Category:Class
Adventurers are extraordinary people, driven by a thirst for excitement into a life that others would never dare lead. They are heroes, compelled to explore the dark places of the world and take on the challenges that lesser women and men can’t stand against.
Class is the primary definition of what your character can do. It’s more than a profession; it’s your character’s calling. Class shapes the way you think about the world and interact with it and your relationship with other people and powers in the multiverse. A fighter, for example, might view the world in pragmatic terms of strategy and maneuvering, and see herself as just a pawn in a much larger game. A cleric, by contrast, might see himself as a willing servant in a god’s unfolding plan or a conflict brewing among various deities. While the fighter has contacts in a mercenary company or army, the cleric might know a number of priests, paladins, and devotees who share his faith.
Your class gives you a variety of special features, such as a fighter’s mastery of weapons and armor, and a wizard’s spells. At low levels, your class gives you only two or three features, but as you advance in level you gain more and your existing features often improve. Each class entry in this chapter includes a table summarizing the benefits you gain at every level, and a detailed explanation of each one.
Adventurers sometimes advance in more than one class. A rogue might switch direction in life and swear the oath of a paladin. A barbarian might discover latent magical ability and dabble in the sorcerer class while continuing to advance as a barbarian. Elves are known to combine martial mastery with magical training and advance as fighters and wizards simultaneously. Optional rules for combining classes in this way, called multiclassing, appear in chapter 6.
Twelve classes—listed in the Classes table—are found in almost every D&D world and define the spectrum of typical adventurers.
| Class | Description | Hit Die | Primary Ability | Saving Throw Proficiencies | Armor and Weapon Proficiencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | A fierce warrior of primitive background who can enter a battle rage | d12 | Strength | Strength & Constitution | Light and medium armor, shields, simple and martial weapons |
| Bard | An inspiring magician whose power echoes the music of creation | d8 | Charisma | Dexterity & Charisma | Light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords |
| Cleric | A priestly champion who wields divine magic in service of a higher power | d8 | Wisdom | Wisdom & Charisma | Light and medium armor, shields, simple weapons |
| Druid | A priest of the Old Faith, wielding the powers of nature—moonlight and plant growth, fire and lightning—and adopting animal forms | d8 | Wisdom | Intelligence & Wisdom | Light and medium armor (nonmetal), shields (nonmetal), clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears |
| Fighter | A master of martial combat, skilled with a variety of weapons and armor | d10 | Strength or Dexterity | Strength & Constitution | All armor, shields, simple and martial weapons |
| Monk | A master of martial arts, harnessing the power of the body in pursuit of physical and spiritual perfection | d8 | Dexterity & Wisdom | Strength & Dexterity | Simple weapons, shortswords |
| Paladin | A holy warrior bound to a sacred oath | d10 | Strength & Charisma | Wisdom & Charisma | All armor, shields, simple and martial weapons |
| Ranger | A warrior who uses martial prowess and nature magic to combat threats on the edges of civilization | d10 | Dexterity & Wisdom | Strength & Dexterity | Light and medium armor, shields, simple and martial weapons |
| Rogue | A scoundrel who uses stealth and trickery to overcome obstacles and enemies | d8 | Dexterity | Dexterity & Intelligence | Light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords |
| Sorcerer | A spellcaster who draws on inherent magic from a gift or bloodline | d6 | Charisma | Constitution & Charisma | Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows |
| Warlock | A wielder of magic that is derived from a bargain with an extraplanar entity | d8 | Charisma | Wisdom & Charisma | Light armor, simple weapons |
| Wizard | A scholarly magic-user capable of manipulating the structures of reality | d6 | Intelligence | Intelligence & Wisdom | Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows |
Sources:
- Player’s Handbook, p. 45
