DnD 5e Backgrounds

Sailor 5e Background Guide

Published on December 30, 2024

Explore which D&D classes work best with the Sailor background and how it can help your character navigate nautical adventure!

A Sailor laughing behind the wheel of a cutter ship

Chris Rallis - Wizards of the Coast - Captain Lannery Storm

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What Is the Sailor Background in D&D?

The Sailor is a DnD 5e background that represents a character who has spent their life at sea, braving the waves and navigating the unpredictable dangers of the ocean. Whether you were a merchant, privateer, or pirate, this background gives your character a blend of agility, strength, and practical know-how.

How Does the Sailor Background Work?

The Sailor 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: Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom.
  • Feat: Tavern Brawler. This feat allows you to deal 1d4 + Strength damage with Unarmed Strikes, provide proficiency with improvised weapon, and lets you Shove in addition to dealing damage with Unarmed Strikes.
  • Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics and Perception.
  • Tool Proficiency: Navigator’s Tools.
  • Equipment:
    • Option A: Dagger, Navigator’s Tools, rope, traveler’s clothes, and 20 GP.
    • Option B: 50 GP for a more customizable loadout.

Let’s break down the benefits:

Ability Scores: While Strength is somewhat awkward in this spread, Wisdom and Dexterity work for plenty of builds, like Wisdom-based spellcasters, Monks, and Rangers.

Tavern Brawler Feat: Non-Monk Unarmed Strike builds are notoriously underpowered and require lots of investment in feats to bring their damage on par with regular weapon builds. Getting the Tavern Brawler feat for free at level 1 helps, but only doing 1d4 + Strength damage is still quite unimpressive.

Acrobatics and Perception Proficiencies: A proficiency in Perception is always great as it’s one of the most common skill checks in the game. Acrobatics has been nerfed because it’s no longer used to escape grapples, so it’ll be situationally useful at best.

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 Sailor Background For?

The Sailor background is a good choice for Fighters and Rogues and a great choice for Monks and Rangers. Strength enhances your melee attacks and enables Heavy armor, while Dexterity improves your AC (without Heavy armor) and attack rolls with Finesse or Ranged weapons. Wisdom benefits Rangers by increasing their spellcasting modifier and Monks by boosting their Focus abilities.

The Tavern Brawler feat gains you access to improvised weapons and grants a bonus to Unarmed Strikes, which can help builds who want to focus on a for scrappy, Non-Monk builds. Perception further benefits just about any build, especially those looking to scout for their party.

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

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Sailor 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 isn't much here for an Artificer.

Barbarian: While it doesn't provide a Constitution boost, the Sailor background can boost a Barbarian's Strength and Dexterity (to help with AC). Tavern Brawler provides some options when you don't have a Heavy weapon available, and a Perception proficiency is always beneficial.

Bard: Without a Charisma boost, there isn't much here for a Bard.

Cleric: You can boost +2 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity, gain a proficiency in Perception, all of which are helpful, but the Tavern Brawler feat won't be of much use.

Druid: You can boost +2 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity, gain a proficiency in Perception, all of which are helpful, but the Tavern Brawler feat won't be of much use.

Fighter: You can boost Strength and Dexterity, which can work help two types of Fighter builds: Strength-based Fighters in Medium armor and Ranged or Finesse weapon-wielding Fighters and wearing Heavy armor. The Tavern Brawler feat provides Fighters with more options in combat, especially if they've somehow lost their weapon.

Monk: You can boost Dexterity and Wisdom, gain a proficiency in Perception, and the ability to Push and deal damage with Unarmed Strikes will certainly be beneficial.

Paladin: Without a Constitution or Charisma boost, there isn't much here for a Paladin.

Ranger: You can boost Wisdom and Dexterity or Strength, depending on your build. Tavern Brawler likely won't be of much benefit, but a proficiency in Perception is very useful on a Ranger.

Rogue: You can boost Dexterity and gain a proficiency in Persuasion, but nothing much else for a Rogue here.

Sorcerer: Without a Charisma boost, there isn't much here for a Sorcerer.

Warlock: Without a Charisma boost, there isn't much here for a Warlock.

Wizard: Without an Intelligence boost, there isn't much here for a Wizard.

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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.