Making a Fighter

Fighters share an unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. They are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face.

You must have a Dexterity or Strength score of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.

The Fighter
Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Fighting Style, Second Wind
2nd	+2	Action Surge (x1)
3rd	+2	Martial Archetype
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)
5th	+3	Extra Attack (x1)
6th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)
7th	+3	Martial Archetype Feature
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)
9th	+4	Indomitable (x1)
10th	+4	Martial Archetype Feature
11th	+4	Extra Attack (x2)
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)
13th	+5	Indomitable (x2)
14th	+5	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)
15th	+5	Martial Archetype Feature
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)
17th	+6	Action Surge (x2), Indomitable (x3)
18th	+6	Martial Archetype Feature
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)
20th	+6	Extra Attack (x3)

Quick Guide

When making a Fighter, it's suggested that your highest ability score should be Strength or Dexterity, depending if you want to focus on melee or ranged (or finesse weapons) respectively. Your next highest score should be Constitution or Intelligence if you plan to follow the Eldritch Knight martial archetype. Intelligence is your Spellcasting Ability for the Eldritch Knight path.

Determining Ability Scores 

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 or Dexterity, 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 Basic, and 20 Arrows or (c) Leather Armor, a Firearm, Tinker's Tools, and 20 Ammunition
  
• (a) a Martial Weapon and a Shield or (b) Two Martial Weapons
  
• (a) a Light Crossbow and 20 Bolts or (b) Two Hand-Axes
  
• (a) a Dungeoneer's Pack or (b) an Explorer's Pack
  
• 5d4 x 10 Gold Pieces

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of Fighting as your specialty. Choose a Fighting Style from the list of optional features. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you get to choose again.

Archery

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

Blind Fighting

You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

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.

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.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

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.

Superior Technique

You learn one maneuver of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice.)

• You gain one superiority die, which is a d6 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
  

Thrown Weapon Fighting

You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.

• In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
  

Two-Weapon Fighting

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

Unarmed Fighting

Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren't wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.

• At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you.

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, such as Champion. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd Level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.

Arcane Archer
Banneret
Battle Master
Cavalier
Champion
Echo Knight
Eldritch Knight
Gunslinger
Psi Warrior
Rune Knight
Samurai

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.