Starting hp: would this work

[The Outlaw Josie Whales]

I've read a couple of threads about starting hit points and there appears to be a variety of opinions with a basic consensus of "use what works for you".

My players and I tend to enjoy hack and slash affairs (meaning choosing combat more often) causing me to want a method which favors higher starting hit points.

I'd like get opinions on the following. We will be mostly running pathfinder modules and adventure paths.

Starting hit points = constitution score + 1/2 max HD. Example fighter with con of 14 would have 19 hits points. My rationale is that starting hit points is function of the character's natural health/stamina (starting con) and initial training (class hd)

My concern is if this would be too many causing the adventures to not be as challenging as they should be.

Thank you

also sorry for double post, not sure what happened

[Kalyth]

The Outlaw Josie Whales wrote:

I've read a couple of threads about starting hit points and there appears to be a variety of opinions with a basic consensus of "use what works for you".

My players and I tend to enjoy hack and slash affairs (meaning choosing combat more often) causing me to want a method which favors higher starting hit points.

I'd like get opinions on the following. We will be mostly running pathfinder modules and adventure paths.

Starting hit points = constitution score + 1/2 max HD. Example fighter with con of 14 would have 19 hits points. My rationale is that starting hit points is function of the character's natural health/stamina (starting con) and initial training (class hd)

My concern is if this would be too many causing the adventures to not be as challenging as they should be.

Thank you

also sorry for double post, not sure what happened

If you are worried it will make the encounters to easy then just give the bad guys a little hp boost too.

I assume you want starting PCs to have more hitpoints so they dont get wacked by one lucky roll by a bad guy.

Your adjustment to Hitpoints gives the characters a boost of generally
around 7-10 hitpoints above what they would have (loosing half of the first hitdie but gaining there constitution score rather than con modifier) So just give all bad guys +6 hit points or so.

[Kolokotroni]

It depends on how deadly you want your combat to be. My group does CON score + full HD at first level, and we like it. 24 hp at first level may seem like alot, but since I dont like a steady stream of dead first level characters in my game, it works for me. I have found that at first level at least each hp means more proportionately then at high levels. They players have fewer spells, potions and wands to recover hp then they would at higher levels so they dont come back as often over the course of the day (or even adventure). So after 3 or 4 combats they are still low on HP and resources. This just means that the party wizard isnt unconcious after 1 hit with a shortsword.

[Shoga]

Our DM allows us to do Max HD + Con mod + Racial Mod. The racial modifiers were in the PF core in Beta. the run-down was like this..

Gnome, Halfling = 4 hp
Half-elf, Elf, human = 6 Hp
Half-orc, Dwarf = 8 hp.

These bonus HP's account for relative toughness of the race. So, a human fighter with 15 con would have 10(HD)+ 2(Con Mod) + 6 (racial mod) = 18.

Half-orc Barbarian with 18 con : 12 + 4 + 8 = 24.

[Purplefixer]

*Highfives Kolokotroni!*

We use the exact same method in our three-man group to ensure we can take full-sized encounters. We're pretty good at making sure our characters are very effective at what we do, and with the initial boost of ~10hp, we find we can really get into combat without fear of instant annihilation at first level. The boost becomes more and more insignificant as you gain levels, which is why Toughness is so generally pointless. Pathfinder -really- should have used the Improved Toughness rules, which was +3hp, +1hp per level.

Highly recommend this style, or if you want 'not so boosted' and/or have a full party, go with EXACTLY what you just said, which is EXACTLY what I would have suggested.

[Drakir2010]

Purplefixer wrote:

Pathfinder -really- should have used the Improved Toughness rules, which was +3hp, +1hp per level.

Um... It does...

PRD wrote:

Toughness
You have enhanced physical stamina.

Benefit: You gain +3 hit points. For every Hit Die you possess beyond 3, you gain an additional +1 hit point. If you have more than 3 Hit Dice, you gain +1 hit points whenever you gain a Hit Die (such as when you gain a level).