.

 

[takyris]

Or you could just take the average and not have your character's class abilities determined by a single random die roll.

Hey, wizard, every level, you get 1d4 new levels worth of spells. Good luck! Roll high!

 

[Deadguy]

Or you could just take the average and not have your character's class abilities determined by a single random die roll.

Hey, wizard, every level, you get 1d4 new levels worth of spells. Good luck! Roll high!

Yup, that captures it really well, takyris!

I've seen a Fighter go from effective to weak over two levels with just bad hit-point rolls. It's hard to recast yourself from the role of the frontline party tank to somthing else in that same time.

 

[Majere]

Roll two dice, take the best.

High rolls dont give you alot more.
Low rolls cripple you.
My first 3.0 character was a bring over from ADD, level 9 mage with 18 hp. Dies to the first fireball of the first encounter. And that was on MAKING his save.
Oh yeah lot of good he was

High Hp dont mean you wont still fail your save and get disintigrated.

Majere