■anond:20250826004855

There is an epidemic of people misunderstanding what hit points are and why you gain them. This rant/explanation is fueled by an argument I had with one of my players and too many comments on DnD streams where people misunderstand HP. The only part of your HP that determines how much damage you can physically withstand is the Con modifier you add, the rolled HP is combat experience, luck and mental fortitude. Let me explain.

A lvl 20 Goliath Barbarian at full heath gets stabbed in the head with with a simple 1d6 sword. That Goliath is dead, gaining HP isn’t becoming tough enough to survive a sword to your goddamn cranium, it’s gaining enough combat experience that you’re able to avoid the deadly blow and instead only suffer a cut in your arm.

This is the entire concept of sneak attack and critical hits. The rogue isn’t suddenly hitting you harder than normal, they’re slipping past your defenses to deal the realistic damage of you getting stabbed in the kidney. When you crit you aren’t hitting harder than you were before you’re landing a solid hit that your opponent is having a harder time avoiding.

This is why your rolled HP is dependent on your class and not your race, and why martial classes have the highest hit die. A knife in the gut is a much more dangerous when you’re a gnome than when you’re a Goliath unless the gnome is a fighter and the Goliath is a wizard. One has much more combat experience than the other and is able to avoid the deadlier hit.

Edit: again this is also why you heal to full HP after a long rest. You aren’t magically healing hundreds of cuts on your body, you’re becoming rested enough that you’re able to avoid that dagger to your neck.

Edit 2: I avoid taking about spells because magic is fucking weird.

Also poison damage. It’s about how much poison/venom is actually able to get into your system before you’re able to pull back and avoid it.

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