Posted September 24, 2015
Because I feel like it, I decided to do a comparison of the maximum HP of various set-ups in Curse of the Azure Bonds, mainly because the game's level cap is in a weird spot, and the quirks of the rules for HP come into play.
Anyway, here are some calculations, assuming max stats and max HP rolls:
Dwarf fighter: 9 * 15 = 135
Human fighter: 9 * 14 + 9 = 135 (same as Dwarf fighter, due to the higher level cap)
Human ranger: 11 * 12 + 2 = 134 (barely worse than a fighter, despite the lower level cap)
(Dwarf fighter with racial cap removed would get 144.)
Notice that, because of the racial level cap, dwarves lose their high HP (from constitution) advantage by the end of the game.
If we dual class at the right time, we can do even better:
Human fighter 9/Thief 12: 9 * 14 + 1 * 8 + 4 = 138 (beats single class fighter!)
Human fighter 9/mage 11: 9 * 14 + 2 * 6 = 138 (same as figher/thief)
Human fighter 9/ranger 11: 9 * 14 + 1 * 12 + 2 = 140 (highest possible here)
Human ranger 10/mage 11: 11 * 12 + 1 * 6 = 138
Human ranger 10/thief 12: 11 * 12 + 2 * 2 = 136
Human ranger 10/fighter 12: 11 * 12 + 3 * 2 = 138
In other words, dual class characters, with maximum HP rolls, end up with more HP than single class fighters, interestingly enough, provided you don't dual class into Cleric (who only get 9 hit dice like fighters, only 2 HP/level past that, and are capped at level 10). This unusual behavior happens because classes that otherwise get lower HP end up getting more Hit Dice.
Multi-class characters have to average the hit dice from their classes and end up with worse HP as a result.
If we use average HP instead of maximum HP, we basically need to subtract 4.5 * 9 = 40,5 from the fighter examples and 3.5 * 11 = 39.5 from the ranger examples; in other words, rangers now have an HP advantage (by 1 HP) over fighters. This would also hurt the ones who dual class into mages, making ranger/thief get slightly more HP than ranger/mage (since those last two thief levels aren't affected by HP rolls).
One note: One player reports that ranger/fighter dual classers who change before level 15 never get the second half-attack later in the series so beware of that.
Anyway, here are some calculations, assuming max stats and max HP rolls:
Dwarf fighter: 9 * 15 = 135
Human fighter: 9 * 14 + 9 = 135 (same as Dwarf fighter, due to the higher level cap)
Human ranger: 11 * 12 + 2 = 134 (barely worse than a fighter, despite the lower level cap)
(Dwarf fighter with racial cap removed would get 144.)
Notice that, because of the racial level cap, dwarves lose their high HP (from constitution) advantage by the end of the game.
If we dual class at the right time, we can do even better:
Human fighter 9/Thief 12: 9 * 14 + 1 * 8 + 4 = 138 (beats single class fighter!)
Human fighter 9/mage 11: 9 * 14 + 2 * 6 = 138 (same as figher/thief)
Human fighter 9/ranger 11: 9 * 14 + 1 * 12 + 2 = 140 (highest possible here)
Human ranger 10/mage 11: 11 * 12 + 1 * 6 = 138
Human ranger 10/thief 12: 11 * 12 + 2 * 2 = 136
Human ranger 10/fighter 12: 11 * 12 + 3 * 2 = 138
In other words, dual class characters, with maximum HP rolls, end up with more HP than single class fighters, interestingly enough, provided you don't dual class into Cleric (who only get 9 hit dice like fighters, only 2 HP/level past that, and are capped at level 10). This unusual behavior happens because classes that otherwise get lower HP end up getting more Hit Dice.
Multi-class characters have to average the hit dice from their classes and end up with worse HP as a result.
If we use average HP instead of maximum HP, we basically need to subtract 4.5 * 9 = 40,5 from the fighter examples and 3.5 * 11 = 39.5 from the ranger examples; in other words, rangers now have an HP advantage (by 1 HP) over fighters. This would also hurt the ones who dual class into mages, making ranger/thief get slightly more HP than ranger/mage (since those last two thief levels aren't affected by HP rolls).
One note: One player reports that ranger/fighter dual classers who change before level 15 never get the second half-attack later in the series so beware of that.