VARIABLE HP FOR MONSTERS IN D&D 5E

 

While I prefer standard, fixed characteristics for Player Characters, I actually want some level of random variability in creatures found in the Monster Manual and other similar books, plus their NPC types. As such, I have reconfigured my monsters to have three listed HP totals: minimum, default and maximum.

Each represents a possible state for said monster:

MInimum = minion, mook, weak by nature and/or previously injured or depleted in some way.

Default = monster as presented, typical specimen of that type.

Maximum = boss creature, at the height of its power and abilities.

So then, how to apply this in practice?

1. Roll DF: +maximum, [blank] default, -minimum.

2. Designate by narrative role: as suggested above, a leader-type maximum, standard troops default, waves of minions/mooks minimum.

3. Determine their hardiness inside a battle to adjust their challenge to the players on the fly. Add damage to the first threshold. Are the players breezing through the encounter? Aim in direction of maximum HP. Handling it with some effort involved? Aim in direction of default HP. Really struggling, in danger of TPK? Aim in direction of minimum. And yes, it's a kind of fudging -- but more productive and defensible (I think) than fudging actual die rolls.

4. Or in a dungeon setting for example, if the party is to defeat and the monsters repopulate, rinse and repeat: start at maximum for the monster group, the second time have them operate at default, third and final/subsequent repopulation(s) minimum.

Here are some examples by CR:

Myconid Sprout (CR 0, 2D6): 2, 7, 12

Kobold (CR 1/8, 2D6-2): 1, 5, 10

Kuo-Toa (CR 1/4, 4D8): 4, 18, 32

Lizardfolk (CR 1/2, 4D8+4): 8, 22, 36

Bugbear (CR 1, 5D8+5): 10, 27, 45

Wererat (CR 2, 6d8 + 6): 12, 33, 54

Owlbear (CR 3, 7D10+21): 28, 59, 91

Succubus (CR 4, 12d8+12): 24, 66, 108

And so on . . . As for CR, I don't personally change mine on the theory that it all averages out in the end. However, you would certainly be justified in increasing or decreasing it by one step if you wished.

Of course, YMMV.