¶ Creating a Fighter
When creating a fighter, it’s important to ask why they fight. Are they a rebel fighting for a cause, or are they a mercenary lending their blade where it suits them? Did they pick up the blade after a tragedy, or is it a skill passed down by their family?
|
Level |
Proficiency Bonus |
Features |
Knacks Known |
Maneuvers Known |
Maneuver Degree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1st |
+2 |
Fighting Style, Combat Maneuvers, Soldiering Knacks |
1 |
3 |
1st |
|
2nd |
+2 |
Steely Mien |
1 |
4 |
1st |
|
3rd |
+2 |
Maneuver Specialization, Martial Archetype |
1 |
4 |
1st |
|
4th |
+2 |
Ability Score Increase, Reserves (1) |
1 |
5 |
2nd |
|
5th |
+3 |
Extra Attack |
2 |
6 |
2nd |
|
6th |
+3 |
Martial Lore |
2 |
7 |
2nd |
|
7th |
+3 |
Maneuver Specialization, Martial Archetype Feature |
2 |
7 |
2nd |
|
8th |
+3 |
Ability Score Increase, Reserves (2) |
2 |
8 |
3rd |
|
9th |
+4 |
Indomitable (one use) |
3 |
9 |
3rd |
|
10th |
+4 |
Martial Archetype Feature, Reputation |
3 |
10 |
3rd |
|
11th |
+4 |
Extra Attack (2), Maneuver Specialization |
3 |
10 |
3rd |
|
12th |
+4 |
Ability Score Increase, Reserves (3) |
3 |
11 |
4th |
|
13th |
+5 |
Indomitable (two uses) |
4 |
12 |
4th |
|
14th |
+5 |
War’s Toll |
4 |
13 |
4th |
|
15th |
+5 |
Maneuver Specialization, Martial Archetype Feature |
4 |
13 |
4th |
|
16th |
+5 |
Ability Score Increase, Reserves (4) |
4 |
14 |
5th |
|
17th |
+6 |
Indomitable (three uses) |
5 |
15 |
5th |
|
18th |
+6 |
Martial Archetype Feature, Martial Legacy |
5 |
16 |
5th |
|
19th |
+6 |
Ability Score Increase |
5 |
16 |
5th |
|
20th |
+6 |
Warmaster |
5 |
17 |
5th |
¶ Class Features
As a fighter, you gain the following class features.
¶ Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per fighter level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per fighter level after 1st
¶ Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival
¶ Equipment
You begin the game with 140 gold which you can spend on your character’s starting weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. You can select your own gear or choose one of the following equipment packages. Also consult the Suggested Equipment section of your chosen background.
- Brigand’s Set (Cost 114 gold): 2 dueling daggers, garrotte, rapier, 5 throwing daggers, leather brigandine, burglar’s pack, vial of basic poison
- Guard’s Set (Cost 107 gold): Longbow and 20 arrows, pike, shortsword, medium shield, padded leather, backpack, bell, lantern (standard), manacles, signal whistle
- Scout’s Set (Cost 117 gold): Greatsword, 4 javelins, hide, medium shield, climbing gear, explorer’s pack
- Squire’s Set (Cost 128 gold): Shortbow and 20 arrows, shortsword, leather brigandine, pony with padded cloth barding, sewing kit, smith’s tools
¶ Fighting Style
At 1st level you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Full list of Fighting Styles with descriptions can be found here.
¶ List of Fighting Styles
- Archery
- Arsenal
- Back Alley Brawler
- Battle Ready
- Bayonetter
- Blowgunner
- Buckler Duelist
- Bulwark Attacks
- Concussive Iron
- Crossbower
- Darting Shadow
- Defense
- Dueling
- Fencer
- Flail Fighting
- Foilest
- Giant-Bane
- Great Weapon Fighting
- Groundshaker
- Harvester
- Heron Blade
- Immovable Object
- Iron Swan
- Javelinier
- Mage Knight
- Mighty Lightweight
- Mounted Combatant
- Protection
- Reaper
- Retiarius
- Royal Games Veteran
- Sling Sniper
- Stick Fighter
- Strangler
- Subtle Striker
- Technical Fighting
- Tendon Slasher
- Thrown Weapon Fighting
- Tireless Fighting
- Truncheoneer
- Two-Weapon Fighting
- Unarmed Fighting
- War Miner
- Whip Singer
- Whirling Dervish
- Wit Smasher
¶ Combat Maneuvers
At 1st level, you gain the ability to use combat maneuvers. You gain proficiency in two combat traditions of your choice. You learn three maneuvers of your choice from traditions you are proficient with.
