Racial Bonuses Dnd 5e



At some point in your Dungeons & Dragons 5E career, you’re going to be asked to make an attack roll. Every single class has the potential to attack and deal damage. But, some types of attack are flat-out confusing. Let’s go over them all and learn how to calculate attack bonus 5E.

Racial Bonuses Dnd 5e

5e Race Bonuses

How to Calculate Attack Bonus 5e

Your attack bonus is not too difficult to calculate by default. It goes like this:

“Yer late, elf!” came the rough edge of a familiar voice. Bruenor Battlehammer walked up the back of his dead foe, disregarding the fact that the heavy monster lay on top of his elven friend. In spite of the added discomfort, the dwarf’s long, pointed, often-broken nose and gr. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Necrotic Shroud. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within yourself, causing your eyes to turn into pools of darkness and two skeletal, ghostly, flightless wings to sprout from your back. On the other hand, the 3e Player’s Handbook didn’t even have the Bonus Types section—the only mention of bonuses stacking or not stacking was in the combining magical effects section (that part that 3.5e has on page 172 and that refers back to 171), where stacking racial bonuses were not mentioned. At some point in your Dungeons & Dragons 5E career, you’re going to be asked to make an attack roll. Every single class has the potential to attack and deal damage. But, some types of attack are flat-out confusing. Let’s go over them all and learn how to calculate attack bonus 5E. How to Calculate Attack Bonus 5e.

Attack Roll = Ability Modifier + Proficiency + Enchantment/Item Bonus + Class Features

Bonuses

Most of the time, you’ll only have to worry about Ability Modifiers and Proficiency.

Racial bonuses dnd 5e homebrew

Dnd Races With Dex Bonus

How Can I Increase My Attack Bonus?

What your attack roll hinges most on is that ability modifier. That’ll change based entirely on the weapon you’re using. In general, if your weapon is either strictly Ranged or has the Finesse quality, you’ll use Dexterity. Otherwise (melee or thrown weapons without the Finesse quality), you’ll use Strength. That means thrown weapons use Strength unless they are also Finesse.

Racial

Unlike older editions, spells now use their Casting Ability Score to calculate attack rolls. That means that a Wizard casting Firebolt adds their Intelligence modifier to their attack roll (back in the old days, it was Dexterity!).

Boosting your Ability Modifier is therefore one of the easiest ways to get your Attack Bonus high. Make sure you find ability boosting items, gear, and Tomes to get it as high as possible!

Proficiency modifier increases just by leveling up, but be warned; You only add your proficiency modifier if you’re proficient with the weapon used. A Wizard doesn’t get to add their Proficiency to Greatsword attacks unless they got proficient from feats or racial features. Make sure you have proficiency, either from class or race, before using weapons, since proficiency is such a major boost to accuracy.

In almost all cases, you’ll find enchanted weapons scattered along your quest. These bonuses go from +1 to +3, and augment both your attack and damage rolls. If you have a weapon with a numerical bonus, that means you just add that to the attack roll. Easy as pie! If you’re a spellcaster, there are a few magical items that boost your spell attack rolls – the Wand of the War Mage is the most popular, able to increase to +3 and attunable to all magic users. There’s a few other magic items that are more useful, but more specific to classes that they can attune to.

Finally, there are class features. There aren’t too many class features that boost your attack rolls, but they’re there. A bunch of features add dice to attack rolls. Bardic Inspiration is one of the most popular – and powerful – ways to get a bonus to attack rolls. The Battle Master can add similarly sized dice to their own rolls, and the Wild Magic Sorcerer can do similar things to Bardic Inspiration… But with tiny dice. So does Guidance, a spell on a few lists.

The Archery Fighting Style adds a flat +2 to a Fighter or Ranger’s attack rolls with a ranged weapon. The War Cleric and Oath of Devotion can use their Channel Divinity to get huge bonuses on attack rolls for a short amount of time.

Then there’s the “enchant my weapon” effects. Some classes can use an ability to enchant their weapon, giving it a magical bonus to attacks. These don’t stack with normal enchantments. The Kensei Monk and Forge Cleric have access to this without using magic. Paladins can use a 3rd level spell – Elemental Weapon – to do so. Wizards have access to Magic Weapon, which – shockingly – gives a weapon a magic bonus.

Racial Bonuses Dnd 5e Spell

Wrapping Up the Attack Bonus Guide

Unlike older editions, 5e runs off the idea of “bounded accuracy.” There’s just not many ways to boost your attack bonuses compared to older editions. If you want to be more accurate, consider ways to gain advantage on your attack rolls instead. There are a ton of ways to do that, and the d20 you roll will almost always influence your attacks more than your modifier will.

