D&D 5E Hit points -- how do you roll?

[the Jester]

I voted "gentleman's reroll".

My system: You can choose to roll or take the high-average, as listed in the book; however, if you roll, you have a minimum on the die of the low-average.

IOW, if you have a d8 HD, you either take 5 or roll 1d8 with a minimum of 4.

So far, everyone has rolled.

 

[Staffan]

In one of the campaigns where I'm a player, we are allowed to retroactively reroll a hp roll for 100 gp/level, using the level where that roll was made. I'm not convinced this is a good rule, but it does kind of solve the problem of what to do with gold.

 

[Nebulous]

Maximum hit points at 1st level. Beyond, roll your HD. you can't get less than your half your HD. for instance, if you have a d8 and roll a 1-2-3, you get 4 hit points.

 

[Mistwell]

This is how I roll:

[video=youtube;54VJWHL2K3I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54VJWHL2K3I[/video]

 

[Sunseeker]

I'm generous with my HP because I'm aggressive with my NPCs. First the player chooses Roll of half+1. If they roll and don't like it, they may instead take half. But may not take half+1. If my party is of 2 or less players, I give max HP, since I don't want to water-down my challenges, I'd rather buff the party.

 

[Psikerlord#]

We keep rolling until you roll in the top half of your dice, eg for d10 must roll 6 or higher or roll again.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Keep rerolling until you get at least your maximum.

Just kidding. My policy is the same as the PHB: you can take the average (rounded up) or you can roll. The barbarian rolled a 3 last session; but he was philosophical about it, since at least he still gets +5 from Con so it came out as an 8. As a player I would rather take the average because it's got a higher expected value than rolling.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I voted "average", but I realized that it's actually "player's choice". I just don't have any players who want that choice.

Don't forget that...

Ah, then I will amend my vote.

...you can do this. Click the red "Unvote" in the upper-right corner of the poll, and then you can vote again.

I voted "gentleman's reroll".

My system: You can choose to roll or take the high-average, as listed in the book; however, if you roll, you have a minimum on the die of the low-average.

IOW, if you have a d8 HD, you either take 5 or roll 1d8 with a minimum of 4.

So far, everyone has rolled.

Well of course they would. You're giving them a die that is d{4,4,4,4,5,6,7,8}. Although they have a 50% chance of getting less than the "high-average," as you put it, the overall average is 5.25 for that die compared to the 5 static. They risk only a 20.3% chance of getting less than the static average by level 10, but stand an almost two-thirds (65.08%) chance of being at least 1 HP higher, and they have better chances of getting more than 10% extra HP than they do of getting any amount less than average (32.59% chance to get 55 or more HP). This will make your "low-average min" die statistically superior or equal to the "high-average" static value for all HD used in 5e, as the unused d4 has a "high average" of 3 but the "low-average min" die gives an expected value of 2.75. (The relationship between "high average of die" and your "die with low-average min" is y = 1.25*x-1, where x is the high average and y is the expected value of your die, regardless of what the maximum value is.)

For once, intuitive feel ("wow, the minimum is the normal average? sweet!") and actual statistics match up!

We keep rolling until you roll in the top half of your dice, eg for d10 must roll 6 or higher or roll again.

Wouldn't it be easier to treat lower numbers as their higher equivalent (e.g. add 5 if the value is less than 6 on a d10*)? It's mathematically equivalent (each value from 6 to 10 has a 20% chance of being rolled) and substantially faster.

*Or to use Jester's terminology, "add the low-average if your result is below the high-average." It's the same as simulating a "d3" by rolling 1d6 and treating 4,5,6 as a second set of 1,2,3; it's just reversed.

 

[Tanaka Chris]

I voted something else. I have the player roll, and then they take the better of either the roll or the average. So a fighter's player rolls a 1, she will get 6 + Con mod instead. But, if she rolls an 8, she will get 8 + Con mod.

But... then wouldn't every player want this option? Seems like it's the average or higher always. Assuming a d8 with the prescribed average of 5..
If my roll is 4 and below I get 5, other wise I'll get 6, 7 or 8.

Seems like a no risk and all gain option. Essentially you're saying to roll a dice where the numbers range from 5 to 8?
As a player I'd love it but... I don't see why such pampering should be encouraged either.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

As a player I'd love it but... I don't see why such pampering should be encouraged either.

It's all about playstyle. Presumably those who have more generous HP-rolling regimes are playing at tables where PCs are less disposable than at some tables. There's a poster around here whose players have had something like 4 PCs each over the past twenty years of gameplay--at such a table, I can see the DM wanting to make sure any given PC comes from the right side of every bell curve, especially if the table strives for Combat As Sport instead of Combat As War.

Conversely, at tables like mine where every player has multiple PCs in his character tree simultaneously, and where death and retirement are both allowed and even maybe encouraged, rolling a 2 on your HP for one character is still disappointing but less of a permanent crippling and more of just a quirk: it makes it marginally more likely that you'll die sometime soon, but most of the things that will kill you won't have been very sensitive to +/- 5 HP either way, and if they do kill you you can always switch to another PC, so at least for me as the DM I don't feel bad when PCs roll low HP. And if the players feel bad about it, well, they can always opt to take the high-average instead of rolling.

Different playstyles play by different rules.