Eberron: Hit Point House Rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

Eberron: Hit Point House Rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Venrev
12-17-04, 04:12 PM Greetings,

I recently realized (but not really) that player characters like lots of hit points! :confused: Just kidding. I have a few house rules that my friends and I play with when we have two PCs or play single player quests. They are called "Lowball" and "MaxCon". I'll explain both.

Lowball - Your CON modifier does more than just add hit points... it prevents you from getting low hit points. When you roll for you HP with Lowball you reroll all hit die rolls that are below or equal to your CON mod and then add your mod to your roll. Example: Tordek has a CON of 16 (+3) and he has just gained a level for falling off a parapit and on to an orc, killing it. He would normally roll 1d10 and add his +3, but since the DM is using the Lowball Rule any roll he makes that is 1, 2 or 3 is rerolled untill he gets a 4 or higher. Once he rolls above a 4, he adds his CON mod and kisses his DM on the mouth for being so generous. (What Tordeks player doesn't know is that the DM is giving him more HP in preparation for all the nasty undead that the orcs are running from...) Lowball significantly raises the average HP for your PCs. I like this rule for solo quests and 2, maybe three, player quests.

MaxCon - Your CON mod extends your max HP past 1st level per your CON Mod. Example: Tordek just did his swan dive, killing the orc. He's now rolling HP for his 2nd Level. Wait! He doesn't have to roll because his CON Mod is +3, giving him max HP up to/including 4th level. He automatically got max HP at 1st, but since he has a +3 on his CON mod, he gets an additional 3 levels (past the 1st) of max HP. This rule is not as powerful as Lowball since you eventually go to the traditional HP rolling after your CON mod is tapped out, but it makes for very hearty PCs in early levels.

I use these house rules sparingly and specific to the amount of PCs in a group, but I've also found that in the Eberron setting you can never have too few HP.
Sebmagic
12-17-04, 04:40 PM Ok, the way I see it, those house rules are unfair.... If you don't do a fighter class (or any classes with high cons), you dont get benefits.....

If you want to improve the hit points of everyone, then it should be something by levels, not by actual stats.... as someone putting a lot in CON will get a LOT of bonuses.... it's not a linear improvement, its exponential (or maybe not)...

That's the way I see your house rules anyway.... but if your player like it that way, and it's not unfair for casters (those who would need a little boost...), then it's all fine for you...
Bluebrush
12-17-04, 04:51 PM What if the GM is using lowball and I'm playing a Dwarvern wizard with a CON of 20?
Kaston
12-17-04, 05:36 PM We just reroll 1s.

Plus, we use the expanded death's door rule from Unearthed Arcana: instead of dying at -10, you die at -(your Con score). Makes 1st level less lethal.
zerotkatama
12-17-04, 05:38 PM Umm... An angel gets its wings? :D
Venrev
12-17-04, 06:22 PM Blue Brush, I'd have to say, you don't need to roll HP, you get max in both ouse rules.

Please keep in mind that I don't use these rule frivolently. I use them only for solo and dual quests and only if the PCs want to use them. Sometimes they don't since I play with very hard-core players.

On a side note... It's so nice to play with vetrans...

Kaston, When I'm playing with a group of three or more (or when we don't want to use the house rules of Lowball/MaxCon), we also reroll ones. That's just a good rule.

Sebmagic, if you're refering to my house rules being unfair to non-fighter-types, no worries. When I use these house rules I'm running (or playing) a solo-quest and in a solo-quest, if you don't have a few levels in fighter you're dead. Besides, fighters just get more HP.
JabBond
12-17-04, 06:37 PM If you're just wanting to make 1st level more survivable, you could also do as Hackmaster does: a 1st level hp kicker. HM does a 20-pointer, which might be too much. But I can see a 5- or 10-point kicker making the lower levels not so worrisome. PCs could go through two or three encounters before resting, rather than a single one.

Sleep is still dangerous, but Cleave becomes less powerful (HM gives the kicker to most monsters as well.) Encounters tend to be longer, so short-duration spells sometimes wear out. But it also allows a group to work out team strategies and have the turns to pull them off, rather than a "Barbarian Bill charges, kills the kobold. Encounter over."
MarkB
12-17-04, 06:43 PM In previous campaigns, I've used "reroll ones", or "roll as normal, but take half maximum (rounded down) if you roll below half". These days, I'm tending towards just giving players half maximum rounded up (plus CON bonus, obviously), and forgetting about the rolls - for all the anguish players have over getting low hit points, I'd rather just use a fixed value that's better than average, and not worry about it. It's all the same in the long run, anyway.
Arcane Guyver
12-17-04, 07:19 PM I really dig the 'Lowball' variant. Of course, high Con d4 characters will get max HP, but they really shouldn't be relegated to d4s anyway... ;)

