Is this a bad houserule?

[atemu1234]

The houserule is, "When monsters have variable amounts of hit points (usually due to hit dice) they gain the average amount." This is because it annoys me to have to pre-roll hit points before hand. Also, another one I use is, "PCs gain at minimum average hit points per hit dice. If at any point their hit point total drops beneath the average for a creature with their hit dice and constitution score, then it is instead the average amount."

I find they simplify gaming, but is this going to do something unintended (and awful)?

[Anlashok]

what exactly is the minimum average? I thought you meant rounding down but... then you say if their HP is too low to just use the average.

Also the most common houserule I see is to maximize PC HD.

[AMFV]

The houserule is, "When monsters have variable amounts of hit points (usually due to hit dice) they gain the average amount." This is because it annoys me to have to pre-roll hit points before hand. Also, another one I use is, "PCs gain at minimum average hit points per hit dice. If at any point their hit point total drops beneath the average for a creature with their hit dice and constitution score, then it is instead the average amount."

I find they simplify gaming, but is this going to do something unintended (and awful)?

The average amount is normally what's done at least in the Monster Manual. And the other rule just reduces randomness, I can't see that causing any serious issues.

[A_S]

The rule for monsters is totally fine, and barely/not even a houserule (the MM entries for everything already use this rule).

The PC rule certainly isn't worse than the RAW, but personally I'd much rather see something that removes all HD rolling variance (either "always average" or "always max") than something that only reduces the variance somewhat.

That's just my opinion on it, though. Not everybody hates rolling HD as much as I do.

[GameSpawn]

I played with this rule and other variations like it. I actually think it's assumed to be the case for most monsters by default. Regardless, it works pretty well.

[atemu1234]

what exactly is the minimum average? I thought you meant rounding down but... then you say if their HP is too low to just use the average.

Also the most common houserule I see is to maximize PC HD.

At minimum they receive average amounts of hit points.

For example: Jhora the fighter has 6d10 hit dice and a constitution score of fourteen (6d10+12 hp). Let's say he rolls the six hit dice and gets two twos, three ones, and a four. That totals out (with constitution) to be 23 hit points. The average for 6d10+12 is 45 hit points. With my houserule, he gets 45 hit points, because that is the average, which is higher than his max hit points would be with his straight rolls.

[Platymus Pus]

Could have everything just have the max amount of HP all around.

[atemu1234]

Could have everything just have the max amount of HP all around.

This sounds like it would get my party killed eventually.

[Anlashok]

At minimum they receive average amounts of hit points.

For example: Jhora the fighter has 6d10 hit dice and a constitution score of fourteen (6d10+12 hp). Let's say he rolls the six hit dice and gets two twos, three ones, and a four. That totals out (with constitution) to be 23 hit points. The average for 6d10+12 is 45 hit points. With my houserule, he gets 45 hit points, because that is the average, which is higher than his max hit points would be with his straight rolls.
Makes sense. I Have to second though "get rid of all variance". Give everyone average HD or give monsters average HD and PCs maximized HD.

[Dalebert]

I'm generally not a fan of things being random that have such long-term consequences. Every game I've played in for a while uses max at 1st level and average for every level after that. 1st level characters are fragile enough without a wizard having 1 hp because he rolled low and doesn't have a con bonus. And it's always rounded up. That means a wizard would get max (4) at 1st and then 3 hp every level + con bonus, of course. This is a fairly common standard to my understanding. Several different groups that I've played with all agreed on using it. It may even be mentioned somewhere in the books. It seems so familiar.

[Crake]

I'm generally not a fan of things being random that have such long-term consequences. Every game I've played in for a while uses max at 1st level and average for every level after that. 1st level characters are fragile enough without a wizard having 1 hp because he rolled low and doesn't have a con bonus. And it's always rounded up. That means a wizard would get max (4) at 1st and then 3 hp every level + con bonus, of course. This is a fairly common standard to my understanding. Several different groups that I've played with all agreed on using it. It may even be mentioned somewhere in the books. It seems so familiar.

Max HP at level 1 is actually the default rule. I personally run with the max at 1 and average+0.5 at each other level rule at my table (So average of d4 is 2.5, so they get 3hp each level, etc, etc) for players and monsters/NPCs with PC class levels. NPCs with NPC classes, and monsters without class levels get straight average (no max at level 1)

[Slipperychicken]

Personally, I prefer:

PCs get max hit points at 1st level (as per 3.5 rules)
PCs receive average hit points for every level beyond first (1d8 =4. 2d8 =9, 1d4=2, 2d4=5, and so on).
Monsters and NPCs receive average hp for all levels, unless the GM really feels like rolling for it.


