The New 2024 Aasimar (DnD 5e Species Deep Dive)
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First appearing in the mid ’90s as a monster for use in the Planescape setting, the Aasimar would later become a playable race in DnD 5e, appearing first in Volo’s Guide to Monsters in 2016 and getting a revised playable version in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse in 2022.
Now these heavenly heroes are back in action, with the Aasimar appearing in the pages of the 2024 Player’s Handbook as one of several new playable DnD species.
So is this enhanced version of the Aasimar for DnD 2024 a blessing from above? Below, we jump into to the celestial planes and gather up all the details.
What are Aasimar in DnD 2024?
Aasimar (pronounced AH-sih-mar) are mortals who carry a spark of the Upper Planes within their souls. Whether descended from an angelic being or infused with celestial power, they can fan that spark to bring light, healing and heavenly fury.
Aasimar can arise among any population of mortals. They resemble their parents, but they live for up to 160 years and have features that hint at their celestial heritage, such as metallic freckles, luminous eyes, a halo, or the skin color of an angel (silver, opalescent green, or coppery red). These features start subtle and become obvious when the Aasimar learns to reveal their full celestial nature.
What’s changed in the new 2024 Aasimar?
While the Aasimar have been around for almost a decade in DnD 5e, the 2024 Player’s Handbook does introduce a number of very minor changes from their previous iteration in Monsters of the Multiverse.
| Aasimar Species Trait | Level | Changed from Monsters of the Multiverse? | Changes to the 2024 Aasimar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ability Score Improvements | 1 | Yes | Races/species no longer provide ability score improvements. Instead, character nows receive these bonuses from the new DnD backgrounds. |
| Celestial Features | 1 | Yes | In Monsters of the Multiverse there was a D6 table that featured examples of features (i.e. Metallic, luminous, or dark eyes). This table has been removed in the 2024 version. |
| Celestial Revelation | 3 | Yes | In the 2022 rules, you could only choose one of the three transformations, which stayed with you permanently throughout your adventuring career. In the 2024 rules, you can now choose any of the three options anytime you transform. |
| Heavenly Wings | 3 | Yes | This Celestial Revelation Transformation was previously known as “Radiant Soul.” While the name has been changed, it functions exactly the same. |
| Inner Radiance | 3 | Yes | This Celestial Revelation Transformation was previously known as “Radiant Consumption.” While the name has been changed, it functions exactly the same. |
What are the Aasimar species traits in DnD 2024?
Below are the full list of all the Aasimar traits using the new 2024 core rules.
- Creature Type: Humanoid
- Size: Medium (about 4–7 feet tall) or Small (about 2–4 feet tall), chosen when you select this species
- Speed: 30 feet
As an Aasimar, you have the following special traits.
- Celestial Resistance. You have Resistance to Necrotic damage and Radiant damage.
- Darkvision. You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
- Healing Hands. As a Magic action, you touch a creature and roll a number of d4s equal to your Proficiency Bonus. The creature regains a number of Hit Points equal to the total rolled. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.
- Light Bearer. You know the Light cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
- Celestial Revelation. When you reach character level 3, you can transform as a Bonus Action. The transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it (no action required). Once you transform, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest. Additionally, once on each of your turns before the transformation ends, you can deal extra damage to a target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra damage equals your Proficiency Bonus, and the extra damage’s type is either Necrotic for Necrotic Shroud or Radiant for Heavenly Wings and Inner Radiance. The transformation options are as follows:
- Heavenly Wings. Two spectral wings sprout from your back temporarily. Until the transformation ends, you have a Fly Speed equal to your Speed.
- Inner Radiance. Searing light temporarily radiates from your eyes and mouth. For the duration, you shed Bright Light in a 10-foot radius and Dim Light for an additional 10 feet, and at the end of each of your turns, each creature within 10 feet of you takes Radiant damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus.
- Necrotic Shroud. Your eyes briefly become pools of darkness, and flightless wings sprout from your back temporarily. Creatures other than your allies within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 plus your Charisma modifier and Proficiency Bonus) or have the Frightened condition until the end of your next turn.
Is the new 2024 Aasimar species worth playing?
The Aasimar remain one of the most unusual DnD 5e races, essentially serving as the Celestial version of Tieflings, whose heritage is influenced by the Infernal powers. As such, it’s great to see them introduced as a core species in the new 2024 rules. While none of the changes to the Aasimar are particularly dramatic from how they appeared in Monsters of the Multiverse, the new flexibility of Celestial Revelation is definitely an improvement.
If you’re looking for a departure from the more traditional fantasy species, the new 2024 Aasimar is a great option and it’s likely we’ll see a lot more from these divine beings among the DnD 5e community in the days ahead.
You can find the complete rules for the new Aasimar species in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