You gain an exertion pool equal to twice your proficiency bonus, regaining any spent exertion at the end of a short or long rest. You use your maneuvers by spending points from your exertion pool. The Maneuvers Known column of the Fighter table shows when you learn more maneuvers from a tradition you are proficient with, while the Maneuver Degree column shows the highest degree you can select maneuvers from at a given level.
Additionally, whenever you learn a new maneuver, you can choose one of the maneuvers you know and replace it with another maneuver of the same degree from a tradition you are proficient with.
¶ Soldiering Knacks
Over the course of your training and adventures you have picked up a variety of skills and tricks to help you make your way. At 1st level you gain a soldiering knack of your choice. Your soldiering knacks are detailed at the end of the class description. The Knacks Known column of the Fighter table shows when you learn more fighter soldiering knacks.
Full list of Soldiering Knacks with descriptions can be found here.
¶ List of Soldiering Knacks
¶ Steely Mein
At 2nd level your combat experience becomes obvious on some subtle level, influencing how people perceive you, or perhaps how you see them. Choose one of the following options:
¶ Closed Helm
You have great control over your emotions; your face is an unmoving mask, revealing nothing of what you’re thinking. Creatures have disadvantage on Insight checks made against you. In addition, you gain an expertise die on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
¶ Dogged Persistence
You are known as being particularly tenacious, even in social settings. When you make a Deception or Persuasion check, you can redouble your efforts and gain an expertise die on the roll. Once you have used this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
¶ Emboldening Speaker
Your morale-boosting speeches have become well-known and people find themselves paying rapt attention to your words. You gain proficiency in the Performance skill. Whenever you use Performance to give an impassioned speech in a settlement, even on a failed check (except for a critical failure) you attract a crowd of people no smaller than your maneuver DC. Their ultimate response depends on the result of your check, but they are responsive to your message and do not become hostile towards you and your cause except on a critical failure, at the Narrator’s discretion.
¶ Heroic Flair
Your victories have emboldened you and you radiate with heroic confidence. You have advantage on Persuasion checks made to influence friendly creatures with a CR lower than your fighter level.
¶ Impressive Athlete
It’s hard to deny the beauty of your form as you perform acts of physical prowess. You gain an expertise die on Intimidation and Persuasion checks made to influence creatures that witnessed you succeed on an Acrobatics or Athletics check with a DC of at least 12 within the last 10 minutes.
¶ Watchful Eye
You are eternally alert and wary, ready for trouble. You have advantage on Insight checks made to determine hostile intent or predict violence, and your passive Perception increases by 5.
¶ Maneuver Specialization
As you experience combat and perfect your techniques they get easier for you to perform and more difficult for your foes to overcome. At 3rd level, and again at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th level you may choose to master a combat maneuver you know. You cannot master the same maneuver more than once in this way.
- The exertion point cost of mastered maneuvers is reduced by 1 (minimum 1).
- Your maneuver DC for mastered maneuvers increases by 1.
- Any attack you make as part of a mastered maneuver (including triggering attacks) deals 2 additional damage.
¶ Martial Archetype
Also at 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your combat styles and techniques. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.
¶ Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
¶ Reserves
At 4th level your stamina increases, allowing you to engage foes longer without tiring. Your exertion pool increases by 1. At 8th, 12th, and 16th level your exertion pool increases by an additional point.
¶ Extra Attack
At 5th level you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class.
