|
3 months ago ::
Feb 27, 2013 - 12:47PM
#1
|
Date Joined:
Nov 16, 2011
|
(Well, other than the obvious answer: mathmatically!) I've looked through everything I can find, and nowhere have I seen it definitively explained, but: When your characters go up in level, do you add their constitution bonus to the HP per level they already get standard? If so, do you add the constitution bonus by itself, or do you add the bonus + 1/2 per level number? Up to this point, I've been giving my players the standard class amount + the straight constitution bonus amount (no + 1/2 level). How do you guys handle it?
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Feb 27, 2013 - 12:52PM
#2
|
Date Joined:
Jun 21, 2008
|
CON bonus is NOT added to HP you gain per level in 4e.
Level 1 is CON SCORE plus whatever the book specified. You gain the amount listed per level..nothing else added to it.
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Feb 27, 2013 - 10:54PM
#3
|
Date Joined:
Dec 10, 2008
|
Oh yeah, and every time your CON score goes up by one you also gain one additional hit point. So during the career of your character up to 30th level you're going to get a few additional HP that way when you add to your ability scores and more if you devote more points to CON.
And of course there are a few other game elements that can allow you to permanently gain more HP. Some backgrounds, feats and Epic Destinies, IIRC, can do this.
OD&D, 1E and 2E challenged the player.
3E challenged the character, not the player.
Now 4E takes it a step further by challenging a GROUP OF PLAYERS to work together as a TEAM.
That's why I love 4E.
"Your ability to summon a horde of celestial superbeings at will is making my ... BMX skills look a bit redundant."
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Feb 27, 2013 - 11:19PM
#4
|
Date Joined:
Apr 29, 2006
|
You start off with however many HP your class says you start with at 1st level. And when you level up, you gain however many HP your class says you gain per level.
In addition, you add your con score, not mod, to your HP. Your Con score is not applied on a per level basis. It's basically a separte bonus pool of HP you get in addition to your class HP. However, if you con score later increases, so too do the HP you gain from your con score.
Personally, I like formulas:
hp = conScore + characterClass.startingHP + (characterClass.hpPerLevel* (Level - 1)) + miscellaneousBonuses;
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Feb 28, 2013 - 5:25AM
#5
|
Date Joined:
Apr 14, 2011
|
What your con bonus does is increase you number of healing surges, which are effectively HP in reserve. So the difference between 10 con and 14 con is not 4 HP, its 4HP + 2 surges and with surges being a quarter of your HP, that can be a load of HP at higher level. TjD
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Feb 28, 2013 - 12:56PM
#6
|
Date Joined:
Nov 16, 2011
|
Ok...Fireclave, you kinda lost me on the formula thing.. I like examples, so, for example:
1st level fighter with constitution score of 15 would start with 21 HP (6 for the level + 15 con score).
at 2nd level, he gains 7 (6 for his class + 1 for the whole 1/2 per level bonus)?
at 4th level, he ups his constitution by 1 to 16, so at that level he would gain 8 (6 for class + 1 for 1/2 level + 1 for the increase to his Constitution score)?
and any levels beyond this are giving me a headache..I think I'll just kill them off before then.. :-)
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Feb 28, 2013 - 1:07PM
#7
|
Date Joined:
Dec 10, 2008
|
Ok...Fireclave, you kinda lost me on the formula thing.. I like examples, so, for example:
1st level fighter with constitution score of 15 would start with 21 HP (6 for the level + 15 con score).
at 2nd level, he gains 7 (6 for his class + 1 for the whole 1/2 per level bonus)?
at 4th level, he ups his constitution by 1 to 16, so at that level he would gain 8 (6 for class + 1 for 1/2 level + 1 for the increase to his Constitution score)?
and any levels beyond this are giving me a headache..I think I'll just kill them off before then.. :-)
He doesn't get the 1/2 level bonus for hit points, ever. No one does. That's not a rule. And no, he doesn't get 15 + 6 at first level, he gets even more, actually.
At first level a fighter gets 15 hp plus whatever his CON score is. So with a 15 CON he would start out with 30 hp at 1st level (15 + 15).
Every level after that he gains 6 more HP. So at 2nd level he would have 36 HP.
At third level he would be up to 42 hp.
At 4th level he gets another 6 hp but if he adds one point to his CON, he would get another additional hit point which would put him at 49 HP (30 + 6 + 6 + 7).
OD&D, 1E and 2E challenged the player.
3E challenged the character, not the player.
Now 4E takes it a step further by challenging a GROUP OF PLAYERS to work together as a TEAM.
That's why I love 4E.
"Your ability to summon a horde of celestial superbeings at will is making my ... BMX skills look a bit redundant."
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Feb 28, 2013 - 1:27PM
#8
|
Date Joined:
Nov 16, 2011
|
got it. I knew my example numbers weren't accurate, but it got my question across. Thanks for the clarification!
|
|
|
|
3 months ago ::
Mar 02, 2013 - 9:35PM
#9
|
Date Joined:
Sep 19, 2007
|
Also of note, that while first level HP is alot higher than older editions, 4e monsters also hit harder at lower levels.
|
|
|
