Aasimar 5e: Traits, Celestial Revelation and Best Builds (2024)
Aasimar are mortals touched by celestial power. In the 2024 rules they are Medium or Small with a 30-foot speed, 60-foot Darkvision, resistance to necrotic and radiant damage, the Light cantrip and Healing Hands. From level 3 they can transform once per long rest, gaining wings, a burning aura or a frightening shroud, plus bonus damage.
What are the aasimar traits in 2024?
An aasimar is a humanoid with a spark of the Upper Planes in them: a guardian angel's blessing, a celestial ancestor, or a soul that was simply marked before birth. The 2024 Player's Handbook gives them the traits below. Like every 2024 species, they get no ability score increases; those come from your background.
| Trait | What it does (2024) |
|---|---|
| Creature type | Humanoid |
| Size | Medium (about 4–7 feet) or Small (about 2–4 feet), your choice |
| Speed | 30 feet |
| Darkvision | 60 feet |
| Celestial Resistance | Resistance to necrotic and radiant damage |
| Healing Hands | Magic action, touch a creature: it regains hit points equal to a number of d4s equal to your proficiency bonus. Once per long rest. |
| Light Bearer | You know the Light cantrip; Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it |
| Celestial Revelation (level 3) | Bonus action: transform for 1 minute into one of three forms, each with bonus damage. Once per long rest. |
How does Healing Hands work?
Take the Magic action, touch a creature, and roll a number of d4s equal to your proficiency bonus. The creature regains that many hit points. You get one use per long rest.
| Character level | Proficiency bonus | Healing Hands | Average healing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | +2 | 2d4 | 5 |
| 5–8 | +3 | 3d4 | 7.5 |
| 9–12 | +4 | 4d4 | 10 |
| 13–16 | +5 | 5d4 | 12.5 |
| 17–20 | +6 | 6d4 | 15 |
That's close to a 1st-level Cure Wounds early on, for free, and it works for characters who have no healing at all. Its real job is picking a downed ally back up: any amount of healing gets a creature at 0 HP back on its feet and stops the death saves. Roll it on the d4 roller with as many dice as your proficiency bonus.
The one drawback is the action cost. In a tight fight, a cleric's Healing Word as a bonus action often does more for the party; save Healing Hands for when someone is down or the fight is already won.
What does Celestial Revelation do?
From character level 3, you can spend a bonus action to let your celestial nature out for 1 minute (or until you end it, no action needed). You choose the form each time. While it lasts, once on each of your turns you deal extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus to one target when you hit with an attack or damage it with a spell. The extra damage is radiant, except with Necrotic Shroud, where it's necrotic.
Heavenly Wings
Two spectral wings give you a flying speed equal to your walking speed, usually 30 feet. This is the safe, flexible pick: fly over the pit, reach the archer on the ledge, or hover out of melee reach of anything without a ranged attack. It ends when the minute does, so don't be 60 feet up when it runs out.
Inner Radiance
You shed bright light in a 10-foot radius (dim light 10 feet beyond that), and at the end of each of your turns, every creature within 10 feet of you takes radiant damage equal to your proficiency bonus. That includes your allies, so this suits a front-liner standing in a crowd of enemies, not a paladin shoulder to shoulder with the party rogue.
Necrotic Shroud
Your eyes turn to pools of darkness and flightless wings sprout from your back. When you transform, each creature within 10 feet of you that isn't your ally must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be Frightened of you until the end of your next turn. It's a one-time burst of control on the turn you activate, so step into the middle of the enemies first.
How much damage does Celestial Revelation add?
The bonus is flat: +2 at levels 3–4, +3 at 5–8, +4 at 9–12, +5 at 13–16 and +6 at 17–20. If you hit once per turn for all 10 rounds of the minute, that's 20 extra damage at level 3 and up to 60 at level 17. Real fights rarely last 10 rounds, so think of it as a solid boost to one fight per long rest.
Example: a level 5 aasimar paladin with Inner Radiance hits a hobgoblin with a longsword (1d8 + 3, average 7.5) and adds 3 radiant from the revelation, then 3 more radiant hits every adjacent enemy at the end of the turn. Against three goblins clustered around them, that's 9 free damage per round on top of attacks.
