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Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:21 am
by Heffner
Sorry if this has been answered - I tried to search for it, but hit points were labeled as too common so it wouldn't pull any search results.

As I understand it, all level 0 characters roll 1d4 for their initial hit points (modified by Stamina).

On page 27, it says the hit points are modified by the class die type at level 1 in addition to the initial hit points. But I'm confused by some of the verbiage as to whether level 1 characters roll an additional 1d4

So do I have this right for a cleric?

Level 0 - 1d4
Level 1 - 1d4 + 1d8
Level 2+ - 1d8

Or is it...

Level 0 - 1d4
Level 1+ - 1d8

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:43 am
by funkaoshi
You start with 1D4 + 1D8. (So all first level characters have a 1D4 bonus set of HP.)

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:49 am
by Heffner
Thanks.

And each level hit points are modified by stamina, a character gaining a minimum of one hit point.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:17 am
by GnomeBoy
I read it as the second option you mention. The 1d4 is in reference to 0-level play -- if you were to start characters at 1st Level (or above) you should still remember to give them that 1d4 hp from Level Zero, even if you didn't play at that Level.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:20 am
by Heffner
***edit***

OK so that statement is only in there if you are starting characters from level 1 and skipping level 0.

I figured if you went from Level 0 (1d4) to Level 1 Cleric (1d4+1d8+Level 0 hp) you were just throwing the survivors an extra 1d4 worth of HP as a pat on the back.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:22 am
by Ravenheart87
Heffner wrote:OK - so I am guess I am still confused them, because I assumed you would already keep your hit points from the previous level so when I read the statement in the book I figured the extra 1d4 was a pat on the back to the survivors, throwing them some extra hit points.
Some people only give the 1d4 to those characters who started at level 0 and survived as a reward. It's a matter of taste.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:44 am
by Heffner
Thanks.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 10:26 am
by finarvyn
Ravenheart87 wrote:Some people only give the 1d4 to those characters who started at level 0 and survived as a reward. It's a matter of taste.
True. I know GMs who do it either way.

The way it was intended is...
Level 0 - 1d4
Level 1 - 1d4 + 1d8
Level 2 - 1d4 + 2d8
Level 3 - 1d4 + 3d8
Level 4 - 1d4 + 4d8
Etc.

Of course, whether or not you get those extra d4 hit points aren't typically a big deal once you get to higher level....

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:57 am
by Heffner
I have yet to run my first group, so I will be using the funnel.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:20 pm
by modemaus
Hey everyone, I'd like to revisit this post to see if maybe someone could provide some clarification to allow me to distinguish between HP and max HP per level. For example, does a 0 level character have a Hit Die of 1d4 with current hit points of whatever you roll on a 1d4 during character creation - meaning they could be healed to a maximum of 4 - or do they have the rolled amount of hit points, and that is the maximum they can be healed to?

The same sort of confusion comes to mind in terms of leveling up. If my level two cleric gets 1d4 + 2d8, does that mean that currently hit points are not even taken into account, or is that technically my characters maximum hit die? I.e. if I am a level 2 cleric with 15 hit points, and I get to level 3, roll 1d4 + 2d8 for a total of 3, do I now have 3 hit points, or am I adding 3 to whatever my current Hit Points are - and in either case, what is the maximum I can be healed to?

Thanks much. I'm very sure I am just missing something in my reading in the DCC core rulebook, but I am in a bit of a haze about this.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 2:41 am
by Colin
A level-0 character has 1d4 Hit Points, so their maximum at that level is whatever was initially rolled, modified by any Stamina bonuses/penalties. The minimum is 1, however.
Example: Pug Mucker has Stamina 8 (-1 modifier). The Player determines Pugmucker's hit points by rolling 1d4-1. He gets a 3, for a total of 2 hit points.

At 1st-level, the character gets an additional number of hit points added based on the result of the roll for their chosen class, again modified by Stamina with a minimum of 1 extra point.
Example: Against the odds, Pug Mucker has survived to reach 1st-level and becomes a Thief. Thieves gain 1d6 hit points per level, so the Player rolls 1d6-1 (remembering Pug's lousy Stamina penalty), getting a 3 for a total of 2 extra hit points. Added to Pug's initial 2, he now has 4 hit points.

At each extra level beyond first, you simply repeat the process of rolling the class' single Hit Die (modified by Stamina) and adding it to the total, with a minimum gain of 1.
Example: To everyone's amazement, Pug Mucker has reached 2nd-level as a Thief! Again, the Player rolls 1d6-1 to determine Pug's extra hit points, rolling a measly 1 modified down to 0! However, 1 is the minimum gain regardless of penalties, so Pug's hit points are increased to 5.

Characters cannot be healed beyond the results they actually rolled during the creation and levelling process; those Hit Points represent them at their "healthy" injury-free norm. So, while Pug could've had 13 Hit Points at 2nd level (if the Player had been lucky enough to roll the maximum result on every die), Pug himself cannot be healed beyond his normal maximum total of 5.

Re: Question on leveling and hit points...

Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2021 8:47 am
by CapnZapp
A faster reply would be: "yes, keep track of current and maximum hp separately, just like in almost every other rpg" :-)