Whats the deal with leveling up?

Every time I level up, I have to reload a bunch of times to get more than 1 hp. Sometimes Im lucky enough to get 2 skill points with the 1 hp, so I keep it. Some of my guys have horrible HP due to this. Is there any way to boost it or do you just have to keep reloading?

[Sazerac]

At each level up, the total HP for the character is recalculated from the ground up for the current level. If the re-roll is less than the current HP, the character only gets 1 HP increase.

There's been a lot of discussion about whether to reload or not reload to get better stats. In the long run, it doesn't pay off, because the law of averages kicks in and if you have a character with HP on the high side, you'll consistently get 1 HP per level after about Level 8 or 9. However, I've found that HP isn't as important in this game as it is in other games, except at the very beginning.

A workaround: If you're not playing with the patch and you don't mind cheating a bit (and this isn't cheating as much as it is bug exploitation; I consider "cheating" to be when a person hacks a file): Have one of your characters with Vine magic get the Toughen spell, then cast "Toughen" on your characters outside a city gate. Enter the city, then exit again. The HP increase (10 per spell, cumulative) will be permanent. Repeat until your characters are at the HP level you wish them to be.

HP rolls are a determination of both Fortitude and Role. Race has little if anything to do with it, from what I can tell. Barbarians have the highest HP increases per level, adjusted slightly by their fortitude (you're more likely to get high increases with Fortitude >14 than otherwise); however, I think Role is the greater determinant of how much HP you get per level.

-Sazerac