|
Hi folks,
I know PFS has a rule for not rolling hit points--dX becomes X/2+1 at each level past first.
Our group can't find a rule for how to handle this outside of pathfinder society. We could of course go with our own, but our current reading is that in Pathfinder you always round down, so it would be X/2 rather than X/2+1. I _think_ in every other edition I've played, there is a X/2+1 rule, but heck, I could be making that up.
Just wondered if there is an actual rule--I can't find anything.
Thanks!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
No such rule. That said, rolling HP is a terrible mechanic for games with a high level of deliberate character design.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Can't help as far as official rules, but what I do in my home game is reduce the variance to a d4. So, d6 HD becomes 2+1d4, d8 becomes 4+1d4, d10 becomes 6+1d4, and d12 becomes 8+1d4. This preserves the minimum of half at the low end, but gives high HD classes a distinct improvement instead of a barely noticeable one.
As a house rule I usually have PCs roll, but use 1/2 hit dice rounded down if that is better, + con of course.
We roll - but both the GM and the player roll and the PC gets the higher of the two. This allows for some interesting variation while lowering the chances of really bad results.
Ultimately, there are the basic rules but the house rules that govern rolling hit points are many and varied and all are right... as long as they serve the game the GM and players want to play.
While not a written rule there is a basic underlying principle here. NPCs and monsters are written as 1/2dX added together THEN rounded down.
Note that 1/2dX is not the same as X/2. It is average number which is the total sum of all possible rolls divided by the number of possible rolls. For 1d6 that is (1+2+3+4+5+6)/6 = 3.5
Example: 5d8 = 5*4.5 (4.5 is 1/2 of 1d8) = 22.5 rounded down to 22 (+mods).
Check any monster in the Bestiary and you will see that is true. :)
So, non-PFS hitpoint average is as follows (used for NPCs and monsters):
1d6 = 3.5
1d8 = 4.5
1d10 = 5.5
1d12 = 6.5
PFS hitpoint average is as follows:
1d6 = 4
1d8 = 5
1d10 = 6
1d12 = 7
Edit: This information (average hps) was included in the 3.5 DMG on page 198.
GAINING FIXED HIT POINTS
Instead of rolling for hit points when she gains a level, a player may (if you use this variant) take the average roll for the class (see the table below). Constitution modifiers still apply. Below-average hit points hurt a PC more than above-average hit points help, so this variant makes characters slightly more powerful.
The table then went on to show what I have showed via math above (D6 gained 3 hp every even level and 4 hp every odd level, this being based on getting maximum hp at first level and the first 1/2 hp is at your first even level).
^Put it another way (as actually used in some PbPs on these boards), you get average hit points for each HD after 1st, but fractions don't do anything by themselves, but are saved and can stack to make whole hit points. So, at 1st level you get MAX, at 2nd level you get AVERAGE - 1/2, at 3rd level you get AVERAGE + 1/2, and then it alternates thereon. Thus, for example, a Fighter with 10 Constitution (no bonus or penalty) would get Hit Points 10 + 5 + 6 + 5 + 6 . . . .
As written:
Hit Dice (HD): Hit Dice represent a creature's general level of power and skill. As a creature gains levels, it gains additional Hit Dice. Monsters, on the other hand, gain racial Hit Dice, which represent the monster's general prowess and ability. Hit Dice are represented by the number the creature possesses followed by a type of die, such as "3d8." This value is used to determine a creature's total hit points. In this example, the creature has 3 Hit Dice. When rolling for this creature's hit points, you would roll a d8 three times and add the results together, along with other modifiers.
Hit Points (hp): Hit points are an abstraction signifying how robust and healthy a creature is at the current moment. To determine a creature's hit points, roll the dice indicated by its Hit Dice. A creature gains maximum hit points if its first Hit Die roll is for a character class level. Creatures whose first Hit Die comes from an NPC class or from his race roll their first Hit Die normally. Wounds subtract hit points, while healing (both natural and magical) restores hit points. Some abilities and spells grant temporary hit points that disappear after a specific duration. When a creature's hit points drop below 0, it becomes unconscious. When a creature's hit points reach a negative total equal to its Constitution score, it dies.
We never do that, though, so we house rule it.
The games I play are usually re-roll if desired but you must take the re-roll even if it's lower. We've also done the roll twice and take the higher result, average rounded up (PFS), and some other rules like:
d6 = d6 (avg 3.5)
d8 = d6+2 (avg 5.5)
d10 = d6+4 (avg 7.5)
d12 = d6+6 (avg 9.5)
Can't help as far as official rules, but what I do in my home game is reduce the variance to a d4. So, d6 HD becomes 2+1d4, d8 becomes 4+1d4, d10 becomes 6+1d4, and d12 becomes 8+1d4. This preserves the minimum of half at the low end, but gives high HD classes a distinct improvement instead of a barely noticeable one.
I like this, and I've seen it in another game too. I count myself as lucky so far, but a d12 is mighty swingy. I wouldn't mind going to the PFS rule either if our GM wanted us to, even if I think I'd lose one or two HP.
Can't help as far as official rules, but what I do in my home game is reduce the variance to a d4. So, d6 HD becomes 2+1d4, d8 becomes 4+1d4, d10 becomes 6+1d4, and d12 becomes 8+1d4. This preserves the minimum of half at the low end, but gives high HD classes a distinct improvement instead of a barely noticeable one.I like this, and I've seen it in another game too. I count myself as lucky so far, but a d12 is mighty swingy. I wouldn't mind going to the PFS rule either if our GM wanted us to, even if I think I'd lose one or two HP.
It's exactly that swingy nature that I wanted to avoid. I used to use the "roll or half, whichever is higher" idea, but when I saw a lucky rolling Sorcerer in my group within a dozen max HP of the poor rolling Barbarian (at lv10), I decided to try something that would better model the expected curve.
I just let my players get max.
|
Hi folks,
I know PFS has a rule for not rolling hit points--dX becomes X/2+1 at each level past first.Our group can't find a rule for how to handle this outside of pathfinder society. We could of course go with our own, but our current reading is that in Pathfinder you always round down, so it would be X/2 rather than X/2+1. I _think_ in every other edition I've played, there is a X/2+1 rule, but heck, I could be making that up.
Just wondered if there is an actual rule--I can't find anything.
Thanks!
AFAIK PFS is average, FRU (Fractions Rounded Up). And the first die is full.
So, with <a d8 class you get: 8, 5, 5, 5 and so on.For printed creatures Pathfinder use the average of all dices, then the fractions are dropped.
Hi folks,
I know PFS has a rule for not rolling hit points--dX becomes X/2+1 at each level past first.Our group can't find a rule for how to handle this outside of pathfinder society. We could of course go with our own, but our current reading is that in Pathfinder you always round down, so it would be X/2 rather than X/2+1. I _think_ in every other edition I've played, there is a X/2+1 rule, but heck, I could be making that up.
Just wondered if there is an actual rule--I can't find anything.
Thanks!
The thing to remember is that the rule is you always round down unless otherwise stated.
The minute you formalise the house rule to the PFS standard it is 'otherwise stated' and rounding up is perfectly fine.