View source for Hit points

'''Hit points''', also known as '''HP''' or '''hp''', represent the life force of [[you]] and other [[monster]]s in ''[[NetHack]]''. A monster whose hit points reach zero will usually [[die]] - the only ways to avoid this are to wear an [[amulet of life saving]].

If you are [[polymorph]]ed and your HP reaches 0, and you are not wearing an [[amulet of unchanging]], you will return to your natural form. If you are in [[wizard mode]] or [[explore mode]], you can also choose not to die, including when your HP reaches 0. An [[instadeath]] will kill you regardless of your hit points at the time: such instadeaths, including [[stoning]] and [[brainlessness]], can also kill you even if you are polymorphed.

==Gaining and restoring hit points==
The [[player]] character gains maximum hit points by gaining [[experience level]]s, with the exact amount dependent on the character's [[race]], [[role]] and [[constitution]]. Fighter roles such as [[Barbarian]]s generally start the game with more hit points and receive more hit points at each new level compared to, e.g. [[Ranger]]s or [[Tourist]]s.

Healing potions can also increase your maximum hit points if quaffing it would heal you for more than the difference between your current and maximum HP (including when at full HP):
* [[Quaff]]ing a non-cursed [[potion of healing]] increases your maximum HP by 1.
* Quaffing an uncursed [[potion of extra healing]] increases your maximum HP by 2, while a blessed potion increases it by 5.
* Quaffing an uncursed [[potion of full healing]] increases your maximum HP by 4, while a blessed potion increases it by 8.

Other methods of increasing maximum HP are listed as follows:

* Gaining a level (from a non-cursed [[potion of gain level]], eating a [[wraith]] [[corpse]], or a [[foocubus]] encounter) while already at experience level 30 will still increase your maximum HP.
* If your maximum HP is no more than five times the sum of your experience level and 2, i.e., 5*(2+XL), and you successfully [[pray]] with very low HP, your god will increase your maximum HP by a random amount and fully heal you.
* Successfully praying to your god at a co-aligned [[altar]] may grant you a favor that surrounds you with a "golden glow", fully healing you if possible and increasing your maximum HP by 5 similar to a blessed potion of full healing; the effect can also restore a lost experience level.
* A [[nurse]] that is healing you (i.e. hitting you while you are not [[wield]]ing a [[weapon]] and wearing no [[armor]]) has a {{frac|7}} chance of increasing your maximum HP by 1, provided that your maximum is less than 5 &times; ''XL'' + (2 &times; ''XL'')[[d notation|d10]].

===Hit point regeneration===
Under normal circumstances, you recover hit points naturally with the passage of time, as described in the chart below:{{refsrc|allmain.c|171|comment=Normal HP regeneration}}

{|class="prettytable"
! Level
! Turns
! HP
|-
| 1
| 15
| 1
|-
| 2
| 11
| 1
|-
| 3
| 9
| 1
|-
| 4
| 8
| 1
|-
| 5
| 7
| 1
|-
| 6
| 6
| 1
|-
| 7
| 5
| 1
|-
| 8
| 5
| 1
|-
| 9
| 4
| 1
|-
| 10+
| 3
| 1 or d(Con)
|}

If you are below experience level 10, you will regenerate one hit point every ''(42 / (level + 2)) + 1'' turns; if you are level 10 or above, you will regenerate every third turn. If your Constitution is 12 or lower, you get one hit point, and will otherwise regain ''d(Con)'' hitpoints, up to a maximum of your level minus 9.

If your [[encumbrance]] is Stressed or worse, you will only regenerate hit points on turns when you aren't moving. If you are polymorphed, you instead regenerate one hit point every 20 turns.{{refsrc|allmain.c|166|comment=HP regeneration while polymorphed}}

If you have the [[regeneration]] property, you will regenerate one hit point on any turn you did not do so above.

{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|As of {{commit|f3408b87badd91b8dd784dbc9f21f5467ed80d89}}, the HP regeneration formula is now simply (xlevel + Con)% chance of regenerating 1 HP each turn.  Also, [[regeneration]] heals 1 HP unconditionally on all turns, not only those turns where you are not otherwise regenerating HP.}}

===Starting hit points and HP gain per level===
The number of hit points and maximum hit points gained when gaining a level at is calculated differently depending on whether you have reached your role's ''cutoff'' experience level.{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|981|nethack=3.6.7}}{{refsrc|include/you.h|23|nethack=3.6.7}}

If your [[experience level]] is less than your cutoff level prior to gaining a level, the amount gained is randomized, and will be non-random otherwise.{{refsrc|src/exper.c|292|nethack=3.6.7|comment=<code>newhp()</code> is called before your level is incremented}}{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|999|nethack=3.6.7|comment=Both <tt>lofix</tt> are always 0; both <tt>hirnd</tt> are always 0}}

Your [[role]] and [[race]] both add a certain number of hit points; in the case of below-cutoff characters, this number is specified as [[d notation|''n''-sided die]]. A bonus (or malus) based on your [[constitution]] is then added.

