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The aasimar is not a new species toDungeons & Dragons, but they have changed a bit in the Player’s Handbook 2024 since their appearance in Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse and Volo’s Guide To Monsters. Some things remain the same, such as some of their features and lore.
But what does it look like topick up and play an Aasimarwith the rules in the revitalization of the Player’s Handbook? This guide will go over what aasimar are, their traits, and the differences between them and Aasimar in the past. So clasp your holy symbol and read on.
What Is An Aasimar?
Aasimar are mortals whocarry with them the spirit of the Upper Planes, a celestial flame that oftenis difficult to spotuntil an aasimar gains the ability to manifest their heavenly, or ferocious, side.
They resemble their humanoid parents. However, unlike some of the species they resemble,aasimar have a longer lifespan. They can live to,on average, the age of 160.
As a player or a Dungeon Master (DM) crafting an NPC,you’re able to choose what this subtle sign of the Gods is. One way described in the Player’s Handbook 2024 is that they can havefreckles that are metallic. Or they can straight uphave a haloas they walk among their mortal peers.
Aasimar Traits
Like with all species in Dungeons & Dragons that you can choose from, aasimarhave access to some common traits, but also somethat are unique to them.
You are considereda humanoid instead of a celestial being. You may alsochoose to bemedium or small in size. In addition to those distinctions, aasimar also have30 feet of movement.
You gain resistance to radiant and necrotic damage.
Darkvision
You can see in both dim lighting and darkness. The range is 60 feet.
Healing Hands
You heal a creature you touch for a number of d4’s equal to your proficiency bonus.
Light Bearer
You have access to the Light spell and use your Charisma as the spellcasting ability.
Along with these traits that you have starting as soon as you begin to play an aasimar, there is also an ability thatbecomes available to you when you reach level three, which is calledCelestial Revelation.
It allows you tochoose one of three transformations: Heavenly Wings, Inner Radiance, and Necrotic Shroud. These will be explained further below.
While each of those transformations has their own effects, Celestial Revelationalso allows you to deal extra damageon each of your turns while you have the transformation active, which canbe up to one minute. This has to beafter you hit and deal damage to a target with an attack or a spell.
The damage typeis radiant for Heavenly Wings or the Inner Radiancetransformations. If you chooseNecrotic Shroud, then the damage type is necroticinstead.
The amount of damageis determined by your Proficiency Bonus.
Heavenly Wings
As you may guess, this transformation allows your character tolet loose two spectral wings. The wingsgrant youa flying speed, something uncommon among most of the species.
Your flying speed matches your Speed, which, without anything altering it, is the 30 feet of movement you start your character with.
Inner Radiance
This is where you let that award-winning personality shine. Literally.You generate Bright Light within ten feetof you and thenDim Light for an additional ten feet.
But aside from the practical use of lighting up the space you’re in, there is a combat benefit.Any creature within ten feet when your turn endswill be hit withradiant damage that also matches your Proficiency Bonus.
Necrotic Shroud
It looks like Heavenly Wings in the sense that you alsogrow a pair of wings, but this transformation is much more sinister than that, and your enemies know it.
Anyone within ten feet of you who is not a friendmust succeed on aCharisma saving throwof eight plus both your Charisma modifier and Proficiency Bonus.If they fail, they are frightenedof you until your next turn comes to a close.
Differences In The 2024 Player’s Handbook
Before the launch of the Player’s Handbook 2024,aasimar were updated in Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse. When comparing the two versions of aasimar,their lore and the majority of their traits are the same.
The biggest differencebetween the two versionsis the wording of the Celestial Revelation feat.
Before,you would still deal extra damageto your foes, but it waslisted underneath your transformation choice. In the Player’s Handbook 2024, this is included insteadunder the description of Celestial Revelation.
Another difference between these two forms of aasimar is that beforethere was a d6 table you could roll with ideasabout how your celestial features formed. Instead of including a table,a few ideas are listed in the description and loreof an aasimar at the start of their section in the 2024 sourcebook.
Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse was released in 2022 andchanged aspects of aasimar in D&D Fifth Editionprior to the Player’s Handbook 2024’s minor alterations.
When comparing the 2024 speciesto the aasimar ofVolo’s Guide To Monsters, there areno longer any subspecies options.
While some players may have liked the guidance the subspecies choices offered, being able tocraft your aasimar exactly as you want themwithout needing to fit into one of the three options gives you more freedom to express the character you want to. And, while minor,you are not gifted any languagesas aasimar were in Volo’s Guide To Monsters.
