What is a Monster Hunter in D&D?

The Monster Hunter is a professional specialist in dangerous creatures. Where a normal martial character learns how to fight broadly, the Monster Hunter records weaknesses, studies creature behaviour, and turns that knowledge into better attacks and defenses.

Core class profile

The Monster Hunter uses a d10 Hit Die.

Its primary abilities are Strength or Dexterity plus Intelligence.

Saving throw proficiencies are Dexterity and Intelligence.

The class is proficient with martial weapons and is trained with light armor, medium armor, and shields.

Monster Grimoire

At 1st level, the Monster Hunter creates or inherits a Monster Grimoire.

The character begins by selecting two creature types from the class's list.

When making relevant Intelligence or Wisdom checks about those creature types, Monster Grimoire improves the Hunter's proficiency, and already-proficient checks can benefit from doubled proficiency where the feature applies.

The Grimoire also grants a relevant language.

At later levels, more creature types can be added.

This is not merely flavor text. It determines which enemies interact with several later class features.

Weapon Mastery and Fighting Style

The current Monster Hunter progression includes Weapon Mastery from 1st level and a Fighting Style at 2nd level.

That means the class is a serious weapon user before its monster-specific features are considered.

The chosen mastery properties and Fighting Style should support the same weapon plan.

Studied Response

At 2nd level, Studied Response creates a distinctive reaction attack.

When a visible creature within the feature's range targets the Hunter or another creature with an attack, the Monster Hunter can react before that attack roll and make a weapon or unarmed attack against the attacker.

If the Hunter's response attack misses, the reaction is regained under the feature's rule.

This makes enemy actions themselves opportunities for retaliation.

Hunting Guild

At 3rd level, the Monster Hunter joins a Hunting Guild:

Carver;
Devourer;
Occultist;
Trapper.

Guild features arrive at 3rd, 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.

The Guild determines whether the character fights through heavy martial force, monster mutations, arcane magic, or traps and gadgets.

Expert Strike

At 5th level, Expert Strike lets the Monster Hunter add its Intelligence modifier to attack and damage rolls made with weapons and Unarmed Strikes.

This is a major reason Intelligence is part of the class's primary-ability profile rather than only a knowledge statistic.

Improved Monster Grimoire

At 6th level, the Hunter adds another creature type and gains an expanded critical range against Grimoire creature types.

The Grimoire improves again later with another creature type.

This means the character becomes increasingly deadly against a wider catalogue of studied enemies.

Knowledgeable Defense and Lair Sense

Knowledgeable Defense lets the Monster Hunter use Intelligence defensively against studied creatures by replacing certain saving throws with Intelligence saves.

Lair Sense later provides strong protection against lair actions, regional effects, and Legendary Actions under the feature's stated conditions.

The class therefore uses knowledge both offensively and defensively.

High-level hunting features

Slayer's Aid expands Studied Response so an ally can join the retaliatory attack.

Grave Strike dramatically improves critical-hit lethality against creatures recorded in the Monster Grimoire.

These features reinforce the class fantasy that the Hunter becomes terrifyingly efficient once a monster is understood.

In short

The Monster Hunter is a martial Intelligence hybrid.

Weapons provide the baseline.

The Monster Grimoire defines studied prey.

Studied Response punishes enemy attacks.

Expert Strike turns knowledge into martial power.

The Hunting Guild determines the specialist method.