Fighter
What Is a Fighter?
Fighters are masters of martial combat, relying on discipline, training, and experience rather than magic or divine favor. Whether knight, mercenary, soldier, duelist, or champion of an arena, a Fighter survives through skill with weapons, armor, and battlefield tactics.
Unlike other warriors who rely on rage, faith, or supernatural gifts, Fighters excel through practice and adaptability. They know how to strike, when to advance, and when to hold the line. From brutal front-line warriors to agile skirmishers and precise archers, Fighters thrive in nearly any combat role.
Fighters are not defined by a single fighting style. Instead, they master many techniques, weapons, and strategies, allowing them to respond to threats with unmatched versatility. Their endurance, tactical awareness, and relentless offense make them the backbone of many adventuring parties—and the terror of many battlefields.
To a Fighter, victory is not chance or destiny—it is earned.
Becoming a Fighter
As a Level 1 Character
- Gain all the traits in the Core Fighter Traits table.
- Gain the Fighter’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Fighter Features table.
As a Multiclass Character
- Gain the following traits from the Core Fighter Traits table: Hit Point Die, proficiency with Martial weapons, and training with Light and Medium armor and Shields.
- Gain the Fighter’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Fighter Features table.
Fighter Progression
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Class Features | Second Wind | Weapon Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +2 | Fighting Style, Second Wind, Weapon Mastery | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | +2 | Action Surge (one use), Tactical Mind | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | +2 | Fighter Subclass | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | +3 | Extra Attack, Tactical Shift | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | +3 | Subclass feature | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | +4 | Indomitable (one use), Tactical Master | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | +4 | Subclass feature | 4 | 5 |
| 11 | +4 | Two Extra Attacks | 4 | 5 |
| 12 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 5 |
| 13 | +5 | Indomitable (two uses), Studied Attacks | 4 | 5 |
| 14 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 5 |
| 15 | +5 | Subclass feature | 4 | 5 |
| 16 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 6 |
| 17 | +6 | Action Surge (two uses), Indomitable (three uses) | 4 | 6 |
| 18 | +6 | Subclass feature | 4 | 6 |
| 19 | +6 | Epic Boon | 4 | 6 |
| 20 | +6 | Three Extra Attacks | 4 | 6 |
Fighter Class Features
As a Fighter, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified Fighter levels. These features are listed on the Fighter Features table.
Level 1: Fighting Style
You have honed your martial prowess and gain a Fighting Style feat of your choice.
Whenever you gain a Fighter level, you can replace the feat you chose with a different Fighting Style feat.
Level 1: Second Wind
You have a limited well of physical and mental stamina that you can draw on. As a Bonus Action, you can use it to regain Hit Points equal to 1d10 plus your Fighter level.
You can use this feature twice. You regain one expended use when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
When you reach certain Fighter levels, you gain more uses of this feature, as shown in the Second Wind column of the Fighter Features table.
Level 1: Weapon Mastery
Your training with weapons allows you to use the mastery properties of three kinds of Simple or Martial weapons of your choice. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can practice weapon drills and change one of those weapon choices.
When you reach certain Fighter levels, you gain the ability to use the mastery properties of more kinds of weapons, as shown in the Weapon Mastery column of the Fighter Features table.
Level 2: Action Surge
You can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action, except the Magic action.
Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a Short or Long Rest. Starting at level 17, you can use it twice before a rest but only once on a turn.
Level 2: Tactical Mind
You have a mind for tactics on and off the battlefield. When you fail an ability check, you can expend a use of your Second Wind to push yourself toward success. Rather than regaining Hit Points, you roll 1d10 and add the number rolled to the ability check, potentially turning it into a success. If the check still fails, this use of Second Wind isn’t expended.
Level 3: Fighter Subclass
You gain a Fighter subclass of your choice. A subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Fighter levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Fighter level or lower.
Level 4: Ability Score Improvement
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Fighter levels 6, 8, 12, 14, and 16.
Level 5: Extra Attack
You can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Level 5: Tactical Shift
Whenever you activate your Second Wind with a Bonus Action, you can move up to half your Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Level 9: Tactical Master
When you attack with a weapon whose mastery property you can use, you can replace that property with the Push, Sap, or Slow property for that attack.
Level 9: Indomitable
If you fail a saving throw, you can reroll it with a bonus equal to your Fighter level. 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 before a Long Rest starting at level 13 and three times before a Long Rest starting at level 17.
