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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CanadienneBacon" data-source="post: 4010404" data-attributes="member: 11146">The recent article "Abstract HP" got me to wondering.  4E aside, I'd like to know what flaws might be inherent in the following system.  I'm asking not because I'm looking to poke holes in any one gaming system; rather, I'm asking because I'm seriously considering having players gain HP more gradually than a big shot in the arm of points at the start of a new level.The idea I'm considering goes something like this.  Matilda is a cleric.  As a cleric, she uses a d8 for her HD.  She is a 3rd-level PC, so she already has 3d8 HP.  We'll assume a +1 Con modifier and rolls of 4 and 5 to represent HP gained for 2nd and 3rd level.  As a 3rd-level cleric, Matilda should therefore have a grand total of 20 HP.  Say Matilda just barely attained 3rd level and that, for argument's sake, she has 3090 XP.  For Matilda, 4th level is just about 3000 XP away at 6000 XP.  Someone check my math here!  Am I on the right track?!Now, as a DM who's curious about metting out HP during 3rd level vice doling them out all at once at 4th level, how would I best go about doing that?  What's the alorithm that makes the most sense?  Matilda's got nearly 3000 XP to earn before her next level and--big assumption here--if she's going to be taking another level in cleric, she'd be getting another 1d8+1 in HP at 4th level.  What if I want to start giving her this XP now during 3rd level rather than wait?  How many HP and how often would I give it out?  If one divides 3000 by 8 (representing the 8 possible numbers on a d8), one gets...ah sweet math...one HP per every 375 XP.  So at 3375 XP, Matilda would get 1 HP, bringing her to a grand total of 21.  At 6000 XP, Matilda would get the last of her 8 HP...NO!  Wait!  Wrong math!   <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/paranoid.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":uhoh:" title="Paranoid    :uhoh:" data-shortname=":uhoh:" /> Matilda doesn't necessarily get 8 on her roll, does she?  OK.  Say we somehow know in advance that Matilda will roll a 4 on her next 1d8 roll for HP at 4th level.  That puts her getting 1 HP every 750 XP.  So at 3750 XP, she'll go from having a grand total of 20 HP to having 21 HP.  By the time Matilda gets to 6000 XP, she should have 25 XP---+1 for Con inclusive.Right off the bat, I foresee two issues with such a system.  The first issue I see is that we can't necessarily predict what ole Tilly will take as her next class.  I mean, that snazzy new PrC calls for sneak attack dice, so she might go all Rogue on us!  The second issue I see is that unless the player gives the DM a bunch of pre-rolls on paper, it's hard to know what number will pop up on the die when it's time to roll for HD.You guys are a smart lot.  What other problems have I not foreseen?  Got any fixes for 'em off the top of your head?  Think this idea is viable or not?</blockquote>

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