Epic Boons give a level-19 character a high-impact feat choice. The Player's Handbook class tables offer an Epic Boon or another feat the character qualifies for, and each class lists a recommended Boon. The approved expansion books add more campaign-specific choices.
This guide rates every Epic Boon and matches the options to common builds.
The Rating System
● Essential: One of the best picks in the category. Strong across most builds.
● Good: Reliable value. Depends somewhat on build.
● Situational: Requires specific context or playstyle to shine.
● Skip: Outperformed by most other options.
Every Epic Boon, Rated
Boon of Combat Prowess
● Good
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). When you miss with an attack roll (melee or ranged), you can turn the miss into a hit. Once you use this, you can't use it again until the start of your next turn, so it's available roughly once per round rather than gated behind a rest.
For martial characters, a guaranteed hit on demand every turn can decide a key exchange. It can ensure an attack carrying a Paladin's Divine Smite lands.
Who benefits most: Fighters, Paladins, and Barbarians who make several attacks and need a key attack to land.
Class fit: Fighters can reserve it for the attack that matters most. Paladins can use it to avoid spending a Smite slot on a missed attack.
Boon of Dimensional Travel
● Good
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). Immediately after you take the Attack action or the Magic action, you can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.
Teleportation after your main action lets you reposition mid-fight without using Disengage. It closes gaps, ends a grapple problem, or gets you out of a dangerous area.
Who benefits most: Melee strikers who need to stay on target (Rogues, Monks, Fighters), battlefield controllers who need to reach key positions, and any character who gets targeted by enemies and needs to escape.
Class fit: Monks already have Step of the Wind, but this Boon offers a reliable 30-foot reposition. Rogues can use Cunning Action on turns when they do not need the teleport.
Boon of Energy Resistance
● Good
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). You gain resistance to two damage types of your choice from Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Necrotic, Poison, Psychic, Radiant, and Thunder. You can change the choices when you finish a Long Rest. When you take one of those damage types, you can use a Reaction to direct 2d12 plus your Constitution modifier damage of that type at a creature you can see within 60 feet. The target takes the damage on a failed Dexterity save.
Changing resistances on Long Rests is the key feature, and Energy Redirection turns a passive defense into an active reaction attack. Choose Fire before a volcano fortress or Necrotic before an undead-heavy expedition. You can tune the Boon to the damage types the next adventure is likely to use.
Who benefits most: Characters without built-in damage resistances, such as Wizards, Sorcerers, Bards, and Clerics without a defensive subclass. Martial characters with resistance from Rage or subclass features gain less.
Boon of Fate
● Essential
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). When you or another creature you can see makes a d20 test, you can roll 2d4 and add or subtract the total from the result. Usable after the roll, before the outcome is announced. Recharges when you roll Initiative or finish a Short or Long Rest.
This is the strongest Epic Boon for most builds. It lets you modify a successful or failed d20 Test for yourself or another creature within 60 feet, including attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. Use it to turn a critical hit aside, change an important saving throw, or settle a contested grapple.
Who benefits most: Support characters such as Bards, Clerics, and Druids. Every class can still use it on an important roll.
Class fit: Bards can combine it with Bardic Inspiration to influence more rolls. Clerics can protect a front-line ally from a dangerous enemy attack.
Hot Take: Boon of Fate is the strongest broadly useful Epic Boon. Its timing lets you save it for the roll that can change the encounter.
Boon of Fortitude
● Good
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). Your Hit Point Maximum increases by 40. In addition, whenever you regain Hit Points, you regain extra Hit Points equal to your Constitution modifier, once per turn.
At level 19, 40 extra hit points is roughly two to three extra hits before you go down, and the repeating Constitution-modifier bonus on every heal adds up across a long fight. For characters with middling Constitution, including full casters and Rogues, that buffer matters.
Who benefits most: Low-HP classes who find themselves going unconscious before they want to. Wizards and Sorcerers in particular benefit from the raw survivability cushion.
Why it is not higher: Barbarians, Fighters, and Paladins who already have 200+ hit points get diminishing returns. For them, almost any other Boon provides more interesting utility.
Boon of Irresistible Offense
● Essential
What it does: Also increases your Strength or Dexterity by 1 (max 30). Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage you deal ignores Resistance. When you roll a 20 on the d20 for an attack roll, you can deal extra damage equal to the ability score increased by this feat; the extra damage has the attack's type.
