Hit Dice problem 3.5

[ArtikSnow]

My dm says that even if you have 3 classes with the same hit die you only get one of them. That sounds wrong to me. Then one of are players is an experienced dm and says you get all hit die from the classes even if there the same. Can anyone please help solve this?

[Name1]

My dm says that even if you have 3 classes with the same hit die you only get one of them. That sounds wrong to me. Then one of are players is an experienced dm and says you get all hit die from the classes even if there the same. Can anyone please help solve this?

...Can you elaborate on this? What do you mean you have three classes and only get one HD? Is this gestalt or what?

[Kelb_Panthera]

I'm not sure what your confusion actually is but I'll take a stab anyway.

At each level, you pick a class/prestige class and, after that choice is made, you gain 1HD of the size associated with that class: such that a monk 3/ fighter 2 would have 3d8 plus 2d10 for a total of 5HD.

Does that clarify things?

[Arael666]

...Can you elaborate on this? What do you mean you have three classes and only get one HD? Is this gestalt or what?

I think his DM ruled that if you are a wizard you'll only get d4 for your hit dice, no matter what multiclass combination you choose, so a wizard 2/fighter 2 would have 4d4 hit dice instead of 2d4+2d10.

If this is what you meant OP, your DM is wrong. Horribly wrong. The rules for multiclassing are in the player's handbook page 59.

[ArtikSnow]

...Can you elaborate on this? What do you mean you have three classes and only get one HD? Is this gestalt or what?
I have 3 classes pale master,sorcerer and dragon shamen. Each class has a d4. According to my dm since all have the same. I can only use one class for my hit dice.

[Sandsarecool]

I too am confused by your question. If you are referring to classes that have the same hit die, such as, I dunno, Bard and rogue, both of which have d6s for their class HD, then they stack. A Bard 2/Rogue 3 would get 2d6 + 3d6 + Con mod x 5 HP.

If you only got one of them, then welp. That's really wrong. 2d6 + con mod x 5 is very different than the 2d6 + 3d6 + Con mod x 5 HP you should be getting.

[DarkSoul]

I have 3 classes pale master,sorcerer and dragon shamen. Each class has a d4. According to my dm since all have the same. I can only use one class for my hit dice.First off, Dragon Shaman is a d10 hit die.

Assuming you're playing in a standard game where every time you gain a level you choose one class to level up in, you'll get hit points according to the hit die of whatever class you level up in. If you level up in Dragon Shaman, you'll get 1d10+Con modifier hit points; if you level up in either of the other two classes, you'll get 1d4+Con modifier.

[Crake]

I have 3 classes pale master,sorcerer and dragon shamen. Each class has a d4. According to my dm since all have the same. I can only use one class for my hit dice.

I THINK what he's trying to say is that if you have 1 class with a d4 HD, you cannot select another class with a d4 HD, though as others have pointed out, dragon shaman is not a d4HD class.

This would of course, make prestige classes completely stupid if that were the case.

[Name1]

... I think your DM means that if you choose 3 classes with the same HD, you only gain 1 type of HD. Which would be right: If you have 3 classes with d4 hit dice, then you only have the d4 hit dice type.

... This is really confusing...

[Arael666]

This may come out wrong but here it goes, you and your DM seem to have a very poor understanding of the rules. My advice is for you, and the rest of the group, to re-read the character creation, class and level bonuses, level dependant benefits and multiclassing rules. It just feels like you're asking us to explain logarithmic function when you just learned to do multiplication, no matter how good we explain, unless you have some basic previous understanding you're not gonna get what we're trying to convey

[Jay R]

The DM appears to be trying to apply AD&D rules to D&D 3.5e. In AD&D, a wizard 3/fighter 3 isn't a 6th level character, and has the average of 3d4 and 3d10. A cleric 3/paladin 3 would just have 3d8, since both have d8 hit dice.

[Eisfalken]

I have 3 classes pale master,sorcerer and dragon shamen. Each class has a d4. According to my dm since all have the same. I can only use one class for my hit dice.

If your character has different levels of sorcerer, dragon shaman, and pale master, your DM is wrong. You get a d6 for every level of sorcerer, a d10 for every level of dragon shaman, and a d4 for every level of pale master. You get the Hit Dice of the class you pick each level you pick that class.

Even if this a gestalt combo (sorcerer + dragon shaman with pale master thrown in), your DM is still wrong: you get d10 for each level of the "sorcerer / dragon shaman" gestalt (you always get the highest Hit Dice of the combo), and a d4 only for the levels of pale master you take (which would be aside from the gestalt combo).

If your DM is doing some funky homebrew, he's still not being fair: the average hit points should be just north of 3.5, meaning your average Hit Dice is a d6, not a d4.

So yeah. Bad ruling is bad.