You always gain at least one hit point per level.{{refsrc|src/attrib.c|1028|nethack=3.6.7}}

Note that the point gains below apply even when "gaining a level" at experience level 30.  In this case, the point gains are the only effect.

For a new character, the starting maximum hitpoints is a constant: simply the sum of the base starting hitpoints for the role and the race.  The constitution bonus does not apply here.{{refsrc |u_init.c|568 }}{{refsrc |allmain.c|504 }}

{| class="prettytable striped"
! Role{{refsrc|role.c|27}}
! cutoff
! pre-cutoff
! post-cutoff
! starting
|-
| [[Archeologist|Arc]]
| 14
| d8
| 1
| 11
|-
| [[Barbarian|Bar]]
| 10
| d10
| 2
| 14
|-
| [[Caveman|Cav]]
| 10
| d8
| 2
| 14
|-
| [[Healer|Hea]]
| 20
| d8
| 1
| 11
|-
| [[Knight|Kni]]
| 10
| d8
| 2
| 14
|-
| [[Monk|Mon]]
| 10
| d8
| 1
| 12
|-
| [[Priest|Pri]]
| 10
| d8
| 1
| 12
|-
| [[Rogue|Rog]]
| 11
| d8
| 1
| 10
|-
| [[Ranger|Ran]]
| 12
| d6
| 1
| 13
|-
| [[Samurai|Sam]]
| 11
| d8
| 1
| 13
|-
| [[Tourist|Tou]]
| 14
| d8
| 0
| 8
|-
| [[Valkyrie|Val]]
| 10
| d8
| 2
| 14
|-
| [[Wizard|Wiz]]
| 12
| d8
| 1
| 10
|}
{| class="prettytable striped"
! Race{{refsrc|role.c|406}}
! pre-cutoff
! post-cutoff
! starting
|-
| [[Human (starting race)|Human]]
| d2
| 1
| 2
|-
| [[Elf (starting race)|Elf]]
| d1
| 1
| 1
|-
| [[Dwarf (starting race)|Dwarf]]
| d3
| 2
| 4
|-
| [[Gnome (starting race)|Gnome]]
| d1
| 0
| 1
|-
| [[Orc (starting race)|Orc]]
| d1
| 0
| 1
|}
{| class="prettytable"
! [[Constitution|Con]]
! modifier{{refsrc|attrib.c|649}}
|-
| ≤ 3
| -2
|-
| ≤ 6
| -1
|-
| ≤ 14
| 0
|-
| ≤ 16
| +1
|-
| = 17
| +2
|-
| = 18
| +3
|-
| ≥ 19
| +4
|}

==Monster hit points==
A [[monster]]'s hit points is based on its [[monster level|level]], modified in some rare cases by other things.{{refsrc|makemon.c|918}}

===Normal case===
Default initial hit points:
hp = [[D notation|(monster level)d8]].{{refsrc|makemon.c|937}}

If a monster has a level of 0, their hp is simply 1d4.{{refsrc|makemon.c|935}}

===Elementals===
An [[elemental]]'s hit points are calculated normally, except that on its home elemental plane they are tripled.{{refsrc|makemon.c|938}}

===Golems===
[[Golem]]s' hit points are fixed and determined by type:{{refsrc|makemon.c|918}}{{refsrc|makemon.c|1534}}
{|class="prettytable"
! Hit points !! Golems
|-
| 20 || [[paper golem]], [[straw golem]]
|-
| 30 || [[rope golem]]
|-
| 40 || [[flesh golem]], [[gold golem]], [[leather golem]]
|-
| 50 || [[clay golem]], [[wood golem]]
|-
| 60 || [[glass golem]], [[stone golem]]
|-
| 80 || [[iron golem]]
|}

===Riders===
[[Riders]] are a very special case; from the source code{{refsrc|makemon.c|920}}:
:''We want low HP, but a high mlevel so they can attack well''