The resistance bypass is the reason martial characters want this Boon at level 19 and above, when many constructs, demons, and devils resist physical damage. The natural-20 bonus is rare but huge: adding a raw ability score (typically 18-24 at this level) to a single crit is a massive damage spike, not a small constant bonus.
Who benefits most: Fighters, Barbarians, Rangers, and Paladins who deal primarily physical damage and expect to fight devils, demons, undead, or construct-heavy enemies in the late game.
Class fit: Barbarian Rage already handles some physical resistance. The resistance bypass and the natural-20 damage spike still improve Brutal Strike turns.
Boon of the Night Spirit
● Situational
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). While in Dim Light or Darkness, you can become Invisible as a Bonus Action. This invisibility ends immediately after you take an action, a bonus action, or a reaction (not only on attacking or casting a spell). You also gain Shadowy Form: while you're in Dim Light or Darkness, you have Resistance to every damage type except Psychic and Radiant.
This Boon is strong in a dark campaign and weak in well-lit or outdoor scenes. Shadowy Form's broad resistance holds up on its own even when you're not actively invisible, but the invisibility itself is fragile: any action at all drops it, not just an attack or a spell.
Who benefits most: Rogues, Shadow Monks, and Warlocks who already lean into stealth and darkness mechanics. Characters with Darkness or Shadow of Moil who can create their own darkness as a reliability layer.
The problem: Bright Light is the default state of most dungeon rooms, towns, and outdoor encounters at the table. If your GM runs dark environments, this is exceptional. If they do not, it is often offline.
Boon of Recovery
● Good
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). Last Stand: once per Long Rest, when you would be reduced to 0 Hit Points, you drop to 1 Hit Point instead and regain Hit Points equal to half your Hit Point Maximum. Recover Vitality: you also gain a pool of ten d10s; as a Bonus Action, you can spend any number of them, roll them, and regain that many Hit Points, refilling the pool on a Long Rest.
This Boon can prevent a death for free. Last Stand simply heals you back to half your max HP once per Long Rest, no resource cost attached. Recover Vitality then gives you a large, repeatable pool of on-demand Bonus Action healing on top of that.
Who benefits most: Front-line fighters who regularly take massive hits. Paladins and Barbarians who are the first ones targeted. Any character who has died before reaching level 19 and never wants to make a new character sheet again.
Class fit: Paladins with Aura of Protection already have strong saving throws. This Boon protects them when a legendary monster's damage would otherwise drop them.
Boon of Skill
● Situational
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). You gain Proficiency in all Skills, and you gain Expertise in one Skill in which you do not already have it (double Proficiency Bonus).
Outside combat, this Boon gives a character broad coverage. Proficiency in every skill plus Expertise lets them handle most noncombat challenges. At level 19, though, it competes with options that have a larger effect on combat.
Who benefits most: Social-focused characters (Bards, Rogues) who want to maximize their skill floor. Characters in heavily roleplay-driven campaigns where skill checks matter as much as combat.
The honest read: If you already have Expertise from class features and are mostly gaining redundant proficiencies, look at other options first. The combat Boons usually matter more in campaigns with frequent high-level encounters.
Boon of Speed
● Good
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). Your Speed increases by 50 feet. You also gain Escape Artist: as a Bonus Action, you can take the Disengage action, and doing so also ends the Grappled condition on you.
The Speed increase alone is huge at this level: most characters go from a 30-foot base to 80 feet. Escape Artist turns "get grappled" from a problem into a non-issue: a single Bonus Action both breaks the grapple and disengages, freeing your action for something else.
Who benefits most: Monks (who already have high speed and scale it further), melee Rogues who want escape options, and hit-and-run strikers who need to close and disengage in the same turn cycle.
Boon of Spell Recall
● Essential
What it does: If you have the Spellcasting feature, increase Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1 (max 30). When you cast a spell using a spell slot of level 1-4, roll 1d4. On a roll exactly equal to the slot's level, the slot is not expended.
This Boon can return lower-level slots spent on Shield, Counterspell, or Healing Word. Over a full adventuring day, that gives a spellcaster more defensive and utility casts, though because the roll has to land exactly on the slot's level rather than merely meet-or-beat it, the odds are lower than a quick read suggests (a 1st-level slot has a 1-in-4 chance, but a 4th-level slot also only has a 1-in-4 chance, not worse odds as level rises).
Who benefits most: Wizards, Sorcerers, and Clerics who burn through Level 1-4 slots on reaction spells and utility. Any spellcaster who casts Shield or Absorb Elements frequently.
Class fit: Sorcerers can preserve slots for Metamagic. Wizards gain more Counterspell chances, and Clerics gain more Healing Words. Its value rises with the number of useful lower-level spells you cast.
Hot Take: Boon of Spell Recall is strongest for characters that repeatedly cast lower-level reaction and support spells. Boon of Fate can decide one critical roll, while Spell Recall can pay off several times in a long adventuring day.
Boon of Truesight
● Good
What it does: Also increases one ability score by 1 (max 30). You gain Truesight with a range of 60 feet.
Truesight lets you see through magical darkness, illusions, invisibility, shapechanging, and into the Ethereal Plane within 60 feet. It removes the advantage that invisible enemies, illusory terrain, and shapeshifted monsters usually rely on.
Who benefits most: Any character who expects to face Fey, fiends, and illusion-heavy encounters. Party scouts. Characters who would otherwise need See Invisibility or True Seeing prepared constantly.
Class fit: This reduces the need to prepare True Seeing or See Invisibility, freeing spell slots for other options.
Build Your D&D 2024 Character
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Start BuildingArcana Unleashed Epic Boons
Arcana Unleashed adds three Epic Boons. All are level-19 options; two require Spellcasting or Pact Magic. Choose the one that reinforces the character's endgame job; none automatically replaces a Player's Handbook boon.
| Boon | Prerequisite | Choose it when... |
|---|---|---|
| Boon of Erupting Spellpower | Level 19, Spellcasting or Pact Magic | A damaging spell is your highest-impact turn and you want a limited damage-and-control spike. |
| Boon of Magic School Mastery | Level 19, Spellcasting or Pact Magic | Your character is committed to one school and can use a prepared spell at both low and high levels. |
| Boon of the Iron Mind | Level 19 | Keeping Concentration through pressure matters more than a new offensive tool. |
The two spellcasting boons work best for characters with a reliable spell-slot routine. Erupting Spellpower treats half the damage dice of a spell cast with a spell slot as 3s and knocks creatures damaged by it Prone. Magic School Mastery can be taken again for another school. Boon of the Iron Mind stops damage from ending Concentration, but it does not let a character maintain two Concentration effects. For the book's full campaign context, see the Arcana Unleashed overview.
Heroes of Faerun Epic Boons
Heroes of Faerun supplies another setting-specific group of Epic Boons. Choose one because its Forgotten Realms premise suits the campaign, not because it automatically outclasses the Player's Handbook list.
| Boon | What it adds | Best campaign or role fit |
|---|---|---|
| Bountiful Health ● | Better temporary Hit Points and stronger Hit Die recovery | Durable front-liners who spend Hit Dice often |
| Communication ● | Broad language comprehension and 120-foot telepathy | Diplomacy, investigation, and mixed-language parties |
| Desperate Resilience ● | Wide damage resistance while Bloodied | Characters regularly exposed to focused enemy fire |
| Exquisite Radiance ● | A maximized radiant-damage burst and protection from undeath after dropping to 0 HP | Radiant specialists in undead-heavy adventures |
| Fluid Forms ● | A one-hour, high-CR creature form with controlled retained features | Flexible explorers and casters with a transformation plan |
| Fortune's Favor ● | A once-per-rest reroll after a failed D20 Test | Parties that need a save-or-fail safety valve |
| Poison Mastery ● | Poison immunity and one maximized poison-damage roll per turn | Poison-focused builds and campaigns where poison matters |
| Revelry ● | A resilient free use of Otto's Irresistible Dance | Socially flamboyant control casters |
| Terror ● | Fear immunity and a reaction that can drive frightened foes away | Intimidation-focused characters |
| Bright Sun ● | Persistent sunlight, magical-darkness counterplay, and repeatable temporary Hit Points | Parties facing darkness, shadows, or long adventuring days |
| Furious Storm ● | Lightning and thunder defenses that improve while Bloodied | Storm-themed casters and elemental campaigns |
| Soul Drinker ● | Cold and necrotic resistance plus a major self-heal when a nearby enemy falls | Survivors in undead and attrition-heavy campaigns |
In a Forgotten Realms campaign, Bright Sun counters magical darkness, Communication gives the party a shared language and telepathy, and Soul Drinker rewards characters who stay near a difficult fight's end. Ask the DM whether the campaign supports their story hooks.
Build Recommendations by Playstyle
Tank
Best pick: Boon of Recovery
You are the character absorbing hits. Preventing one death per Long Rest is the highest-value defensive option available. Pair with Boon of Fortitude if your class allows multiple feats at this level.
Striker
Best pick: Boon of Irresistible Offense
Physical damage resistance is a common high-level obstacle for strikers. The resistance bypass is the main reason to choose this Boon, with the natural-20 bonus damage as a useful secondary benefit.
Controller
Best pick: Boon of Fate
Controllers benefit when enemies fail saves and attacks miss. Boon of Fate affects both outcomes on the rolls that matter most.
Support
Best pick: Boon of Fate
Same reasoning as controller, but oriented toward keeping allies alive. A 2d4 penalty on an enemy's attack roll or a bonus on an ally's saving throw can change the roll that would otherwise end the encounter.
Blaster
Best pick: Boon of Spell Recall
Blasters burn slots constantly. Boon of Spell Recall keeps the lower slots cycling back for Shield and defensive reactions, extending your blasting turns before you start dipping into top-level slots.
How Epic Boons Interact with Level 20 Capstones
Most classes unlock a significant capstone feature at level 20. Epic Boons sit at level 19 and layer on top.
Fighters with Action Surge and their extra-attack capstone benefit most from Irresistible Offense because it improves each weapon hit.
Barbarians with Primal Champion (which adds to Strength and Constitution) want either Irresistible Offense or Recovery. The added stats make them more effective tanks and strikers simultaneously.
Wizards hitting Signature Spells at level 20 (free casting of two level 3 spells per Long Rest) benefit most from Boon of Spell Recall extending their non-signature-slot economy.
Paladins gain a Sacred Oath feature at level 20 and can consider Recovery or Fate for threats that their existing defenses do not solve on their own.
Rogues with Elusive (no Advantage against them from attacks) can layer Boon of Dimensional Travel for a character that is nearly impossible to deal with consistently at the table.
Hot Take: Epic Boons give level-19 characters a choice with immediate consequences at the table. They offer a more distinct decision than another small numerical increase.
Eberron Pick: Boon of Siberys
Eberron: Forge of the Artificer adds this Level 19+ Epic Boon for an Eberron campaign. It increases one ability score by 1, up to 30, then grants an 8th-level-or-lower spell chosen from the Sorcerer spell list or the book's Siberys Dragonmark Spells table. That spell is always prepared, castable once per Short or Long Rest without a spell slot or components, and castable again using an eligible spell slot after that. The character chooses Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as its spellcasting ability when they take the feat.
Verdict: ● Strong for an Eberron character who wants a signature high-impact spell on tap every rest. The Siberys Dragonmark Spells table skews toward campaign-defining utility rather than raw damage, so it rewards a character who already has a strong out-of-combat or defensive plan. See the D&D 2024 Dragonmark Feats guide for the regular Dragonmark feats that can support the setting theme.
For the broader choice set, return to the D&D 2024 Feat guide hub.
Take These First
Boon of Fate: Broadly useful for every class because it reacts to a visible d20 roll.
Boon of Spell Recall: Best for spellcasters that frequently spend lower-level slots.
Boon of Irresistible Offense: Best for martial characters facing enemies with physical-damage resistance.
Situational but Solid
Boon of Recovery: A strong choice for a primary front-liner who expects to take repeated heavy hits.
Boon of Truesight: Best in campaigns that frequently use invisibility, illusions, or magical darkness.
Boon of Dimensional Travel: A reliable mobility choice for melee characters and controllers.
Skip for Most Builds
Boon of the Night Spirit: Too dependent on consistently dark environments.
Boon of Skill: Strong in campaigns where noncombat skill checks are central, but weaker than combat options in most high-level games.
Epic Boons give level-19 characters a choice beyond a small numerical increase. Choose the option that fits the turns you expect to take, not only the one with the highest ceiling.
