Niche D20By default in Niche D20 a character calculates their starting hit points using the their hit dice’s average(rounded up) value + 10 + their Endurance modifier at 1st level; with levels beyond first it is suggested to do average(rounded up) being added to that value each level.
Some groups may wish to adjust the difficulty or even pace of the game by using other styles of hit point progression. These are briefly mentioned in the Character Creation section, but are talked about further in detail here.
Table- Hit Dice Values:
| Hit Die | Average(Rounded Up) | Average | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| d8 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| d10 | 6 | 5 | 10 |
| d12 | 7 | 6 | 12 |
Average Rounded Down
Similar to the base system instead of average rounded up, you instead round down resulting in slightly less hit points per level. Refer to the Average column in the Hit Dice Values table for the rounded down values.
Maximum
Maximum simply increases all hit point values to their maximum value for the hit dice. Meaning a D8 will always grant 8 hit points (before other modifiers). It is usually recommended to apply this to enemies and creatures rather than just player characters to make this equal; as applied to players only can created a very one-sided feeling for the campaign. This creates a general cushion of hit points for all players and creatures to further ensure general safety from unlucky dice rolls and critical; but can also serve as a tool to further extend encounters if the number of rounds feels too low; this can be generally useful for players who like to have more setup in combat or wish to use more utility spells in combat rather than attempting to throw more damage at the problem.
Rolled
Rolled simply rolls the hit dice for a completely random experience. This can add some extra tension and excitement when leveling characters as each character can have a more random element applied to them that may not be able to be properly planned for.
This is usually recommended for groups that do not mind unlucky rolls, as enough bad rolls especially early on can feel somewhat devastating for a character. While in the long run it is assumed a character’s hit points should hit average, anything could happen, and the road from the first level to last can be a long one.
Gritty
This is a special rule in which this can be applied to all other hit point rules, but in addition all hit dice are reduced by one size. D8 becomes D6, D10 becomes D8, and D12 becomes d10. This is recommended if the group feels the hit point values are too high and they wish to create greater risk and tension in combat. It is recommended to keep to base 10 extra hit points all characters gain at 1st to help first level characters from being as easily killed at those more vulnerable levels.