¶ Martial Lore
At 6th level, your knowledge of martial lore deepens. Choose one of the following options:
¶ Battle Intuition
Warriors that live long enough can smell victory on the wind and see ill omen on the horizon. You can spend 10 minutes pondering an attack or battle that you know should occur within the next 24 hours. If you do, you get an omen regarding that fight as per the augury spell.
¶ Martial Art Critic
You study your combat traditions religiously and detest subpar executions of your arts. You gain an expertise die on all saving throws made to resist maneuvers from combat traditions that you know.
¶ Military Traditions
You’ve familiarized yourself with wars long past and military protocols of the present. You gain an expertise die on Intelligence checks made to recall lore or gather information regarding warfare or military action. In addition, you gain an expertise die on Charisma checks made to influence soldiers, guards, or other organized martial forces.
¶ Security Details
Either by working the jobs yourself or working jobs to get past them, you have a detailed understanding of how guards and security function. You can gain special insights by observing guards at work patrolling or at their stations for at least 10 minutes. If you do, you gain an expertise die to all Stealth checks to evade detection by guards you observed in this way. In addition, you learn the general patrol routes and shift durations of guards you observe in this way.
¶ Size Up
Your combat experience against a wide variety of foes has given you a good eye for evaluating threats. You can use a bonus action to determine the CR of a creature you can see within 200 feet, and that creature’s maneuver DC.
¶ Weapon Lore
You gain an expertise die on Intelligence checks made to recall lore or gather information about weapons, armor, and other martial equipment. In addition, you can use an action to investigate the magical properties of such an item by handling it, such as swinging a sword or hefting a shield. You learn its properties, how to use them, whether it requires attunement, and how many charges it has. You also learn if the item has any sentience or bears a curse, though you only learn if it is sentient or cursed (not the nature of that sentience or curse).
¶ Archetype Feature
At 7th level you gain another archetype feature.
¶ Indomitable
At 9th level, you can draw upon your indomitable will to overcome pain, resist overwhelming forces, or retaliate when most warriors would be shirking back. You can use this feature to perform any of the following reactions:
- Reroll a failed saving throw. If you do so, you must use the new roll.
- Reduce the damage you would take from a single source or attack by 2d8 + half your fighter level (rounded down).
- Make a single attack against a creature that has just completed an attack against you.
You gain an additional use of this feature at 13th level and a third use starting at 17th leveI. You regain all spent uses of this feature whenever you finish a long rest.
¶ Reputation
At 10th level, your reputation has begun to precede you. Choose one of the following options:
¶ Beloved
Your struggles have endeared you to the people and they believe you fight for them. You gain a bonus to your Prestige rating equal to half your proficiency bonus and gain an expertise die on any Prestige checks you make to call in favors, as well as an expertise die to Persuasion checks. Common folk may seek you out with small gifts as thanks for your heroism and even nobles actively attempt to associate themselves with you in public in hopes that your good reputation rubs off on them.
¶ Feared
You are a figure to be appeased and respected and whose wrath must be avoided at all costs. You can make Intimidation checks in place of Prestige checks made to call in favors and gain an expertise die to all other Intimidation checks. At your Narrator’s discretion, you can attempt to call in favors from people or groups that are unaligned with your goals in this way, though perhaps not without social consequences.
¶ Lawkeeper
Your dedication to law and order endears you to some, though it may complicate your dealings with others. You gain an expertise die on Insight checks. In addition, you can spend 1 exertion point to scrutinize one creature you can see and that can see or hear you for any hint of wrongdoing. As long as its CR is lower than your level, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw against your maneuver DC or must answer a number of questions equal to half your proficiency bonus honestly (though it may not tell the whole truth). You can choose to forego asking questions to instead remain silent, which causes the creature to blurt out what it considers its greatest wrongdoing, though not necessarily the specifics.
This effect does not allow you to communicate with creatures you otherwise couldn’t and persists for 1 minute, until all questions have been answered, or until it can no longer see or hear you, whichever comes first.
Local criminal elements may attempt to bribe, sabotage, or even get rid of you, while nobles and officials seek your public approval to improve their own images.
