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D&D 5e class changes

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This page and related pages summarize rule changes from the implementation of Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) rules to Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3).

The rule changes described on this page and related pages are written with the assumption the reader understands the relevant D&D 5e rule. These pages will not explain what the D&D 5e rule is, only what the changed or altered BG3 rule is. These pages also include many BG3 features and abilities that are unchanged from D&D 5e to help a D&D 5e player quickly see which options have changed and which have not, and make decisions without having to do additional research. If the BG3 rule aligns with a OneD&D rule or other playtest material from D&D 5e, that is considered a rule change from D&D 5e.

Barbarian

  • Rage bonus damage applies to damage rolls using thrown weapons/objects, as well as to attacks made using dexterity for the attack and damage rolls (finesse weapons).
  • Reckless Attack works with all melee attack rolls, regardless of what ability modifier they use. You can choose to Reckless Attack just before you miss an attack (allowing you to reroll) rather than only before your first attack each turn.
  • Feral Instincts gives a fixed +3 bonus to Initiative, instead of advantage.

Path of the Wildheart (Totem Warrior)

  • Beast sense spell is not in the game, and therefore this spell is not granted.
  • Speak with animals is able to be cast once per long rest, rather than as a ritual. However note the difference in the spell's duration is now until long rest.
  • There will be up to 10 different animal spirits a character can choose from instead of five. The Honeybadger is the only new animal spirit which has been revealed.
  • The game uses the Rules as Written interpretation of Beastial Heart (a.k.a. Totem Spirit) features. A character will still have the Bestial Heart features even if they rage while in heavy armor.
  • Each of the Beastial Heart options (a.k.a. Totem Spirit) have their traditional passive effect as well as a new option to use as a action.

Path of the Berserker

  • Leaving a frenzy rage does not cause a character to gain a level of exhaustion. Instead, using a frenzied strike will apply a cumulative -1 to hit debuff until the rage ends.
  • While in a frenzy rage, a character may use Enraged Throw as a bonus action to throw a creature or object at a target. If this lands then it will deal the typical damage + rage damage as well as knock the target prone.

Wild Magic Barbarian

  • Magic Awareness lets anyone within a 3m range adds their Proficiency Bonus to Saving Throws against spells rather then letting the Barbarian identify the location and school of an upcoming spell within 60 feet that isn't behind complete cover.

Bard

  • Bards automatically gain proficiency in all musical instruments, which include hand drums, flute, lute, lyre, and violins.
  • Song of rest is a once per long rest ability that allows the party to take an additional short rest, and it does not get any upgrades.
  • Countercharm lasts 3 turns, rather than 1.
  • Jack of All Trades does not apply to initiative rolls. Updated versions of 5e removed initiative from Jack of All Trades.
  • Magical secrets only gives access to a set list of spells instead of giving access to all spells. As of patch 2 that is nearly all spells however.

College of Lore

College of Swords

  • All Blade Flourishes are now actions rather than Bonus Actions.
    • Defensive Flourish now provides a fixed +4 AC.
    • Mobile Flourish now pushes the target back 6 m / 20 ft rather than 1.5 m / 5 ft.
    • Slashing Flourish now performs a single attack on two targets with separate Attack Rolls, rather than using the Bardic Inspiration bonus as the damage for the bonus attack.
  • Blade Flourish does not grant 10 feet movement on an action.
  • Blade Flourish is not limited to once per turn.

College of Valour

No Changes

Cleric

  • Destroy Undead does radiant damage to all undead affected, rather than instantly killing weaker undead.
  • Clerics receive the Produce Flame Cantrip. Normally only Druids receive this Cantrip. This is likely because the standard rules only give Clerics a single damaging Cantrip, Sacred Flame, which is completely nullified on a successful save by the target.

Life Domain

  • The level 3 domain spell Spiritual Weapon is replaced with Aid.
  • The level 9 domain spell Raise Dead is replaced with Greater Restoration.
  • Channel Divinity: Preserve Life is now able to heal an ally past half hp, but only heals (3 x Cleric Level) hit points as opposed to (5 x Cleric level).

