Optional Class Features

You gain class features in the Player's Handbook when you reach certain levels in your class. This section offers additional features that you can gain.

Replacement If you take a feature that replaces another feature, you gain no benefit from the replaced one and don't qualify for anything in the game that requires it.

Barbarian

Level 1: Unarmoured Defence (Strength)

Optional Class Feature, Replaces Unarmoured Defence

While you aren't wearing any armor, your base Armour Class equals 10 + your Strength and Constitution modifiers. You can use a Shield and still gain this benefit.

Ranger

Level 1: Ranger's Aptitude

Optional Class Feature

You gain invaluable knowledge, experiences, or hard-earned lessons, which is represented by Ranger's Aptidude. You gain one aptidude of your choice. Aptidude are described in the "Ranger's Aptitude Options" section later in this class's description.

Prerequisites If an aptidude has a prerequisite, you must meet it to learn that aptidude. For example, if an aptidude requires you to be a level 5+ Ranger, you can select the aptidude once you reach Ranger level 5. If another Ranger feature gives you Aptitude, those Aptitude don't count against the number of Aptitudes you know with this feature.

Replacing and Gaining Aptidudes Whenever you gain a Ranger level, you can replace one of your aptidudes with another one for which you qualify. You can't replace an aptidude if it's a prerequisite for another aptidude that you have.

Spell If an aptidude grants a spell, it is considered a Ranger spell for you, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability.

Proficiency If an aptidude grants proficiency in a skill you already have, choose a different proficiency available to the Core Ranger Trait table.

When you gain certain Ranger levels, you gain more aptidudes of your choice, as shown in the Aptidudes column of the Ranger Features table.

You can't pick the same aptidude more than once unless its description says otherwise.

Paladin

Level 2: Divine Smite

Optional Class Feature, Replaces Paladin's Smite

When you damage a creature with a Melee weapon attack or an Unarmed Strike , you can expend a spell slot to cause that attack to deal bonus damage to the target. This feature also changes the damage type dealt from Radiant Strike feature. This bonus damage is 2d8 for a level 1 spell slot and it increases by 1d8 for each spell slot level above 1, to a maximum of 6d8.

The bonus damage of this feature depends on your alignment, or freely choose from the following table.

Alignment	Damage Type
Good	Radiant
Neutral	Thunder
Evil	Necrotic

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