Hit Points... Up or Down?

[jbear]

As DM I think I add. I have so much else to worry about when a creature gets hit the first time I guess it's just faster to scribble the number of damage it receives. If you subtract you have to calculate something from the get go. Maybe that's why I add as opposed to subtract.

As a player I suspect my natural instinct is to subtract, but as I play online via Fantasy Grounds II, it calculates hps via addition, so when you get healed you have to subtract from your 'wound count'. I suppose that system is easier for programming, but who knows, maybe addition was just the programmer's preference as well.

 

[Verdande]

As a player, I add. I'm concerned with how close I am to dead, and there's not much of a chance of me going over. There's just the one number to compare to, after all.

As a DM I subtract. When I'm keeping track of seven guys' hit points, it can be difficult to remember how much health each guy has as separate from each other- did Plague Orc #5 have 7 hit points or 5?

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

Add another one who goes up as a DM and down as a player.

I went down as a player, once. You wouldn't believe how pissed off the other players were at my obvious attempt to bribe the GM...not to mention her husband's jealous response...

Nope, I only made that mistake once...from now on, I only go up.

 

[On Puget Sound]

We use props at my table. We have a bowl of poisoned M&Ms, and when a character gets hit the player eats one (two for a crit or a powerful attack). When the player slumps in his chair and eventually falls to the floor, you can easily tell his character is dead.

As for monster HP, we've never had to track them because the characters can't roll above a 10. (Not because they're unlucky, but because I've sabotaged their dice.)

Incidentally, we're looking for new players if anyone's interested.

 

[Mircoles]

When I'm GM, I add up damage to monsters.

When I play, I subtract damage from my hit points.

Why? Because when I'm GM, I generally am not so worried about exactly how many hit points each critter has remaining - what I'm most concerned about is if they are still standing. When I'm playing, what I'm most concerned about is how much longer I'll still be standing, so knowing how many hit points I have left is more important.

I pretty much do this too.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

As a player, I add damage totals up. As a DM I subtract HPs. It just "feels right" this way, I don't know why.

 

[radmod]

I always add everything, both as a player and a DM.

Part of the reason for this is that, often, the actual setting is somewhere (like a class room) where writing the points on a board in front of the players is easiest. Also when dealing with creatures that have special resistances that would require adding and subtracting at the same time it becomes easier. For example, if a creature has five points of damage reduction I can write damage down as 12, 7, 8, 4 in a column. Then I can quickly add up the actual damages in my head 7+2+3 = 12. Likewise I can add special marks to indicate particular damage. Sometimes I write damage on the board in an unusual way just to screw with the players.
Finally, there's ALWAYS the case where you write down damage and then realize there was no damage, or it should be more. Having the individual amounts (for the round/turn) written down means you can change them easily.

As a bonus, players love to see the actual totals they did, not just what went through.

 

[Baphomet]

wow I have to admit I never even thought of this before... it sounds intriguing so im gonna try it next session.

 

[Camelot]

When I'm running a PC, I subtract. To me, it's easier because it gives you a good idea of how much stamina your character has left without having to look at anything else, instead of having to invert the number or compare it to your max hit point total.

However, when the PCs don't know the max HP of monsters, I advise them to designate one person to keep track of how much damage they're doing to the monsters, so when I tell them that the monster is bloodied, they have a rough idea of how much HP it has.

No player I've ever had has ever thought to add the damage they take rather than subtract it from their hit points. Then again, I've taught all the players I've ever had how to play, so since I didn't think of it, they didn't learn it that way. Subtracting just seems more logical and obvious to me.

 

[Aloïsius]

I add damage. easier to deal, especially if your CON score vary...