Medium humanoid (any race), any non-lawful alignment · CR 1/8 · 2024 stat block below
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) |
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.
Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 80 ft./320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.
A bandit is an ordinary armed criminal: 11 hit points, AC 12 in leather armor, and a scimitar (1d6 + 1) or light crossbow (1d8 + 1). Alone it’s one of the weakest enemies in the game. In a group, with the crossbows set up behind cover, bandits make a fair fight for 1st-level characters.
What makes bandits interesting is that they’re people. They want money, not a fight to the death. They ambush, demand a toll, bargain, surrender and run, and every one of them can be questioned afterward.
A bandit is CR 1/8, worth 25 XP. By the Dungeon Master’s Guide’s encounter math, four bandits are Medium, six are Hard and seven or more are Deadly.
Leather armor, a scimitar and a light crossbow with bolts, plus whatever it has stolen. The treasure is up to the DM.
Any. The stat block works for bandits of any race, and any non-lawful alignment.
A thug is CR 1/2: tougher, with Pack Tactics and two mace attacks. Bandits are the rank and file; thugs are the muscle.
Often. The bandit captain is CR 2, with 65 hit points and three attacks a turn.
| Monster | How it compares |
|---|---|
| Bandit Captain | CR 2. The gang’s leader: AC 15, 65 hit points and three attacks a turn. |
| Thug | CR 1/2. Hired muscle with Pack Tactics and a heavy crossbow. |
| Guard | CR 1/8. The same challenge on the other side of the law, with a spear and a shield. |
| Cultist | CR 1/8. Another weak humanoid, with advantage on saves against being charmed or frightened. |
| Scout | CR 1/2. A ranger-type with a longbow, useful as a bandit lookout. |
| Spy | CR 1. A rogue with Sneak Attack and Cunning Action. |
A bandit is worth 25 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many bandits fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.
| Party level | Low | Moderate | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8 | 12 | 12+ |
Budgets add up every monster’s XP, so you can swap some for other creatures of the same total. Try other party sizes and mixes in the encounter calculator.
Against the 18 other challenge 1/8 monsters in the SRD 5.1, the bandit has more hit points than 11 of them, which makes it tougher than most at its CR. See every CR 1/8 monster.
| Statistic | Bandit | CR 1/8 average |
|---|---|---|
| Armor Class | 12 | 12.4 |
| Hit points | 11 | 8 |
| Best attack bonus | +3 | +4 |
The 2024 Monster Manual revised the bandit, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:
The numbers are the same; the text follows the 2024 rules glossary.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) |
Scimitar. Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) Slashing damage.
Light Crossbow. Ranged Attack Roll: +3, range 80/320 ft. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) Piercing damage.
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