Chapter 3: Classes

Adventurers are extraordinary people, driven by a thirst for excitement into a life that others would never dare lead. They are heroes, compelled to explore the dark places of the world and take on the challenges that lesser people can’t stand against.

Class is the primary definition of what your character can do. It’s more than a profession; it’s your character’s calling. Class shapes the way you think about the world and interact with it and your relationship with other people and powers of the universe. A warrior, for example, might view the world in pragmatic terms of strategy and maneuvering, and see themself as just a pawn in a much larger game. A priest, by contrast, might see themself as a willing servant in a higher power’s unfolding plan. While the warrior has contacts in a mercenary company or army, the priest might know a number of priests, paladins, and devotees who share their faith.

Your class gives you a variety of special features, such as a warrior’s mastery over weapons and armor, and a mage’s spells. At low levels, your class gives you few features, but as you advance in level you gain more and your existing features often improve. Each class entry in this chapter includes a table summarizing the benefits you gain at every level, and a detailed explanation of each one.

Adventurers sometimes advance in more than one class. A rogue might switch direction in life and swear the oath of a paladin. A warrior might discover latent magical ability and dabble in the mage class while continuing to advance as a warrior. Elves are known to combine martial mastery with magical training and advance in both warrior and mage or hunter and priest simultaneously. Rules for combining classes in this way, called multiclassing, appear in Chapter 6.

Twelve classes—listed in the Classes table—can be found nearly everywhere in the world of warcraft and define the spectrum of typical adventurers.

Class	Description	Hit Dice	Primary Abilities	Saving Throw Proficiencies	Armor and Weapon Proficiencies
Artificer	A tinkerer who combines science and magic to produce fantastic items.	d8	Intelligence	Constitution & Intelligence	Light armor, medium armor, shields (but not tower shields), Simple weapons, hand crossbows, heavy crossbows.
Barbarian	A fierce warrior of primitive background who can enter a battle rage.	d12	Strength	Strength & Constitution	Light and medium armor, shields (but not tower shields), simple and martial weapons
Bard	An aspiring magician whose power echoes the music of creation	d8	Charisma	Dexterity & Charisma	Light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Death Knight	An undead warrior using dark magic, and combat prowess to destroy foes.	d10	Strength & Constitution	Strength & Constitution	all armor and shields, Simple melee weapons and martial melee weapons
Demon Hunter	An agile fighter accepting the powers of demons to use it against them.	d10	Dexterity & Charisma	Dexterity & Charisma	Light armor, Simple weapons, Scimitar, Shortsword
Druid	A caster balancing the forces of nature and assuming animal forms to protect the wilds.	d8	Wisdom & Dexterity	Wisdom & Dexterity	Light and medium armor (nonmetal), shields (nonmetal, but not tower shields), clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears
Hunter	Fighter, tracker, sharpshooter, and beast tamer rolled into one.	d10	Strength & Dexterity	Strength & Dexterity	Light and medium armor, shields (but not tower shields), simple and martial weapons
Mage	A scholarly magic-user capable of manipulating the structures of reality	d6	Intelligence	Intelligence & Wisdom	Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, and wands
Monk	A calm fighter using their own body as a deadly weapon.	d8	Dexterity & Wisdom	Strength & Dexterity	Simple weapons, shortswords
Paladin	A holy warrior safeguarding their allies and smiting their enemies.	d10	Strength & Charisma	Strength & Charisma	All armor, shields, simple and martial weapons
Priest	A follower of a higher power wielding granted magic, be it from faith or maddening shadows.	d6	Wisdom	Intelligence & Wisdom	All simple melee weapons and wands
Rogue	A jack of all trades with tricks for every occasion and skilled enough to hold their own in combat.	d8	Dexterity	Dexterity & Intelligence	Light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Shaman	Commands the elemental powers of earth, fire, water, and wind.	d8	Dexterity & Wisdom	Dexterity & Wisdom	Light armor, medium armor, and shields (but not tower shields), Simple weapons
Sorcerer	A spellcaster who draws on inherent magic from a gift or bloodline.	d6	Charisma	Constitution & Charisma	Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, and wands
Warlock	Forces demons into service and destroys foes with dark magic.	d6	Intelligence	Intelligence & Charisma	Daggers, darts, slings, shortswords, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, and wands
Warrior	Master of martial combat, weapons, and armor.	d10	Strength & Constitution	Strength & Constitution	All armor, shields, simple and martial weapons