Hit points

Hit Points (or HP) is a number representing a creature's life force, or an object's structural integrity. It indicates how much damage you or party members can take before being Downed, and how much damage creatures and items can take before being killed or destroyed.

Taking damage affects how injured your character appears, with more cuts and bruises appearing as HP percentage drops.

A character's Hit Point maximum is primarily determined by their Class. Martial classes have more, and spellcasters less.

• Barbarians start with 12 HP and gain +7 with every level up.
• Fighters, Paladins and Rangers start with 10 HP and gain +6 with every level up.
• Bards, Clerics, Druids, Monks, Rogues and Warlocks start with 8 HP and gain +5 with every level up.
• Sorcerers and Wizards start with 6 HP and gain +4 with every level up.

A character's Constitution modifier also affects their Hit Point maximum. At first level, and at every level thereafter, the character's Hit Point maximum increases by this value (or decreases, if the character's Constitution is less than 10).

For example, a level 1 Fighter with a Constitution of 15 has a Constitution modifier of +2, and therefore a Hit Point maximum of 10 + 2 = 12 HP. At level 2, this increases by 6 + 2 (from the Fighter and Constitution bonuses, respectively) for a total of 12 + 6 + 2 = 20 HP. At level 3, it increases by +8 again to 28 HP.

By contrast, a level 1 Wizard with a Constitution of 8 has a Constitution modifier of -1, so their starting Hit Point maximum is only 6 - 1 = 5 HP. At level 2, it increases by 4 - 1 = 3, for a total of 8 HP. At level 3, it's another +3, up to 11 HP.

Changing the maximum

There are several ways that this basic Hit Point maximum can change:

• If a character's Constitution modifier changes, it changes the Hit Point maximum retroactively, as though they'd had this modifier from level 1.
  • For example, take the level 3 Fighter from above, with a Hit Point maximum of 28 HP. When they reach level 4, they would normally add another +8 HP, for a total of 36 HP max. But say they take Ability Improvement as their Feat and increase their Constitution by 2, to 17. Now their Constitution modifier is +3, and their new Hit Point maximum is (10 + 3) + (6 + 3) + (6 + 3) + (6 + 3) = 40 HP.

    At the same time, our Wizard takes the Elemental Adept Feat, so they gain their normal +3 HP, for a maximum of only 14 HP - barely a third of what the Fighter has at the same level!

  • This also applies to temporary Constitution adjustments, like those granted by spells or items.
• Some spells adjust a target's Hit Point maximum - Aid increases it, while Harm decreases it.
• Some abilities add additional bonuses. For example, both Dwarven Toughness and Draconic Resilience increase the Hit Point maximum by 1 HP per level.
• Other conditions may also affect the Hit Point maximum, like Thoroughly Stuffed, which adds 12.

At level 10, Necromancy School Wizards gain Inured to Undeath and cannot have their Hit Point maximum reduced.

Going below 0 HP

Characters cannot have fewer than zero Hit Points, or more than their Hit Point maximum.

Temporary Hit Points are not the same as Hit Points. They are a separate pool, and gaining or losing Temporary Hit Points does not affect your Hit Points or your Hit Point maximum.

Temporary Hit Points

Temporary Hit Points are additional Hit Points that are lost before your base Hit Points.

You can only have one set of Temporary Hit Points at a time, and healing can't restore them. A second source of Temporary Hit Points will overwrite the first if the second gives more Temporary Hit Points than the first source's initial value, regardless of how much of that initial value remains.

Example: Level 1 Heroism applies 5 Temporary Hit Points when cast, and again each turn until it expires; and Level 1 False Life gives a one-time 7 Temporary Hit Points. If you have Heroism on you, and then you use False Life, you will have 7 Temporary Hit Points instead of 5. If you take 4 damage, you will have 4/7 Temporary Hit Points, but Heroism's 5 will still not overwrite that, neither through its per-turn applications, nor if you receive another casting of Heroism. However, if you lose that remaining 4/7 Temporary Hit Points, the next per-turn application of Heroism (if it's still active) will give you 5/5 Temporary Hit Points.

Taking damage to your Temporary Hit Points will still cause a Concentration check (when Concentrating), even if the damage doesn't overflow into your base Hit Points.

Temporary Hit Points do not remove Downed and disappear after a Long Rest.