¶ Inspiring
You’re a reputed leader, a person to be trusted whose words are to be heeded. You gain an expertise die on Persuasion checks. In addition, you may spend 1 exertion point as a bonus action to inspire a creature that can hear you. The creature makes an Insight check opposed by your Persuasion check, becoming inspired by you on a failure. Indifferent creatures you inspire in this way become friendly towards you and your allies, and friendly creatures you inspire in this way will consider you an ally and may provide you with local information that would otherwise remain secret. Creatures will remain inspired by you indefinitely unless you do something that would make them hostile or lose confidence in you, such as lying, stealing, or causing them or their allies harm, or being proven cowardly or untrustworthy in any way.
¶ Intimidating
You’re reputed to be a terror to your foes and a fearsome ally. You gain an expertise die on Intimidation checks. In addition, you can use a bonus action and spend 1 exertion point to intimidate one creature you can see. The creature makes a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, a frightened creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.
¶ Legendary
Your deeds have become epic stories, growing bigger and more outlandish with each retelling. You gain an expertise die on Deception checks. In addition, you can spend 1 exertion point to weave your real legendary deeds into a Persuasion check as boasting, or include fabricated legendary deeds into a Deception check. When you do so, you have advantage on the check.
¶ Archetype Feature
At 10th level you gain another archetype feature.
¶ War's Toll
At 14th level, your experiences have left their impressions on you. All the lives ended—both friends and foes—inevitably weighs down on a person, and each must find their own way to cope and pay the toll of war. Choose one of the following.
¶ Battle Scarred
You’ve embraced every victory and loss, and you wear each battle scar like a badge of honor. Whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points you gain a new permanent scar or mark, and you gain inspiration. Once you gain inspiration in this way you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
¶ Carouser
You cope through drink and revelry, and have mastered both. You can gain the benefits of a long rest by spending 4 hours drinking, carousing, and taking the occasional blackout nap. You can carouse in this way so long as you consume at least 4 pint’s worth of ale (or equivalent drink), and you are alert and aware of your surroundings while doing so. If you carouse with another creature in this way, you can attempt to learn secrets from it by drinking it under the table. Each hour you spend carousing with a willing creature, make an opposed Constitution check. On a success, that creature answers a question truthfully (even questions it would not normally answer).
In addition, you can enjoy alcohol as normal but can’t gain the poisoned condition from it.
This feature has no effect on creatures that are immune to the poisoned condition.
¶ One Eye Open
Your life has been so regularly in danger that you’ve learned to literally sleep with one eye open. You are alert and aware of your surroundings while sleeping during long rests. You can also never be surprised and you gain an expertise die on initiative checks.
¶ Archetype Feature
At 15th level you gain another archetype feature.
¶ Martial Legacy
At 18th level, your mastered maneuvers have become as natural as breathing, and you have the opportunity to pass your techniques down to the next generation. By spending 8 hours sparring, you can teach another willing creature a maneuver you have mastered using Maneuver Specialization. A creature must be proficient in at least one combat tradition to learn a maneuver in this way, it can only learn maneuvers of a degree from which it already knows at least one maneuver, this counts against its numbers of maneuvers known.
¶ Archetype Feature
At 18th level you gain another archetype feature.
¶ Warmaster
At 20th level, you have become an undisputed master of battle. You gain the following features.
¶ Master of Combat
You master every maneuver you know and any future maneuvers you learn as per Maneuver Specialization. Additionally, choose one maneuver of 3rd degree or less that you know. You are able to use the chosen maneuver without expending any exertion points.
¶ Finishing Blow
You can make spectacular, devastating attacks which inspire awe in those nearby. When you miss with a weapon attack while taking the Attack action, you can choose to hit instead. Alternatively, you can choose to change a hit with a weapon attack into a critical hit, or when you score a critical hit you can choose to deal maximum damage.
All hostile creatures who see your Finishing Blow make a Wisdom saving throw against your maneuver DC or become frightened for 1 minute.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.