What changed from the 2014 aasimar?
The original aasimar comes from Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016), which predates the 2024 rules. It had a few big differences:
- Ability scores: +2 Charisma, plus +1 Wisdom (Protector), +1 Constitution (Scourge) or +1 Strength (Fallen). 2024 aasimar get no ability increases.
- Subraces: your subrace locked you into one transformation. Protector got wings, Scourge got the radiant aura, Fallen got the fear shroud. In 2024 you choose each time.
- Scaling: Healing Hands restored hit points equal to your level, and the transformations scaled with your level and took an action to start. 2024 uses your proficiency bonus and a bonus action.
- Scourge aura: the 2016 radiant aura also burned the aasimar. The 2024 Inner Radiance has no self-damage clause.
Monsters of the Multiverse (2022) updated the aasimar first and is very close to the 2024 version. If your table uses 2024 rules, use the 2024 traits.
What is the best class for an aasimar?
Because 2024 aasimar don't add to ability scores, every class works. Some get more out of the traits than others:
- Paladin: the classic. Bonus radiant damage on a weapon hit, flight to reach casters and dragons, and Healing Hands to save your Lay on Hands pool. See the paladin guide.
- Warlock or sorcerer: the bonus damage applies to a spell, so one beam of Eldritch Blast per turn gets it. Heavenly Wings keeps a fragile caster out of reach.
- Cleric: Healing Hands doubles up on the party's healing, and Inner Radiance pairs nicely with a melee cleric's Spirit Guardians.
- Barbarian or fighter: Inner Radiance or Necrotic Shroud in the middle of a crowd, with high hit points to stay there.
Quick build: aasimar paladin (2024)
- Background: Acolyte or Soldier, putting +2 in Strength and +1 in Charisma or Constitution.
- Ability scores: standard array with 15 Strength and 14 Charisma before the background; Constitution 13 or higher.
- Level 3 plan: open hard fights with Heavenly Wings to reach the enemy's backline, or Inner Radiance when you're surrounded and allies are behind you.
- Habit: keep Healing Hands for the first ally who drops to 0 HP.
What do aasimar look like and what are good aasimar names?
Most aasimar look like the humans, elves or dwarves who raised them, with a few celestial tells: luminous eyes, a faint halo in moonlight, metallic freckles, or a birthmark that glows when they're angry. Many have a celestial guide who talks to them in dreams. Names usually come from the culture they grew up in, so they're often human names. For ideas, try the D&D name generator, and compare with the fiendish side of the family in the tiefling guide.
FAQ
Can aasimar fly in 5e?
Yes, temporarily. From character level 3, the Heavenly Wings option of Celestial Revelation gives you a flying speed equal to your walking speed for up to 1 minute, once per long rest.
Is aasimar in the 2024 Player's Handbook?
Yes. Aasimar is one of the 10 species in the 2024 Player's Handbook. Before that it appeared in Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) and Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (2022). It is not in the free SRD 5.2.
What ability scores do aasimar get in 2024?
None from the species. In the 2024 rules your background gives +2 and +1, or +1 to three abilities. The 2016 Volo's Guide aasimar had +2 Charisma plus a subrace bonus.
What is the best class for an aasimar?
Paladin is the classic pick: the bonus radiant damage stacks with weapon attacks and Divine Smite, and flight helps a melee character reach anything. Warlocks, sorcerers and clerics also make great use of Celestial Revelation and Healing Hands.
Can you choose a different Celestial Revelation each time?
Yes. In the 2024 rules you pick Heavenly Wings, Inner Radiance or Necrotic Shroud each time you use the trait. The 2016 Volo's Guide version locked you into one through your subrace.
Related
Wizards of the Coast LLC is the trademark holder for Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast, and their respective logos worldwide.
Wizards of the Coast LLC does not support, endorse, approve, or have any affiliation with DnD Dice Roller. According to the Wizards of the Coast LLC's Fan Site Policy, DnD Dice Roller may use its trademarks and other intellectual property. Please visit Wizards of the Coast's website at www.wizards.com if you want additional information about the company, its trademarks, or other intellectual property.
Contains content from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.