For instance the young white dragon hit points 133 (14d10 + 56) unless I'm mistaken those are the hit dice, correct? Heroes seem to have them too but I'm guessing it works the same for heroes and monsters. If it's different please how does it differ for hero and monster.
The simple rule books don't even go over this and I don't have the real rule book and don't want to scroll through a digital one to find this especially the rules hardly make sense to me. I get what the +56 is, that's it's modifier, but what are the 14d10s and how do we use them? I get that the dice are used by heroes to regain health while resting, I assume monsters can rest too? But exactly how are the dice used? Are the dice just stand ins for hitmarkers and anything could be used or are they actually used as dice and rolled?
I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree so please try to simplify it like you're talking to someone who has absolutely no knowledge at all with tabletop or dice games. Which I do not.
The hit points of a monster in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition are determined by its Hit Dice and its Constitution modifier. Let's break it down for a young white dragon.
Given Stats:
Hit Dice: 14d10
Constitution: 18 (modifier: +4)
Hit Points: 14d10 + 56
Hit Point Formula:
The general formula for a creature’s hit points is:
HP=(Hit Dice×Average Die Roll)+(Hit Dice×Constitution Modifier) HP) = (Hit Dice times Average Die Roll) + (Hit Dice times Constitution Modifier) HP=(Hit Dice×Average Die Roll)+(Hit Dice×Constitution Modifier)
For a young white dragon:
Hit Dice = 14d10 → meaning the dragon has 14 ten-sided hit dice.
Average roll of a d10 = 5.5 (since the average of a die is (max + min) / 2).
Thus, a young white dragon’s average hit points are 133 (14d10 + 56). If rolled manually, its HP could vary between 70 (minimum) and 196 (maximum).
Simple, right? hahaha. Don't worry about all of that stuff.
In the case of monsters, the hit dice are just a standard way of determining approximately how many hit points an example of that monster should have. There are reasons to deviate from this formula, but it's a rule of thumb.
Sure, it has 133, but it doesn’t have to. If you want, you could give your monsters a randomly determined amount, to make combat a bit more variable. It’s like the difference between taking fixed hit points or rolling for a character.
The hit points of a monster in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition are determined by its Hit Dice and its Constitution modifier. Let's break it down for a young white dragon.
Given Stats:
Hit Dice: 14d10
Constitution: 18 (modifier: +4)
Hit Points: 14d10 + 56
Hit Point Formula:
The general formula for a creature’s hit points is:
HP=(Hit Dice×Average Die Roll)+(Hit Dice×Constitution Modifier) HP) = (Hit Dice times Average Die Roll) + (Hit Dice times Constitution Modifier) HP=(Hit Dice×Average Die Roll)+(Hit Dice×Constitution Modifier)
For a young white dragon:
Hit Dice = 14d10 → meaning the dragon has 14 ten-sided hit dice.
Average roll of a d10 = 5.5 (since the average of a die is (max + min) / 2).
Thus, a young white dragon’s average hit points are 133 (14d10 + 56). If rolled manually, its HP could vary between 70 (minimum) and 196 (maximum).
Simple, right? hahaha. Don't worry about all of that stuff.
In the case of monsters, the hit dice are just a standard way of determining approximately how many hit points an example of that monster should have. There are reasons to deviate from this formula, but it's a rule of thumb.
So we could for hits points or use the set hit points. Like it's damage dice. I get it now. The monsters don't seem as interactive as the players, I guess that's a good thing. I'm glad they don't work the same as with the players. I don't need the dragon rolling 14d10s with a +56 modifier to heal itself. You'd never be able to stop it.
So we could for hits points or use the set hit points. Like it's damage dice. I get it now. The monsters don't seem as interactive as the players, I guess that's a good thing. I'm glad they don't work the same as with the players. I don't need the dragon rolling 14d10s with a +56 modifier to heal itself. You'd never be able to stop it.
Yeah. I generally use the average hit points for most monsters because I don't feel like rolling dice to figure them out on the spot. With boss monsters, I'll basically just use the max, which in the case of the young white dragon, would raise it from 133 hit points to 196 because I like a challenge.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Not all those who wander are lost"
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
For instance the young white dragon hit points 133 (14d10 + 56) unless I'm mistaken those are the hit dice, correct? Heroes seem to have them too but I'm guessing it works the same for heroes and monsters. If it's different please how does it differ for hero and monster.
The simple rule books don't even go over this and I don't have the real rule book and don't want to scroll through a digital one to find this especially the rules hardly make sense to me. I get what the +56 is, that's it's modifier, but what are the 14d10s and how do we use them? I get that the dice are used by heroes to regain health while resting, I assume monsters can rest too? But exactly how are the dice used? Are the dice just stand ins for hitmarkers and anything could be used or are they actually used as dice and rolled?
I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree so please try to simplify it like you're talking to someone who has absolutely no knowledge at all with tabletop or dice games. Which I do not.
To a first approximation, for monsters, that basically represents the way you would randomize its HP for a fight.
In general, monsters don’t get a ton of opportunity to use hit dice.
The monster already has an HP, 133 for example with this dragon.
Simple, right? hahaha. Don't worry about all of that stuff.
In the case of monsters, the hit dice are just a standard way of determining approximately how many hit points an example of that monster should have. There are reasons to deviate from this formula, but it's a rule of thumb.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Sure, it has 133, but it doesn’t have to. If you want, you could give your monsters a randomly determined amount, to make combat a bit more variable. It’s like the difference between taking fixed hit points or rolling for a character.
You're a Dark Wizard casting Dark Magic, mate :D
So we could for hits points or use the set hit points. Like it's damage dice. I get it now. The monsters don't seem as interactive as the players, I guess that's a good thing. I'm glad they don't work the same as with the players. I don't need the dragon rolling 14d10s with a +56 modifier to heal itself. You'd never be able to stop it.
Yeah. I generally use the average hit points for most monsters because I don't feel like rolling dice to figure them out on the spot. With boss monsters, I'll basically just use the max, which in the case of the young white dragon, would raise it from 133 hit points to 196 because I like a challenge.
"Not all those who wander are lost"