What Are Hit Dice in D&D?
Hit dice are a character mechanic, not a special physical die — here’s how they work.
Hit dice are one of the most searched — and most misunderstood — dice topics in D&D. They sound like a product. They are actually a character-sheet mechanic that uses the ordinary dice you already own.
Hit dice ≠ a special polyhedral
You do not buy a “hit die” as an eighth shape in a 7-piece set. Your class tells you which die type to use:
| Example class fantasy | Typical hit die |
|---|---|
| Fragile spellcasters | d6 |
| Clerics, rogues, warlocks, etc. | d8 |
| Martial front-liners | d10 |
| Barbarians | d12 |
Exact lists live in your Player’s Handbook or system reference — the point for shopping is simple: a normal D&D dice set already includes every hit die type used in 5e.
What hit dice do in play (5e overview)
Two jobs, same die type:
- Hit points at level-up — you roll (or take the average of) your hit die and add Constitution modifier, following your table’s house rules.
- Short-rest healing — you can spend hit dice during a short rest, rolling them and adding Constitution modifier to recover HP.
You generally have one hit die per level. Spending them during the adventure is a resource decision — save some for later, or top up now so the next fight does not drop you.
This page is a practical explainer, not a substitute for your group’s rules version. When in doubt, check the resting and leveling sections your table uses.
Physical dice you will actually roll
When a feature says “roll a hit die,” grab the matching polyhedral:
- Wizard-style d6 hit die → your d6
- Cleric-style d8 → your d8
- Fighter-style d10 → your d10
- Barbarian-style d12 → your d12
If you multiclass, you may have a pool of mixed hit dice (some d8s, some d10s, and so on). That is still rolled on standard dice — you just need to track how many of each remain.
Need to practice rolls? Use the dice roller or jump to a specific die like the d8 roller.
Common mix-ups
- Hit dice vs damage dice — damage comes from weapons and spells; hit dice are for HP and resting.
- Hit dice vs d20 — the d20 does attacks, checks, and saves; it is not your hit die.
- Hit Dice (HD) on monster stats — older and some bestiary formats use HD as a monster toughness shorthand; related idea, different sheet.
Do hit dice change what you should buy?
Only indirectly. If your party has a barbarian and a wizard, you still share the same set shapes — you just use different ones more often. Players who heal with lots of short rests may want a high-contrast die of their hit-die type so short-rest math stays fast.
Shopping priorities for most people still follow what dice you need for D&D, not a special hit-die SKU.
Related guides
For HP planning tools on the site, see the hit point calculator. For a physical set to roll those rests with, start at D&D dice sets.