Sidekicking¶
A Player Character may temporarily play at a higher level in a session by sidekicking. In order to sidekick, a side kicking player character must have a Mentor, another player character at least 3 levels higher.
- While mentored the side kick uses the proficiency bonus of the Mentor. This will generally affect most d20 Tests.
- The side kick also gains a number of hit dice, of their own class, up to their Mentor's level minus 1. They may take the Fixed value (shown in PHB24 → Level Advancement) or roll these Hit Dice and add their Constitution modifier a number of times equal to the number of Hit Dice rolled.
For the side kick to keep these bonuses, the Side Kick and their Mentor must stay within 180 ft of each other.
Worked Example
Mentor — Wizard Lvl 9, proficiency bonus: +4
Side Kick — Fighter Lvl 4, hit dice: d10, +2 CON modifier
While within 180 ft of the wizard, the fighter's proficiency bonus becomes +4 instead of their normal +2.
The fighter also gains 4 more hit dice and 4× their CON modifier. In this case it would be 4d10 + 8. Using the fixed value for fighters, the Side Kick gains (6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 8) = 32 HP for that session.
Class Hit Dice¶
| Class | Hit Dice | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | d12 | 7 |
| Fighter, Paladin, Ranger | d10 | 6 |
| Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue, Warlock | d8 | 5 |
| Sorcerer, Wizard | d6 | 4 |
Companions, Summoned Creatures, and Similar — Update 02.07.2026¶
Campaign Rule Addition
Regarding Animal Companions, Summoned Creatures and similar Companions that rely on a Player Character's level and/or proficiency bonus.
When a Player Character is side kicked up by a mentor (see Side kicking Rules above) and that PC has a companion that uses the PC's proficiency bonus (PB) or level for its stats (e.g., Artificer-Steel Defender, Ranger-Animal Companion, etc.), the side kicking PC uses their side-kicked PB or Level (mentor's minus 1) to determine that companion's stats.