Hit Points, Hit Points, Hit Points

[thundershot]

I give them a choice. Take 1/2 your die plus one, or roll... but you have to decide BEFORE you roll... if you roll, you take it no matter what. Wizards make out pretty well this way...


Chris

 

[Buttercup]

I give my players max hitpoints for first and second levels. After that, roll 'em. If you get a 1, tough toenails.

 

[tburdett]

I let my players roll two dice and take the highest one. Most of the characters end up with slightly higher than average hit points.

 

[Oogar]

Other.

They roll, if the roll is under 1/2 the top value of the die, they get 1/2. I suppose I could let them be stuck with the roll, but this works for me. A fighter never gets under a 5, and a wizard never gets under a 2. perhaps it is unbalanced, but I am happy with it as are my players (or they do not complain to me about it).

 

[orbitalfreak]

I use roll twice each level, take highest. Works really well because my campaign's hack/slash mostly (not enough time for roleplaying ), and high-powered. Extra HP's help a bunch for my players.

 

[Graf]

we use 3/4 of the HD. So on a d4 you get 3 etc.

DC

MY system somewhat similar: everyone rolls
they can keep their roll or take hit points instead based on the following chart.
d10 8
d8 6
d6 5
d4 3

same thing for attributes. roll and keep it or use 32 points.

People love to roll and love the idea of getting a good thing. They feel just as special when the fighter rolls a 10 for hit points but it doesn't become a giant pain in the ass.

The randomness we see as a character-builder. If you happen to roll low for a couple of levels, you learn to compensate, and the character grows in one direction. If you roll high, the character grows in another, and so on.

This is actually the first time I've heard this one. Its also the first interesting explaination (vs. the usual which mostly seems to be driven by some sort of weird fear on the part of the DM that having durable PCs harms the game....)

IMC, you roll the die and you get what the die tells you. If you don't like it, you go find a higher Constitution.

No offense meant but I never understood that "I'm a tough guy!" sort of stuff that comes into this. The only real effect it has is to make unimportant things into spitting matches. I've only got so much spit.
(hmmm. that didn't come out right)

 

[Undead Pete]

Minimum of 1/2 each time. 1's are always rerolled.

 

[Roland Delacroix]

Only monsters get max hit points in my games.

 

[Cheerio]

You guys seem really generous to your players. =)

IMC, it's either a roll (no re-rolls, ever) or ½ of HD rounded down.

So, it looks like:

d4: either roll or 2
d6: either roll or 3
d8: either roll or 4
d10: either roll or 5
d12: either roll or 6

Has worked ok for 18 months (one of my players is scared stiff to roll hit points, so he always takes 4 for his cleric - though it helps to have a dwarven cleric with Con18).

Cheers.

 

[Glyfair]

I give them a choice. Take 1/2 your die plus one, or roll... but you have to decide BEFORE you roll... if you roll, you take it no matter what. Wizards make out pretty well this way...

I use a variation on this. Players have the choice of taking 1/2 the die value or rolling. Wizards ALWAYS roll.

Glyfair of Glamis