How dynamic_cast<Target*>(ptr) performs safe downcasting in polymorphic class hierarchies:

Unlike static_cast which is a zero-cost compile-time offset adjustment, dynamic_cast traverses Runtime Type Information (RTTI) metadata tables located above the virtual table pointer to verify inheritance relationships.

In deep class hierarchies with multiple inheritance, dynamic_cast performs multiple string/pointer comparisons across the type descriptor graph. In performance-critical loops, prefer tagged sum types (std::variant) or static polymorphism (CRTP).

Profiling a physics loop once revealed 12% CPU time spent entirely in dynamic_cast type checks. Switching to an enum tag check made it 10x faster.

RTTI is also disabled in many game engines and embedded systems with -fno-rtti to reduce binary size and avoid virtual dispatch tables overhead.