HP Calculator 5e – Maximum Hit Points & Hit Dice for D&D 5th Edition

Welcome to the HP calculator for 5e Dungeons and Dragons, which calculates your character's maximum hit points (or "max HP") as well as how many hit dice you have. You might be a new standard-array adventurer unsure about your hit points at level one, or an optimizing point buy-loving munchkin who's lost track of your Sorcerer-Warlock-Paladin's hit dice. No matter which category you fall into, this calculator is for you! Read on, and you'll learn how to calculate your HP in 5e DnD, what DnD's hit dice are and how you get more of them, and how leveling up increases your maximum HP. Ready for combat? Roll for initiative!

How to use the HP calculator for 5e

Don't want to make an Insight check into how to calculate hit points in DnD? Here's how you can determine the maximum hit points for your DnD character with our HP calculator for 5e:

1. Select whether you're multiclassing or not. If you aren't sure about this, leave it at "No".
   • If not multiclassing, select your character's class and level in the appropriate fields.
   • If multiclassing, enter each class and its corresponding level one by one. Be sure to select your character's class at level 1 in the Initial class field — its hit die is maximized at first level!
2. Fill in the other details of your character. These come from the features of your character and the choices you made when building them:
   • Your character's Constitution modifier;
   • Whether your character is a hill dwarf (+1 HP per level);
   • Whether your character is a sorcerer of a draconic bloodline (+1 HP per sorcerer level); and
   • Whether your character has the Tough feat (+2 HP per level).
3. Find your character's maximum hit points in the results. If there are dice rolls involved (such as 1d8 or 4d6), you can roll them and add all these numbers to the fixed part to get your maximum HP. Don't want to leave anything to fate? We also show you the average result of these dice rolls and the total using the fixed values from the Player's Handbook.
4. You can also find your character's hit dice pool in the results — you get one hit die per character level.

🙋 The HP calculator for 5e provides an in-depth breakdown of how your character's classes, levels, and other details determine their maximum hit points and hit dice. The rules for determining hit points can be daunting — we hope this calculator helps you understand them for your specific character.

What are hit points in DnD?

In DnD 5e, hit points (or HP) measure a character's physical health and vitality. An unscathed character is at their maximum hit points. During battle, characters lose hit points. When reduced to 0 hit points, characters are incapacitated or killed. Characters can regain hit points with healing potions, magic spells, or by rolling hit dice when resting.

What is a hit die in DnD 5e?

A hit die (plural: hit dice) is the die you roll to determine how many hit points you gain when you level up — and the resource you spend during a short rest to heal. Which die you roll depends on your class:

You get one hit die per character level. A level 5 fighter has a pool of 5d10; a Fighter 3 / Wizard 2 multiclass has 3d10 + 2d6. During a short rest, you can spend hit dice to regain hit points: roll the die, add your Constitution modifier, and recover that many HP. You regain half of your total hit dice (minimum 1) when you finish a long rest.

How do I calculate HP in 5e?

Here is the complete recipe for your maximum hit points:

1. At level 1, you get the maximum of your class's hit die plus your Constitution modifier. A barbarian with +3 Constitution starts with 12 + 3 = 15 HP.
2. Each level after the first, you gain your class's hit die (rolled, or the fixed value: die ÷ 2 + 1) plus your Constitution modifier.
3. When multiclassing, only your very first level gives a maximized die — every level in your other classes uses that class's hit die roll or fixed value.
4. Add the bonuses: hill dwarves gain +1 HP per level, draconic bloodline sorcerers gain +1 HP per sorcerer level, and the Tough feat grants +2 HP per level.

max HP = max(initial hit die) + Σ(hit die per extra level) + CON modifier × level + bonuses

For example, a level 5 fighter with +2 Constitution using fixed values has 10 + 4 × 6 + 5 × 2 = 44 HP. If they roll instead, their maximum HP is 20 + 4d10 — anywhere between 24 and 60.

💡 Remember that your Constitution modifier applies retroactively: if your Constitution score increases and raises its modifier, your maximum HP increases by 1 per character level you already have.

FAQs

How many hit points does my level 1 character have?

Take the maximum value of your class's hit die and add your Constitution modifier. A wizard (d6) with +1 Constitution starts with 7 HP; a barbarian (d12) with +3 starts with 15 HP. Hill dwarves add +1 and the Tough feat adds +2 more.

Should I roll for HP or take the average?

Rolling is a gamble: you might beat the fixed value, but you can also roll a 1. The fixed value (die ÷ 2 + 1, e.g. 6 for a d10) is slightly above the true average of the die (5.5 for a d10), so taking the fixed value is mathematically the safer — and in the long run slightly better — choice. Many tables let you choose at every level-up; ask your DM.

How does multiclassing affect my HP?

Only your very first character level grants a maximized hit die. Every other level — in your first class or any other — grants that class's hit die (rolled or fixed) plus your Constitution modifier. Your hit dice pool keeps the dice separated by size: a Fighter 3 / Wizard 2 has 3d10 + 2d6 to spend on short rests.

Do hit points increase retroactively when Constitution changes?

Yes! Whenever your Constitution modifier increases (for example, from an Ability Score Improvement raising Constitution from 15 to 16), your maximum HP increases by 1 for each character level you already have, and each future level also benefits.

What happens at 0 hit points?

You fall unconscious and start making death saving throws on your turns. Three successes stabilize you; three failures mean death. If damage reduces you to 0 and the remaining damage equals or exceeds your maximum HP, you die instantly — one more reason to know your max HP exactly!