Hermit 5e Background Guide

Published on December 25, 2024, Last modified on December 28th, 2024

Explore which D&D classes work best with the Hermit background and how it can help your reclusive caster heal your allies.

A Hermit DnD character strolls alone in the woods.

Anna Christenson - Wizards of the Coast - Candlegrove Witch

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What Is the Hermit Background in D&D?

The Hermit is a DnD 5e background that represents a character who has lived a life of seclusion, dedicating their time to quiet reflection, study, or communion with nature. Whether as a spiritual ascetic, a researcher, or a reclusive healer, the Hermit is well-suited for characters who value introspection and understanding over worldly pursuits.

How Does the Hermit Background Work?

The Hermit background offers the following features:

Ability Scores: Receive a +2 bonus to one ability and +1 to another, or a +1 bonus to all three: Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Feat: Healer. This feat allows you to use a Healer’s Kit to restore Hit Points and reroll 1s when rolling healing dice.
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine and Religion.
Tool Proficiency: Herbalism Kit.
Equipment:
- Option A: Quarterstaff, Herbalism Kit, Bedroll, Book (philosophy), Lamp, Oil (3 flasks), Traveler’s Clothes, and 16 GP.
- Option B: 50 GP for a more customizable loadout.

Let’s break down the benefits:

Ability Scores: This distribution is excellent for caster classes that focus on Wisdom or Charisma. Giving Wisdom-based casters and Charisma-based casters the ability to +2 their spellcasting modifier and +1 Constitution helps keep their spell attack modifier, spell save DC, and Hit Points.

Healer Feat: The Healer feat has got some decent buffs in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Now, when you heal using the Healer’s Kit, the target gets to use their Hit Dice, making it more effective for classes with higher Hit Dice. That said, you can’t use this on creatures that have spent all their Hit Dice. You can also reroll and 1s on healing dice, which can provide a minor boost to your healing efforts. Seeing as healing spells in the 2024 Player’s Handbook have had their healing dice doubled, this keeps the feat in line with the increased power level. Still, healing-dedicated builds aren’t necessarily needed in D&D, so usually something like Healing Word to revive downed enemies from a distance as a Bonus Action is all you’ll need.

Medicine and Religion Proficiencies: Both Medicine and Religion are niche Intelligence-focused skills that won’t come up as often as something like Stealth, Persuasion, or Perception.

Herbalism Kit: In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, all tools and mundane items have been given mechanical benefits. The Herbalism Kit is one of the best tool proficiencies out there because it allows you to craft Potions of Healing during your downtime.

What Type of Character is the Hermit Background For?

The Hermit background works best for Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, or Warlocks. Constitution increases your durability and helps you maintain Concentration on important spells, while Wisdom and Charisma are crucial for their respective spellcaster’s spell attack rolls and spell save DCs.

The Healer feat provides additional healing resources, making Hermit a good fit for any class that wants to act as the party’s medic—or at least support the party’s healer. Proficiencies in Medicine and Religion are decent bonuses to Cleric or Druids who don’t normally get bonuses to these Intelligence-based skills.

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of the Hermit Background?

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Hermit 5e background is for a specific class/subclass.

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 : A good option
Blue : A great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
Sky Blue: An amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized

Artificer: Without an Intelligence boost, there's not much here for an Artificer.

Barbarian: Without a Strength boost, there's not much here for a Barbarian.

Bard: You can +2 Charisma, +1 Constitution, and grab some additional healing capabilities from the Healer feat, all of which make this a good start for Bards.

Cleric: Awesome background for Clerics because of the +2 to Wisdom and +1 to Constitution, plus the applicable Religion and Medicine proficiencies. The Healer feat helps boost your healing capabilities and the Herbalism Kit can help you expand your healing capabilities by allowing you to craft Potions of Healing.

Druid: Awesome background for Druids because of the +2 to Wisdom and +1 to Constitution, plus the applicable Religion and Medicine proficiencies. The Healer feat helps boost your healing capabilities and the Herbalism Kit can help you expand your healing capabilities by allowing you to craft Potions of Healing.

Fighter: Without a Strength or Dexterity boost, there's not much here for a Fighter.

Monk: Without a Dexterity boost, there isn't much here for a Monk.

Paladin: You can boost Charisma and Constitution, so if you focus on improving Strength when planning your ability scores, you can still start off with a good foundation. The Healer feat and Healer Kit also expand your healing capabilities, if you want to lean into the role of battlefiled medic.

Ranger: You can boost Wisdom and Constitution, so if you focus on improving Strength or Dexterity when planning your ability scores, you can still start off with a good foundation for your Ranger. The Healer feat and Healer Kit also expand your healing capabilities, if you want to lean into the role of battlefiled medic.

Rogue: Without a Dexterity boost, there's not much here for a Rogue.

Sorcerer: You can boost Charisma and Constitution, but Sorcerers don't normally lean into healing, so the second benefit of the Healer feat isn't going to provide that much value. The ability to craft Potions of Healing can help keep you stocked, though, and seeing as you can drink them as a Bonus Action in the 2024 Player's Handbook, it's a great way to mitigate your Sorcerer's meager Hit Points.

Warlock: You can boost Charisma and Constitution, but Warlocks don't normally lean into healing, so the second benefit of the Healer feat isn't going to provide that much value. The ability to craft Potions of Healing can help keep you stocked, though, and seeing as you can drink them as a Bonus Action in the 2024 Player's Handbook, it's a great way to mitigate your Warlock's meager Hit Points.

Wizard: Without an Intelligence boost, there's not much here for a Wizard.

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.

Hermit 5e Background Guide

What Is the Hermit Background in D&D?

How Does the Hermit Background Work?

What Type of Character is the Hermit Background For?

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of the Hermit Background?

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Mike Bernier