Starting HP

[Thatwackyned]

Just wondering what you guys think of rolling for starting HP. I started a game with my Family just to get the kids in DnD. The GF is playing a Barb and rolled a 2 for HP. With the con of 7 (She likes flavour over minmax), she has 1 HP.

Do you think i should leave everyone at what they rolled, or jump them up to Max HP?

 

[Starbuck_II]

Just wondering what you guys think of rolling for starting HP. I started a game with my Family just to get the kids in DnD. The GF is playing a Barb and rolled a 2 for HP. With the con of 7 (She likes flavour over minmax), she has 1 HP.

Do you think i should leave everyone at what they rolled, or jump them up to Max HP?

Well, the PHB suggest max hp at 1st level. Any reason you rolled?

 

[Thatwackyned]

To add a little spice to the game. But it made it a little too spicy. Thanks, i think everyone will be happy with that decision.

 

[krupintupple]

To add a little spice to the game. But it made it a little too spicy.

yeah, no offense, but a barbarian with 1 hit point (let alone anything) is basically impossible.

or put it this way: you tried to spice up the game, but the dice unscrewed the cap from the pepper and now your soup is a sludge of peper and you're holding an empty, and capless pepper shaker.

 

[Shin Okada]

Well, in my experience, adding more rolls to character making and leveling up never add "spices" actually. That will simply give the feeling of "unfairness" to those whom rolled low.

I guess that is why each editions of D&D are gradually getting rid of those rolls. Many DMs for 3.0e and 3.5e are using point-buy, though the default rule of character creation is rolling stats. And some considerable number of them are even using fixed number for HPs for each levels.

Now in 4e, the first method of deciding ability scores are point-buy. And HP rolls are removed completely.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Do you think i should leave everyone at what they rolled, or jump them up to Max HP?

The latter, without a doubt.

What's more, I would recommend average (or better side of average, whichever) HP per level thereafter. The first option requires tracking halves; the second doesn't. Keeps things simple, and you know what you're 'buying' by taking a level in any given class. But this secondary piece of advice is not RAW, of course, and therefore a matter of taste. I'll just finish with the anecdotal evidence that it's worked a treat for games I've DMd. YMMV, and all that.

 

[Keith Robinson]

Yep, max hit points at first level. It's hard enough as it is, but a barbarian with 1 hp - surely that's a wizard who mistook his calling

After 1st level I offer players the option of taking average hit points or rolling. If they roll less than 25% of the maximum they get a reroll (so no reroll for the d4 types). The second roll sticks.

Works for us.

 

[Roman]

Just wondering what you guys think of rolling for starting HP. I started a game with my Family just to get the kids in DnD. The GF is playing a Barb and rolled a 2 for HP. With the con of 7 (She likes flavour over minmax), she has 1 HP.

Do you think i should leave everyone at what they rolled, or jump them up to Max HP?

How about giving everybody a flat starting bonus to hit points instead? Pathfinder, for example, has an optional rule to add 6 hit points at the beginning (or do it by race: 4hp for weak races, 6hp for normal races and 8hp for strong races).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, most GMs I've played with who don't use some variant of a Max HP rule at 1st- myself included (I've used both roll & max methods)- typically allow re-rolls for 1's 2's and or bumping anything under 50% of the rolled die's max up to that 50% level.

IOW, reroll the bad rolls, or bump the barb's HP to 6 (before Con adjustment).

 

[Angrydad]

yeah, no offense, but a barbarian with 1 hit point (let alone anything) is basically impossible.

or put it this way: you tried to spice up the game, but the dice unscrewed the cap from the pepper and now your soup is a sludge of peper and you're holding an empty, and capless pepper shaker.

Ooooohh...cooking related metaphors. Mmmmmm....