Why are hit points generated randomly?

[Kae'Yoss]

And you know, I see where you're coming from. Uncontrolled randomness can act as a springboard for creativity and more interesting play. I got 13 int on my fighter? Maybe I should take Expertise.

It only goes so far. "I got 9 Int on my wizard? Well, damn!"

You can play only so many Rincewind clones until you're sick of the Run feat

 

[billd91]

It only goes so far. "I got 9 Int on my wizard? Well, damn!"

You can play only so many Rincewind clones until you're sick of the Run feat

Usually, if you're doing the random rolling, you aren't so fixed on being a wizard if the rolls don't work out. Something else is usually fun enough.

 

[DarkKestral]

It only goes so far. "I got 9 Int on my wizard? Well, damn!"

You can play only so many Rincewind clones until you're sick of the Run feat

Not quite.. Rincewind had an epic spell slot.. so he had an int of at least 19. However, that epic spell required sacrificing all of his other spell slots each day he had prepared the epic one in order to lower the DC required to research it.

You can have a 18th level wizard with a base Int of 9 who can cast 9th level spells without enhancement bonuses though. Just gotta get a Tome of Int +5 or do the Wish thing and put all 5 ability boosts into Int.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

You can have a 18th level wizard with a base Int of 9 who can cast 9th level spells without enhancement bonuses though. Just gotta get a Tome of Int +5 or do the Wish thing and put all 5 ability boosts into Int.

The real problem is getting to level 18, since you're basically a slightly beefed-up commoner for the first couple of levels.

 

[Warren Okuma]

Why are hit points generated randomly?

Because the Wizards of the Coast so doth decree it be so in their game.

 

[Hussar]

Why are hit points generated randomly?

Because the Wizards of the Coast so doth decree it be so in their game.

I believe that it goes much further back than WOTC.

One of the best things IMO, that's come out lately is the idea that players are in charge of their characters. That playing a character that you don't want to play is a BAD THING. Thus, point buy is becoming far more common, nearly all elements of chargen are in the control of the player (before, spellbooks contained randomly generated spells at 1st level, now, the player picks). About the only thing that isn't is hit points.

But I like the gamblers rush too much to give it up.

I think I'll go with the half+half die for hp's in the next campaign. Makes for more durable PC's and means I don't have to use kids gloves on them.

 

[Lanefan]

I believe that it goes much further back than WOTC.

One of the best things IMO, that's come out lately is the idea that players are in charge of their characters. That playing a character that you don't want to play is a BAD THING.

I disagree that it's always a "BAD THING", in that I see no real problem with facing the challenge of simply working with what the dice give you. Sure, if you're all set to play a spiced-up whatnot that needs all 15's to make it work and then roll all 12's you're going to be disappointed, but them's the breaks...dream up a personality for Mr. 12, play it until it dies, and try again. The dice may not suit your mechanical desires, but personality can (usually) transcend stats in any case.

Same goes for hit points...if I'm rolling up a Fighter and find my h.p. end up way below average for my level, then by default that's going to change how I approach playing it. I assume it'd realize its weakness is a glass jaw, so it'd concentrate much more on defense;
but the basic character personality wouldn't change much. His tactics, on the other hand, might become more cautious.

By the same token, if my Fighter's h.p. end up spectacular, I can (within reason) abandon defense and just give 'er...

Thus, point buy is becoming far more common, nearly all elements of chargen are in the control of the player (before, spellbooks contained randomly generated spells at 1st level, now, the player picks).

Allowing full choice of spells just reduces the challenge of going out and finding them, or finding enough loot to buy them.

But I like the gamblers rush too much to give it up.

Good for you!

I think I'll go with the half+half die for hp's in the next campaign. Makes for more durable PC's and means I don't have to use kids gloves on them.

Who says you have to use kid gloves on them now...

Lanefan

 

[Hussar]

Who says you have to use kid gloves on them now...

Heh, 24 character deaths in 80(ish) sessions of the World's Largest Dungeon. 12 of them permanent. Playing with kids gloves I don't.

Allowing full choice of spells just reduces the challenge of going out and finding them, or finding enough loot to buy them.

What loot did a first level character have? Previously, you started out with your d4+1 spells and they were to be determined randomly. If you didn't get read magic, you were screwed since that was the only way to read a scroll. Personally, I don't like screwing over characters quite that hard based on a random die roll.

((Unless I'm playing Megatraveler, then it's fine. ))

I rarely play, I almost always DM. I've realized, slowly, that most players just want to play their characters. Me, I get to control the whole world. I don't mind letting the players have their own little slice of the pie. I'm a generous kind of guy. I've really begun to be more and more hands off for the player's characters over the years. Point buy, buying magic, choosing spells. Hey, if that's what they want, why, as the DM, should I get in their way? It's no skin off my nose.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I disagree that it's always a "BAD THING", in that I see no real problem with facing the challenge of simply working with what the dice give you.

It surely is a matter of preference. I'm always for choice (note that this does not, necessarily, extend to certain political debates, to which my opinion shall not be made known here ), if I want to play a strong, tough fighter who throws himself wildly into melee with utter disregard of his health (and still survive), I don't want the dice to tell me that I have to play a defensive tactician (or not survive the first combat).

In short, there's too many character concepts I'd still like to try out before I'd think about playing something with a big dose of randomness mixed in.

 

[Gez]

what it represents is training in combat.

they aren't health points (except for the Con part).

they are based on what you learned at that given level. some people learn better than others. but there is always further training (gaining another level)

...

it is how much you avoid taking a harmful injury.
Con is how tough you are.

edit: a 6hp guy looks the same as a 1hp guy uninjured with the same Con

now the 6hp guy avoids killing blows more easily than the 1hp guy when he is hit.

I'm surprised to say it, but this man shows wisdom; if not a proper understanding of punctuation rules.

My own system to take away the sting of sucky rolls is that both the player and the DM roll for hit points when a character gains a level. The player in the open, the DM behind the screen. Then the player choses what hit die result the character will get, without knowing what the DM's roll is of course.