Think I'll add it to my current Con additions:

Constitution
- When rolling HD for a new level's hit points, you may reroll if the die value is equal to or lower than your Con modifier.
- Directly reflects the amount of negative HP a character has (so a character with 17 Con would die upon reaching -17 HP)
- Directly reflects the number of combat rounds a character can act in a row before losing steam (unsure of how to adjudicate this yet)
- Directly reflects the chance for surviving resurrection (so a character with 17 Con would need to roll a 1-17 on a d20 to be raised).
Euangelion
12-17-04, 07:33 PM Forgive me if I'm ignorant, but don't Action Points ultimately serve the same purpose of tweaking hit point rolls? In other words, use one or the other, but both is probably a little too generous. Feel free to call me an ignorant buffoon if you want! :D
JabBond
12-17-04, 08:07 PM I believe action points can only be used to modify a d20 roll, so, attack rolls, saves, skill checks, then of course you add the auto-stabilize and the "use class ability again" uses. So, I don't believe hit points would be a valid use, but I could be wrong?
Euangelion
12-17-04, 08:21 PM I didn't mean use them for hit point rolls themselves, but getting the opportunity to reroll or to improve your rolls makes your character harder to kill, just like more hit points do. If you need to make your character harder to kill using multiple techniques, I'd wonder if your campaign might need to be toned down a bit.
Maelflux
12-18-04, 04:32 AM We've always gone with rerolling all that is half your dice or below. I seriously find it silly that you can have 2 10th lvl warriors in a party, and one could have 100 hit points, and the other 35 - just because of those single fatal dice rolls when you level.
Onslaught[IT]
12-18-04, 02:57 PM I made my Dm give us Full-Dice HP ... A Fighter always get 10+CON HP each level, as a Sorcy always get 4+CON each level ...

It`s good becauyse there's a great difference between d4's, d6's, d8's, d10's and d12's HD characters ... A Rogue will never have more HP than a Cleric ... Nor a Ranger will have more HP than a Barbarian ...

But, since PCs have high HP, uncommon monsters (bosses and such things)also get the benefits from this house rule ... so any Undead would've 12 HP per HD ... and so on ...

OBS: We're now using the Elite Array for PCs Stats ... So they don't get overpowered ..

