Intro: "Can I have some real hit points, please?"
As we all know, D&D has that "hit point thing" going on. I'm not here to put it down or even debate it. In fact, I'm fine with D&D hit points as some opaque, totally unrealistic luck-plus-heroics-plus-partial-defense cinematic furball, as long as the game presents it as such, and players accept it as such. I wouldn't design a new game, even a cinematic fantasy one, using hit points in the same way, true – but still, where's the harm?
It's hard, though, to like the tremendous disparity in hit points, especially at first or second Level. Any "normal" human, even a beginning PC (hero material, mind you!), is quickly dispatched by anything resembling combat. Even, infamously, a tussle with a house cat.
When I heard years ago that D&D 3rd edition was coming, I had a small idea for making low-Level hit points more palatable. Now, I'll admit I'm way out on a limb with this one. I haven't even played D&D since its "Advanced" days, and for all I know, my "suggestion" below is already widely discussed (and debunked?), or house-ruled, or even an official part of some other d20 offerings. And it's only an idea for a rules nugget, needing fleshing out by an actual D&D player. Read more...
