Temporary HP

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Let's say you start with 50 hp, gain 10 temp hp (now 60 hp), get in a fight and lose 20 hp (now 40 hp), then receive another 15 temp hp from a different source.

Is your hp total now 45 (because the second 15 temp hp is 5 greater than the first 10) or is the first 10 wiped clean since you've already suffered more than that in damage? In other words, do temp hp disappear once they've been "spent"? So if you've spent the first 10 temp hp can you gain another 10 temp hp?

From the SRD:
Certain effects give a character temporary hit points. When a character gains temporary hit points, note his current hit point total. When the temporary hit points go away the character’s hit points drop to his current hit point total. If the character’s hit points are below his current hit point total at that time, all the temporary hit points have already been lost and the character’s hit point total does not drop further.

When temporary hit points are lost, they cannot be restored as real hit points can be, even by magic.

Increases in Constitution Score and Current Hit Points: An increase in a character’s Constitution score, even a temporary one, can give her more hit points (an effective hit point increase), but these are not temporary hit points. They can be restored and they are not lost first as temporary hit points are.

 

[Hypersmurf]

... these are not temporary hit points. They can be restored and they are not lost first as temporary hit points are.

Most references throughout the rules note that point - temporary hit points are "lost first", before other hit points.

So when you take the 20 damage, you lose the 10 THP, and then 10 "real" hit points.

So when you later gain 15 THP, there are no remaining THP for them to overlap with. You have 40 "real" hit points and 15 THP, for 55 effective hit points.

-Hyp.

 

[Starbuck_II]

Most references throughout the rules note that point - temporary hit points are "lost first", before other hit points.

So when you take the 20 damage, you lose the 10 THP, and then 10 "real" hit points.

So when you later gain 15 THP, there are no remaining THP for them to overlap with. You have 40 "real" hit points and 15 THP, for 55 effective hit points.

-Hyp.

HyperSmurf is correct.
Additional hpps are lost last (like Rage, Temp Constitution bonuses, etc).

While Temporary hps are lost first (like Virtue, Aid, False Life, etc).

 

[Runestar]

On a side note, temp hp from different sources stack with each other, but not temp hp from the same source.

So if you had 15 temp hp from divine power, took 10 damage (5 temp hp remaining), and then cast aid for another 5 (say), you now have 10 temp hp.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

On a side note, temp hp from different sources stack with each other, but not temp hp from the same source.

So if you had 15 temp hp from divine power, took 10 damage (5 temp hp remaining), and then cast aid for another 5 (say), you now have 10 temp hp.

Are you sure about that? It doesn't sound right.

So if you have 5 different sources of temp hp put on you at once, each giving you 5 hp, and they all stack, then each time you take 5 points of damage your hp increase by 5 as one source replaces the previous? That doesn't sound right. Actually, it sounds ripe for abuse.

This is why the duration of temp hp is important. If you have a spell cast on you that grants 10 temp hp and lasts 1 hour, unless the spell says otherwise doesn't that mean the spell is still in effect for 1 hour regardless of how soon the temp hp are used up and if you get, say, another 5 temp hp put on you during that 1 hour it's still less than the original 10 hp so therefore you don't get the new 5 (until the duration of the original 10 expires)?

 

[Runestar]

That is what the FAQ says.

Do temporary hit points from two applications of the same effect stack? What about from different effects? If I have temporary hit points from multiple sources, how should I apply damage?

Temporary hit points from two applications of the same effect don’t stack; instead, the highest number of temporary hit points applies in place of all others. Temporary hit points from different sources stack, but you must keep track of them separately.

For example, imagine a character who gained 15 temporary hit points from an aid spell. After taking 8 points of damage, she has 7 temporary hit points left from the spell. If another aid spell were cast on the same character granting 12 temporary hit points, this total would replace the other spell’s total, meaning the character would now have 12 temporary hit points (rather than 19).

If the character then cast false life on herself, she would add the full benefit of that spell to the temporary hit points from the aid spell. This also applies to temporary hit points gained from energy drain and similar special abilities. Each successful attack counts as one application of the effect (meaning that an attack that bestows 2 or more negative levels still counts as
only one application of the effect). For example, a wight gains 5 temporary hit points each time it bestows a negative level with its slam attack. If it bestows another negative level while it has 2 temporary hit points remaining from the first attack, the new temporary hit points would replace the old ones.

Temporary hit points are “first-in, first-out.” Damage should be taken off the oldest temporary-hit-point-granting effect first; when that effect is exhausted, apply damage to the next oldest effect. For this reason, you must track each supply of temporary hit points separately.

Doesn't seem abusive to me. It is far easier to get infinite castings of temp hp from the same source (eg: archons/ghaele PC) than from different sources (since only so many spells granting temp hp exist).

 

[Kmart Kommando]

I remember reading that first-in first-out thing. As you take damage, the oldest temp hit points are lost first, then on to the newer ones, assuming different sources. They stack, sort of, but only the highest amount count for effects based on your hit point total.
Like the Power Word Kill spell:
Say you have 93 hit points, 3 temp hit points from one source and 6 from another.

93 + 6 (the highest) is less than 101, so Power Word Kill could get you.
If you had 93 hit points, 10 temp hit points from one source and 5 from another, you'd be fine, since 93 + 10 is more than 101.
If the 5 was the most recently-applied temp hit points, and you took 6 points of damage, they would come off the 10 temp hit points, since they are older, and then Power Word Kill could affect you again. 93 + 5 is less than 101.

Oh, and if you get a new set of temp hit points from a source from which you already have some, but less than the new application, the new set just replaces the old, since they don't stack, and only the highest counts, just basically refreshing the temp hit points, per the stacking rules already in place.