How does your group handle a character's Hit Points?

[Epametheus]

I took a poll on this last month or so, actually. If I had the search feature, I'd find it and link it.

As it is, I voted "other" for this one. My group does "high-side" -- roll the die, and reroll if it's below the 1/2 mark for the die. So a fighter gains 6-10 HP with each hit die before con mod, for example. Every has high HP, but we run a pretty rough game.

For convenience, I tend to stat notable NPCs with 75% HP.

 

[Destil]

Mean, rounded down on even levels and up on odd levels (to match the even number of HP gained at 1st level).

 

[Chris Nagle]

Different Rolls

Well my group is completely different.

The player rolls 2 dice for the HD and takes the best.

For example the Fighter rolls D10s so they roll 2D10 and if they get a 8 and 5 they take the 8.

Never done the average or half the dice for HD before.

 

[just__al]

You must get a minimum of 30% of what your die can roll.

So for d4s ones count as twos

for d6s ones count as twos

for d8s ones and twos count as threes

for d10s ones and twos count as threes

for d12s ones, twos and threes count as fours

 

[nopantsyet]

I play rough with my players' PCs. I let them roll twice and take the higher. Combats tend to be fewer and more challenging in my games. We spend too much time roleplaying to get in more than one combat per session, sometimes not even that, so I try to make the battles more cinematic, which costs lots of HP.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Single roll, or 1/2 HD rounds up (a la Living Greyhawk), player's choice. You can go with a fixed average, or roll for max, depending on your style. About 3/4 of the group goes with the fixed amount, especially for the low HD characters.

 

[National Acrobat]

Roll

Just like we do for ability scores, everyone rolls the die and takes what they get. No fuss, no muss, just old fashioned dice rolling gameplay.

 

[Majere]

Roll 2 dice, take the better roll.
I dont get why people are happy for you to have 21 int on your mage but throw a hissy if you try and avoid having 7hp at level 4.

Majere

 

[Ramien Meltides]

The game in which I play uses a method where choose to either take 1/2 max (including the .5, which then gets "rounded up" every other level) or to roll, but we keep what we get if we roll badly. I like this method, and have instituted it in games I run.

Jason

I liked this method a lot as well, but recently I've experienced the fixed amount per level method and I think I prefer that one slightly more.

Our DM gave us max HP at 1st level and then 1/2 max (including the .5, rounded up every other level) every level afterwards -NO ROLLING.

I think it was a real improvement to the game - sped up levelling, for one thing, since nobody had to borrow dice or witness rolls. It also helped the DM design encounters, since he knew without a doubt how many hit points each character had pretty much at any given time. I'm planning to use this method myself next time I DM.

 

[D+1]

I am really surprised at the level of generosity being allotted for HP rolls. I probably shouldn't given some of the stat rolling methods that are espoused, but I haven't felt "Iron Man" to this degree in a long time. I played in one 2E campaign where the DM would let players reroll 1's. When 3E first came out I let players simply take average hp's, max at 1st, and they all did IIRC. Back in the 1E/2E days I would, however, sometimes use the "I didn't see anything" method to allow players with a bad streak to reroll. EVERY campaign I've otherwise run or played in has been Iron Man by comparison - you take what you roll, no rerolls, minimums, or exceptions.

Currently PC's get max hp at 1st and then take what they roll, period. It is, after all, the level of PC hit points that the game is DESIGNED for. I would also undoubtedly again turn a blind eye and allow a reroll to a player with a bad streak going whose PC is suffering in play from overly pathetic HTK - DM's Choice. That, IMO, is how it should be. I have absolutely no desire to start allowing minimums, rerolling 1's by default, much less taking best of 2 or 3 results, etc. 3E is geared to a high enough power level as it is. PC HP's needs no cushioning. YMMV