Level 11: Two Extra Attacks
You can attack three times instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Level 13: Studied Attacks
You study your opponents and learn from each attack you make. If you make an attack roll against a creature and miss, you have Advantage on your next attack roll against that creature before the end of your next turn.
Level 19: Epic Boon
You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
Level 20: Three Extra Attacks
You can attack four times instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Fighter Subclasses
A Fighter subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Fighter levels, as specified in the subclass.
Champion (PHB 2024)
Champions pursue physical perfection and relentless combat excellence. Through strength, endurance, and raw athleticism, they dominate the battlefield with devastating strikes and unmatched resilience.
Champions rely on simplicity and consistency, landing critical blows more often and enduring wounds that would fell lesser warriors. They thrive as frontline bruisers, duelists, and iconic heroes of legend.
Battle Master (PHB 2024)
Battle Masters are tactical geniuses who turn combat into a chess match of positioning, precision, and control. They study warfare, opponents, and terrain, exploiting every opening with practiced maneuvers.
Using combat techniques fueled by superiority dice, Battle Masters command the battlefield—disarming foes, rallying allies, and dictating the flow of battle with calculated strikes.
Eldritch Knight (PHB 2024)
Eldritch Knights blend martial mastery with arcane magic, weaving spells into swordplay and shield work. They enhance their combat prowess with defensive magic, elemental strikes, and battlefield control.
Often trained in magical academies or arcane traditions, these Fighters serve as spellblades, arcane guardians, or magically empowered champions.
Psi Warrior (PHB 2024)
Psi Warriors channel psionic power through intense mental discipline. Their abilities manifest as telekinetic force, psychic shields, and devastating mental strikes.
Once rare and experimental, Psi Warriors are now a core martial path. They use the power of the mind to bolster their bodies, protect allies, and shatter enemies with invisible force.
Additional Fighter Subclasses (Other 5e Sources)
Rune Knight (Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything)
Rune Knights draw power from ancient giant runes, carving magical symbols that enhance their strength, resilience, and battlefield presence.
Able to grow in size and unleash rune-based magic, these Fighters dominate space and control the fight through overwhelming physical power and mystical endurance.
Samurai (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
Samurai embody discipline, honor, and unwavering resolve. Through focus and mental fortitude, they strike with deadly precision even under overwhelming odds.
Masters of decisive combat, Samurai Fighters excel at sustained offense, resilience, and standing firm when others would falter.
Arcane Archer (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
Arcane Archers infuse their arrows with magical effects, turning ranged combat into a display of arcane precision.
Often trained among elite elven traditions, they specialize in controlling enemies from afar with enchanted shots that hinder, harm, or reposition foes.
Cavalier (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
Cavaliers are defenders and battlefield guardians, trained to protect allies and control enemy movement.
Often mounted knights or elite bodyguards, Cavaliers excel at holding choke points, punishing enemies who threaten allies, and maintaining battlefield dominance.
Echo Knight (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
Echo Knights manipulate time and possibility, manifesting spectral echoes of themselves drawn from unrealized timelines.
These Fighters blur the line between presence and absence, striking from multiple positions at once and overwhelming enemies with impossible mobility and tactical confusion.
Banneret (Purple Dragon Knight) (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide)
Bannerets are inspirational leaders who fight not only with steel, but with authority and morale. Their presence bolsters allies, turning disciplined formations into unstoppable forces.
Often knights, officers, or royal champions, Bannerets excel at supporting companions while holding their own on the front lines of battle.
Main info Fighter:
Hit Die: d10 per Fighter level
Primary Ability: Strength or Dexterity
Armor: Light, Medium, Heavy armor, Shields
Weapons: Simple & Martial weapons
Skills: Choose 2 — Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, Perception, or Survival
Saves: Strength, Constitution
Combat Role: Frontline damage, battlefield control, and durability
Key Mechanic: Weapon Mastery, Action Surge, and Extra Attacks
Starting Equipment: Choose one:
• A: Chain mail, greatsword, flail, 8 javelins, dungeoneer’s pack, and 4 gp
• B: Studded leather armor, scimitar, shortsword, longbow, 20 arrows, quiver, dungeoneer’s pack, and 11 gp
• C: 155 gp
Complexity: Low
Best For Players Who: Want a versatile martial character who excels with weapons, adapts to many combat styles, and grows more deadly with every level
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