[zergling.exe]

If your character has different levels of sorcerer, dragon shaman, and pale master, your DM is wrong. You get a d6 for every level of sorcerer, a d10 for every level of dragon shaman, and a d4 for every level of pale master. You get the Hit Dice of the class you pick each level you pick that class.

Even if this a gestalt combo (sorcerer + dragon shaman with pale master thrown in), your DM is still wrong: you get d10 for each level of the "sorcerer / dragon shaman" gestalt (you always get the highest Hit Dice of the combo), and a d4 only for the levels of pale master you take (which would be aside from the gestalt combo).

If your DM is doing some funky homebrew, he's still not being fair: the average hit points should be just north of 3.5, meaning your average Hit Dice is a d6, not a d4.

So yeah. Bad ruling is bad.

This is for 3.5, not Pathfinder. A sorcerer has a d4 HD.

[Eldariel]

It sounds like he's trying to implement the AD&D Multi-Class rules that are somewhat akin to 3.X Gestalt; it sounds like he's treating taking levels in other classes kinda as side classes that advance alongside the first class and thus he's not actually advancing in HD, just class levels. This is not how it works in 3.X - in 3.X by default every class level you gain is an additional HD and the only way to gain class levels is to gain a full level-up as a character and gain an additional HD that is then tied to the class.

[Eisfalken]

This is for 3.5, not Pathfinder. A sorcerer has a d4 HD.

Average hp for d4 is 2.5, d10 is 5.5. Average hit points for all three classes taken at once is 2.5 + 2.5 + 5.5 = 10.5, divided by three (number of classes) for 3.5.

So I was off by 0.3 something. Mea culpa.

But... I'm still right. 3.5 is average hp for d6.

[Xethik]

I believe we could be of more helpful if you described what you are getting from these hit dice. Hit points? Is there some 4e/5e-like hit dice as recovery homebrew in play?

[ekarney]

Uh, can you put your DM on the line please?

If you multiclass
For example, at level 1, you are a wizard (d4) then at level 2 you are a fighter (d10) you would have 1d4 + 1d10 hit points, and a total of 2 hit dice.

If you Gestalt
For examples, at level 1 you choose two classes, a wizard (d4) and a fighter (d10) You would have 1d10 hit points as when you are playing gestalt/tristalt you get the best classes hit die, and you would have a total of 1 hit die.


Seriously though, I (and apparently everyone else who responded) am very confused.

[Thurbane]

Your DM completely has it wrong, unless he is running some kind of heavily home-brewed d20 variant system. Even if he is using Gestalt rules, he has it wrong.

Assuming your build is (something like) Sorcerer 6/Dragon Disciple 4/Pale Master 2, your HD will be: 6d4+4d12+2d4+(12 * Con bonus) [plus Toughness, toad familiar or other such modifiers]. If this build was 14 con: 6d4+4d12+2d4+24.

OP, can you post your build stub, might help us work out the exact issue.

[bookkeeping guy]

I think averaging it out seems best too like the others say. Also the rules are guidelines but you can ask yourself does it fit?

My concern is what if you have a tightwad DM that won't budge and you roll 1s for your hit dice like three times in a row? and he uses that for figuring out your averages...

You might have a situation of a multiclass level 2 fighter/ 2 mage and you just rolled 1s...so now if he's going by the roll then you could theoretically have 2 hp even with the average plus your toughness and con bonuses...

[weckar]

Wait... Your DM doesn't think a wizard has 1d4+Con HP forever does he? He knows you get more HP every level?

[Name1]

Wait... Your DM doesn't think a wizard has 1d4+Con HP forever does he? He knows you get more HP every level?

...I think weckar actually got it. If his DM thinks that, that would explain the whole 1 HD thing...

Yeah, in that case it's not at all how it works: You gain your HD+Con mod every level, not just once at level 1. When you level up, you gain ClassHD+Conmod everytime you level.

[Khedrac]

I think there is a more fundamental question here:

Are you actualy playing Dungeons and Dragons or did the DM just say "it is like D&D"?

Next question, are you playing one of the following D&D variants: 3rd Edition, 3.5 or Pathfinder (collectively known as D20)?
These are the only ones supported by this sub-forum.

4th and 5th Ed D&D have their own sub-forums (go up one level and check ths list of sub-forums).
AD&D and 2nd Edition AD&D, "Original" D&D, Basic/Expert/etc. D&D (a.k.a. "Classic D&D) are also in a different sub-forums - the 'all other rpgs' one.

Now there is at least one "retro-clone" (i.e. a game trying to re-create an older version of the rules with this author's twists) out there where you do only get a hit dice and first level and none thereafter, so your DM may be running that! (Retro-clones are also covered by the other rpgs sub-forum.)

It is also possible thet they are houseruling this into a D20 game, but it really isn't D20 anymore if they do.