I'm soon to be introducing some experienced 4E players to Pathfinder and I could use some advice. The main thing that I've notice people worried about is HP, specifically the random nature of it when going up levels. I'm considering giving them a choice: they can roll for it or they can take half the maximum roll, but they have to choose before the roll.
Does anyone anticipate any problems with this? I'd rather not just tell them to suck it up as I'm already enforcing this system change, baby steps, and all that. Still, I don't want to mess up the balance.
It should be noted that I'm new to Pathfinder myself, so if I'm totally miscontruing the rules here please call me out on it.
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I'm soon to be introducing some experienced 4E players to Pathfinder and I could use some advice. The main thing that I've notice people worried about is HP, specifically the random nature of it when going up levels. I'm considering giving them a choice: they can roll for it or they can take half the maximum roll, but they have to choose before the roll.
Does anyone anticipate any problems with this? I'd rather not just tell them to suck it up as I'm already enforcing this system change, baby steps, and all that. Still, I don't want to mess up the balance.
It should be noted that I'm new to Pathfinder myself, so if I'm totally miscontruing the rules here please call me out on it.
This causes no problems. I do it in my game without trouble.
I'm soon to be introducing some experienced 4E players to Pathfinder and I could use some advice. The main thing that I've notice people worried about is HP, specifically the random nature of it when going up levels. I'm considering giving them a choice: they can roll for it or they can take half the maximum roll, but they have to choose before the roll.
Does anyone anticipate any problems with this? I'd rather not just tell them to suck it up as I'm already enforcing this system change, baby steps, and all that. Still, I don't want to mess up the balance.
It should be noted that I'm new to Pathfinder myself, so if I'm totally miscontruing the rules here please call me out on it.
My suggestion is to just let them roll, no halfies. They need to approach Pathfinder as if it were another game, not as an alternative to 4e. If they're coming with THAT mind set, things will go wrong. The game is entirely different, it lacks AtWills, Encounters and Dailies and their strange numeric limitation of each.
I say this as someone that LOVES 4e (sorry hardcore PF guys, but it's true :P). I think Pathfinder is just as awesome, but I wouldn't think that if I came into it thinking it was a cheap knock off (or visa versa) of 4e. It's its own game, gotta be treated as such.
[Edit]BTW, we don't roll HP in our game, we max the HP every level... but for different reasons. ;)[/Edit]
Thanks guys, that's really encouraging to hear. :)
@Sphynx: I can't say as I wasn't tempted. However, some of my players can be a little delicate at times and I'd rather make a small concession than have them sulking about low HP dice rolls.
I abandoned random hp a long time ago. RPGA and Pathfinder Society also have fixed hp. I'd remove the choice entirely and just grant them hp according to their hit die:
d6=4
d8=5
d10=6
d12=7
While this system is tempting, I quite like the random HP method. Also, giving them the choice means that there's an element of a gamble to levelling up. Possibly I'm just a spiteful GM who enjoys watching his players squirm. :D
I've always liked using this system for rolling Hit Points: 1d6=1d4+2, 1d8=1d4+4, 1d10=1d4+6, 1d12=1d4+8
It keeps a random element but the Barbarian is still going to have better HP then almost every one.
I would allow for them to roll but at least get half the die result, characters tend to need those hitpoints later and this method keeps the randomness, up to a point.