Non-humanoids with < 1 Racial HD

[shai-hulud]

According to the 3.0 ruling, any creature with 1 racial HD drops that HD when gaining class levels. 3.5, though, has a new ruling:

When a creature of the humanoid type with one racial Hit Die or fewer gains its first class level, the racial Hit Die is dropped in favor of the class Hit Die. Creatures of other types simply add the class Hit Die to their existing Hit Dice, even if they have only one racial Hit Die. (The text dealing with monsters as races in the Dungeon Master's Guide doesn't make this clear, but the text in the Monster Manual does; see page 290). If the creature has levels from other classes, the Hit Die from the new class is added to the creature's total Hit Dice.

So, with the 3.5 ruling, a Pixie Sorcerer 1 would be a minimum 6th level character (1 HD Pixie, 1 HD Sorcerer, +4 level adjustment). But what about a Jermlaine? They only have ½ HD. (They are from Monster Manual II). Under their advancement options, they can be 1-2 HD, although the base one is not. If one were to keep the ½ HD, they would only be a ½ level character. If they add one class level ON TOP of that, then they are 1.5 level. Does that round up? Can you not be a Jermlaine with no class level? Do you start with 1 HD Jermlaine? Is the Jermlaine an exception to that Rules of the Game ruling (they drop the ½ HD)?

 

[Starbuck_II]

According to the 3.0 ruling, any creature with 1 racial HD drops that HD when gaining class levels. 3.5, though, has a new ruling:



So, with the 3.5 ruling, a Pixie Sorcerer 1 would be a minimum 6th level character (1 HD Pixie, 1 HD Sorcerer, +4 level adjustment). But what about a Jermlaine? They only have ½ HD. (They are from Monster Manual II). Under their advancement options, they can be 1-2 HD, although the base one is not. If one were to keep the ½ HD, they would only be a ½ level character. If they add one class level ON TOP of that, then they are 1.5 level. Does that round up? Can you not be a Jermlaine with no class level? Do you start with 1 HD Jermlaine? Is the Jermlaine an exception to that Rules of the Game ruling (they drop the ½ HD)?

No, you are reading it wrong.
You exchange the racial HD for Class level if you have 1 or less HD.

Skip has been known to be talking out of his butt.


The System Reference Document (SRD) has been errated to allow it.

Starting Level of a Monster PC

Monsters suitable for play have a level adjustment given in their statistics. Add a monster’s level adjustment to its Hit Dice and class levels to get the creature’s effective character level, or ECL. Effectively, monsters with a level adjustment become multiclass character when they take class levels. A creature’s “monster class” is always a favored class, and the creature never takes XP penalties for having it.

Hit Dice and Class Levels

Creatures with 1 or less HD replace their monster levels with their character levels. The monster loses the attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, skills, and feats granted by its 1 monster HD and gains the attack bonus, save bonuses, skills, feats, and other class abilities of a 1st-level character of the appropriate class.

Characters with more than 1 Hit Die because of their race do not get a feat for their first class level as members of the common races do, and they do not multiply the skill points for their first class level by four. Instead, they have already received a feat for their first Hit Die because of race, and they have already multiplied their racial skill points for their first Hit Die by four.

 

[shai-hulud]

I, personally, agree with your sentiment. The SRD entry that you are referring to may not be errata, however, as it is nearly a direct quote from the Player's Handbook. The Monster Manual, however, had the specific heading that Skip Williams was referring to, and as such, his ruling is considered "official", from what I've been reading elsewhere. That said, assuming the ruling is valid (even though I question its validity), how would ½ HD non-humanoids be treated? I can see several possibilities:

1. It keeps its ½ HD, and is simply weaker than most 1st level characters.
2. It begins with 1 Racial HD (as its ½ HD rounds up to 1)
3. It keeps its ½ HD, but gains 1 class level.
4. It's ½ HD rounds down to 0, and it gains a class level on top of that.

I am not sure what ramifications might befall a character from keeping the ½ HD. For instance, would it gain XP as a 1st level character? When would it be considered Epic? It seems to me that options 2 and 4 would fit the ruling the best (again, assuming the ruling is accurate). Would anyone else be able to weigh in on this?

 

[Elethiomel]

For rules regarding player characters, XP and levels, things like that, the PHB is the primary source, and thus the MM ruling is irrelevant.

 

[Starbuck_II]

In addition, the MM says: A pixie character exchanges its 1 HD of fey for its first class level.

 

[frankthedm]

No, you are reading it wrong.
You exchange the racial HD for Class level if you have 1 or less HD.

Skip has been known to be talking out of his butt.

No need to be rude about it, but yes, designers are not always perfect. IIRC one of them even commented on how they sometimes mix up how the rule work and even forget which rules made it into the final version they were working on.

If a game designer answers a rules question of the top of his or her head, be a little suspicious. Those heads are crammed with previous versions, playtest versions, and Versions That Should Not Be.

A shining example of this is skip williams Rules of the Game: All About Grappling (Part Two). article, which to this day shows the rules mistake Skip Wiliams made in an article that was supposed to clarify the rules.

 

[pawsplay]

There are several places it is stated that 1 HD humanoids exchange their HD. There are no places it is stated non-humanoids do not. There are places it is stated non-humanoids do, with a pixie as an example. Humanoids with 1 HD are just one category of creatures in general with 1 HD.

And Skip... not a details person. I don't scorn his rules skills in general, but somebody else should have been tackling those articles.

In 3.0, non-humanoids could optionally keep their HD, although it was not recommended.