When you’re looking for higher-level Dungeons & Dragons content and play because your table has done all the lower-level content and is ready to level up your gameplay, you might want to reward them with Epic Boons. As you level up, you’ll have the opportunity to access these at the highest level of play, as these boons require you to be level 19 or higher to choose them.
Epic Boons are some of the best enhancements your character can get at higher levels besides legendary weapons. These boons can be used as rewards for completing epic quests or accomplishments such as fulfilling a personal storyline. Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun brings even more Epic Boons.
Tier List Explanation
Epic Boons are meant to be just that, Epic. Therefore, when ranking them, only the best of the best boons will make it in the top slots.
These S-tier boons are meant to be used without other prerequisites aside from their level. This allows them to be the overall best options for every player.
A-tier Epic Boons are more specific, meaning they’re good (in some cases just as good as S-tier options), but their requirements or other aspects make them less universally worth choosing.
B-tier Epic Boons are typically too general to be good, or offer options you can find in other boons or items that might be more interesting to choose.
S-Tier
These Epic Boons are great for any character, and they are unique enough that you won’t find easy replacements for their features. While most Epic Boons can be replaced with other options based on the class you’ve chosen, these are all around the best options, no matter your previous choices.
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Tier |
Epic Boon |
Description |
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S-Tier |
Boon of Communication |
The two things that make this an S-tier boon are not having Disadvantage to influence Hostile creatures and telepathy with a range of 120 feet. Those options can’t be beat. Understanding all languages written or heard without a spell is also nice. |
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Boon of Desperate Resilience |
Resistance to every damage type aside from Force while Bloodied means you won’t have to worry about death as much. It’s a passive boon that may save your life. |
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Boon of Fluid Forms |
While druids may get the rough end of the stick here, granting the druid’s shapeshifting ability to any other class and character works well for both combat and roleplay. An entire unique class ability in a single boon. |
While druids won’t find use in the Boon of Fluid Forms, it’s ridiculously good for every other class that hasn’t taken a multiclass level there. The possibilities alone allow it to sit in S-tier even though it’s a feature from another class.
A-Tier
These boons are good; however, they’re easily replaced by certain spells or abilities. They can also be circumvented in other ways, or their usefulness just isn’t as strong as some of the Epic Boons in S-tier.
|
Tier |
Epic Boon |
Description |
|
A Tier |
Boon of Bountiful Health |
The ability to use the highest number possible for every Hit Point dice when regaining Hit Points is great. Extra temporary Hit Points are just okay. Other classes can do similar options without wasting a feat on it. |
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Boon of Exquisite Radiance |
Again, using the highest number of damage dice at such a high level makes for epic moments and tons of damage dealt. Unfortunately, it’s only for Radiant damage and can only be done once every Long Rest. |
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Boon of Furious Storm |
This boon requires Spellcasting or the Pact Magic feature to use. Resistance to Lightning and Thunder is good, but limited. The Immunity that kicks in when Bloodied is great. Disadvantage on saving throws against your spells is okay, but again, it’s relegated to just Thunder or Lightning damage. |
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Boon of the Soul Drinker |
The Resistance to Cold and Necrotic damage feels unnecessary at such a high level, as you’ll probably already have this some other way. Using your reaction to regain 50 Hit Points after reducing an enemy to 0 is the real boon here. It can be done after every Short or Long Rest as well. |
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Boon of Bloodshed |
This boon is great for finishing off Bloodied enemies. The extra damage is nice, as is the Advantage on your next attack. There’s no extra special ability here, however, and it’s rather basic otherwise. |
While these boons feel a bit more tailored towards specific classes or options, they still work in a decently broad sense.
Epic Boons, such as the Boon of Furious Storm, are only in A-tier and not B-tier because, although it has prerequisites, granting Immunity at the right time (when Bloodied, meaning half your Hit Points or less), gaining immunity at half life to a specific damage type for free feels pretty good.
B-Tier
|
Tier |
Epic Boon |
Description |
|
B-Tier |
Boon of Fortune’s Favor |
Rerolling a failed saving throw is good; however, there are much better options available. You can do this with just gaining Heroic Inspiration in other ways. The only good thing is that it works at the start of every turn. |
|
Boon of Poison Mastery |
Using the highest dice damage for Poison damage is great. Unfortunately, there are tons of enemies and creatures Resistant to Poison damage. Your Immunity to Poison damage and the condition can also be gained in other, easier ways, such as items. |
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Boon of Revelry |
Otto’s Irresistible Dance is a fun spell, but wasting an Epic Boon on it to not lose Concentration and not waste spell components seems like a waste. Casting it without a spell slot is wonderful, but several creatures have Immunity or Resistance to being Charmed. |
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Boon of Terror |
This boon requires the creature to already be Frightened when it starts your turn near you. All you can do is make it move away from you, and you can only do this after a Short or Long Rest. Expertise in Intimidation feels useless most of the time, and Immunity to being Frightened is nothing special either. |
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Boon of the Bright Sun |
Emanating Bright Light doesn’t seem very useful at level 19 or higher. Most Darkness created by spells can be destroyed in other ways by this level. The best part is gaining 10 Temporary Hit Points at the start of each of your turns. Still, even this can be done in other ways. |
While these Epic Boons aren’t outright bad (as none of them are, otherwise they wouldn’t be considered epic), there are just a few too many that are centered around a specific operation or element. Unfortunately, a lot of offerings for these Epic Boons will already be granted through magic items or other means by the time players reach levels 19 or higher.
They will also work better for specific classes, making them less generally good. Otto’s Irresistible Dance, while it prevents the enemy from casting verbal spells, is still a sixth level spell that may not be worth grabbing to lose out on other Epic Boon options.
