Hit Points, the DM or the players?

[Fenris]

Steven, I go a little further than you do. I started a campaign 12 years ago in 2E, converted to 3E. The entire time, I have kept track of PC hit points, saves, AC, magic item abilities and plusses- basically anything that is numerical in nature. The PCs do not know how many HP they have, exactly what their AC is, what plus thir weapons are, etc. I did it to cut down on the meta-gaming and power-gaming two guys in my group used to engage in- but once we got used to it, all of my players perfer it. All they have in front of them is a sheet of paper with their history, gear list, feats, and skills. I have found it improves the quality of role-playing a lot when people don't have easy access to the numbers to distrac them. However, a word of caution- don't do this unless you know your players well and they trust you- it could easily backfire.

I ran my old 2ed campaigm like this, I even rolled the players damage for them so that they didn't know how much damage they had done to an opponent. My players really like it. I had one DM who ran a game that even passed up yours Gothmog. He ran a Champions game where the player rolled no dice whatsoever. We didn't even "create" characters. We had to verbally describe everything in a dossier and then the DM made the character from it. It was a great campaign. A lot of work for him but very liberating to not worry about any numbers at all.

 

[Rel]

The method we use is sort of a compromise.

The players still keep track of their own hit points and a given player always knows how many hit points his character has. But instead of writing it on our character sheets, we each have a small plastic bowl (about 3 inces across and an inch and a half deep) that contains marbles that represent hit points. Therefore, instead of the player saying to the Cleric, "I'm down 16 hit points, could I get a Cure Moderate Wounds over here?", the player can just flash the cleric a look at how full his bowl is. In essence, it is a visual representation of a character's health.

If that were the only reason for doing it, we probably wouldn't. It also saves having to erase and rewrite hit points until there is nearly a hole in the character sheet. Plus there is something sort of dramatic about a character getting hit for lots of damage and dropping a big pile of marbles into the "Pot".

 

[Arnwyn]

I let the players handle their own hp tallies. I've got *way* too much work to do to bother doing it for them. Besides, I'd rather they specifically know the condition they're in.

 

[frankthedm]

I let the individual player keep track of his hp while he is aware. However if the attack would take them below 0 hp or once they are in the negatives I keep track of the HP so a real sense of urgency exists to heal the person who may be about to die. Players care a whole lot more about a comrade who may be about to die next round than someone they know for a fact is at –3 and will be relatively safe until the end of combat.

I discourage players from sharing their actual HP totals, If they want to tell the cleric in-game they need healing or are badly wounded that’s fine. [after all The NPCs might hear this too and know who to try to kill next]

 

[Ferret]

I do that, I made a table to keep track of most stuff. I kep it behine my board and write on it.

 

[LGodamus]

I keep track of hitpoints, but i give out a tally at their request or at pertinent times....such as after a crit or droppin below 50% or 25% hp

 

[roytheodd]

How do you handle hit points in your game, and why (if there is a why)?

I let my players do the work simply because I think a bit of meta-gaming isn't such a bad thing.

 

[Pielorinho]

Gothmog, I'd prefer to do it the way you described, but I'm nowhere near organized enough. I have enough trouble keeping track of my notes on enemy stats, NPC names and descriptions, important plot scenes, and locations as is, without having to track PC stats as well.

It'd be a cool way to play, but the only way I can imagine doing it is to go diceless.

Daniel

 

[Brown Jenkin]

As a player part of the fun is creating and tracking my own character. I would personnaly hate playing in a champaign where the DM keeps track of HPs or even worse everything else. We all play for different reasons, I happen to enjoy knowing what is going on and see DnD combat as a tactical excersise in addition to a Roleplaying exercise. If I didn't want to have a character sheet and tactical combat I would LARP me some Vampire instead.

I personally think I have a somewhat better idea of my own personal of how I am doing than a DM telling me "you are now suffering badly"

This is not to say I advocate detailed "meta-gaming" and in our group I try to avoid asking how many hit points someone has but rather if I have feel like heeling that round I ask how everyone looks. It is also the responsibility of the injured to yell "Medic" if they need it since if they don't the healers are allowed to do whatever else they want to.

 

[Gothmog]

Originally posted by Pielorinho:

Gothmog, I'd prefer to do it the way you described, but I'm nowhere near organized enough. I have enough trouble keeping track of my notes on enemy stats, NPC names and descriptions, important plot scenes, and locations as is, without having to track PC stats as well.

Actually, its not all that difficult. I keep an Excel spreadsheet with all the PC combat stats, skills, feats, and items on it (requires 2 pages printed), and make a new copy for every session. I also make spreadsheets with all relevant NPC stats on it in the same way- so I am looking at 5-8 pages of stats for any given adventure. Not that much really, and it only takes me about 1-2 hours to whip a net set up for all the NPCs for the next adventure.

Besides, nothin' gets a PC sweating like saying "Roll a d20. A 14? Hmm, ok" as you check the skill listings.