Multiclassing Hit Dice 5e

[Mud Puppy]

Newer player and new to the forum with what is probably a dumb question, but here goes....

What is the rule on which hit die to use when multiclassing? For example I am about to start a new campaign at level 5 and I am thinking about building a fighter/cleric (for RP reasons) with 3 levels of Fighter then 2 levels of Cleric. So which hit dice do I use? Fighter = d10 Cleric = d8....so when leveling the first 3 times I would roll the d10 and then the d8 for levels 4 and 5....

Going forward to level 6 does it make sense that the fighter suddenly became more squishy (d8) because he/she "found god" or does it make sense that the priest is still super buff from his/her days in the infantry (d10)?

I can't find a reference to any of this in the PHB...

Thanks for the help.

[Kwinza]

You use the hit die of the class you're taking a level in.

So currently 3 d10's and 2 d8's.

If you keep leveling in cleric going forward then you will be adding more D8's.

[Man_Over_Game]

Don't forget that you can spend Hit Die during a Short Rest to heal yourself. The Hit Die you can spend is equal to the same Hit Die you use to determine your HP.

So, in this case, your Hit Die to spend is the same as what Kwinza said. (3d10 + 2d8, to be spent however you want).

[pdegan2814]

Going forward to level 6 does it make sense that the fighter suddenly became more squishy (d8) because he/she "found god" or does it make sense that the priest is still super buff from his/her days in the infantry (d10)?


Think of it like this. The Fighter's training regimen includes more time for increasing his physical hardiness than the Cleric's. So each level you gain as a Fighter includes a higher level of physical development than each level as a Cleric, hence the different Hit Die sizes.

Also remember that it's a game and not a simulation, there are times when a bit of realism(as much as realism can be a thing in a Fantasy RPG) has to be sacrificed to keep the mechanics from getting too messy :)

[Man_Over_Game]

Think of it like this. The Fighter's training regimen includes more time for increasing his physical hardiness than the Cleric's. So each level you gain as a Fighter includes a higher level of physical development than each level as a Cleric, hence the different Hit Die sizes.

Well put. Rather than the Fighter spending his time to learn how to fight better, he's investing more time into having faith in his god.

[OverLordOcelot]

It's in the multiclassing rules, each level you use the hit dice of the class you're leveling up as. I'm not sure what you mean by 'became more squishy', at no point does your character go down in HP when leveling up, you continually get less squishy. When you level as a cleric, you're focusing on a class is that is less tough, so you get less squishy slightly slower in exchange for spells.

[Mud Puppy]

Thanks!

I forgot that the hit dice usage would still be split during a short rest. I was thinking it would flip to 5d8s rather than remain 3d10/2d8 + whatever at higher levels.