DnD 5e Backgrounds

Merchant 5e Background Guide

Published on December 28, 2024

Explore which D&D classes work best with the Merchant background and how it can help your character get lucky!

A Human Merchant tempting passerbys in their wares.

John Severin Brassell - Wizards of the Coast - Merchant of the Vale

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What Is the Merchant Background in D&D?

The Merchant is a DnD 5e background that represents a character with a history in trade, logistics, and negotiation. Whether you worked as a shopkeeper, caravan master, or wandering trader, your experience in commerce and travel equips you with skills that extend beyond the marketplace.

How Does the Merchant Background Work?

The Merchant 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, Intelligence, and Charisma.
  • Feat: Lucky. This feat gives you a number of Luck Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus. Spending a Luck Points gives you Advantage on a D20 Test (attack roll, saving throw, or ability check) or gives an enemy Disadvantage on their attack against you.
  • Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling and Persuasion.
  • Tool Proficiency: Navigator’s Tools.
  • Equipment:
    • Option A: Navigator’s Tools, 2 pouches, traveler’s clothes, and 22 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 Intelligence or Charisma. Giving Intelligence-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.

Lucky: Lucky is an incredible feat and getting it as part of your background for free makes it all the better. Plus, the 2024 Player’s Handbook version of Lucky gives you a number of Luck Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus, which will result in way more Luck Points for higher-level characters

Animal Handling and Persuasion Proficiencies: Animal Handling is niche but Persuasion is an excellent skill proficiency that will always be useful.

Navigator’s Tools: In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, almost all tools and mundane items have been given mechanical benefits. Unfortunately, Navigator’s Tools allow you to craft anything and their benefits (charting a course and determining your position by the stars) are easily mitigated by a solid Survival check.

What Type of Character is the Merchant Background For?

The Merchant background offers a solid boost for Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. Constitution keeps you in the fight longer, Intelligence boosts your ability to gather information and cast spells for Arcane spellcasters, while Charisma is essential for Bard and Sorcerer spellcasting, improving both your spell save DCs and attack bonuses.

While the Lucky feat normally works best on martial characters who will be making plenty of attack rolls, these casters all have cantrips and spells that require spell attack rolls. Also, your Luck Points can also give enemies Disadvantage on their attacks against you, providing a safety net for crucial moments. Proficiencies in Animal Handling and Persuasion fit well for characters who thrive in social encounters, whether you’re charming NPCs or negotiating trades.

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

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Merchant 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: Boosting Intelligence and Constitution and grabbing the Lucky feat is an amazing start for Artificers, especially Battle Smiths, Armorers, and other builds focusing on making attack rolls more often than not.

Barbarian: The Lucky feat is unfortunately not enough to make up for the fact there's not a Strength boost for Barbarians.

Bard: Boosting Charisma and Constitution and, despite the fact Bards make attack rolls the least out of any class, the Lucky feat will still be wonderful for social interaction or helping you avoid attacks from enemies.

Cleric: Without a Wisdom boost, there isn't much here for a Cleric.

Druid: Without a Wisdom boost, there isn't much here for a Druid.

Fighter: The Lucky feat is unfortunately not enough to make up for the fact there's not a Strength or Dexterity boost for Fighters.

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 an excellent foundation. The Lucky feat is incredibly powerful for Paladins who want to land their attacks (and potentially crit) for their smites.

Ranger: No Dexterity, Wisdom, or Strength makes this a tough background for Rangers to pick, despite providing the incredibly potent Lucky feat.

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

Sorcerer: Boosting Charisma and Constitution is a great start. Coupled with the fact that the Lucky feat can help you land your big spell attack rolls, this background is a solid choice for Sorcerers.

Warlock: The Lucky feat is a great look on Warlocks, especially in the 2024 Player's Handbook as they don't need to rely on Eldritch Blast as their primary attack. While an excellent cantrip, Eldritch Blast requires multiple attack rolls as you level up, so your Luck Points will be less effective. It's much better to spend 1 Luck Point and give yourself Advantage on your Firebolt, which deals 3d10 on hit, rather than spending 3 Luck Points to give 3 of your Eldritch Blasts Advantage. The 2024 Player's Handbook lets Warlocks apply invocations to any cantrip of their choice, allowing you to build more customizable and Lucky-friendly builds.

Wizard: Boosting Intelligence and Constitution and grabbing the Lucky feat is an amazing start for Wizards, especially builds focusing on making spell attack rolls more often than not.

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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.