Why so many HPs?

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Why so many HPs?
« on: June 16, 2011, 04:10:40 PM »
I was wondering, why do you get so many hit points when you level up? When going from level 1 to level two you always get at least twice as many hit points, often more. and you factor in CON twice. Once when making the roll, once as a flat bonus.

I need to play the game (will happen shortly) to see the effect in play, but I suspect that level 1 and level 2 characters playing together will be slightly funky. Which is bound to happen due to the asymmetric XP awards.

As far as I can see this is the only area where you get much more efficient when levelling up (notice the word much). Why is the curve so steep? Accident or by design?

(I do realize that a steep HP curve is a feature of oldish D&D, but never this steep, and this is perhaps not one of the features worth mimicking).

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sage

  • 549
Re: Why so many HPs?
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2011, 04:17:56 PM »
It's design, certainly. 10 HP (the most you can gain with one level, and impossible to gain when going from first to second) is still just one or two attacks. You've extended your ability to fight by, maybe, a couple of missed rolls. Congrats! You've still got to keep the wizard standing, and take down the goblins before they can sacrifice the blacksmith's son. HP doesn't directly help much with either.

One level is a big step up, but HP isn't quite the measure of effectiveness that it is in D&D. I'm not sure that I agree that you get much more effective. You get much more HP, sure, but HP != effectiveness.

Con does factor in twice, but that's by design also. It means that a high con can really offset bad dice, but you still roll for HP (which is there as a nod to the source material).

Re: Why so many HPs?
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2011, 04:21:50 PM »
Just wworried about the first level paladin with fewer HPs than the second level wizard is all. But glad to hear it's a less important resource than in the D&Ds.

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sage

  • 549
Re: Why so many HPs?
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2011, 04:33:12 PM »
Yeah, that is slightly lame. We'll look into that some more. The current model is to fix the problem of a very unlucky Paladin having less HP than a Wizard of the same level.