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Venrev 12-17-04, 04:12 PM	Greetings, I recently realized (but not really) that player characters like lots of hit points! :confused: Just kidding. I have a few house rules that my friends and I play with when we have two PCs or play single player quests. They are called "Lowball" and "MaxCon". I'll explain both. Lowball - Your CON modifier does more than just add hit points... it prevents you from getting low hit points. When you roll for you HP with Lowball you reroll all hit die rolls that are below or equal to your CON mod and then add your mod to your roll. Example: Tordek has a CON of 16 (+3) and he has just gained a level for falling off a parapit and on to an orc, killing it. He would normally roll 1d10 and add his +3, but since the DM is using the Lowball Rule any roll he makes that is 1, 2 or 3 is rerolled untill he gets a 4 or higher. Once he rolls above a 4, he adds his CON mod and kisses his DM on the mouth for being so generous. (What Tordeks player doesn't know is that the DM is giving him more HP in preparation for all the nasty undead that the orcs are running from...) Lowball significantly raises the average HP for your PCs. I like this rule for solo quests and 2, maybe three, player quests. MaxCon - Your CON mod extends your max HP past 1st level per your CON Mod. Example: Tordek just did his swan dive, killing the orc. He's now rolling HP for his 2nd Level. Wait! He doesn't have to roll because his CON Mod is +3, giving him max HP up to/including 4th level. He automatically got max HP at 1st, but since he has a +3 on his CON mod, he gets an additional 3 levels (past the 1st) of max HP. This rule is not as powerful as Lowball since you eventually go to the traditional HP rolling after your CON mod is tapped out, but it makes for very hearty PCs in early levels. I use these house rules sparingly and specific to the amount of PCs in a group, but I've also found that in the Eberron setting you can never have too few HP.
Sebmagic 12-17-04, 04:40 PM	Ok, the way I see it, those house rules are unfair.... If you don't do a fighter class (or any classes with high cons), you dont get benefits..... If you want to improve the hit points of everyone, then it should be something by levels, not by actual stats.... as someone putting a lot in CON will get a LOT of bonuses.... it's not a linear improvement, its exponential (or maybe not)... That's the way I see your house rules anyway.... but if your player like it that way, and it's not unfair for casters (those who would need a little boost...), then it's all fine for you...
Bluebrush 12-17-04, 04:51 PM	What if the GM is using lowball and I'm playing a Dwarvern wizard with a CON of 20?
Kaston 12-17-04, 05:36 PM	We just reroll 1s. Plus, we use the expanded death's door rule from Unearthed Arcana: instead of dying at -10, you die at -(your Con score). Makes 1st level less lethal.
zerotkatama 12-17-04, 05:38 PM	Umm... An angel gets its wings? :D
Venrev 12-17-04, 06:22 PM	Blue Brush, I'd have to say, you don't need to roll HP, you get max in both ouse rules. Please keep in mind that I don't use these rule frivolently. I use them only for solo and dual quests and only if the PCs want to use them. Sometimes they don't since I play with very hard-core players. On a side note... It's so nice to play with vetrans... Kaston, When I'm playing with a group of three or more (or when we don't want to use the house rules of Lowball/MaxCon), we also reroll ones. That's just a good rule. Sebmagic, if you're refering to my house rules being unfair to non-fighter-types, no worries. When I use these house rules I'm running (or playing) a solo-quest and in a solo-quest, if you don't have a few levels in fighter you're dead. Besides, fighters just get more HP.
JabBond 12-17-04, 06:37 PM	If you're just wanting to make 1st level more survivable, you could also do as Hackmaster does: a 1st level hp kicker. HM does a 20-pointer, which might be too much. But I can see a 5- or 10-point kicker making the lower levels not so worrisome. PCs could go through two or three encounters before resting, rather than a single one. Sleep is still dangerous, but Cleave becomes less powerful (HM gives the kicker to most monsters as well.) Encounters tend to be longer, so short-duration spells sometimes wear out. But it also allows a group to work out team strategies and have the turns to pull them off, rather than a "Barbarian Bill charges, kills the kobold. Encounter over."
MarkB 12-17-04, 06:43 PM	In previous campaigns, I've used "reroll ones", or "roll as normal, but take half maximum (rounded down) if you roll below half". These days, I'm tending towards just giving players half maximum rounded up (plus CON bonus, obviously), and forgetting about the rolls - for all the anguish players have over getting low hit points, I'd rather just use a fixed value that's better than average, and not worry about it. It's all the same in the long run, anyway.
Arcane Guyver 12-17-04, 07:19 PM	I really dig the 'Lowball' variant. Of course, high Con d4 characters will get max HP, but they really shouldn't be relegated to d4s anyway... ;) Think I'll add it to my current Con additions: Constitution - When rolling HD for a new level's hit points, you may reroll if the die value is equal to or lower than your Con modifier. - Directly reflects the amount of negative HP a character has (so a character with 17 Con would die upon reaching -17 HP) - Directly reflects the number of combat rounds a character can act in a row before losing steam (unsure of how to adjudicate this yet) - Directly reflects the chance for surviving resurrection (so a character with 17 Con would need to roll a 1-17 on a d20 to be raised).
Euangelion 12-17-04, 07:33 PM	Forgive me if I'm ignorant, but don't Action Points ultimately serve the same purpose of tweaking hit point rolls? In other words, use one or the other, but both is probably a little too generous. Feel free to call me an ignorant buffoon if you want! :D
JabBond 12-17-04, 08:07 PM	I believe action points can only be used to modify a d20 roll, so, attack rolls, saves, skill checks, then of course you add the auto-stabilize and the "use class ability again" uses. So, I don't believe hit points would be a valid use, but I could be wrong?
Euangelion 12-17-04, 08:21 PM	I didn't mean use them for hit point rolls themselves, but getting the opportunity to reroll or to improve your rolls makes your character harder to kill, just like more hit points do. If you need to make your character harder to kill using multiple techniques, I'd wonder if your campaign might need to be toned down a bit.
Maelflux 12-18-04, 04:32 AM	We've always gone with rerolling all that is half your dice or below. I seriously find it silly that you can have 2 10th lvl warriors in a party, and one could have 100 hit points, and the other 35 - just because of those single fatal dice rolls when you level.
Onslaught[IT] 12-18-04, 02:57 PM	I made my Dm give us Full-Dice HP ... A Fighter always get 10+CON HP each level, as a Sorcy always get 4+CON each level ... It`s good becauyse there's a great difference between d4's, d6's, d8's, d10's and d12's HD characters ... A Rogue will never have more HP than a Cleric ... Nor a Ranger will have more HP than a Barbarian ... But, since PCs have high HP, uncommon monsters (bosses and such things)also get the benefits from this house rule ... so any Undead would've 12 HP per HD ... and so on ... OBS: We're now using the Elite Array for PCs Stats ... So they don't get overpowered ..