Granted, rolling for monster hp (or even monster ability scores*), while tedious, could make encounters somewhat more interesting. You might have a particularly charismatic troll leading a pack of trolls, or a weakling/runt/child monster timidly hanging around behind the main group. Also makes things a bit harder on the players who like memorizing the default statblocks.

*The default monster statblocks represent an average member of the species, meaning that they're treated as if they rolled 10 or 11 on all their dice. (source (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#abilityScoreArrays)). This means you could pretty much reduce each of the monster's ability scores by 10 (or 11 if the default value is odd), then add a 3d6 roll instead, with the normal minimums applying (i.e. no intelligent creatures with Int<3, other scores can't go below 1). You could also give some of them Elite Array stats to represent them being a step above the rest of the monsters.

[Coidzor]

The houserule is, "When monsters have variable amounts of hit points (usually due to hit dice) they gain the average amount." This is because it annoys me to have to pre-roll hit points before hand. Also, another one I use is, "PCs gain at minimum average hit points per hit dice. If at any point their hit point total drops beneath the average for a creature with their hit dice and constitution score, then it is instead the average amount."

I find they simplify gaming, but is this going to do something unintended (and awful)?

You had me up until the bolded portion.

Everything other than that seems fine, though I'd just say they re-roll if they get less than the average result for their HD type.

[nedz]

The monster rule is fine. In the past I have occasionally given Monsters max HP if I wanted a especially tough fight, though I haven't used this for quite some time.

My rule for PCs is

Max HP at 1st level
At 2nd level Player chooses to roll or take the average, this decision holds for all future levels. Average is +0.5 for odd levels, -0.5 for even levels.

[Sliver]

I vary on the player HP between: Max HP, Average HP, Average or above HP (If your base dice is a d6, then you roll 1d4+2 to have between 3 to 6, for example) and "Either roll or take average, your choice".

[Yahzi]

is this going to do something unintended (and awful)?
Oh yes. You are doing it all wrong. You are playing the game wrong. You are ruining D&D not just for your players, but for the entire world. Your houserule is the worstest, dumbest, most unbalanced house rule ever made, and all DMs everywhere are shamed and disgusted by your very existence. 10,000 DM screens must now be burned in a ritual sacrifice to try and purify the noble art of DMing from your foetid touch.

What's that? You said you used average hit dice, not average+1?

Oh. That's fine. :smallredface: Never mind then.

[prufock]

"When monsters have variable amounts of hit points (usually due to hit dice) they gain the average amount."
I either do this or give them max HP, depending on the situation. BBEG's normally get max HP, mooks get like 1 HP (if they're hit they drop). Anyone in between those extremes gets one or the other based on a bunch of different factors, which essentially boils down to me as DM eyeballing it to determine if my party is going to walk all over the encounter.


"PCs gain at minimum average hit points per hit dice. If at any point their hit point total drops beneath the average for a creature with their hit dice and constitution score, then it is instead the average amount."
If I understand correctly, you're giving each character the higher value of rolled vs average at each level. We do something similar, which is "DM reroll." If you don't like the HP you rolled, the DM can reroll for you, but you have to take the reroll even if it's lower.

I'm actually working on a revamped system that I see as D&D 3.9, where I give them a flat number + con each level based on class. It works out to average HP, rounded up, but some classes get a HD change.

[HighWater]

"When monsters have variable amounts of hit points (usually due to hit dice) they gain the average amount."
Not a terrible houserule, as a matter of fact it is pretty common and the first time I read a monster entry in the Monster Manual I wondered for a moment if it was not, in fact, a definite rule as the descriptions give hp next to the listed HD.

Consequences:
Predictability: the monster doesn't end up any weaker or stronger than the "average". This can be good or bad, depending on how much you like predictability in a game of dice. Personally, I prefer to roll for my monsters (especially if there is more than one) so that PC's that bring down one enemy don't know exactly how much HP damage they need to bring down its brothers. This can lead to situations where the PCs fight a bunch of monsters, take a few out pretty easily, get confident and suddenly things get tougher as the remaining monsters happen to have more HP (I don't cheat at this and the reverse happens as well)...


"PCs gain at minimum average hit points per hit dice. If at any point their hit point total drops beneath the average for a creature with their hit dice and constitution score, then it is instead the average amount."

So if you have a d10, roll a 10 on the first and a 1 on the second, you get no adjustment (10+10+1 = 21 = 10+2x5.5), while if you roll 1 on the first and 10 on the second you get (10+5.5+10 = 25.5 > 10 +2x5.5)? I can see people complain about that, why not make it "take what you roll unless you roll below average in which case you get average instead as judged per hit die" (both rolls now end up at 25.5).

[Zombimode]

The houserule is, "When monsters have variable amounts of hit points (usually due to hit dice) they gain the average amount."

This is not a houserule. This is how things are done by default.