D and D 5e Proficiency Bonus by Level

Proficiency Bonus by Level in D&D 5e

In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, the proficiency bonus is just a flat number that climbs as your character levels up. It moves like a staircase: +2 at levels 1-4, +3 at levels 5-8, +4 at levels 9-12, +5 at levels 13-16, then +6 at levels 17-20.

You add it to attack rolls with weapons or spells your character is proficient with, to spell save DCs (8 + prof + casting mod), and to skill checks and saving throws in the categories you're trained in. The rule lives in the Player's Handbook (PHB) on page 173. It took over from the Base Attack Bonus (BAB) of D&D 3.5e and the half-level bonus of 4e, pulling all the rolls onto one progression.

Applications

You'll lean on it whenever you fill out a character sheet, work out a spell save DC, or sort out Expertise, which doubles the bonus on chosen skills, and Jack of All Trades, which gives you half of it. On the other side of the screen, Dungeon Masters use the same number to set monster save DCs and attack bonuses off the Challenge Rating.

FAQ

Does proficiency bonus stack on multiclass builds? No. It keys off your total character level, not each class on its own. A Fighter 3 / Wizard 2 is level 5 overall, so the bonus is +3.

How does Expertise work? Expertise (Rogue, Bard, a ranger archetype) doubles your proficiency bonus on the skills you pick. So at level 5, where the bonus is +3, an Expertise skill ends up at +6.

And the Jack of All Trades feature? The Bard tacks half the proficiency bonus (rounded down) onto skill checks where they have no proficiency. It's a small nudge toward versatility, nothing that stacks up like Expertise.