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It’s nearly impossible to condense a character with a unique backstory and abilities down onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper, butDungeons & Dragonsdoes a pretty good job using a character sheet and six ability scores. One of the less well-understood ability scores is Constitution.
Constitution can represent how tough a character is, but there are some odd caveats, like how iron constructs are pretty tough and have no Constitution score. Plus, it’s the only ability score with no skills associated with it in Fifth Edition. So what exactly is Constitution? Why is it important? And what do you use it for?
What Is Constitution?
Constitution (CON) is a measure of a character’s health, stamina, and vital force, as well as their ability to push themselves beyond their normal limits. Characters with higher Constitution tend to suffer less from lack of food, fight off diseases and poisons more easily, and last longer in combat.
Despite having no skills associated with it and not being used for attack rolls or to determine Armor Class, Constitution is the only ability score that the 2014 Player’s Handbook identifies asimportant to everybody. Even if you’re playing a frail old Wizard, more Constitution is better.
What Is Constitution Used For?
Newer players might see that there are no skills associated with Constitution and decide it isn’t important, butConstitution is one of the most important ability scores in the game. Despite the lack of skills associated with it in Fifth Edition, Constitution saves are common and vital to a character’s success.
In addition to saving throws, Constitutionincreases a character’s Hit Points (HP) and HP recovery. It also has several other uses, including contributing to some class and species abilities. These uses include the following:
More Hit Points
Yougain HP each level based on your Hit Die and your Constitutionmodifier. A Barbarian with 18 CON gets 1D12+4 HP when she levels up, while a Sorcerer with nine CON only gets 1D6-1 (minimum of one).
ThisHP gain is retroactive: if you take a Constitution Ability Score Improvement at level eight and it increases your CON modifier (for example, you go from 13(+1) to 14(+2)), you’ll gain eight HP, one for every level.
Recover Hit Points
Whenever you complete a Short Rest you can spend one or more Hit Point Dice to regain HP. When you do this, you roll your Hit Point Dice andregain HP equal to the result plus your CON modifier. You can then decide if you want to repeat, up until you run out of Hit Point Dice.
Class Features
A few class features directly reward characters for having high Constitution.
Once a Barbarian gets Relentless Rage at level 11, they canresist dying when their HP drops to zero by rolling a Constitution savewith a DC of ten. If they succeed, their HP becomes double their Barbarian class level and the save DC increases by five until they have a Long Rest.
Warlocks that pick up the Lifedrinker Eldritch Invocation can expend one of their Hit Point Dice toheal themselves 1D6 + CON modifier(minimum of one) after hitting an opponent with their pact weapon.
Species Traits
Dragonborn get a breath weapon based on their ancestry, andthe save DC for targets to avoid damage from the breath weapon is based on the character’s Constitutionmodifier. The save DC for any Dragonborn breath weapon is equal to eight plus CON modifier plus proficiency bonus.
Goliaths with the Stone Giant ancestry can use Constitution to reduce the damage they take. Whenever they take damage, they canreduce the damage by 1D12 plus their CON modifier.
Saving Throws
Constitution saving throws are used for practicallyevery situation in which a character needs to resist a physical effect, such as poison, disease, and exhaustion. Examples include:
Hold Breath
All characters are able to hold their breathfor one minute, plus one minute times their Constitution modifier. So a Warlock with 18 CON could hold his breath for five minutes before starting to suffocate.
