starting HP

[Aegeri]

I actually think many of the Scales of War backgrounds are more powerful comparatively. I ban both them and the FR ones myself.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Back to the HP and the related backgrounds. I think there is nothing wrong that they exist. The Thay background will give you a maximum of 10 HP (the difference between CON 10 and INT 20 [I assume no one puts an 8 in CON]). You're still missing the additional surges = more HP a day.

Actually, no you are not. You are gaining a bunch of hp and keeping the same surges you would have had without the background. So the background is giving you a bonus of (most likely) 4-6 or even 10 hit points you wound not have had.

Plus the surge increase form those hit points affecting every surge you spend in the entire game. It is a big deal. Not as big as being able to use a non-constitution stat for hit points AND surges, but still a big deal.

 

[Herschel]

IF (and that's a big if) you think they are that powerful, the only reason to ban them is if you want M.A.D. to come in to play or limit character classes. Without them, Assault Swordmages, Tempest Fighters, etc. all take major hits at low levels. It's almost like banning those classes because you feel mechanically their (and as defenders the party's) survivability suffers. Also, you're dictating that a character have not just a weak, but a pathetic NAD to target. Also, it basically dictates what weapons they can take. For example, suddenly that fighter has to:
a) pick a strength primary race (or dwarf), preferably a Warforged or Goliath (oh, wait, some ban Warforged too, and Genasi)
b) spend the 16 in strength pre-racial (or don't plan on hitting nearly as much as any other character because...)
c) pick a hammer or axe (because you need to spend points on Dex for blade feats)
d) Take one of the weapon talent builds (the others won't let you hit enough)
..... you get the picture.

Again, they don't get extra surges, so the bump isn't major. The Wardens, Shielding Swordmages, etc. all still have far more HP in reality