Giving extra HP to PCs

homebrew
#1

Hey! shields i was wondering what you think of this way to give PCs more health. I don’t add CON to ARMOR,instead I give them +2HP per CON.The reason why I do this is because I thought it was way to
easy to get max ARMOR.There is a downside though,it does add a layer of math to PC health which you may not want

#2

I think its a pretty good idea. id probably just make it 1 for 1 at my table though. Each point of Con gives you +1 HP. 10 con would then give you a full heart which I think is pretty fair compared to 10 con giving you a natural armor of 20 all the time. I think Ill bring this up idea up to my players!

#3

your probably right,other wise you could get like over 3 hearts.
though only later in the game.

#4

Let me preface what you may be about to read with this; if you like crunchier games or this kind of game play, go for it.

I think that adding HP to the player side should be done with caution and careful consideration of the kind of gameplay you want to see at your table

Coming from the super crunchtacular game system D&D3.5/PF1 (known to some as Mathfinder), I can say with assuredness that IF you give your Player Characters more HP that they will want to stay in the fight rather than retreat at opportune moments. This may also make fights take longer as the player’s characters and foes can trade more hits with one another.

I moved away from the crunch of my previous game systems because I got tired of unneeded bloat. Many of my games and the games I played in went well above level 20 (capping at lvl 47 in one game). The amount of bloat and length of combat coupled with player characters never being at risk of permanent death is what drove me to ICRPG to begin with. I wanted a sense of danger to be reintroduced to the game.

#5

about the ARMOR I just thought players should get armor with loot,plus and it looked too easy get maxed out

#6

Keep in mind Armor can be broken, or lost. and it should in theory be random what kind of loot the PCs get from chest or other such things. Just because they loot a body does not mean the armor is intact.

#7

Ill admit @Jaide has a point

The more HP players obtain and the easier you make it for them to obtain that HP the harder encounters just have to become in terms of numbers. While Armor is Easy to get to 20 thanks to alot of gear granting armor and the CON stat, you can very easily destroy or make players lose their gear in ICRPG (which is highly encouraged and part of the fun) plus there are alot of “effects” that are in the book or that you can make up to just temporarily reduce a players armor stat through out combat. So Armor gets balanced out in that way.

#8

It would max out at one extra heart.

#9

true,it makes sense to have more powerful monsters,break or otherwise lower ARMOR

#10

It never hurts to try new things though! Play a one shot game with the idea, see how feels. Its not hard to test stuff like this with ICRPG luckily.

#11

I will. thanks for the feedback!

#12

I agree with this 100%!

Giving PC’s more HP works against having a sense of urgency and danger in the game, it is a move toward invincibility that is ultimately boring and time consuming. I think ICRPG’s 1 HEART cap for PC’s is brilliant and it keeps combat quick and deadly, as it should be.

#13

Sounds like you are going into this mod with your eyes wide open, so you know what you gain and what you are giving up.

I don’t think this will break your game at all. But, if you are finding it harder to challenge your players as a DM, then the extra hit points are probably why. As others have suggested, just test and see if it works. And if it slows down your game or makes your life harder as a DM, then you’ll know for the next campaign.

I also want to add that you don’t have to fear players maxing out armor, though. Just hit them with some
Monsters that require saving throws. I once took down a PC with 20 armor just by using a snake and making the PC make DEX saves to avoid strikes and poison.

#14

hey it’s been awhile, just wanted to let you know I have played a few sessions,and 1 heart seems to work fine. I have noticed it helps create a sense of danger in every fight. Which is definitely a good thing.:slightly_smiling_face:

#15

Hey, I really appreciate your circling back and letting us know! For sure, that’s what I find with 10 hit points also. It’s a great limiter, and it keeps the action and excitement up.

#16

I just had a whole bunch of characters from 2 different groups jump from 1 HEART to 2… Should be interesting to see where the game goes from here.

#17

Good to hear the standard 1 HEART setup worked out for you!

This is the way.

#19

Personally I love warpshells system where you start with one Temp HEART. I feel it just gives a little buffer for players to warm up into the game. Sometimes, for my group anyway, I feel you need the extra timer of HPs for the players to get a true sense of the situation.

Playing a lot of 5e at the moment as a player. I did find it funny when I was momentelly happy for having 60+ HP and then brought back to reality when I was downed in three hits lol

I 100% prefer the keep it simple, less is more mentality of ICRPG.