Topic: Questions about hit point calculation

[runequester]

So my base hit total is CON/10+D8 or D10 per rank in body development.

If I have a CON bonus, I get that as a percentage of the BHT on top.


Now questions:

Does the CON bonus let me exceed my racial max hit points?

When are the bonus hits for my profession factored in? (f.x. the chart in the experience chapter says a fighter gets +3 HP per rank of body development)
Is this bonus to the Base Hit Total (and thus cannot exceed racial maximum) or is it to the total HP ?

If the latter, is it factored before or after the CON percentage bonus?

[Fornitus]

 Bonus hits are factored in in BHT once per level with the rolled HPs.
 
 I beleive in Char/Comp II the max TH for a character is the racial max PLUS the characters total constitution bonus.

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

You could always use the RMX variant of Body Development....

Base Hits == 20% Racial Max
Hits per Rank == 1/2 hit die + 1 (i.e. a d8 = 5 hits per rank, and a d10 gives 6 hits per rank)
Con bonus is a straight add to Body Development, and hits may exceed racial max by Con Bonus.

It gives a few extra hits starting off (increasing longevity and survival of low level characters), removes the random factor of dice rolling, and keeps things very simple math-wise, always a plus.
 

[runequester]

I might, but I'd like to figure out how its supposed to work, before I tweak anything

[Hurin]

Does the CON bonus let me exceed my racial max hit points?

Yes. Your max hits would be your racial max + a percentage of your max equal to your con bonus. So, if your racial max was 150 and you had a con bonus of +10, your personal max would be 150 + 15 = 165.

When are the bonus hits for my profession factored in? (f.x. the chart in the experience chapter says a fighter gets +3 HP per rank of body development)
Is this bonus to the Base Hit Total (and thus cannot exceed racial maximum) or is it to the total HP ?

If the latter, is it factored before or after the CON percentage bonus?

The bonus (+3 per level) is factored in as additional base hit points. These therefore do not allow you to exceed your racial max. It just lets you get to your max faster.

At least, that's the way I've read it.

Cheers

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

I might, but I'd like to figure out how its supposed to work, before I tweak anything

Okay, Joe the High Man Fighter has a Constitution stat of 90. This gives him a total stat bonus of +20 (+10 from stat, +10 from race). High Men have a racial max of 150 hits, and use a d10 for hit dice.

Joe is first level and has maxed out his ranks of Body Development and so has 4 ranks. His rolls for each of those 4 ranks are as follows: 9, 6, 4, & 2.


Core rules

1) Base Hit Total: We start with 10% of Constitution. That is a 90, so 10% of it equals 9 BHT.

2) Hits from Ranks: Next, we add in the hits from the ranks to the Base Hits: 9 (original Base hits) + 9 + 6 + 4 + 2 = 30. BHT cannot exceed the racial max for hits (in the case of the High Man, they cannot exceed 150 hits)

3) Total Concussion Hits: Use the following formula to figure a Character's Total Concussion Hits

BHT + (BHT x (Con Bonus/100))
30 + (30 x (20/100))
30 + (30 x 0.2)
30 + 6
36

Level Bonuses -- Hurin makes mention of level bonuses. The core rules do NOT give anybody a level bonus to hits. However, there are 2 different level bonus options that do provide bonuses to Body Development. In those cases, he is correct that the level bonuses are added in to the BHT, and that the BHT still cannot exceed the racial max.


RMX Option

Using Joe the Fighter again, with the same stats, and same number of ranks in Body Development. We would figure his hit points as follows:

1) Base Hits = 20% of racial max. For High Men, racial max is 150 points. 10% of that is 15, so 20% would be 30 hits.

2) Hits from Ranks: Since the High Man uses a d10, that means that his hits per rank would be 6 (10/2 = 5 + 1 = 6), and since he has 4 ranks, 6 x 4 = 24.

Hits from Ranks and Base Hits totaled are not allowed to exceed the racial max. If using any level bonus options that give points to Body Development, those would just be added, but they would also count against reaching the racial max as well.

3) Con Bonus: Using these rules, his Con bonus is added straight to the total.

4) Figuring Total Hits: use the following formula

Total Hits = Base Hits + Hits from Ranks + Con Bonus
Total Hits = 30 + 24 + 20
Total Hits = 74

[Hurin]

Well, good to know I had most of it right

The level bonuses for profession are in the optional rules of Character Law (RM2, section 14), together with things like secondary skills, just so you know. We've always played with secondary skills and level bonuses, so I just assumed it was part of the core rules, but you're right... it is part of the optional rules in ChL.

Cheers

[Nejira]

Now we are on the subject, why a max on hits?

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

Now we are on the subject, why a max on hits?

Because, regardless of how good of a condition you are in, the body can only take so much damage before it stops.

[Hurin]

I think it's more realistic and in general a good idea to have a racial max to hits.

Not only for the fact that Rasyr mentioned, but also for game balance. If characters keep going up in hits every level ad infinitum, then eventually higher level characters become almost immune to lower level characters. Of course, yes, there are always criticals, but look at what happens in DnD... a 10th level Fighter is pretty much immune to anything a first level character can do because he just has too many hits. He literally cannot be killed by a lucky initial shot, because it simply can't do enough damage to take him out. This is not really very realistic... in real life, anything can happen. So I think the idea of a maximum helps to make it so that no matter how powerful you get, your adrenaline is always going to start flowing when you get into combat, no matter how low level your opponents are.

So ultimately, it comes down to questions of realism and game balance.

Just my 2 cents.

[pastaav]

Now we are on the subject, why a max on hits?

Because the random gain in Concussion hits is a game design that gives a too large random variations between characters. The RM designers needed to add a little rule by exception to keep the game playable at high levels.