Their hp is 10d8

===Adult dragons===
An adult [[dragon]]'s hp depends on whether or not the player is in the endgame.{{refsrc|makemon.c|930}}
;Not in endgame
:hp = (monster level)d4 + 4 * (monster level)
;In endgame
:hp = 8 * (monster level)

===Player monsters===
A [[player monster]] normally has (monsterlevel)d10 + 30 HP. If generated in the endgame (in practice, the [[Astral Plane]] in vanilla NetHack), it gets an extra d30 HP.{{refsrc|src/mplayer.c|143|version=NetHack 3.6.7}}

===Guardian angel===
The hero's [[Angel|guardian angel]] on the Astral Plane uses the same hit point formula as the player monsters on that level:{{refsrc|do.c|1406}}
:hp = (monster level)d10 + d30 + 30

===Special===
Some other monsters have fixed hit points. Any monster with a defined level of 50-127 calculates its hp by:{{refsrc|makemon.c|923}}
:hp = 2 * ((monster level) - 6)
Their actual level is then approximated by:
:level = hp / 4
Those monsters are the named demons and the mail daemon.  The complete table for vanilla NetHack is as follows:
{|class="prettytable"
! Monster !! Hit points !! Level
|-
| {{monsymlink|Juiblex}} || 88 || 22
|-
| {{monsymlink|Yeenoghu}} || 100 || 25
|-
| {{monsymlink|mail daemon}} || 100 || 25
|-
| {{monsymlink|Orcus}} || 120 || 30
|-
| {{monsymlink|Geryon}} || 132 || 33
|-
| {{monsymlink|Dispater}} || 144 || 36
|-
| {{monsymlink|Baalzebub}} || 166 || 41
|-
| {{monsymlink|Asmodeus}} || 198 || 49
|-
| {{monsymlink|Demogorgon}} || 200 || 50
|}

===Raising monster maximum hit points===
{{main|Monster level}}
Monsters (including [[pet]]s) gain levels by raising their hit points. Thus advancing levels and increasing hit points are one and the same goal for them.

==Strategy==
Characters should always have an escape plan or emergency healing method for situations where their health is low, regardless of their strength level, and should be able to judge when it is safe to heal by waiting and when it is preferable to use a spell or item, especially characters with [[pet]]s. Some weak starting characters might deliberately lower their HP in order to pray for an increase to max HP on turn 101.

[[Nurse dancing]] is a commonplace strategy that uses one or more nurses (typically from [[reverse genocide]]) in order to massively increase HP.

==Messages==
{{Wikipedia|Cŵn Annwn}}
{{Wikipedia|Banshee}}
{{message|You hear the howling of the CwnAnnwn...|You have less than {{frac|10}} of your total HP left.}}
{{message|Valkyrie/Wizard/Elf, your life force is running out.|As above, while you are a [[Valkyrie]], [[Wizard]] or [[Elf (starting race)|elven]] character, and have fewer than four intrinsics. This and other similar messages are references to the ''Gauntlet'' franchise of video games.}}
{{message|Valkyrie/Wizard/Elf, all of your powers will be lost...|As above, but you have at least four [[intrinsic]]s.}}

{{message|You hear the wailing of the Banshee...|You have only 1 hit point left.}}
{{message|Valkyrie/Wizard/Elf is about to die.|As above while you are a Valkyrie, Wizard or elven character.<br>Once you have seen one of the above messages, you will not see another for 50 turns.{{refsrc|hack.c|2102}}}}

{{message|You don't have enough stamina to move.|Your [[encumbrance]] is stressed or higher while you are under your hit point maximum and have less than 5 hit points if [[polymorph]]ed, or less than 10 otherwise. This does not occur if you are on the [[Plane of Air]], nor if you are overloaded.{{refsrc|hack.c|884}}}}

==Variants==
===FIQHack===
{{main|FIQHack/New HP growth}}
In [[FIQHack]], the HP regeneration rate has been modified as follows:

* +1hp/turn for regen
* +0.33hp/turn for healers
* +0.03*level hp/turn
* +0.03*(constitution - 5) hp/turn
* min cap is +0.01 hp/turn

In addition, [[hunger]] from the [[ring of regeneration]] only applies when you are not at maximum HP. See the linked article at the top of the section for more information.

==External links==
* [http://www.steelypips.org/nethack/343/hppw-343.txt HP and power starting values, level increases, and regeneration in NetHack 3.4.3]

==References==
<references/>
{{nethack-343|offset=1}}{{featured}}
[[Category:Your character]]
[[Category:Monster attributes]]