Light Domain

  • The level 9 domain spell Scrying is placed with Destructive Wave.
  • Warding flare has unlimited charges rather than having a limit of the Wisdom modifier.
  • Warding flare triggers when an enemy has already rolled and is going to hit, unlike in 5e where you have to use it before the enemy rolls their attack.

Knowledge Domain

  • The level 1 domain spell Identify is placed with Sleep.
  • Channel Divinity: Knowledge of the Ages gives proficiency to all skills of an Ability Score rather than a single skill or tool, and it lasts all day (long rest) instead of 10 minutes.
  • The level 3 domain spells Augury and Suggestion are replaced with Calm Emotions and Hold Person.
  • The level 5 domain spell Nondetection is replaced with Slow.
  • The level 6 domain feature Channel Divinity: Read Thoughts (essentially just detect thoughts) is replaced with nothing.
  • The level 7 domain spell Arcane Eye is replaced with Otiluke's Resilient Sphere.
  • The level 9 domain spells Legend lore and Scrying are replaced with Dominate Person and Telekinesis.

Nature Domain

  • The level 5 domain spell Wind Wall is replaced with Sleet Storm.
  • The level 6 domain feature Dampen Elements is replaced with nothing. Dampen Elements enabled the Cleric to expend a reaction to half the damage of acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage of either the Cleric or another creature.
  • The level 9 domain spell Tree Strike is replaced with Wall of Stone.

Tempest Domain

  • Wrath of the Storm is renamed to Destructive Wrath, and does Lightning Damage, Thunder Damage on a failed save, as opposed to being able to select one of those two damage types for either case. It is also not limited to the Wisdom Ability Score Modifier number of uses per day, instead using a reaction.
  • The level 7 domain spell Control Water is replaced with Freedom of Movement.

Trickery Domain

  • The 3rd level Domain Spells are replaced Bestow Curse and Fear, rather than Blink and Dispel Magic.
  • The level 6 domain feature Channel Divinity: Cloak of Shadows is replaced with nothing. Channel Divinity: Cloak of Shadows allowed the Cleric to become invisible until the end of their next turn, though broken if they attack or cast a spell.
  • The level 8 domain spell Modify Memory is replaced with Seeming.
  • Blessing of the Trickster requires concentration.
  • Invoke Duplicity does not allow a character to cast cast spells through it, and they cannot move it on subsequent turns. However the duplicate provides advantage to attack rolls of all allies if both the ally and the target are within 10 ft of the duplicate.

War Domain

  • War Priest gives 3 charges, more as the Cleric levels, instead of the Wisdom Ability Score Modifier (minimum 1).
  • Divine Strike always does the damage type of the weapon in the main hand, even when doing offhand strikes, instead of always doing the type of the weapon associated with the attack roll.

Druid

  • There is no restriction preventing a druid from wearing metal armor.
  • There is no time limit on how long a character can be wild shaped.
  • Moving spells such as Moonbeam around is treated as the Cast a Spell action, so characters are prevented from doing so while wild shaped.
  • Wild shape transformations have modified statblocks from their Monster Manual counterparts, and are limited to the following options:
Wildshape Options
Druid Level All Druids Additional Moon Druid Options
2 Badger, Cat, Spider, Wolf Bear
4 Deep Rothe Dire Raven

Circle of the Moon

  • No changes besides those in the above table.

Circle of the Land

  • A character is able to select a different terrain at 5th level than the terrain selected at the 3rd level. Example, select arctic spells at 3rd level and forest spells at 5th level.
  • Circle (always prepared) spells were changed:
Land Druid Additional Spells Prepared
Druid Level Arctic Coast Desert Forest Grassland Mountain Swamp Underdark
3rd Level Hold Person, Spike Growth Mirror Image, Misty Step Blur, Silence Barkskin, (Spider Climb Replaced with Hold Person) Invisibility, Pass Without Trace (Spider Climb replaced with Mirror Image), Spike Growth Darkness, Melf's Acid Arrow (Spider Climb replaced with Misty Step, Web)
5th Level Sleet Storm, (Slow replaced with Haste) Water Breathing and Water Walk replaced with Sleet Storm and Call Lightning (Create Food and Water replaced with Hypnotic Pattern), Protection from Energy Call Lightning, Plant Growth Daylight, Haste Lightning Bolt and Meld into Stone replaced with Call Lightning and Fly (Water Walk replaced with Vampiric Touch), Stinking Cloud Gaseous Form, Stinking Cloud
7th Level (Freedom of Movement replaced with

