Triple HP at 1st level?

[Henry]

...I hate having to fudge dice at low levels so that fully healthy characters aren't wiped by errant crits or even just 2 successful normal attacks...

Well, if it plays out like Star Wars, you'll never have to worry about that again. You can't kill the little buggers outright short of hitting them with overwhelming damage, and then coup-de-grace-ing them after they're down.

 

[Voss]

Uh... the numbers disagree with you. Look up a post.

 

[A'koss]

It has to do with the system not scaling well at the ends.
And crits certainly don't help 1st level characters. Actually, with no confirmation roll, crits are even more of a danger to first level characters, statistically. If something comes running at you with a d12 damage die and a damage bonus, unless you start with 25+ hps, you just have to pray that they don't roll high.

The new 4e rule of no confirmation crits kinda surprised me actually and I wonder if there isn't something we're missing (eg. your total score needs to be 5 more than the min. needed to hit or something for it to be a crit). The very reason they went with confirmation rolls in the first place was that so weak monsters who could only hit a target on a 19-20, weren't critting with half their successful hits.

 

[Henry]

Uh... the numbers disagree with you. Look up a post.

Force point. The PCs will NEVER DIE IN ONE SHOT. It takes them being down on the ground and shot in the head a second time to do it. Even then, the PC who feels strongly enough about it can spend a Destiny Point to make it miss after the fact. I've seen it a dozen times in the game.

 

[Voss]

Actually it gets even worse than that. If you have a high AC (if AC -20 > attack bonus), they crit with ALL of their successful attacks. It gets really stupid, really fast.

Henry, it doesn't have to be done with one shot. Stormtroopers, run intelligently, will be autofiring all the time. thoses 6s and 7s add up until every last stormtrooper is dead.

Also, force points don't really help. You're still unconscious, unable to act for 10 rounds. You're out of the fight, even if you aren't technically dead. They can blast your brains out later.

 

[Ahglock]

Weapons in star wars seem to do more damage than previous edition D&d ones. 3d8 damage is fairly easy to get weapon wise. In D&d if a sword still is 1d8-2d6 triple hit points may be even more over the top than how SAGA plays out.

 

[Henry]

Weapons in star wars seem to do more damage than previous edition D&d ones. 3d8 damage is fairly easy to get weapon wise. In D&d if a sword still is 1d8-2d6 triple hit points may be even more over the top than how SAGA plays out.

True. However, it may not be triple. It could be just double, for that very reason; or, it might be a solid "kicker", like your CON score + one max hit die, or something.

 

[Ahglock]

True. However, it may not be triple. It could be just double, for that very reason; or, it might be a solid "kicker", like your CON score + one max hit die, or something.

True. And I do want suck characters as a starting point. For those who like to start more tough, how hard is it to say we start at level 3. For those of us who like to start off as total rookies, well with the HP kick we don't really have any option beyond house rules.

 

[thalmin]

Since they've said race will matter more, maybe max class HD plus max racial HD?

 

[The Ubbergeek]

True. And I do want suck characters as a starting point. For those who like to start more tough, how hard is it to say we start at level 3. For those of us who like to start off as total rookies, well with the HP kick we don't really have any option beyond house rules.

Sorry, but while the begginers should be amateurs, and well, beginners - they should not be necessarly so goddang easy to take out.