If we used fixed, over time the average evens out if you have a decent Con mod. If a character has a normal or negative Con mod HP isn't necessarily an asset.
So who all is in the party, I had posted on the original post. Also what do we need class-wise to flush out the team?
Create a character YOU will enjoy playing. Please don't roll up a character to "even out" the party's mechanics. I would much rather you create a character that sparks your imagination than if you roll up a cleric tank. That said, I appreciate the group think there SandyRibbons. :D
Right after, When are we getting magic items, I am usually asked, Milestone XP or Individual XP? I have been a DM for more than 30 years. I started playing D&D when the Basic Boxed Set was released, bought the Expert, Masters, and then Immortal rules boxed sets, and then bought the Advanced D&D rulebooks. I say this because the whole experience point system has gone through a major overhaul in the last few editions. The focus shifted from kill scores in the form of experience points to simply, experience in 5E. (IMO, XP in 4E was 5E beta. I’m probably alone in that opinion.) The experience of playing at the Table became the new focus, and TBH, I like that; it’s what drew me to D&D in the first place. Friends gather, catch up, track down that deranged demon or bitter dwarf then serve it justice.
On that note, I award experience points like this: End-of-combat XP; Avoid Combat XP (this means you had second thoughts about rolling initiative with a creature(s) you knew you couldn’t beat. This is not awarded for a story villain); Ability Use XP (this means you applied a skill or class feature/ability particularly well to a combat-related or noncombat encounter, enhancing or influencing the story); First Use XP (this is usually reserved for sentient weapons, and sometimes a polymorph potion. In the latter situation, think Hermoine Granger and her clever use of the polyjuice to sneak around Hogwarts and then again later at the Ministry of Magic); Milestone XP; MVP XP (awarded at the end of an official session for being the Most Valuable Player); and, Roleplaying XP.
End-of-combat XP is calculated at the standard CR and divided evenly among the characters. This means, all characters, even if a player is absent. It is presumed the party is traveling together and so everyone should reap the rewards.
Avoid Combat XP is calculated at the standard CR, but the reward is 10 percent. Hey, so you didn’t kill that adult red dragon. Knowing when to flee is about self-preservation. Not wanting to get obliterated is good enough for me! But then again, try not to make it a habit of retreating from EVERY monster you encounter. Word travels fast in Faerûn. You don’t want to be THOSE heroes that run at the sight of a monarch butterfly. Avoid Combat XP is not awarded for wandering encounters. Notice I didn’t say random encounters. A wandering encounter is often part of the scenery and not part of the wilderness/city population, unless the adventure specifies.
Ability Use XP is awarded according to the DC. 10 XP for a DC 10 or lower; 15 XP for a DC 11-15; 20 XP for a DC 16-20; and 25 XP for a DC 21+. You may ask why is this award so low? You can earn this multiple times throughout an adventure. Combat exhausts resources, often requiring a long rest before the party can proceed. Still, Ability Use XP is not handed out like a bag of jellybeans. You should earn it.
First Use XP is 250 XP. Only a brave, or perhaps foolish, adventurer makes contact with a sentient item. Are you at odds with the disembodied voice now? Yeah? Hearing a strange voice in your head whenever and only when you grasp that broom? 250 XP seems a paltry sum for having to deal with that pest daily at dawn, wanting you to sweep the tavern floors until those 50-year-old floorboards are spotless! Then again, maybe your character likes to sweep—it’s therapeutic. Your fey chakra centers.
MVP XP is 100 XP, awarded at the end of an official session, or the conclusion of an adventure, whichever comes first. Each player casts a vote. The discussion is public. Getting the reward is great, but hearing your fellow players’ praise is priceless.
Milestone XP is linked directly to the character with the least XP, accounting and adjusting for absences. What I’ll do is subtract that character’s XP from the XP needed for the next level then award each character those experience points. Don’t overthink this. Experience points awards fluctuate. On some days a particular character seems to have the gift of rolls, racking up Nat 20s like a phenom, earning individual awards like that guy at the fair who walks away, arms loaded, with giant stuffed animals. Everyone will have a chance to shine. That’s where Roleplaying XP comes into play.
Roleplaying XP is determined by how well you played your character. Did you craft your character’s dialogue with flare or racial syntax? Did you play your character consistently, adhering to your character’s motives, flaws, or beliefs? How about strategy? Did you present a compelling argument to an NPC in which you changed his/her mind about proceeding with a plan? This XP is subjective. I don’t have it codified. But for starters, 10-25 XP is a nice way to reward you for letting us enjoy your character right along with you. Of course, the reward can be higher, but then so must be the stakes.
Thank you. I try to be fair. Some players have the rules memorized page, paragraph, line. And some players prefer to RP. It's a compilation of several different Table groups.
So who all is in the party, I had posted on the original post. Also what do we need class-wise to flush out the team?
Should we roll for hit points or used fixed?
This is always a tough question. So much is dependent on having good HP...
For Level 1, of course, start with the maximum permitted by your hit dice.
If we used fixed, over time the average evens out if you have a decent Con mod. If a character has a normal or negative Con mod HP isn't necessarily an asset.
Cath Redaxe checking in. Male Dwarf fighter
I'm going to use a home-brew rule. Roll your hit dice. If you roll a 1 or 2, re-roll.
