System Reference Document 5.2.1
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since Strength is the primary ability for Barbarians 
and Wisdom is the primary ability for Druids.
Experience Points
The Experience Point cost to gain a level is based on 
your total character level, not your level in a partic -
ular class, as shown in the Character Advancement 
table in “Character Creation.” For example, if you 
are a level 6 Cleric / level 1 Fighter, you must gain 
enough XP to reach level 8 before you can take your 
second level as a Fighter or your seventh level as a 
Cleric.
Hit Points and Hit Point Dice
You gain the Hit Points from your new class as de -
scribed for levels after 1. You gain the level 1 Hit 
Points for a class only when your total character 
level is 1.
 Add together the Hit Dice granted by all your 
classes to form your pool of Hit Dice. If these dice 
are the same die type, you can pool them together. 
For example, both the Fighter and the Paladin have 
a d10 Hit Die, so if you are a level 5 Fighter / level 5 
Paladin, you have ten d10 Hit Dice. If your classes 
give you Hit Dice of different types, track them sep -
arately. If you are a level 5 Cleric / level 5 Paladin, 
for example, you have five d8 Hit Dice and five d10 
Hit Dice.
Proficiency Bonus
Your Proficiency Bonus is based on your total char -
acter level, not your level in a particular class, as 
shown in the Character Advancement table. For 
example, if you are a level 3 Fighter / level 2 Rogue, 
you have the Proficiency Bonus of a level 5 charac -
ter, which is +3.
Proficiencies
When you gain your first level in a class other than 
your initial class, you gain only some of the new 
class’s starting proficiencies, as detailed in each 
class’s description in “Classes.”
Class Features
When you gain a new level in a class, you get its fea-
tures for that level. A few features have additional 
rules when you’re multiclassing. Check the infor -
mation about multiclassing included in each of your 
classes’ descriptions.
 Special rules apply to Extra Attack, Spellcasting, 
and features (such as Unarmored Defense) that give 
you alternative ways to calculate your Armor Class.
Armor Class
If you have multiple ways to calculate your Armor 
Class, you can benefit from only one at a time. 
For example, a Monk/Sorcerer with a Monk’s 
Unarmored Defense feature and a Sorcerer’s Dra-
conic Resilience feature must choose only one of 
those features as a way to calculate Armor Class.
Extra Attack
If you gain the Extra Attack feature from more than 
one class, the features don’t stack. You can’t make 
more than two attacks with this feature unless you 
have a feature that says you can (such as the Fight -
er’s Two Extra Attacks feature).
 Similarly, the Warlock’s Thirsting Blade invo -
cation, which grants you the Extra Attack feature 
with your pact weapon, doesn’t give you additional 
attacks if you also have Extra Attack.
Spellcasting
Your capacity for spellcasting depends partly on 
your combined levels in all your spellcasting classes 
and partly on your individual levels in those classes. 
Once you have the Spellcasting feature from more 
than one class, use the rules below. If you multiclass 
but have the Spellcasting feature from only one 
class, follow the rules for that class.
 Spells Prepared. You determine what spells you 
can prepare for each class individually, as if you 
were a single-classed member of that class. If you 
are a level 4 Ranger / level 3 Sorcerer, for example, 
you can prepare five level 1 Ranger spells, and you 
can prepare six Sorcerer spells of level 1 or 2 (as 
well as four Sorcerer cantrips). 
 Each spell you prepare is associated with one of 
your classes, and you use the spellcasting ability of 
that class when you cast the spell.
 Cantrips. If a cantrip of yours increases in power 
at higher levels, the increase is based on your total 
character level, not your level in a particular class, 
unless the spell says otherwise.
 Spell Slots. You determine your available spell 
slots by adding together the following:
• All your levels in the Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, 
and Wizard classes
• Half your levels (round up) in the Paladin and 
Ranger classes
Then look up this total level in the Level column of 
the Multiclass Spellcaster table. You use the slots for 
that level to cast spells of an appropriate level from 
any class whose Spellcasting feature you have.
 This table might give you spell slots of a higher 
level than the spells you prepare. You can use those 
slots but only to cast your lower-level spells. If a 
lower-level spell that you cast, like Burning Hands , 
has an enhanced effect when cast at a higher level, 
you can use the enhanced effect as normal.
 For example, if you are a level 4 Ranger / level 3 
Sorcerer, you count as a level 5 character when de -
termining your spell slots, counting all your levels 
as a Sorcerer and half your Ranger levels. As shown 