How Hit Dice & Short Rest Healing Work in 5e
Every character level grants you one Hit Die matching the class you took at that level—giving a Level 5 Fighter five d10s, or a Level 5 Cleric 3 / Fighter 2 a mixed pool of three d8s and two d10s. During a Short Rest (a peaceful period of at least one hour spent tending wounds, eating, or catching breath), you can choose to spend any number of remaining Hit Dice one at a time rather than committing all of them upfront.
HP Regained Per Hit Die = Roll of Die (1 to Max) + CON Modifier (minimum 0 HP per die)
Unlike leveling up Max Hit Points, where a fixed rounded-up average is offered, Short Rest Hit Dice are always rolled unless your table specifically uses a homebrew rule. Because you declare them one at a time, roll your first Hit Die, check your updated HP total, and then decide whether to roll another—preventing wasted dice when you are already close to your Maximum HP.
Average Healing Per Hit Die Reference
| Die Size |
Classes Using Die |
Roll Average |
Avg +1 CON |
Avg +2 CON |
Avg +3 CON |
| d6 | Sorcerer, Wizard | 3.5 HP | 4.5 HP | 5.5 HP | 6.5 HP |
| d8 | Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue, Warlock | 4.5 HP | 5.5 HP | 6.5 HP | 7.5 HP |
| d10 | Fighter, Paladin, Ranger | 5.5 HP | 6.5 HP | 7.5 HP | 8.5 HP |
| d12 | Barbarian | 6.5 HP | 7.5 HP | 8.5 HP | 9.5 HP |
Notice how heavily Constitution rewards Short Rest endurance. Raising CON from +1 to +3 adds +2 healing to every single Hit Die spent over an adventuring day—meaning a Level 6 Fighter recovers +12 extra free HP on top of their +12 bonus Max HP, creating a +24 HP effective swing without costing a single healing potion or Cleric spell slot.
2024 vs. 2014 Hit Dice Rules & Multiclass Spending Order
The 2024 revised rules introduced one of the biggest quality-of-life buffs in 5e history regarding Hit Dice recovery—and it directly changes which dice you should spend first if you play a multiclass character.
2024 Rules: 100% Recovery on Long Rest
Finishing a Long Rest now restores every spent Hit Die back to your maximum pool, just like spell slots. Dungeons and adventuring days no longer leave your Barbarian starved at half Hit Dice across multiple consecutive travel days. Even better, the 2024 Short Rest recovery spells (such as updated Prayer of Healing) let an entire party gain the benefits of a Short Rest in 10 minutes.
2014 Classic: Half Recovery (Min 1)
Under 2014 rules, a Long Rest restores only half your total character level worth of Hit Dice, rounded down (minimum of 1 die). For example, a Level 5 Cleric 3 / Fighter 2 who spends all 5 dice on Day 1 only regains 2 Hit Dice on Day 2—choosing which exact die sizes (say, two d10s) they want restored.
Smart Multiclass Hit Dice Tactics
- Under 2024 Rules (Spend Small Dice Top-Offs): Since every die refreshes at dawn anyway, spend your d6 or d8 dice when you only need 4–7 HP to avoid over-healing past Max HP, and save d10/d12 dice when heavily wounded.
- Under 2014 Rules (Recover Largest Dice on Long Rest): If you end Day 1 missing both d8s and d10s, the 2014 Long Rest rule lets you choose which spent Hit Dice come back up to half your level—always choose to recover your largest dice (d12 > d10 > d8 > d6) first!
- Feats & Items That Double Healing: Attuning a Periapt of Wound Closure doubles the HP regained every time you roll a Hit Die (applied cleanly in our calculator above), turning a +3 CON Barbarian's average Short Rest roll from 9.5 HP into a massive 19 HP per die. Similarly, the Dwarven Fortitude (2014) and Durable feats turn Dodge actions or Short Rests into reliable emergency healing.
After your Short Rest finishes, check whether you also have Temporary HP up before entering combat—run your current buffer and incoming damage resistance through our Temporary HP & Effective HP Calculator.