KK my character is Norvalor Half Elf/ Warlock
Rolling HP for level 2:5
Mine is a human variant fighter
HP for level 2 roll: 8
reroll: 9
"Lord Arunduil will bring death to us all"
Arutha Lvl.2 Human Fighter: Arsenal of the Orc Lord
Milamber Lvl.1 Human Sorcerer: Curse of Strahd
Masque: Lvl.5 Gith Cleric: Age of Death
DM: League of Improbable Adventurers: Chapter 1 of Arunduil's Bane
Gramdal Hammerstone
Dwarf Rogue HP level 2: 5
Reroll: 2
HP level 2 9
My character is Sergeant John Cooper, He is a Ranger Rifleman HP: 12, AC: 13, human, and former soldier. Level 1 Lawful Neutral.
Just saw you wanted us to reply here. My character is Ototh, High Elf Wizard. HP 9, AC: 14 (for lvl 1)
Advance your character to Level 2, please and thank you.
Hey sorry I'm late. minor trouble at home.
Fixed. HP: 14 AC: 12 (Level 2)
Go on without me Comcast is playing games with my internet. Sorry for the trouble
Some of you have asked about XP... :D
Experience Points
Right after, When are we getting magic items, I am usually asked, Milestone XP or Individual XP? I have been a DM for more than 30 years. I started playing D&D when the Basic Boxed Set was released, bought the Expert, Masters, and then Immortal rules boxed sets, and then bought the Advanced D&D rulebooks. I say this because the whole experience point system has gone through a major overhaul in the last few editions. The focus shifted from kill scores in the form of experience points to simply, experience in 5E. (IMO, XP in 4E was 5E beta. I’m probably alone in that opinion.) The experience of playing at the Table became the new focus, and TBH, I like that; it’s what drew me to D&D in the first place. Friends gather, catch up, track down that deranged demon or bitter dwarf then serve it justice.
On that note, I award experience points like this: End-of-combat XP; Avoid Combat XP (this means you had second thoughts about rolling initiative with a creature(s) you knew you couldn’t beat. This is not awarded for a story villain); Ability Use XP (this means you applied a skill or class feature/ability particularly well to a combat-related or noncombat encounter, enhancing or influencing the story); First Use XP (this is usually reserved for sentient weapons, and sometimes a polymorph potion. In the latter situation, think Hermoine Granger and her clever use of the polyjuice to sneak around Hogwarts and then again later at the Ministry of Magic); Milestone XP; MVP XP (awarded at the end of an official session for being the Most Valuable Player); and, Roleplaying XP.
End-of-combat XP is calculated at the standard CR and divided evenly among the characters. This means, all characters, even if a player is absent. It is presumed the party is traveling together and so everyone should reap the rewards.
Avoid Combat XP is calculated at the standard CR, but the reward is 10 percent. Hey, so you didn’t kill that adult red dragon. Knowing when to flee is about self-preservation. Not wanting to get obliterated is good enough for me! But then again, try not to make it a habit of retreating from EVERY monster you encounter. Word travels fast in Faerûn. You don’t want to be THOSE heroes that run at the sight of a monarch butterfly. Avoid Combat XP is not awarded for wandering encounters. Notice I didn’t say random encounters. A wandering encounter is often part of the scenery and not part of the wilderness/city population, unless the adventure specifies.
Ability Use XP is awarded according to the DC. 10 XP for a DC 10 or lower; 15 XP for a DC 11-15; 20 XP for a DC 16-20; and 25 XP for a DC 21+. You may ask why is this award so low? You can earn this multiple times throughout an adventure. Combat exhausts resources, often requiring a long rest before the party can proceed. Still, Ability Use XP is not handed out like a bag of jellybeans. You should earn it.
First Use XP is 250 XP. Only a brave, or perhaps foolish, adventurer makes contact with a sentient item. Are you at odds with the disembodied voice now? Yeah? Hearing a strange voice in your head whenever and only when you grasp that broom? 250 XP seems a paltry sum for having to deal with that pest daily at dawn, wanting you to sweep the tavern floors until those 50-year-old floorboards are spotless! Then again, maybe your character likes to sweep—it’s therapeutic. Your fey chakra centers.
MVP XP is 100 XP, awarded at the end of an official session, or the conclusion of an adventure, whichever comes first. Each player casts a vote. The discussion is public. Getting the reward is great, but hearing your fellow players’ praise is priceless.
Milestone XP is linked directly to the character with the least XP, accounting and adjusting for absences. What I’ll do is subtract that character’s XP from the XP needed for the next level then award each character those experience points. Don’t overthink this. Experience points awards fluctuate. On some days a particular character seems to have the gift of rolls, racking up Nat 20s like a phenom, earning individual awards like that guy at the fair who walks away, arms loaded, with giant stuffed animals. Everyone will have a chance to shine. That’s where Roleplaying XP comes into play.
Roleplaying XP is determined by how well you played your character. Did you craft your character’s dialogue with flare or racial syntax? Did you play your character consistently, adhering to your character’s motives, flaws, or beliefs? How about strategy? Did you present a compelling argument to an NPC in which you changed his/her mind about proceeding with a plan? This XP is subjective. I don’t have it codified. But for starters, 10-25 XP is a nice way to reward you for letting us enjoy your character right along with you. Of course, the reward can be higher, but then so must be the stakes.
That is very comprehensive. I like it
"Lord Arunduil will bring death to us all"
Arutha Lvl.2 Human Fighter: Arsenal of the Orc Lord
Milamber Lvl.1 Human Sorcerer: Curse of Strahd
Masque: Lvl.5 Gith Cleric: Age of Death
DM: League of Improbable Adventurers: Chapter 1 of Arunduil's Bane
Thank you. I try to be fair. Some players have the rules memorized page, paragraph, line. And some players prefer to RP. It's a compilation of several different Table groups.