What is "railroading" to you (as a player)?

[Bill Zebub]

Yeah, that's weird. So don't roll the HP.

THEN HOW CAN I ROLLPLAY A HIGH HP, LOW CON CHARACTER!?!?!?!

 

[TwoSix]

If your Con is 10 and you get lucky and roll max HP every level (kind of like getting lucky and rolling 3 6's) then you do have a significant ability to take damage, but you don't have noticeable resistance to things that require Con rolls.

Look, I'm certainly not arguing that has to be roleplayed, but the arguments I'm hearing that suggest ability scores must be roleplayed would apply to HP as well.

And if, as @Micah Sweet says, it's a matter of degree and HP are just below one's threshold, that's fine.

Maybe it's the part of me that likes OSR, but that just sounds like an emergent story. The character is kind of like Homer Simpson in the boxing episode; he can take a ton of abuse, but he's not going to win any races or fight off getting sick.

 

[TwoSix]

THEN HOW CAN I ROLLPLAY A HIGH HP, LOW CON CHARACTER!?!?!?!

WHAT'S YOUR ALTERNATIVE!!!

 

[Thomas Shey]

The meaning of Intelligence, Wisdom, and especially Charisma (in this very thread!) are debated the same way.

Can't agree, given how often I've seen dedicated threads talking about hit points over the years. I don't even see that about Wisdom, and Wisdom is probably the worst of the lot (not Charisma).

They are abstractions meant to represent a lot of different, often unrelated characteristics. Just like HP.

I think there's an enormous gap there. As I noted, D&D games aren't usually consistent about hit points within themselves.

 

[Thomas Shey]

WHAT'S YOUR ALTERNATIVE!!!

Play a game with a more coherent damage model?

 

[Fenris-77]

WHY ARE WE SHOUTING?

 

[Micah Sweet]

The meaning of Intelligence, Wisdom, and especially Charisma (in this very thread!) are debated the same way. They are abstractions meant to represent a lot of different, often unrelated characteristics. Just like HP.

I'm not arguing that if you require people to roleplay stats they should also be required to roleplay HP. Just using the comparison to illustrate how "roleplaying stats" is kind of fuzzy.

It is fuzzy. Just, IMO, less fuzzy than hit points.

 

[Micah Sweet]

THEN HOW CAN I ROLLPLAY A HIGH HP, LOW CON CHARACTER!?!?!?!

Since HP IMO has very low modeling value, I'm not sure what you would be roleplaying that is best modeled by high HP.

 

[Bill Zebub]

WHAT'S YOUR ALTERNATIVE!!!

If that idea isn't possible, my backup character concept is a genius who is cursed by a god (through no doing of his own...it is all his great grandfather's fault). Most of the time he's brilliant and knowledgeable, except when it really matters this god often, but not always, causes him to get confused.

In game terms this is modeled by his 5 Intelligence.

Whaddya think?

 

[TwoSix]

If that idea isn't possible, my backup character concept is a genius who is cursed by a god (through no doing of his own...it is all his great grandfather's fault). Most of the time he's brilliant and knowledgeable, except when it really matters this god often, but not always, causes him to get confused.

In game terms this is modeled by his 5 Intelligence.

Whaddya think?

<cracks knuckles>

Let it begin.