Eleanor Finch
In Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, Constitution (CON) is a measure of a character's health, stamina, and vital force. It is one of the six primary ability scores in the game and is considered one of the three physical scores, alongside Strength and Dexterity. Constitution affects a character's hit points, healing surges, and Fortitude defense, making it beneficial to all player characters. When creating a character, players may want to consider ways to increase their Constitution score or gain bonuses to it, as it directly impacts their character's survivability.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is Constitution? | Constitution (Con) represents a character's health, stamina, and vital force. |
| How does it affect the game? | Constitution affects hit points and healing surges, and contributes to Fortitude defense. |
| How do you add it? | You can add Constitution by raising your Constitution score, which increases your Constitution modifier and, in turn, your hit points. You can also add it by using feats, such as dragonmarks, or choosing to improve Constitution or Strength. |
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What You'll Learn
Constitution score and health
Constitution (CON) measures a character's health, stamina, and vital force. It affects hit points and healing surges, making it beneficial to all player characters. A character's Constitution score, not the modifier, contributes to their maximum number of hit points. Typically, you add your Constitution modifier to each Hit Die you roll for your hit points. For example, if you increase your Constitution score at level 4, and your Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2, you adjust your hit point maximum as if the modifier had always been +2. So, you add 3 hit points for your first three levels, and then roll your hit points for the fourth level using your new modifier.
Constitution also describes a character's physical fortitude, or their ability to endure pain, take damage without falling unconscious, and resist the effects of poison, disease, and other physical maladies. It also determines how long a character can hold their breath, travel long distances without rest, and go without sleep. All characters gain additional hit points from Constitution, so most player characters have moderately high scores. However, it is most important for characters who fight in melee combat, as they tend to draw more attacks and suffer more damage.
There are several ways to increase your Constitution score. You can consider "Half-Feats" like Tavern Brawler, Chef, and Durable, which not only increase Constitution but also provide additional benefits. Exclusive feats like Orcish Fury, Infernal Constitution, and Dwarven Fortitude offer unique advantages based on your character's species. Additionally, you can use "Half-Feats" to increase your Constitution bonus by one point if this increase results in an even Constitution score.
The median Constitution score among player characters is typically around 14, with most scores ranging from 12 to 16.
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Constitution modifier and hit points
Constitution (Con) represents a character's health, stamina, and vital force. It measures their ability to endure pain, take damage without falling unconscious, and resist the effects of poison and disease. All characters gain additional hit points from Constitution, making it beneficial to all player characters.
The Constitution modifier contributes to a character's hit points. When your Constitution modifier increases by 1, your hit point maximum increases by 1 for each level you have attained. For example, if your Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2 when you reach 4th level, you adjust your hit point maximum as though the modifier had always been +2. So, you add 3 hit points for your first three levels, and then roll your hit points for 4th level using your new modifier.
It's important to note that only your hit point maximum changes, not your current hit points. Additionally, your Constitution score (not modifier) contributes to your maximum number of hit points.
A character's Constitution modifier also contributes to their number of healing surges per day and their Fortitude defense, alongside their Strength modifier.
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Constitution and healing surges
In D&D 5e, Constitution (Con) represents a character's health, stamina, and vital force. It measures a character's physical fortitude, their ability to endure pain, to take damage without falling unconscious, and their resistance to the effects of poison, disease, and other physical maladies. All characters benefit from additional hit points gained from Constitution, making it a valuable attribute for all players.
Constitution also plays a crucial role in healing surges, which are optional rules in 5e that allow characters to heal during combat. A character's Constitution modifier contributes to their number of healing surges per day. For instance, a character with a Constitution modifier of +2 would have a higher number of healing surges available compared to a character with a lower Constitution modifier.
Healing surges interact with hit dice and healing spells, allowing characters to regain hit points. During a healing surge, a character can spend up to half of their Hit Dice. For each Hit Die spent, the player rolls the die and adds their Constitution modifier to determine the total hit points regained. This provides a significant advantage in combat, especially for characters who engage in melee combat and are more susceptible to attacks and damage.
While healing surges are not included in the core rules of 5e, they offer a mechanism that aligns with the concept of HP being an abstraction of various factors, including stamina and a character's ability to withstand severe injuries. Players who view HP as primarily representing physical damage may find healing surges beneficial in enhancing their characters' endurance and resilience during intense battles.
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Constitution and Fortitude defence
Constitution (Con) is a measure of a character's health, stamina, and vital force. It represents their physical fortitude, or their ability to endure pain, take damage without falling unconscious, resist the effects of poison and disease, and perform other feats of endurance. All characters gain additional hit points from Constitution, so most player characters have moderately high scores. However, it is especially important for characters who engage in melee combat, as they tend to draw more attacks and suffer more damage.
Constitution also affects a character's Fortitude defence, which is their ability to resist physical maladies and endure pain. A character's Constitution modifier or Strength modifier, whichever is higher, will contribute to their Fortitude defence. For this reason, Constitution may be less useful for characters who rely on Strength for attack rolls, class features, or skill checks.
The Constitution modifier contributes to a character's hit points and their number of healing surges per day. Typically, you add your Constitution modifier to each Hit Die you roll for your hit points. For example, if you raise your Constitution score when you reach 4th level and your Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2, you adjust your hit point maximum as though the modifier had always been +2. So, you add 3 hit points for your first three levels, and then roll your hit points for the 4th level using your new modifier.
Constitution can also be applied in other situations, such as when a character is suffocating or marching long distances. However, Constitution checks are extremely rare.
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Constitution and Strength
In D&D 5e, a character's Constitution (Con) represents their health, stamina, and vital force. It measures their endurance, or ability to endure pain, to take damage without falling unconscious, to resist the effects of poison, disease, and other physical maladies, to hold their breath, to travel long distances without rest, and to go without sleep for extended periods.
Constitution is one of the most highly-raised ability scores in the game, even though it doesn't directly drive the abilities of any classes. It affects hit points and healing surges, so it benefits all player characters. All characters gain additional hit points from Constitution, so most player characters have moderately high scores. However, it is most important for characters who engage in melee combat, as they tend to draw more attacks and suffer more damage.
A character's Constitution score (not modifier) contributes to their maximum number of hit points. Typically, you add your Constitution modifier to each Hit Die you roll for your hit points. For example, if you raise your Constitution score when you reach 4th level and your Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2, you adjust your hit point maximum as though the modifier had always been +2. So, you add 3 hit points for your first three levels, and then roll your hit points for the 4th level using your new modifier. A character's Constitution modifier also contributes to their number of healing surges per day.
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Frequently asked questions
Constitution (Con) represents a character's health, stamina, and vital force.
Constitution modifiers contribute to a character's number of healing surges per day and their hit points. You can add your Constitution modifier to each Hit Die you roll for your hit points. For example, if your Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2, you adjust your hit point maximum as though the modifier had always been +2. So, you add 3 hit points for your first three levels, then roll your hit points for the 4th level using your new modifier.
Some feats that can increase Constitution include "Half-Feats" like Tavern Brawler, Chef, and Durable. If your character doesn't have any dragonmarks, you can get a feat that will give you a +1 Constitution bonus, along with a free cantrip and a first-level spell from the sorcerer's spell list. Another feat can improve your Constitution or Strength, allowing you to move five feet after hitting an enemy with a bludgeoning weapon once per turn, as long as the creature is not more than two sizes bigger than you.