Conjure Minor Elemental),  Ice Storm

Freedom of Movement,  (Control Water replaced with Confusion) Blight, (Hallucinatory Terrian replaced with Wall of Fire) Divination, Freedom of Movement replaced with Conjure Minor Elemental,  Grasping Vine Freedom of Movement, (Divination replaced with Polymorph) Stoneskin, (Stone Shape replaced with Dominate Beast) Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature replaced with Blight,  Grasping Vine Greater Invisibility, (Stone Shape replaced with Dominate Beast)
9th Level Cone of Cold,  (Commune with Nature replaced with Contagion) Conjure Elemental,  (Scrying replaced with Greater Restoration) Wall of Stone,  Insect Plague Commune with Nature, Tree Stride replaced with Mass Cure Wounds,  Contagion (Dream replaced with Greater Restoration),   Insect Plague Wall of Stone, (Passwall replaced with Conjure Elemental) Insect Plague, (Scrying replaced with Cloudkill) (Insect Plague replaced with Contagion),  Cloudkill

Circle of the Spores

  • At level 2 the Druid gets Bone Chill as a bonus Cantrip, which is not in the original rules.
  • Symbiotic Entity lasts until long rest instead of 10 minutes.
  • The level 3 circle spell Gentle Repose is replaced with Detect Thoughts.

Fighter

  • No changes to the base class

Battle Master Archetype

  • The Parry and Lunging Attack Battle Master Maneuvers are not present.
  • The Rally maneuver gives a flat +8 Temporary HP.
  • Sweeping Attack is quite different. It is a normal action that does a whirlwind and uses only the superiority die as damage - not weapon + superiority die. This is opposed to the standard rules that have it as a free situational action when you hit a foe with a melee weapon attack, you would be able to choose another in that same action - and attack roll - to receive superiority die as damage.

Champion Archetype

  • No changes.

Eldritch Knight Archetype

  • No changes.

Monk

  • Monks get access to Ki at first level, as opposed to second level, giving Monks earlier access to certain abilities. They still gain one ki point as normal each level after that, meaning Monks have one more Ki point per-level than in 5e.
  • Slow Fall grants resistance to falling damage.
  • You automatically use Stillness of Mind to end the Charmed or Frightened condition.

Way of the Four Elements

  • At level 6, 9, and 11 the Monk gets 1 additional spell instead of 2 at level 6 and 11.
  • The level 6 feature Force of Nature is replaced with nothing, including the Bend the Earth, Control the Flames, Gust the Wind, and Shape the River techniques/spells.
  • The level 11 feature Empowered Techniques is replaced with the level 9 feature Improved Elemental Casting. Instead of getting 1 free KI point a turn the Monk gets an additional damage die and other features depending on the spell.

Way of the Open Hand

  • Wholeness of Body is acquired at level 6 instead of level 3.
  • Open Hand Monks gain 3 new moves: Manifestation of Body, Manifestation of Mind, and Manifestation of Soul.
  • Quivering Palm, a level 3 ability, does not exist. Instead the Ki Resonation series of abilities are acquired at level 9. These are the same in principle as Quivering Palm which allowed the Monk to expend 3 Ki Points upon a unarmed strike to outright kill a creature on a failed Constitution saving throw, or deal 10d10 Necrotic damage on success (Quivering Palm was limited to once per long rest).

Way of Shadow

  • Cloak of Shadows is acquired at level 5 instead of level 11.
  • Shadow Monks gain a new move Shadow Strike at level 11.

