Dimirag, who has always had good advice and constructive criticism, noted that the Hit Die spread for classes in Heroes & Hexes feels somewhat uneven. As it is now, the Hit Die types for each class are:

Barbarians: d12

Cleric, druids, and bards: d8

Fighters, rangers, and paladins: d10

Magic-user: d4

Monks: d8

Thieves and assassins: d8

The lack of a d6 Hit Die type does seem a bit off to me and has been the source of an ongoing debate in my head. I boosted the HPs for thieves and assassins because, in just about every game that I’ve played in over the past 25 years, rogues have been expected to join in melee combat… dipping in and out while dealing decent damage.

As a result, I boosted their HD type to a d8; matching that of most other classes and monsters; reflecting that they have some martial prowess. The same goes for every other class with that “average” Hit Die Type… bards, clerics, druid, and monks.

That leaves me with 3 solutions, which I wanted to run past you all and get your feedback on:

1] Boost magic-users to a d6 HD. This still makes them the least hardy the classes and reflects their poor martial training; as their HD type is still lower than that of all other classes and most of their monstrous foes. This is the easiest solution but pushes the game further into modern D&D/Pathfinder territory. It also gives the HD types a better symmetry (d6 for magic-users, d8 for clerics, monks, and thieves, d10 for fighters, and d12 for barbarians).

2] Drop thieves and assassins back to a d6 HD. They had that in every version from AD&D through 3.5 and were fine in melee, as long as they just were careful and didn’t go toe-to-toe with heavier hitters. This solution pushes the game back toward its AD&D through 3rd edition roots. I’m leaning towards this even though I feel that thieves should have the same HD type as clerics.

3] Give clerics and druids, who are both full spellcasters, a d6 HD. From a rules-balance perspective, this makes the most sense. I could also grant clerics with more martial domains a d8 HD or +1 Hit Point/level (which is effectively the same thing). This solution is the most unorthodox but makes sense. Bards would retain their d8 HD because they are not full spellcasters. If I revamped them, making them full casters, they’d also get a d6 HD but lose Bardic Music and gain access to spells that mimic that ability.

So… what say you all?

I haven’t posted much here lately but it’s for a good reason. I’ve been looking over my Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monstrous Manual and making minor changes as I move towards stripping out WotC’s IP.

The first step is a minor one: changing the name to Heroes & Hexes, swapping Dungeon Master for Gamemaster, making corrections and clarifications, and (in some instances) tweaking the rules to add flexibility, options, and challenges.

The first book, the Player’s Handbook, has the following changes:

• The term “race” was changed to “ancestry.” It sounds more like a fantasy term and is, strictly speaking, more accurate.
• Proficiency bonus progression has been slightly improved, with the proficiency bonus now being equal to a creature’s level or Hit Dice divided by two, rounding up fractions.
• Each ancestry still has preferred classes but, now, advancing in a preferred class grants a character 1 bonus Hit Point per level.
• Each ancestry is slightly tweaked. Dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings now gain proficiency with weapons commonly used by their people. Forest gnomes have been added. Half-elves and half-orcs both gain 1 bonus skill at character creation. Half-orcs’ ability adjustments now match those in AD&D.
• Generally, class abilities have been edited for clarity.
• Assassins’ Backstab and Killing Strike abilities have been clarified with regards to concealment and range.
• Bardic Music has been simplified and cleaned up.
• The Saving Throw bonuses granted by class abilities such as Battle Frenzy and Danger Sense have been slightly reduced from a maximum of +5 to a maximum of +4.
• Clerics with the Law domain now gain the newly added Investigation skill.
• Fighters are now more customizable, gaining a Fighting Style at levels 2 and 10. This allows for the creation of a wider range of fighter-types, such as archers and duelists.
• Magic-Users gain the Arcane Recovery ability at 2nd level. This allows them to regain all expended cantrips, as well a number of spell levels equal to 1/2 of their magic-user level. They must rest and study their spell book for an hour in order to regain these spells.
• Paladins may now expend Hit Points from their Lay on Hands ability to damage undead and creatures native to the Lower Planes. This Smite Evil ability only applies to melee attacks.
• Rangers may now choose their Favored Enemies and, at higher levels, gain additional Favored Enemies.
• Thieves’ Backstab and Sneak Attack abilities have been clarified with regards to concealment and range.
• Starting skills are more clearly delineated at the beginning of the Skills section.
• Investigation has been added as a skill. Perception reflects how sharp a character’s senses are. Investigate represents a character’s ability to search for clues and use deductive reasoning.
• Item Saving Throws were a mess. I’ve improved those rules and made them much clearer.
• Rules for light, cover, and concealment have been updated and clarified.
• Hex and Elemental Bolt have been added (re-added in the case of Elemental Bolt) as magic-user cantrips.
• Spells have been slightly edited for clarity in some instances.

Please check out the PDF for it below and let me know what you think: