Fighter

Image used by permission of Yama Orce.

Note: The text in this shaded box was taken from a different Open Game License product. Nothing in the text should be interpreted as “rules” or “mechanics”.

Some take up arms for glory, wealth, or revenge. Others do battle to prove themselves, to protect others, or because they know nothing else. Still others learn the ways of weaponcraft to hone their bodies in battle and prove their mettle in the forge of war. Lords of the battlefield, fighters are a disparate lot, training with many weapons or just one, perfecting the uses of armor, learning the fighting techniques of exotic masters, and studying the art of combat, all to shape themselves into living weapons. Far more than mere thugs, these skilled warriors reveal the true deadliness of their weapons, turning hunks of metal into arms capable of taming kingdoms, slaughtering monsters, and rousing the hearts of armies. Soldiers, knights, hunters, and artists of war, fighters are unparalleled champions, and woe to those who dare stand against them.

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: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

  • (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, longbow, and 20 arrows
  • (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
  • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes
  • (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
Table: The Fighter
Level Proficiency Bonus Features
1st +2 Fighting Style, Second Wind
2nd +2 Action Surge (one use)
3rd +2 Martial Archetype
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement
5th +3 Extra Attack
6th +3 Ability Score Improvement
7th +3 Martial Archetype feature
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement
9th +4 Indomitable (one use)
10th +4 Martial Archetype feature
11th +4 Extra Attack (2)
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement
13th +5 Indomitable (two uses)
14th +5 Ability Score Improvement
15th +5 Martial Archetype feature
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement
17th +6 Action Surge (two uses), Indomitable (three uses)
18th +6 Martial Archetype feature
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement
20th +6 Extra Attack (3)

Fighting Style

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.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Fang and Talon (3pp)

Source SPCM

When you use a bonus action to engage in two-weapon fighting after making an unarmed strike using your Bite or Claw trait, and you attack with another unarmed strike using another natural weapon as your off-hand weapon, you can make an unarmed strike with a third ghoul natural weapon afterward. For example, if you attacked with a claw and a bite, your third natural weapon would be the other claw. You don’t add your ability modifier to the unarmed strike with your third natural weapon unless it is negative. Additionally, you use the monk’s Martial Arts table entry to determine the damage with your Bite and Claws (treating your levels in the class for which you chose this Fighting Style option as monk levels).

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Multiweapon Fighting (3pp)

Source SPCM

Prerequisite(s): Gnorri

When you use a bonus action to engage in two-weapon fighting, you can choose to gain disadvantage on the attack granted by two-weapon fighting. If you do, you can attack with a third weapon you wield in one or two hands you haven’t already used to attack this turn or you can attack with a third weapon and a fourth weapon each wielded in one hand you haven’t already used to attack this turn. Attack rolls with these third and fourth weapons also have disadvantage. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage with the third and fourth weapons unless it is negative.

If you are wielding melee weapons in at least three hands, you can use your reaction to parry a melee attack that would hit you. You add 2 to your AC against that attack, or 3 if you have melee weapons in four hands, which can make the attack miss.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Tail-Fighting (3pp)

Source SPCM

Prerequisite(s): You have a tail

Your unarmed strikes with your tail have the light property; when you make an off-hand unarmed strike with your tail, you add your ability modifier to the damage. Additionally, any time you make an unarmed strike with your tail, you can choose either to gain a +1 bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn (which isn’t cumulative) or to move up to 5 feet without spending any of your movement.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Second Wind

You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Action Surge

Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

Martial Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your combat styles and techniques.

The champion is the only martial archetype released by Wizards of the Coast as Open Game Content. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.

Additional archetypes released by other publishers are listed below alongside the Champion.

Subpages

    Ability Score Improvement

    When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 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.

    Extra Attack

    Beginning 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 and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.

    Indomitable

    Beginning at 9th level, you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

    You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.

    Section 15: Copyright Notice

    System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

    This is not the complete license attribution - see the full license for this page