Paladin

  • A character selects their Oath at first level. They can break their Oath by not following the tenets at which point they will become an Oathbreaker subclass until they pay a financial tithe to restore your oath if desired.
  • Channel Divinity changed to Channel Oath, and each subclass gets a new Channel Oath feature at first level. This has implications on multiclassing with Cleric as the resources are new separate.
  • Divine Sense is a bonus action and a character has one use per short rest. It grants the character advantage on attack rolls against celestials, fiends, and undead for two rounds.
  • Lay on Hands is changed to:
    • A character has 3 charges (this increases to 4 charges at level 4).
    • As an action they can spend 1 charge to heal the target by an amount of hitpoints equal to 2 x Paladin level.
    • As an action they can spend 2 charges to heal the target by an amount of hitpoints equal to 4 x Paladin level.
    • As an action they can spend 2 charges to cure any diseases or poisons affecting the target.

Oath of the Ancients

Oath of Devotion

  • The level 1 Channel Oath ability Holy Rebuke is new.
  • Oath spell Zone of Truth is replaced with Silence.

Oathbreaker

  • Available at level 1 instead of level 3.
  • The level 1 Channel Oath ability Spiteful Suffering is new.
  • Control Undead range is reduced to 20 ft, and the effect is limited by the target's level rather than challenge rating.

Oath of Vengeance

Ranger

  • The Player Handbook Version of the Ranger is used, with substantial changes.
  • Favored Enemy is replaced by a choice of one of the following:
Archetypes Description Grants
Bounty Hunter Gain Proficiency in Investigation. Creatures you hit with Ensnaring Strike (either ranged or melee) have Disadvantage on their Saving Throw.
Keeper of the Veil You specialise in hunting creatures from other planes of existence. You gain Proficiency in Arcana and can grant protection against aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead.
Mage Breaker You have a history of battling spellcasters. Gain Proficiency with Arcana and the True Strike Cantrip, which gives you Advantage Icon.png Advantage on Attack Rolls against a creature. Wisdom is your Spellcasting Ability for this spell.
Ranger Knight You have sworn to serve a crown or nation and seek to bring its foes to ruin. Gain Proficiency with History and Proficiency with Heavy Armour.
Sanctified Stalker You swore to hunt the enemies of a holy or druidic order. Gain Proficiency with Religion and the Sacred Flame Cantrip, which deals 1d8Damage TypesRadiant damage. Wisdom is your Spellcasting Ability for the Cantrip.
  • Natural Explorer is replaced by a choice of one of the following:
Archetypes Description Grants
Beast Tamer You have cultivated a strong bond with animals. You can cast Find Familiar as a ritual.
Urban Tracker An expert at navigating the wild within the city, you gain Sleight of Hand Proficiency.
Wasteland Wanderer: Cold You have spent endless days surviving desolate tundras. Gain resistance to Cold damage, taking only half damage from it.
Wasteland Wanderer: Fire You have spent endless days surviving forbidding deserts. Gain resistance to Fire, taking only half damage from it.
Wasteland Wanderer: Poison You have spent endless days surviving fetid swamps. Gain resistance to Poison, taking only half damage from it.
  • Primeval awareness feature not implemented.

Hunter Archetype

Beast Master Archetype

  • The animal companions able to be summoned are limited to Bear, Boar, Dire Raven, Wolf, or Wolf Spider. These creatures have their own statblocks which differs from their Monster Manual counterpart.
  • The animal companion acts on its own initiative and does not require an action to command.
  • The companion can be swapped out or resummoned once per short rest.
  • The animal companion add the proficiency bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws and Armour Class at 5th level and not at 3rd level.
  • At 5th level, 8th level and 11th level the animal companion gains additional hitpoints.
  • At 5th level and 11th level the animal companion gain additional abilities and increase their abiliity scores.

Gloom Stalker Archetype

  • The Dread Ambusher initiative bonus is +3 rather than the Wisdom Ability Score Modifier.
  • For Umbral Sight, rather than getting normal Darkvision, Superior Darkvision if the race already had Darkvision, Gloom Stalkers get Superior Darkvision in all cases.
  • Gloom Stalkers get the always prepared ritual spell Disguise Self.
  • Gloom Stalkers get the always prepared spell Misty Step at level 5.
  • The level 7 feature Iron Mind gives Proficiency in Wisdom and Intelligence Saving Throws rather than just Wisdom with a choice of Intelligence or Charisma if the Gloom Stalker already had Wisdom saving throw proficiency.
  • Gloom Stalkers get the always prepared spell Fear at level 9.