Need more 5E Content? see our guide on how to level up in DND.

Race/Ancestry options for Dungeons and Dragons 5e from Elemental Evil Player's Companion, Volo's Guide to Monsters, Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.

Racial Bonuses Dnd 5e

RaceSubraceAbility BonusesSizeSpeedFeaturesLanguagesNotesSource
Aarakocra
  • Dexterity +2
  • Wisdom +1
MediumWalk 25, Fly 50 (no medium or heavy armor)Common, Aarakocra, AuranEE 5
Aasimar
  • Charisma +2
MediumWalk 30Common, Celestial

Resistant to necrotic & radiant damage. Light cantrip.

VOLO 104
Protector
  • Wisdom +1
Flying 30 when Radiant Soul

Transform to sprout wings for 1 minute and Deal extra radiant damage equal to level

VOLO 105
Scourge
  • Constitution +1

Transform to unleash searing light to damage yourself for 1 minute and all around you 1/2 level, and Deal extra radiant damage equal to level

VOLO 105
Fallen
  • Strength +1

Transform to frighten those around you and Deal extra necrotic damage equal to level

VOLO 105
Bugbear
  • Strength +2
  • Dexterity +1
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60 and Powerful Build

Common, Goblin

Proficient in Stealth, Surprise Attack.

VOLO 119
Dragonborn
  • Strength +2
  • Charisma +1
MediumWalk 30

Breath Weapon

Common, Draconic

Damage resistance of dragon ancestor type

PHB 34
Dwarf
  • Constitution +2
MediumWalk 25

Darkvision 60

Common, Dwarvish

Advantage and resistance against Poison damage

PHB 20
Gray Dwarf (Druergar)
  • Strength +1

Darkvision 120 and Sunlight Sensitivity

Undercommon

Enlarge, invisibility once per long rest

SCAG 104
Hill Dwarf
  • Wisdom +1
PHB 20
Mountain Dwarf
  • Strength +1
PHB 20
Elf
  • Dexterity +2
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60

Common, Elvish

Proficient with Perception

PHB 23
Drow (Dark Elf)
  • Charisma +1

Darkvision 120 and Sunlight Sensitivity

PHB 24
Eladrin
  • Charisma +1

Seasonally changing personality traits and flaws, 30ft teleportation 1 / rest with seasonal effect

MTOF 61
High Elf
  • Intelligence +1
1 of choicePHB 23
Sea Elf
  • Constitution +1
Swimming 30

Amphibian

Aquan

Proficiency with spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.

MTOF 62
Shadar-kai
  • Constitution +1

Cantrip of choice from chill touch, spare the dying, or thaumaturgy. Teleport 15 ft 1/rest.

MTOF 62
Wood Elf
  • Wisdom +1
Walking 35

Hide behind anything natural

PHB 24
Firbolg
  • Wisdom +2
  • Strength +1
MediumWalk 30

Detect Magic or disguise self 1/r. and Powerful Build.

Common, Elvish, Giant

Limited communication with beasts and plants.

VOLO 107
Genasi
  • Constitution +2
MediumWalk 30Common, PrimordialEE 9
Air Genasi
  • Dexterity +1

Levitation once per long rest

EE 9
Earth Genasi
  • Strength +1

Pass without trace once per long rest

EE 10
Fire Genasi
  • Intelligence +1

Darkvision 60 and Fire Resistance

Produce flame, burning hands once per long rest

EE 10
Water Genasi
  • Wisdom +1
Swim 30

Acid Resistance and Amphibious

Shape water cantrip, create or destroy water once per long rest

EE 10
Gith
  • Intelligence +1
MediumWalk 30Common, GithMTOF 96
Githyanki
  • Strength +2
1 of choice

Proficient in 1 skill or tool of choice, proficient in light and medium armor. Mage hand cantrip. Jump and misty step once per long rest

MTOF 96
Githzerai
  • Wisdom +2

+1 to AC in light armor or unarmored with no shield. Mage hand cantrip. shield and detect thoughts once per long rest

MTOF 96
Goblin
  • Dexterity +2
  • Constitution +1
SmallWalk 30

Darkvision 60

Common, Goblin

Proficient in Stealth, Surprise Attack.

