Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

General topics, including off-topic discussion, goes here.
otaking
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2020 1:42 pm
Location: Perth, Scotland
Contact:

Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by otaking »

Do the Hit Points for a character remain the same as those that were rolled at character creation? Or does the maximum Hit Points for a character increase when their level increases? If not then is there any way for a character's hit points to be increased?
Read my solo RPG sessions: https://www.sosbrigade.club/
daryen
Posts: 523
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2020 10:25 pm

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by daryen »

A character's hit points increase each time they advance a class level.

So, for example, when creating a first level cleric, you roll one d6 for your starting hit points. Let's say you rolled a 4. Your first level cleric now has 4 hit points. When your cleric advances to second level, you roll another d6 and add the result to your existing hit points to determine your new total. Let's say you rolled a 3 this time. Adding them together gives your second level cleric a total of 7 hit points. Repeat this process each time you gain a level.

Do note that when you get to tenth level, you stop rolling for hit points. Instead you just assign the number shown. For a cleric, they will gain but a single hit point upon attaining tenth level. Each level after that, they will again gain a single hit point.

Also, don't forget that if you have a good Constitution, you will get extra hit points for your first nine levels. (The Constitution modifier on adds to a die roll, so it doesn't apply to the fix hit points gained at tenth level and beyond.)
otaking
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2020 1:42 pm
Location: Perth, Scotland
Contact:

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by otaking »

Thank you for explaining all that to me! I get it now.
Read my solo RPG sessions: https://www.sosbrigade.club/
User avatar
Tazer_The_Yoot
Posts: 201
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 6:24 pm

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by Tazer_The_Yoot »

I will add that, while not by the book, it's always been a very common and popular house rule to re-roll all the HD when a character levels up and to take the higher value. In practice this gives the character a very small survivability boost.
Seven
Posts: 836
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2020 11:17 am

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by Seven »

I'm not sure I understand.

Let's say I start with 6HP, the maximum.
At the second level I would roll 2 die and if I roll 6 or less my maximum HP does not go up?
I don't think I would like that.
jdn2006
Posts: 288
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 3:33 pm

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by jdn2006 »

Maximum hit points is maximum the PC has gained through starting experience levels and additional experience levels gained (and any special consideration such as the game ref having a magic gem that increases it by 1, 2, 3, or whatever when it is crushed to dust). If your PC starts with 6 at 1st level and advances to 2nd level and you roll a 2 then the MAXIMUM is now 8. If the character reaches 3rd and the roll is 5, the maximum is now 13. Groups vary but given how people forget things, it is a good idea to track damage, temporary hit points gained through magic, or such through a different stat such as CURRENT HIT POINTS.
Last edited by jdn2006 on Wed Dec 30, 2020 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
TardisCaptain
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2019 2:02 am
Contact:

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by TardisCaptain »

I hope this isn't too derailing to the topic, but someone mentioned a house rule. One house rule that a past DM would use to give the player a better chance at getting more hit points was the following. Upon gaining the next level, both the player and the DM rolls the appropriate die for the additional hit points. The DM rolls his in secret while the player rolls his out in the open. The player then has the choice of going with his/her roll or taking the one the DM rolled.

If they both rolled a d8 and the player rolled a 5, he/she would have to decide to keep the result or gamble that the DM rolled higher in secret. Sometimes the choice was obvious (I rolled a 2, I'm taking your roll) and sometimes it was not. It added a little something to the game plus it made the characters a little bit more heroic as they gained levels.
TardisCaptain's Blog of Holding. http://tardiscaptain.com
User avatar
Solomoriah
Site Admin
Posts: 12460
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:15 pm
Location: LaBelle, Missouri
Contact:

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by Solomoriah »

Seven wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:22 amI'm not sure I understand.

Let's say I start with 6HP, the maximum.
At the second level I would roll 2 die and if I roll 6 or less my maximum HP does not go up?
I don't think I would like that.
It's not as common a house rule as Tazer suggests; I've never actually seen it done, for example. And yeah, it would suck. It becomes more likely as you gain levels, since once you get a good roll you might not be so lucky for several levels.
My personal site: www.gonnerman.org
User avatar
SmootRK
Posts: 4230
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:03 am
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by SmootRK »

Solomoriah wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:23 am
Seven wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:22 amI'm not sure I understand.

Let's say I start with 6HP, the maximum.
At the second level I would roll 2 die and if I roll 6 or less my maximum HP does not go up?
I don't think I would like that.
It's not as common a house rule as Tazer suggests; I've never actually seen it done, for example. And yeah, it would suck. It becomes more likely as you gain levels, since once you get a good roll you might not be so lucky for several levels.
Seconded... never seen this in use.
That said, I would never deprive someone of at least adding the minimum 1 +con bonus.
Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?
User avatar
Dimirag
Posts: 3613
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:24 pm
Location: Buenos Aires (C.A.B.A.), Argentina
Contact:

Re: Does Maximum HP remain the same when characters level up?

Post by Dimirag »

I've seen it in some games but never as a Houserule for "mayor" OSR games
You roll your new HD and if its lower you increase your HP by 1. Hackmaster 5ed gives you a new HD at odd levels and a new reroll at even levels if my memory serves me well.

I would add a new roll to the existing HP and then roll and compare.
Sorry for any misspelling or writing error, I am not a native English speaker
Drawing portfolio: https://www.instagram.com/m.serena_dimirag/
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Amazon [Bot], Google [Bot] and 25 guests