If a character has d8 HD then it gets HDx1.5+con giving a ranger 12+ con or a wizard 6+con
The other method is to just add a flat 6, 8, 10 or whatever the case may be across the board.
Has anyone else done anything like this?
PS and off topic: Who do we complain to so that we can have the ability to edit titles? I have messed up more than one thread title.
That being said people still have to play relatively smart. If it was a gigantic problem there would be no higher level wizards or bards or the like.
Has anyone else done anything like this?
Star wars d20 had something like that, having an additional hp pool equal to your constitution.
Perhaps:
- a character has a additional hp pool equal to his constitution. These can only be healed by nonmagical healing (resting with possibly the sleep skill)
- dependant on how many hp are left in the pool,
PS and off topic: Who do we complain to so that we can have the ability to edit titles? I have messed up more than one thread title.
IIRC:
- press edit on the 1st post
- press the go advanced button
- change the title
--> this should edit the title of the thread
Start at level 1 with level 3 HPs; gain more HPs starting at 4th.
Starting at 2nd level, instead of rolling for hp's each level, gain (1/2 the die + 1) + con mod. For example, d12 would be 7+con, d10 = 6+con, d8 = 5+con, etc.
Roll for HPs. If you dislike the first roll you may roll again but must take the second result.
Roll twice and take the better of the two results.
Gain max HPs for level 1 through 3 instead of just level 1. Normal HPs after that.
Or some combination(s) of the above.
IIRC:
- press edit on the 1st post
- press the go advanced button
- change the title
--> this should edit the title of the thread
A few suggestions for 3.5 that I've used or seen used:
Start at level 1 with level 3 HPs; gain more HPs starting at 4th.
Starting at 2nd level, instead of rolling for hp's each level, gain (1/2 the die + 1) + con mod. For example, d12 would be 7+con, d10 = 6+con, d8 = 5+con, etc.
Roll for HPs. If you dislike the first roll you may roll again but must take the second result.
Roll twice and take the better of the two results.
Gain max HPs for level 1 through 3 instead of just level 1. Normal HPs after that.
Or some combination(s) of the above.
I think an 8 point increase at first level will do it. Then I might maximize the 2nd level points, and they can roll HP from that point. I am just trying to get them past the first two levels without having to deal with to many CR creatures that fall below 1.
Or to edit the thread title you can double click it off the forum list (click to the side of it).
Right or left?
Both work for me.
I already gave away
but I 
to you. Thanks1) Added the Class Bonus to Defense and Armor as DR rule variants from Unearthed Arcana to my games.
2) Death now occurs at -(Con Score), or -10, whichever is to the player's advantage. I also use "Scarring" rules for characters who get gravely injured, but that's more of a flavor issue.
Between these two adjustments, low-level survivability is hardly an issue.
I've done two things to my 3.5 games that help low-level survivability:
1) Added the Class Bonus to Defense and Armor as DR rule variants from Unearthed Arcana to my games.
2) Death now occurs at -(Con Score), or -10, whichever is to the player's advantage. I also use "Scarring" rules for characters who get gravely injured, but that's more of a flavor issue.
Between these two adjustments, low-level survivability is hardly an issue.
I do use the Unearthed Arcana Class bonus to defense rule. I have always wanted to do something like number 2, but I could never decide on anything I liked. I was considering going -1/4 of their HP or -10 whichever helps the players more.
In 3e, we never used anything other than the Core "max hp at 1st level, die at -10" (which after 1e, seemed very generous), although it probably helped that our DM wasn't out to kill us arbitrarily. Unless you were a munchkin or a power-gamer, damage that would normally have taken you from positive hp to dead left you at -9, so you had one chance to be stabilized. This was the only fudging he did, and that came into play much more at higher levels.
I wonder if, a few years down the road, the thrill of starting with 20-30 hp and not dying until -½ hp will have worn off, and 4e players will be finding ways to "help low level survivability"?
I guess it's all a matter of perspective. I've been playing since 1e, and my reaction to my first 3e session was "Wow! First level characters can actually do something now!" I was amazed that we could complete an encounter or two and still be ready to fight. In 1e and 2e, you would fight one orc, and hope enough characters were conscious to carry the rest back to town. You got the hp you rolled, plus con bonus, which was capped at +2/HD except for fighters, and you died at 0 hp. The cleric would have at most 3 spells, with no spontaneous Cures. The magic-user would have only one spell, regardless of intelligence, and once he cast it, he was useless until we rested.
In 3e, we never used anything other than the Core "max hp at 1st level, die at -10" (which after 1e, seemed very generous), although it probably helped that our DM wasn't out to kill us arbitrarily. Unless you were a munchkin or a power-gamer, damage that would normally have taken you from positive hp to dead left you at -9, so you had one chance to be stabilized. This was the only fudging he did, and that came into play much more at higher levels.
I wonder if, a few years down the road, the thrill of starting with 20-30 hp and not dying until -½ hp will have worn off, and 4e players will be finding ways to "help low level survivability"?
I do beleive first level characters should be vulnerable, but getting taken out in one hit means the DM might have to fudge rolls which I dont like doing. I am trying to give enough HP to not die off one lucky hit, but not so many they can take several hits. I will probably give a flat bonus between 6 and 10 hp whenever I stop changing my mind.
Alternatively giving extra hp equal to Con score at first level does remedy the general squishyness of 1st level characters.
Especially combined with my houserule of critical hit tables for weapons. Basically under the system there's no multiplyer damage. (Obviously) But damage is increased for weapons.. And generally looks like this..
Longsword
Damage: 1d10 Critical: 19-20 Hardness: 5 HP: 31/31
What this means is roll seperately from your attack roll an independent d20. On a 19 to 20, you roll a "critical" which causes wound point instead of hit point damage. A "natural 20" on attack roll is the only way to "hit" regardless of AC..
This makes weapons very dangerous! Imagine it, this 15gold longsword has a ten percent chance of dealing woundpoints, and coupled with a d10 it'll only take one or two hits to kill a foe. It would explain why people bother to even pickup a sword in a world where there's fireballs and save-or-dies.
Speaking of which, touch attacks would be brutal under this system. (Imagine the level 1 shocking grasp. 5d6 damage with a five percent chance of dealing woundpoint damage!) So I'd argue that even though you make an attack roll for these "touch attacks", you can't critical... just to keep them on the balanced side...
Inorder to further balance weapons between eachother (afterall, if the weapon only has damage and critical, some weapons are going to seem pretty retarded costing more) I'd also incoporate HP/Hardness and make them relevant. (As well as change their stats around, normally in D&D weapons don't have nearly this high hardness/HP) The reason being, everytime a weapon is used, it takes 1d4 hp damage as to imply weardown. 31hp may seem like alot. But given a few hits and it'll be a dull heap of metal that's unusable.. A craft check could be made to re-fordge your weapons.. possibly with a fraction of it's market cost.
But to balance this, the longsword has a great hardness. Sundering a longsword won't be easy. (Atleast not untill it's HP is low enough where the hardness does not matter..)
Treat all further levels as normal.
Double (maximum in 3.5) hit points at first level.
Treat all further levels as normal.
This is something else I have thought about doing. Right now most of my players who were marines have just gotten out of the service or on the way to the desert, so I will have to start recruiting again. I should have a decision by the time it matters.
Additionally I went light on the first few levels, usually doing city adventures and avoiding all heavy critters.
I like the approach of 4E a lot, which gives the PCs a lot of HP at level 1, and a given amount every level.