D&D 5E Anyone granting max HP to PCs by default?

[atanakar]

No. Standard healing / resting rules are very powerful. No need to boost HPs beyond average.

 

[Li Shenron]

All right, got it.

 

[Blue]

I was wondering recently if I could even take it a step further and grant max HP instead of average when levelling up (as in 1st level). Obviously this means tougher PCs, but then I can always be more mean with monsters if I feel the encounters are too easy. Mainly, the effect would be to make the players less worried about dying in the first encounter of the day or from a single unfortunate trap/attack/spell.

This is not for or against the idea, just other effects of the plan so you can make an informed decision.

1. Unless you also maximize healing, it will be a smaller percentage of the total HPs and be less effective, both in and out of combat.
2. Because damage as a % of HPs is reduced, this will also help keep the PCs alive against a bad luck, like crits.
3. Increased foes plus increased PC resilience without increase PC damage will likely make combats longer, and possibly more grindy.
4. Increasing the foes can lead to faster leveling if you use standard XP.

And one question - are you trying to prevent characters from dying, or "make the players less worried about dying". Because 5e already has a nice thick buffer between player fear of character death, and actual character death.

 

[DND_Reborn]

If you are worried about survivability at low levels, maybe grant max hp, then one less then max cumulative per level after until you return to the average?

Ex. A Cleric would get 8, then 7, 6, and 5 thereafter.

Or, start your game at 3rd level.

For my own game I'll run in a few months, we are reducing HP bloat in PCs and monsters:

Level 1: PCs get max HP at and their HP modifier.
Level 2+: PCs only get their HD, no more HP modifier.
Monsters all have half HP (round down, minimum 1).

Our reason for those rules is to speed up combat because it takes too long with the huge amounts of HP compared to damage. We thought about doubling damage, but this keeps the numbers smaller and easier for some of our group to deal with (mathematically challenged and such).

 

[Li Shenron]

And one question - are you trying to prevent characters from dying, or "make the players less worried about dying". Because 5e already has a nice thick buffer between player fear of character death, and actual character death.

For the record, it's about worrying, because I haven't actually killed a PC yet.

 

[DND_Reborn]

For the record, it's about worrying, because I haven't actually killed a PC yet.

If none of the PCs have died yet, is their fear unfounded? Maybe allow an extra death save if they are more concerned with dying than just going to 0 HP?

 

[Stoutstien]

For the record, it's about worrying, because I haven't actually killed a PC yet.

No tombstones yet? Nice. I had a TPK the second season in 5e lol.

 

[Li Shenron]

If none of the PCs have died yet, is their fear unfounded?

It is. Not to mention that even if it happens, I won't really let them die unless they are ok with it, I'll give them some penalty instead. But the thought of increasing HP also made me cull the idea of playing the monsters more mercilessly...

 

[wicked cool]

max hp at first level and then roll after. Why take away freedoms of playing or adding additional hp at first? Not sure why DM's are against players roling up their characters and insist on using the point buy etc. Do you not trust your players?

 

[Weiley31]

Giving NPC an uncanny Dodge like feature works well. Boost in survivability without just making it a HP grind.

You can also allow certain "bosses" to Second Wind once or twice for health bars.

A substitute until the Mythic Monster rules in Theros comes out.