Simone Lawson
In the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, temporary hit points are a buffer against damage, acting as a pool of hit points that protect players from injury. Temporary hit points are lost first when a player takes damage, with any leftover damage carrying over to their normal hit points. Temporary hit points are separate from a player's actual hit points and can exceed their hit point maximum. For example, if a player has 5 temporary hit points and takes 7 damage, they will lose their temporary hit points and then take 2 damage. Temporary hit points cannot be restored by healing and they cannot be added together. When a player takes damage while concentrating on a spell, they must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain their concentration. The DC equals 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Losing temporary health | Requires a Constitution saving throw |
| Temporary hit points | Lost first, any leftover damage carries over to normal hit points |
| Taking damage while concentrating on a spell | Requires a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration |
| DC (Difficulty Class) | Equals 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher |
| Death saving throw | Required when starting turn with 0 hit points |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Temporary hit points are lost first
Temporary hit points are a buffer against damage. They are not actual hit points but a pool of hit points that protect you from injury. When you have temporary hit points and take damage, the temporary hit points are lost first, and any leftover damage carries over to your normal hit points. For example, if you have five temporary hit points and take seven damage, you lose the temporary hit points and then take two damage.
Temporary hit points are separate from your actual hit points, and they can exceed your hit point maximum. A character can, therefore, be at full hit points and receive temporary hit points. Temporary hit points cannot be restored by healing, and they cannot be added together. If you have temporary hit points and receive more of them, you decide whether to keep the ones you have or gain the new ones. For example, if a spell grants you 12 temporary hit points when you already have 10, you can have 12 or 10, not 22.
If you have 0 hit points, receiving temporary hit points doesn't restore you to consciousness or stabilize you. They can still absorb damage directed at you while you're in that state, but only true healing can save you. If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures instead. If the damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you suffer instant death. The best way to save a creature with 0 hit points is to heal it. If healing is unavailable, the creature can at least be stabilized so that it isn't killed by a failed death saving throw.
Whenever you take damage while you are concentrating on a spell, you must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration. The DC equals 10 or half the damage you take, whichever number is higher. If you take damage from multiple sources, such as an arrow and a dragon's breath, you make a separate saving throw for each source of damage.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Constitutional Violators?
You may want to see also
Leftover damage carries over to normal hit points
Any leftover damage carries over to a character's normal hit points. For example, if a character has 10 temporary hit points and takes 15 points of damage, they would lose all their temporary hit points and then take 5 points of damage to their normal hit points. This means that temporary hit points can protect a character's normal hit points, but only to a certain extent. Once the temporary hit points are gone, any remaining damage will affect the character's actual health.
Temporary hit points are a useful resource in many situations, providing a buffer that can protect a character from taking damage to their actual hit points. They can be gained through various means, such as spells, abilities, or certain items. For instance, the False Life spell grants a buffer of temporary hit points, providing some extra protection in dangerous situations.
In certain cases, temporary hit points can be the difference between life and death for a character. They allow a character to withstand attacks that would otherwise knock them out or prove fatal. By absorbing damage, they act as a shield, ensuring the character's actual health pool remains intact.
However, it's important to recognize that temporary hit points are not a permanent solution and shouldn't be solely relied upon. They are intended to provide temporary relief or an advantage in specific situations. Once they are lost, any remaining damage continues to impact the character as normal. Thus, while beneficial, they should be managed wisely and not seen as a replacement for proper healing or defensive strategies.
Becoming a Federal Judge: Understanding Constitutional Requirements
You may want to see also
Temporary hit points don't prevent concentration checks
Temporary hit points are a buffer to your actual hit points. They are removed when you "take damage". When you have temporary hit points and take damage, the temporary hit points are lost first, and any leftover damage carries over to your normal hit points.
According to 5e designer and official rules expert Jeremy Crawford, "When temporary hit points absorb damage for you, you're still taking damage, just not to your real hit points." This means that temporary hit points do not prevent concentration checks. If you take damage while concentrating on a spell, you must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration. The DC equals 10 or half the damage you take, whichever is higher. If you take damage from multiple sources, such as an arrow and a dragon's breath, you make a separate saving throw for each source of damage.
For example, if you have 5 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, you lose the temporary hit points and then take 2 damage. This is because the temporary hit points are intervening before the damage actually hits. This interpretation is based on the wording of the rules, which state that "you take damage" when temporary hit points are lost.
There are some in-game mechanics that can prevent concentration checks when damage is taken. For example, the abjurer's Arcane Ward feature has its own hit points and "whenever you take damage, the ward takes the damage instead." So, an attack that is wholly absorbed by the ward is not damage taken by the character and no Concentration check is needed.
The Oval Office: White House's Iconic Nerve Center
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Temporary hit points can't be healed
Temporary hit points (THPs) are not the same as regular hit points. While they have the same function, their mechanics differ. In D&D, characters fall unconscious when their hit point total is reduced to 0. To be revived, they need at least 1 hit point worth of healing, but temporary hit points don't count towards this. Temporary hit points can't be used to wake an unconscious ally; they'll have to make death saving throws until they're properly healed with a spell or potion.
Temporary hit points are a buffer against damage, a pool of hit points that protect you from injury. When you take damage, subtract the damage from your temporary HP pool first. If the damage exceeds that value, subtract the remainder from your normal hit points. Temporary HP doesn’t stack and can’t be used to revive unconscious characters. However, characters whose healing is disabled can still gain temporary HP.
Temporary hit points are lost first when you take damage, and any leftover damage carries over to your normal hit points. For example, if you have 5 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, you lose the temporary hit points and then take 2 damage. This means that temporary hit points are intervening before the damage hits your normal hit points.
It's important to note that you can't recover temporary hit points after losing them. They are truly temporary. A character's regular hit point pool can always be replenished by resting or healing, but once temporary HP is gone, it's gone permanently. If you take damage and lose temporary hit points as well as regular hit points, healing will only restore the regular hit points you lost.
The Union's Perfect Harmony: Understanding Our Founding Ideals
You may want to see also
Temporary hit points can exceed your hit point maximum
Temporary hit points are a buffer against damage, a pool of hit points that protect you from injury. They are not actual hit points and do not stack with other temporary hit points. When you have temporary hit points and take damage, the temporary hit points are lost first, and any leftover damage carries over to your normal hit points.
Temporary hit points can also exceed your maximum when you are healed. For example, a creature with a maximum of 12 hit points, 10 hit points, and 3 temporary hit points is healed by 2 points. It would then have 12 hit points, while still retaining the 3 temporary hit points.
It is important to note that temporary hit points are lost after accounting for resistances and immunities. For example, if you have 10 hit points and 3 temporary hit points, and an enemy deals 5 piercing damage to you, your resistance to piercing damage reduces the damage by half, to 2. This knocks off 2 of your temporary hit points, leaving you with 10 hit points and 1 temporary hit point.
VP Eligibility: Born in the US?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Yes, whenever you take damage while concentrating on a spell, you must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration.
The DC equals 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher.
You make a separate saving throw for each source of damage.
Yes, temporary hit points are lost first, and any leftover damage carries over to your normal hit points.
If you take any damage while at 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure.
