Author Topic: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?  (Read 15214 times)

Offline kurashu

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Re: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?
« Reply #40 on: November 18, 2011, 04:45:42 PM »
I let my players roll and they like it BUT I safeguard them by flipping anything that's less than half the die into half the die (d4 is at least 2, d12 is at least 6). I safeguard stats as well so we don't end up with a 15 as a dump stat and another person having a 15 as his highest -- I find stat sharing is a good way to handle this (assuming your players are primarily good) or saying "You can roll, and if you don't like it you can re-roll once or use this decent stat array."

Offline CE2JRH

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Re: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?
« Reply #41 on: November 18, 2011, 06:31:12 PM »
I also do guaranteed half;

1d4 = 1d3+1 (2-4), average 3 rather than average 2.5
1d6 = 1d4+2 (3-6), average 4.5 rather than average 3.5
1d8 = 1d5+3 (4-8), average 6 rather than average 4.5
1d10 = 1d6+4 (5-10), average 7.5 rather than average 5.5
1d12 = 1d7+5 (6-12), average 9 rather than average 6.5

Players can then choose to roll or take new averages within the shortened range. Lots choose to roll, since it's less dangerous. This also helps high HD's slightly more.

Offline RobbyPants

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Re: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?
« Reply #42 on: November 18, 2011, 08:57:48 PM »
I also do guaranteed half;

1d4 = 1d3+1 (2-4), average 3 rather than average 2.5
1d6 = 1d4+2 (3-6), average 4.5 rather than average 3.5
1d8 = 1d5+3 (4-8), average 6 rather than average 4.5
1d10 = 1d6+4 (5-10), average 7.5 rather than average 5.5
1d12 = 1d7+5 (6-12), average 9 rather than average 6.5

Players can then choose to roll or take new averages within the shortened range. Lots choose to roll, since it's less dangerous. This also helps high HD's slightly more.
Your way is more permissive than mine. The average on a d12 for me would be 7.25, as anything 6 and under is treated as a 6. This gives a heavier weight to the low number.
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Offline StreamOfTheSky

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Re: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?
« Reply #43 on: November 20, 2011, 07:08:29 PM »
Dread.

There is nothing fun about rolling for hp.  Or stats.  It sticks with and dooms you forever.  I've reached the point where I just plain refuse to play melee classes in games with rolled hp and just stick to the d4 arcanists mostly.  No way in HELL am I rolling a d10 or d12 and risking not getting the high hp benefit that class is supposed to give in return for being inferior to casters!

For my own games, rule i like is 3/4 HD (1st is still maxed, of course).  So d4 is 3, d8 is 6, and d12 is 9.  The others get rounded up on odd levels and down on even levels (4/5 on a d6 and 8/9 on a d10).  I'm also not opposed to just plain using max hp.  Or average (half), but I don't think that emphasizes the value of a high HD enough.

Offline ConBrio

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Re: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?
« Reply #44 on: November 20, 2011, 08:05:12 PM »
When I was a DM I used a system where they got 2 rolls, and could keep the higher one. If both rolls were lower than half the HD, they could just take half.

So if they had a 1d12 the minimum they could get would be 6.


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Re: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?
« Reply #45 on: November 22, 2011, 09:39:03 PM »
I was actually playing around with using the following:

d4 = 1d3+1
d6 = 1d4+2
d8 = 2d3+2
d10 = 1d6+4
d12 = 2d4+4

Max HP = normal max, Min HP = half max, average = 75%  max.

Same range as "add half if you roll less than half", but distribution is different, I think.

I did a game with "if your roll half or less, add half", but that meant the wizard always got at least 3/4, while the paladin might only get 6/10, and just seemed to benefit the wizard more than the paladin.

Offline SolEiji

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Re: Rolling For HP - Thrill or Dread?
« Reply #46 on: November 23, 2011, 03:43:58 AM »
Dread.  Hp is far too important to leave to luck, and knowing me I'd have a 10th level barbarian who managed to only get 10 hp out of levels.  It completely destroys the roll your character is trying to achieve.

I tend to run max hp myself.  It leads to a wide gap in hp, and that alright as all the spellcasters tend to low numbers while people who actually need the hp are in the high numbers.  I also play in games where they do average.

I like the idea of starting with whatever HD gives you + your entire Con score.  It makes you less squishy at 1st level.

For monsters, I use the printed average when I'm being lazy with mooks, but bosses, named NPCs, etc, they get max hp like the PCs.  It helps give a bit more padding before they drop the bucket.
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