Rogue

  • Thieves' tools proficiency is not implemented (Sleight of Hand is used instead for relevant checks), and therefore not granted at first level.
  • Thieves' Cant implemented as optional dialogue options.
  • sneak attack only applies the additional damage if the character specifically takes the action titled "Sneak Attack" (ranged or melee option). This means it cannot apply to bonus action offhand attacks for example.
  • Sneak Attack damage is limited to 5d6 (reached at level 9), you do not get an addition die damage at level 11.

Arcane Trickster Archetype

  • Mage Hand Legerdemain lists that it "can carry out additional tasks," however as of Patch #2 (release) no additional tasks such as "stow away or retrieve objects carried by other creatures" are implemented.

Thief Archetype

  • Fast hands changed to grant an additional bonus action each round.
  • Second story work grants resistance to falling damage instead of climb speed.

Assassin Archetype

  • Assassin's Alacrity is new.
  • Infiltration Expertise doesn't require gold or a week or preparation it is now instant and just requires an action, and lets you become male/female of any humanoid race.

Sorcerer

  • Able to select two metamagic options from careful spell, distant spell, extended spell, or twinned spell at 2nd level. At 3rd level sorcerers are able to select an additional metamagic option from the above list as well as the heightened spell, quickened spell, or subtle spell options. Overall this means that a sorcerer will have more metamagic options available at 3rd level, but are limited in which of the third level options they can select.
    • Careful spell affects all allies in the area, not just an amount of creatures equal to the caster's Charisma modifier.
    • Distant spell increases spells with a 5 ft range to 10 ft. All other ranged spells have their range increased by only 50%.
    • Heightened spell gives disadvanatage to the saving throw of all creatures affected by the spell.
    • Quickened spell costs 3 sorcery points instead of 2.
    • Subtle spell allows a character to cast the spell while silenced (note: Verbal, Somatic, and Material components are ignored in Baldur's Gate 3, and being silenced prevents all casting).
  • Empowered Spell metamagic is not implemented.

Draconic Bloodline Origin

  • Characters do not double their proficiency bonus on Charisma checks when interacting with dragons, however note that the subclass will give characters additional dragon themed dialogue options.
  • Characters learn an additional spell at first level depending on their ancestry as follows:
Draconic Ancestry Grants
Red (Fire)

Burning Hand Icon.png Burning Hands

Black (Acid)

Grease Icon.png Grease

Blue (Lightning)

Witch Bolt Icon.png Witch Bolt

White (Cold)

Armour Of Agathys Icon.png Armour of Agathys

Green (Poison)

Ray Of Sickness Icon.png Ray of Sickness

Gold (Fire)

Disguise Self Icon.png Disguise Self

Silver (Cold)

Feather Fall Icon.png Feather Fall

Bronze (Lightning)

Fog Cloud Icon.png Fog Cloud

Copper (Acid)

Tasha's Hideous Laughter Icon.png Tasha's Hideous Laughter

Brass (Fire)

Sleep Icon.png Sleep

Wild Magic Origin

  • Wild magic surges have a chance to trigger after any spell of first level or higher the character casts (verification needed on spells gained from multiclassing). The odds of surges occurring are not yet known.
  • Tides of Chaos increases the chance of surges triggering, but the increased odds are unknown. Tides of Chaos recharges on a Short or Long rest, but does not refresh when a wild magic surge triggers.
  • The Wild Magic Surge table has changed to the following:

Storm Sorcery Origin

  • Tempestuous Magic fly speed is 30 feet instead of 10.
  • Storm Spells is new.

