Article — Hit Points Calculator (D&D 5e)
Hit points calculator: max HP in D&D 5e
Maximum hit points in D&D 5e equal the class hit die maximum at level 1 plus your Constitution modifier, then each subsequent level adds either the rolled die result or a fixed average (4 for d6, 5 for d8, 6 for d10, 7 for d12) plus Constitution. The hit points calculator on this page implements the rule directly from the Player's Handbook for all 13 official 5e classes.
The system reference document published by Wizards of the Coast under the Open Game License is the authoritative source for the formula. The calculator caps each level's gain at a minimum of 1 to match the published rule.
What hit points represent in D&D 5e
Hit points measure how much damage a creature can take before falling unconscious or dying. They abstract away skin and bone and combine luck, stamina, divine favour, and the will to keep fighting. A first-level wizard with 6 HP is not literally six times more durable than a doorstop — the points reflect the wizard's ability to twist away from a sword stroke as much as their physical health.
Hit points reset on a long rest. Damage taken during an adventuring day persists until the party can settle down for at least 8 hours of rest. The Player's Handbook covers the recovery rules in chapter 8.
The hit points formula at level 1 and beyond
Two formulas combine to give maximum hit points:
HP at level 1 = max(hit die) + CON modifierHP per level after 1 = avg(hit die) + CON modifier (min 1)The fixed average value is the figure printed on each class table in the Player's Handbook: 4 for a d6, 5 for d8, 6 for d10, 7 for d12. Mathematically those equal ⌊(d+1)/2⌋ + 1. A wizard who picks the average always gains exactly 4 HP per level after Constitution, never less.
The 1974 original Dungeons & Dragons game rolled hit points fresh every adventuring day, which made low-level characters extraordinarily fragile. 5th edition keeps the max-at-level-1 rule and the average-or-roll choice, which is why modern parties survive their first dungeon at much higher rates than their 1970s ancestors.
Hit dice by class in D&D 5e
Each class is built around one hit die. Tankier martial classes get larger dice; spellcasters get smaller ones.
- Barbarian = d12 (max 12, average 7 per level)
- Fighter, Paladin, Ranger = d10 (max 10, average 6)
- Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue, Warlock = d8 (max 8, average 5)
- Sorcerer, Wizard = d6 (max 6, average 4)
- Level 1 = always the die maximum plus CON modifier
- Tough feat = +2 HP per character level (current and future)
- Dwarven Toughness = +1 HP per character level for hill dwarves
Hit dice double as long-rest healing currency. A character can spend up to half their hit dice (rounded up) during a long rest, rolling each and adding their Constitution modifier to restore HP.
Constitution and hit points
The Constitution modifier is added at every level — including level 1. A +1 modifier across a 20-level career grants +20 HP total. Raising Constitution at a later level retroactively boosts every prior level's HP gain, which is why the Tough feat and Constitution-boosting Ability Score Improvements are core survivability picks.
The standard array used in many starter campaigns puts a 13 in a secondary stat (modifier +1). Point-buy can push Constitution to 15 (modifier +2) at character creation. Going higher than 20 is only possible with magic items such as the Belt of Giant Strength's Constitution-equivalent or with the Tasha's Cauldron of Everything rules variant.
Average vs rolled hit points
At every level after 1, the Player's Handbook lets you either roll the hit die or take the fixed average. Roll high and you gain more than average. Roll low and you gain less. Most tables stick with one method for the whole campaign so that party HP scales evenly.
Statistically the calculator's fixed average is one above the strict mean: a d8 has mean 4.5, but the average gain is listed as 5. That extra half-point is a built-in 5e generosity to keep average-mode players from feeling cheated by rolling.
If your table rolls and your dungeon master allows it, the Sage Advice Compendium notes that you can re-roll a 1 — many tables houserule that any roll below the printed average becomes the average instead, which sets a soft floor without removing the chance of a big roll.
Hit points feats and class features
Several feats and racial features boost HP. The Tough feat is the headline pick: +2 HP per character level, retroactive and future. The hill-dwarf subrace adds Dwarven Toughness — a permanent +1 per character level. Barbarians have a class-feature pseudo-toughness called Unarmored Defense that does not directly raise HP but uses Constitution for armour class.
Temporary hit points are tracked separately. Spells such as False Life and class features such as the warlock's Aspect of the Moon do not raise maximum HP — they create a buffer that is consumed first, then disappears at the end of the spell's duration or on a long rest. The calculator on this page does not include temporary HP because they are situational.
If a low Constitution modifier would zero out a level's HP gain, you still gain at least 1. The Player's Handbook is explicit on this — there is no negative HP gain, even with Constitution 3 (modifier −4) on a d6 wizard.
Multiclass hit points
Multiclass characters compute hit points per class, level by level. The level-1 maximum-die bonus only applies to your first class. Every level taken in a second or third class uses either the average or a roll, plus Constitution.
A fighter 5 / wizard 3 with Constitution 14 (modifier +2): fighter levels contribute 10 + 2 + (6 + 2) × 4 = 44 HP. Wizard levels add (4 + 2) × 3 = 18 HP. Total = 62 HP. The calculator on this page covers single-class characters; for a multiclass character, run the calculation twice and sum the totals.
Wizards of the Coast clarified in the Sage Advice Compendium that the Constitution modifier always applies to every level — there is no half-modifier penalty for multiclassing. Higher Constitution genuinely is the most efficient survivability investment a character of any class can make.