Aasimar (2024) Guide 5e

Published on October 16, 2024

In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, Aasimar have been updated to harness both their inner radiance and necrotic manifestations.

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What is this guide?

This guide is meant to give you an idea of whether or not the aasimar (2024) will be right for your 5e character build.

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good that option will be for your aasimar (2024). This color coding isn’t a hard and fast rule; there are plenty of sub-optimized options out there that will be viable to your party and will be fun to play.

  • Black is a trait shared by many races and or will not impact the effectiveness of your character build
  • Red isn’t going to contribute to the effectiveness of your character build at all
  • Orange Situationally good, but a below-average option otherwise
  • Green is a good option
  • Blue is a great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
  • Sky Blue is an amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything Update

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything has added the "Customizing Your Origin" option that may affect the ability score increases, languages, and proficiencies in this guide. To read more about this, visit our D&D Race Guide.

Aasimar in the 2024 Player’s Handbook

Aaismar have been brought onto the starting roster in the 2024 Player’s Handbook! While they appeared in Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, they are now a default race in the updated core rules and have been provided a host of new abilities.

Changes from Previous Versions

Aasimars no longer come with subspecies Instead, they get a modular ability in Celestial Revelation, which allows them to jump between abilities previously offered by their subspecies, like touting around a necrotic aura that can frighten their enemies.

What are Aasimar (2024) in 5e?

Source: 2024 Player's Handbook

Aasimar are mortals with a splash of divinity. They’ve got a spark of celestial energy within them, either from having an angelic ancestor or being blessed by a celestial power. That connection to the Upper Planes gives them abilities to heal, light, and protect, but they also have connections with a more nefarious power to twist the minds of their foes.

Aasimar can come from any mortal race, so they usually look like their parents. But they’ve got a few unique traits that set them apart—maybe their eyes glow faintly, or their skin has a metallic sheen. As they get older and embrace their celestial nature, these features become more noticeable. Some might have skin tones in silver, opalescent green, or coppery red, and those hints of their celestial heritage become more obvious as they grow into their power.

So, while they live like regular people, there’s always a bit of that otherworldly touch to them, which grows stronger as they tap into their celestial side.

Aasimar (2024) 5e Traits

Celestial Resistance: Radiant and Necrotic damage are fairly common, and getting a free, conditionless Resistance is a solid boost for your tankiness.

Darkvision: 60 feet of Darkvision will always come in handy.

Healing Hands: Gaining access to a pool of healing equal to 1d4 x your Proficiency Bonus is a huge boost to any character. Healers can save their spell slots, martials can heal themselves in the midst of combat, and spellcasters can expand their list of utility options for their party. It’s a once-per-Long Rest ability, but once-a-day healing is better than no healing.

Light Bearer: Light isn’t a particularly useful cantrip, especially because you have Darkvision. But it can be helpful if you have party members without Darkvision and all your torches are wet.

Celestial Revelation: Being able to switch between these abilities, and having them activate on a Bonus Action makes this modular ability hugely useful. On top of the solid buffs offered by each of the below transformations, you deal extra Necrotic or Radiant damage while they are active (based on the one you choose.) Each transformation lasts a minute, which is more than enough time to do what you need to do in an encounter.

  • Heavenly Wings: Fly Speed is incredible on any ranged build, whether you’re a spellcaster or a Dexterity-based archer.
  • Inner Radiance: Boost your damage even more with a 10-foot AoE effect that travels with you. Perfect for tanks who want to be in the thick of it.
  • Necrotic Shroud: This is only a one-time effect, but the damage boost maintains for the full minute. An AoE Frighten effect can also be a good option for tanks that are surrounded by enemies, but it may not be as effective as simply bathing them in burning radiant light.

Which 5e Classes Work With Aasimar (2024)?

Artificer: A little bit of extra defensive, some extra offensive, and some utility. Great mix of abilities for versatile Artificers.

Barbarian: Extra damage Resistances and an incredibly powerful boost to your damage when enemies are in close quarters. Plus some baked in healing for when you need to gain some Hit Points back.

Bard: Bards will like the Fly Speed offered by Celestial Radiance, but the extra damage might not be applicable as Bards don't often make attacks.

Cleric: Extra healing, Fly Speed, and some badass Radiant damage emanation for when you want to get up close and personal. Very on theme and powerful for Clerics.

Druid: Getting an innate Fly Speed at level 1 means you don't have to wait to hit the skies. Plus, the Aasimar is a good boost for the Druid's utility.

Fighter: Extra damage Resistances and an incredibly powerful boost to your damage when enemies are in close quarters. Plus, some baked-in healing for when you need to gain some Hit Points back. Also a very effective baseline for Dexterity-based ranged Fighters

Monk: A couple of damage Resistances are great for your survivability, and the Inner Radiance option combined with the extra damage from Celestial Radiance will go a long way.

Paladin: Extra healing, extra damage Resistances, and an incredibly powerful boost to your damage when enemies are in close quarters. Very on theme and powerful for Paladins.

Ranger: The innate Fly Speed and increased damage offered by Celestial Radiance are absolutely amazing for a Ranger with a Longbow.

Rogue: Glowing with radiant light isn't the best option for a Rogue looking for subtlety, but a Rogue who likes to interact at range will love the Heavenly Wings transformation.

Sorcerer: Some good options for a blaster caster Sorcerer, especially with the evasion that comes with an innate Fly Speed.

Warlock: Some good options for an Eldritch Blast-happy blaster caster Warlock, especially with the evasion that comes with an innate Fly Speed. The extra damage from Celestial Revelation will also be decently easy to trigger with all your spell attack options.

Wizard: Wizards with an innate Fly Speed will be nearly impossible to pin down, and that's not even taking into account the healing, Resistances, and extra damage.

Sources Used in This Guide

  • : 2024 Player's Handbook
  • BR: Basic Rules
  • GotG: Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
  • SotDQ: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
  • ERLW: Eberron: Rising from the Last War
  • EEPC: Elemental Evil Player’s Companion
  • EGtW: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
  • FToD: Fizban's Treasury of Dragon
  • GGtR: Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
  • MotM: Monsters of the Multiverse
  • MToF: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
  • MOoT: Mythic Odyessys of Theros
  • PAitM: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
  • PHB: Player's Handbook
  • SAiS: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
  • SCoC: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
  • SCAG: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
  • TCoE: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
  • TTP: The Tortle Package
  • WBtW: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
  • VRGtR: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
  • VGtM: Volo's Guide to Monsters
  • XGtE: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.

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