D&D 5e HP Calculator

How the hit point total is built

Hit points are the buffer between a solid hit and a death save. In the 2014 Player's Handbook, and still in the 2024 core rules for the basic die method, a character starts with the largest number on the class hit die plus the Constitution modifier. A wizard with a +1 modifier therefore starts at 7, not at the average of a d6. From 2nd level onward the table can take the fixed value, which is half the die rounded down, plus 1, plus the Constitution modifier, or it can roll the die and then add the modifier.

The calculator above follows that split, and it updates as you type. Choose a Constitution modifier, or switch the menu to score and type the ability score. The modifier is then floor of (score minus 10) divided by 2. Fixed mode never rolls. Rolled mode rolls one die per level after the first, keeps those dice on screen, and changes them only when you press Roll again or when the hit die itself changes. A negative modifier is allowed. If the die and the modifier would add to 0 or less, that level still grants 1 hit point, which is the rule that keeps a frail character from losing hit points by leveling up.

A level 5 wizard, checked by hand

Wizard hit die: d6. Constitution modifier: +1. Fixed gain after 1st level: 4 + 1 = 5. Level 1 is 6 + 1 = 7. Four later levels add 20. The total is 27. Tough is not included. The same character with Tough adds 2 hit points at each of the five levels, which is another 10, for 37. A 2014 Hill Dwarf adds 1 more per level on top of that. Those two bonuses stack because one is a feat and the other is an older racial trait. They are not the same rule.

A level 20 barbarian with a +5 modifier, Tough, and the 2014 Hill Dwarf trait is a useful stress test. Level 1 is 12 + 5. Each of the next 19 levels adds 7 + 5. Tough adds 40 and the Hill Dwarf trait adds 20. The total is 305. Older copies of this site printed 345 for that build. That figure double-counts part of the bonus. Use 305 when you are on the fixed method.

Multiclass and the first level

Only the first level of the character uses the maximum die. If you begin as a fighter and later take rogue levels, the rogue levels use the rogue average or a rogue roll. They do not get a second maximum-die level. This form is one class, so a second class is added by hand from that rule. The character level still cannot pass 20.

Draconic Resilience is narrower than Tough. It adds 1 hit point for each sorcerer level, not for every character level. A fighter 1 / sorcerer 4 with that origin gets the extra 4, not 5. The form above does not add that bonus. Add it when the character actually has sorcerer levels.

What changed in 2024, and what did not

The fixed average and the rolled die are still the two ordinary methods. Tough still adds 2 hit points per character level in the 2024 rules. The Hill Dwarf bonus is a 2014 species trait. The 2024 dwarf does not hand every hill dwarf an extra hit point per level, so leave that box clear unless the table is using the older species write-up. Species and background bonuses in 2024 are chosen differently, and they do not replace the Constitution modifier on the hit die.

Common mistakes

People add the Constitution modifier once for the whole career, or they forget it at level 1 and then add it later. Both are wrong: it applies at every level, including the first. Another miss is treating the fixed number as half the die rounded up. A d10 fixes at 6, because half of 10 is 5, plus 1. A d12 fixes at 7. A d8 fixes at 5. A d6 fixes at 4. Then the modifier is added, and the 1 HP floor is applied after that sum.

Rolled hit points are a table rule, not a personal one. If the table uses fixed values, leave the calculator on Average and do not keep a lucky set. If the table rolls, write the dice down. The rolled line on this page stays put until you press Roll again, so you can copy it onto the sheet before it changes.

Questions players actually ask

Do I add Constitution at level 1?

Yes. Level 1 is the maximum hit die plus the Constitution modifier, with a minimum of 1.

Does Tough apply to levels I already have?

Yes. When you take Tough, recount 2 hit points for every character level you have, including the one you just gained.

Can I mix average and rolled levels?

Some tables allow it. This form uses one method for every level after 1st so the result is easy to audit. If your table mixes them, calculate the special levels by hand and add them to a fixed run.

Where do I record this?

Copy the total and the level list onto the character sheet, then track damage in the session tracker. For the written method, use how to calculate hit points and the longer hit point guide.