VOLO 119
GoliathMediumWalk 30

Powerful Build

Common, Giant

Shrug off some damage, proficiency in Athletics

VOLO 108
Gnome
  • Intelligence +2
SmallWalk 25Common, Gnomish

Advantage on all saves against magic

PHB 36
Forest GnomePHB 37
Rock Gnome

Advantage on History checks with magic, alchemy

PHB 37
Deep Gnomes (Svirfneblin)

Darkvision 120

Undercommon

Advantage on Stealth in rocky terrain

SCAG 115
Halfling
  • Dexterity +2
SmallWalk 25Common, Halfling

Reroll 1s

PHB 28
Ghostwise Halfling
  • Wisdom +1

Telepathy

SCAG 110
Lightfoot Halfling
  • Charisma +1

Hide behind Medium or larger creatures

PHB 28
Stout Halfling
  • Constitution +1

Advantage and resistance against Poison damage

PHB 28
Half-Elf
  • Charisma +2
  • 2 of Choice +1
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60

Common, Elvish, 1 of choice

Proficiency with 2 skills of choice

PHB 39
Half-Drow

Choice of Drow Magic or the elf trait Keen Senses in place of Skill Versatility

SCAG 116
Aquatic Half-ElfSwim 30

Choice of elf trait Keen Senses in place of Skill Versatility

SCAG 116
High Half-Elf

Choice of High Elf’s Elf Weapon Training or Cantrip, or the elf trait Keen Senses in place of Skill Versatility

SCAG 116
Wood Half-Elf

Choice of Wood Elf’s Elf Weapon Training, Fleet of Foot, or Mask of the Wild; or the elf trait Keen Senses in place of Skill Versatility

SCAG 116
Half-Orc
  • Strength +2
  • Constitution +1
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60

Common, Orc

Proficiency in Intimidation, Relentless Endurance, Savage Attacks

PHB 41
Hobgoblin
  • Constitution +2
  • Intelligence +1
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60

Common, Goblin

Proficient with 2 martial weapons and light armor

VOLO 119
Human
  • All Abilities +1
MediumWalk 30Common, 1 of choicePHB 31
Variant Human
  • 2 of Choice +1

Choose a feat and Choose a skill to gain proficiency with

PHB 31
Kenku
  • Dexterity +2
  • Wisdom +1
MediumWalk 30Common, Auran, Speak only using Mimicry

Proficiency in 2 of: Acrobatics, Deception, Stealth, Sleight of Hand

VOLO 111
Kobold
  • Dexterity +2
  • Strength -2
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60

Common, Draconic

Pack Tactics, Sunlight Sensitivity

VOLO 119
Lizardfolk
  • Constitution +2
  • Wisdom +1
MediumWalk 30, Swim 30

Bite and Hold breath

Common, Draconic

Proficiency in 2 of: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival

VOLO 113
Orc
  • Strength +2
  • Constitution +1
  • Intelligence -2
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60 and Powerful Build

Common, Orc

Proficient in Intimidation

VOLO 120
Tabaxi
  • Dexterity +2
  • Charisma +1
MediumWalk 30, Climb 20

Darkvision 60 and Claws

Common, 1 of choice

Proficiency in Perception and Stealth

VOLO 115
Tiefling
  • Charisma +2
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60

Common, InfernalPHB 43
Asmodeus Tiefling
  • Intelligence +1

This is the default Tiefling in the PHB as well.

MTOF 21
Baalzebul Tiefling
  • Intelligence +1

Thaumaturgy cantrip, ray of sickness and crown of madness 1/lr

MTOF 21
Dispater Tiefling
  • Dexterity +1

Thaumaturgy cantrip, disguise self and invisibility 1/lr

MTOF 21
Fierna Tiefling
  • Wisdom +1

Friends cantrip, charm person and suggestion 1/lr

MTOF 21
Glasya Tiefling
  • Dexterity +1

Minor illusion cantrip, disguise self and invisibility 1/lr

MTOF 22
Levistus Tiefling
  • Constitution +1

Ray of frost cantrip, armor of Agathys and darkness 1/lr

MTOF 22
Mammon Tiefling
  • Intelligence +1

Mage hand cantrip, Tenser’s floating disk and arcane lock 1/lr

MTOF 22
Mephistopheles Tiefling
  • Intelligence +1

Mage hand cantrip, magic missile and web 1/lr

MTOF 22
Zariel Tiefling
  • Strength +1

Thaumaturgy cantrip, searing smite and branding smite 1/lr

MTOF 22
SCAG Variant Tiefling

Choice of Devil’s Tongue, Hellfire, or Winged features to replace Infernal Legacy

SCAG 118
Triton
  • Strength +1
  • Constitution +1
  • Charisma +1
MediumWalk 30, Swim 30

Amphibious

Common, PrimordialVOLO 117
Yuan-Ti Pureblood
  • Charisma +2
  • Intelligence +1
MediumWalk 30

Darkvision 60, Poison immunity, and Magic Resistance

Common, Abyssal, Draconic

Poison spray and animal friendship (snakes only) cantrips, suggestion 1/lr

VOLO 120