Hit points

See also: Healing

Hit points (or HP), given in numbers, represent a creature's life force, or an object's structural integrity. For creatures, they indicate how much damage can be taken before being  Downed. For items, hit points show how much damage can be taken before being destroyed.

Taking damage reduces current hit points and affects how injured a character appears, with more bruises appearing as HP percentage drops. Lost hit points are restored by healing or resting.

Determining a character's hit points

A character's hit point maximum is primarily determined by their class. Martial classes have more – 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 every level thereafter, their Hit Point maximum increases by this value (or decreases, if their Constitution is less than 10).

Examples:

• 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 8: 6 from the Fighter increase and 2 from their Constitution bonus, for a total of (10 + 2) and (6 + 2) = 20 HP. At level 3, it increases by 8 again to 28 HP.
• 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 increases by another 3, a total now up to 11 HP.

Changing the maximum

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

Constitution Modifier changes

If a character's  Constitution modifier changes, it changes their Hit Point maximum retroactively, as though they had this modifier from the start, at 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 normally add another 8 HP, for a total of 36 HP max. If they take Ability Improvement as their Feat it 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, the  Wizard takes the Elemental Adept Feat. They gain their normal +3 HP, for a maximum of only 14 HP, barely a third of what the Fighter now has at the same level.

This also applies to permanent or temporary Constitution adjustments, such as those granted by spells or items.

Spells & Conditions

•  Aid: Hit points maximum is increased by 5⁠⁠Hit Points + 5⁠⁠Hit Points for every Spell Slot Level above 2 used.
•  Thoroughly Stuffed: Affected party members' maximum Hit Points are increased by 12.
•  Harm: Affected entity's maximum Hit Points are reduced by the damage inflicted by the  Harm spell (14d6⁠⁠Necrotic).

Passive features

•  Dwarven Toughness, a passive feature for  Gold Dwarves which increases their maximum Hit Points by 1 per level.
•  Draconic Resilience, a passive feature for the  Draconic Bloodline subclass which increase their Hit Points by 1 per  Sorcerer level.
•  Inured to Undeath, a level 10  Necromancy School wizard passive feature which prevents maximum Hit Points from being reduced.

Going below 0 HP

Creatures cannot have fewer than zero hit points, or more than their Hit Point maximum.

Temporary vs. Maximum hit points

Temporary hit points are not governed in the same way as regular (or base) hit points; they are a separate pool and are applied last. Thus, gaining or losing temporary hit points does not affect a crearure's base hit points or their hit point maximum, though temporary hit points typically increase their total hit points for a time.

For example, if a creature has 24 base hit points and receives 7 temporary hit points, their total hit points are now 31. If they suffer 14 hit points of damage and are fully healed, their total hit points are 24, because the additional 7 were temporary. Conversely, if a party member has 80 hit points are receives 12 more from  Thoroughly Stuffed, their total hit points are now 92, where the additional 12 are a part of their maximum hit points (until the next long rest). If this character suffers 14 hit points of damage and is later fully healed, their hit point total remains 92, because the additional 12 hitpoints from  Thoroughly Stuffed are added to their maximum and are not temporary in nature like those added from  False Life.

Finally, if a character has 80 hit points, receives  Thoroughly Stuffed and then casts  False Life at spell slot level 1, their hit points are 80 + 12 + 7, for a total of 99.

The mechanics of temporary hit points are explained below.

Temporary hit points

Temporary hit points are additional Hit Points which are lost before base hit points. They are added to a crearure's hit point total, but not their maximum hit points, as explained above. Temporary hit points can be obtained from a variety of spells and effects.

As an example, False Life cast with a level 1 slot gives the caster 7 temporary hit points. Damage they suffer from any source comes out of this pool first. Once all 7 temporary HP are gone, any remaining damage overflows to their base hit points as normal. In this instance, if a wizard has cast False Life and then suffers 4 damage, they have 3 temporary HP remaining. If they suffer another 5 damage, they lose the remaining temporary Hit Points, and the leftover 2 damage is applied against their regular (base) hit points.

Creatures can only have one set of temporary hit points at a time; healing does not restore them.

While concentrating, damage applied to a creature's temporary hit points still causes a Concentration check, even if it does not overflow to their base hit points.

Temporary hit points do not remove  Downed, and disappear after a long rest if not removed earlier.

Stacking temporary hit points

Temporary hit points do not combine as one might otherwise expect. Usually, casting a spell which grants a second instance of temporary hit points ability overrides the existing one, regardless of whether the new amount is greater or lesser than the first. For example, if False Life is cast with a level 1 slot, 7 temporary hit points are gained. If the caster then steps on a trap and lose 5 of them, they still have 2 left. If they cast False Life again, their remaining temporary hit points (2) are replaced with a new application of 7. As the existing temporary hit point pool is replaced, not added to, they end up with 7, not (2 + 7) 9.

Conversely, casting Armour of Agathys at level 3 grants 15 temporary HP. These override the existing 7, and are not added to them.