Simple template: Double HP (CR +1)


Homebrew and House Rules


If your players tend to steamroll everything with superior damage, it may be a good idea to strengthen at least key opponents. That's where this template kicks in: Calculcate NPC HP as normal, then double the value. It's little effort to hopefully significant effect.

CR +1 feels alright since for +2 you already get two creatures who also have double HP altogether - but also twice the actions. Technically this template could be applied multiple times (4 times HP, 8 times, 16 times, ...), but at some point it will become unbelievable.


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Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The only problem with doing something like this is that it does not change Save or Lose spells. Perhaps it is not a problem in your group, but these sorts of spells are already quite good and this will make them even stronger than damage-boosting spells.

Dark Archive

If you'd apply the template again, it should tripple the HP.


Eh, just give maximum HP and keep the CR the same if your players are steamrolling everything. No need to increase the XP gained if they're already super strong.


@Xethik: I agree. It depends on what you want as a GM. If you want the monster to be stronger and more resistant in general, there is the good old Advanced template. If you want it to endure more hits, Double HP may be a good choice. And if you don't it to be taken out by Save or Lose spells, you need something else (e.g. a template with rerolls on Fortitude and Will saves, or a flat bonus, or a bunch of immunities). Sometimes you might want a mixed group of opponents, some rather vulnerable to damage, some rather vulnerable to neutralization. Of course then you need to give the players some hints...

Beside this, I could imagine to invert the Double HP template to a Half HP (CR -1) one. Shouldn't be applied more than once, probably...

@Glord: The CR scale is exponential. While it doesn't make much of a difference at two applications, it becomes strange later on. If you send 8 opponents of the same type, that's 'only' +6 CR, but 8 times the HP (and 8 times the actions). For this +6 CR a linear increase of Double HP would result only in 6 times the HP (and 1 time the actions). Hence I proposed 2x, 4x, 8x etc. HP. Sticking with the example, a creature with 6 times Double HP would have insane 64 times the HP, so your best choice would be to neutralize it with a spell - or to use bull rush to throw it down the next cliff...


CalethosVB wrote:
Eh, just give maximum HP and keep the CR the same if your players are steamrolling everything. No need to increase the XP gained if they're already super strong.

Full HP has its benefits - it's simple and considered fair if you also give it to PCs. It has a few drawbacks though - it becomes relatively weaker later (Constitution etc. bonuses to HP per die increase), can be applied only once and doesn't reward players for the additional challenge. At low levels, Full HP is basically something like a +50% HP (CR +0) template applied to any creature.

I don't see much of a problem in bonus XP due to +1 templates. Personally, I wouldn't apply it to every creature, so the overall XP wouldn't rise that much. If steamrolling players get too much XP (from GM's point of view), there is still the option to cut some less interesting encounters or talk about switching to slow level progression (which will in fact normal or even fast progression due to increased CRs).

Beside that, it's always possible to combine Full HP and Double HP.


I like the idea of double hit points, but don't think it's enough to justify an increase of a full +1 to CR by itself. A monster with more HP just takes longer to kill; more HP doesn't make the monster more dangerous or powerful. When I need to make something more nasty I have my own +1 CR homebrew template. Give the creature the benefits of augment summoning (+4 Str and +4 Con), Iron Will as a bonus feat, and maximum hit points including the boost to Con. Works well for everything except undead spellcaster, which are dangerous enough not to really need a template.


I'm not seeing this as a +1 template.

  • At low HD/CR, you're getting as much mileage out of the Toughness feat, and probably a lot more out of simply using the Advanced template.
  • At higher HD/CR, hp attrition is the least reliable way of killing things anyway, so you're not getting much out of it there, either.

    Also, bear in mind that killing things by hp attrition is most martial characters' ONLY method of solving problems, and if they can't even do that, monsters stop being combat threats and becomes puzzes/obstacles that grossly favor other classes.


  • @Bunch of Grapes: I'd consider an opponent with more HP more dangerous because it has more time to cause havoc to the party. If it's not capable to cause havoc in general (e.g. pathetic physical damage or weak spells with relatively low DCs), then double HP won't achieve much though. And the template only matters if the creature is damaged at all.

    Your homebrew template is nice - looks like a modified advanced template with emphasis on hitpoints.

    @Kirth Gersen: Hmm, Toughness adds 3 HP at the first 3 HD. Double HP tops that even at 1 HD (e.g. a standard Bestiary goblin has 6 HP). And both approaches are not exclusive. Double HP vs. advanced creature is situational in my opinion - in one case the double HP one would fail against a high PC AC, in another case the advanced one would be taken out before it could act at all.

    At higher levels, you can make other approaches to monsters more difficult - or you apply the inverted template: Halved HP.

    I don't intend this template to be a replacement for the Advanced one or to be used for every creature. If you feel casters already have the upper hand, you will have to address this with other tools. Double HP was made up to give martials more to beat on (when they become bored of steamrolling) and to give NPCs a better chance to make their moves.

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