Player's Handbook · 5th Edition
How to Calculate HP in D&D 5e
Hit points (HP) represent how much punishment your character can take before falling unconscious or dying. This guide walks through the official Dungeons & Dragons 5e rules for building your HP total from level, class hit dice, Constitution, and common bonuses like the Tough feat and Hill Dwarf traits—so you can verify numbers at the table or with a calculator.
The math: first level vs. later levels
In 5e, you do not add hit dice the same way at every level. Your first character level uses the maximum value of your class hit die. Each additional level uses either a rolled die or the fixed "average" value printed in the class description—then you add your Constitution modifier every time you gain a level.
Level 1: maximum hit die
At 1st level, you start with hit points equal to the highest number on your class hit die (for example, 12 for a d12, 6 for a d6) plus your Constitution modifier. There is no rolling for HP at 1st level in the standard rule: you always take the max die.
HP at level 1 = max(hit die) + Constitution modifier
Levels 2 and higher: average or rolled
Each time you gain a level after 1st, you add one roll of your class hit die (or the listed average) plus your Constitution modifier. The Player's Handbook gives a fixed average for each die size so groups can skip rolling: d6 → 4, d8 → 5, d10 → 6, d12 → 7. Many online HP calculators—including average-based tools—use those numbers for every level after your first.
Per level after 1st: average or rolled die + Constitution modifier
Hit dice by class (PHB-style)
Your class determines which die you use when you gain a level in that class. Below are typical Player's Handbook classes grouped by hit die size. (Additional books add more subclasses and options, but the die sizes stay d6 through d12.)
| Hit die | Classes (examples) | Average (after 1st) |
|---|---|---|
| d6 | Sorcerer, Wizard | 4 |
| d8 | Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue, Warlock | 5 |
| d10 | Fighter, Paladin, Ranger | 6 |
| d12 | Barbarian | 7 |
A Barbarian uses a d12—the largest hit die in the core rules—while a Wizard uses a d6. That difference is why two characters of the same level and Constitution can have very different HP if their classes differ.
Constitution modifier stacks every level
Your Constitution modifier applies once per character level, not once total. A +2 Constitution at level 5 contributes 5 × 2 = +10 HP from Constitution alone, before feats or racial traits. A negative Constitution modifier reduces HP at every level the same way—another reason many players avoid dumping Constitution on front-line characters.
Tough feat: flat HP scaling
The Tough feat increases your hit point maximum by 2 hit points per level. Because it scales with level, it stays relevant from early game to late campaign play. In practice, if your character is level n, Tough adds 2 × n to your total HP (before other effects that might change how you read "per level" in specific edge cases—at most tables this is the number you add).
- Stacks with Constitution and class hit dice.
- Retroactive in spirit: when you take the feat, your HP max jumps based on your current level.
Hill Dwarf: Dwarven Toughness
The Hill Dwarf subrace grants Dwarven Toughness: your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 again whenever your level increases. In other words, you gain +1 HP per character level from this trait alone. It is separate from the Tough feat and from your class hit dice, and it stacks with Constitution.
Note: Mountain Dwarf does not get Dwarven Toughness in the same way—only the Hill Dwarf subrace includes this +1-per-level HP boost in the standard Player's Handbook presentation.
Multiclassing and HP
If you multiclass, you gain HP from whichever class you take each level in, using that class's hit die. Only your first-ever character level (your true 1st level) uses the maximum die; when you later take your first level in a new class, that level still uses average or rolled dice like any other level after your first—not a second "max die" unless your table uses a variant rule.
Quick example (average HP)
A single-class level 3 Cleric (d8) with a +1 Constitution modifier, no Tough, not a Hill Dwarf: level 1 gives max d8 (8) + 1 = 9 HP from that level's calculation; levels 2–3 each add average d8 (5) + 1 = 6 per level. Summing the hit-dice side and Constitution across levels matches what a step-by-step PHB average build produces—and matches a dedicated D&D 5e HP calculator that uses standard assumptions.