Warlock

  • Pact of the Chain is limited to the imp and quasit options. The quasit's scare ability comes back on a short rest rather than once a day.
  • Pact of the Blade Pact of the Blade/Bind Pact Weapon are both immediate rather than taking 1 hour.
  • Pact of the Tome only grants the cantrips Guidance, Vicious Mockery, and Thorn Whip rather than letting the Warlock choose 3 from all class Cantrips.
  • Eldritch Invocations:
    • Devil's Sight range is reduced to 80 feet instead of 120 in line with the Superior Darkvision range reduction.
    • One with Shadows will end if the character casts a spell (technically in tabletop it wouldn't end if you cast a bonus action spell) or take damage.
    • Repelling blast pushes the target back 15 ft instead of 10 ft.
    • Sign of Ill Omen does not limit a character to one cast of Bestow Curse per long rest.


Invocation Level Description Grants
Agonising Blast 2+ When you cast Eldritch Blast, add your Charisma Modifier to the damage it deals, unless it is negative.
  • Agonizing Blast Icon.png Add your Charisma modifier to the damage of each beam of Eldritch Blast (Passive Feature)
Armour of Shadows 2+ You can cast Mage Armour on yourself at will, without expending a Spell Slot. Mage Armour increases your Armour Class when you are not wearing armour.
Beast Speech 2+ You can cast Speak with Animals on yourself at will, without expending a Spell Slot.
Beguiling Influence 2+ You invoke your patron's bewitching charm. You gain Proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion.
Devil's Sight 2+ You can see normally in darkness, both magical and non-magical, to a distance of 24m / 80ft.
  • Devils Sight Icon.png Superior Darkvision, including magical darkness (Passive Feature)
Fiendish Vigour 2+ You can cast False Life on yourself at will as a 1st-level spell, without expending a Spell Slot. False Life grants you 7 Temporary Hit Points.
Mask of Many Faces 2+ You can cast Disguise Self on yourself at will, without expending a Spell Slot.
Repelling Blast 2+ When you hit a creature with Eldritch Blast, you can push the creature up to 4.5m / 15ft away from you.
  • Repelling Blast Icon.png Push target creature(s) up to 4.5m / 15ft away with Eldritch Blast (Passive Feature)
Thief of Five Fates 2+ You can cast Bane using a Warlock Spell Slot once a long rest. Bane targets up to 3 creatures (+1 creature per spell slot level above 1st). They receive a 1d4 penalty to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws.
One with Shadows 5+ When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible. Invisibility ends early if you move, attack, cast another spell, take an action, or take damage.
  • Cast One with Shadows at will to become invisible (in dim light or darkness)
Sign of Ill Omen 5+ You learn how to cast Bestow Curse.

The Archfey Patron

  • Misty Escape lets the Warlock cast Misty Step on its next turn rather than immediately, and the invisibility turn is noted as one turn.
  • Beguiling Defenses just makes the Warlock immune charm, it does not also allow the Warlock to turn the charm back on the attacker.

The Great Old One Patron

  • Awakened Mind is replaced by Mortal Reminder This feature makes it so that when the character lands a critical hit, the target and nearby creatures (range not specified) are frightened until the end of their next turn. There is no save to resist the frightened effect.

The Fiend Patron

  • No changes

Wizard

  • The wizard has the spellbook feature, but does not have a physical spellbook which can be stolen or damaged.

Abjuration School

  • Arcane ward is considered temporary hitpoints, instead of a pool of its own Hit Points that blocks damage with any overflow going to the protected target. It also does not stack with other sources of temporary hitpoints. Additionally, it does not get your Intelligence Ability Score Modifier.

Conjuration School

No Changes

Divination School

  • Expert Divination is an extra portent die rather than regaining an extended spell slot when casting a divination spell of 2nd level or higher.

Enchantment School

No Changes

Evocation School

  • Sculpt spell feature affects all allies in the area, and is not limited by the spell's level.

Illusion School

  • Malleable Illusions is changed to See Invisibility. Malleable Illusions let the Wizard change the nature of its illusions (sic and vague).

Necromancy School

No Changes

Transmutation School

  • Minor Alchemy changed to Experimental Alchemy. Minor Alchemy let the Wizard alter the physical properties of one nonmagical object.
  • Shapechanger lets the Wizard change into a Blue Jay rather than being able to cast Polymorph once per short rest.

Related D&D 5e Rule Change Pages

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