Fighter

# Fighter Class Details

A human in clanging plate armor holds her shield before her as she
runs toward the massed goblins. An elf behind her, clad in studded
leather armor, peppers the goblins with arrows loosed from his exquisite
 bow. The half-orc nearby shouts orders, helping the two combatants
coordinate their assault to the best advantage.

A dwarf in chain mail interposes his shield between the ogre’s club
and his companion, knocking the deadly blow aside. His companion, a
half-elf in scale armor, swings two scimitars in a blinding whirl as she
 circles the ogre, looking for a blind spot in its defenses.

A gladiator fights for sport in an arena, a master with his trident
and net, skilled at toppling foes and moving them around for the crowd’s
 delight—and his own tactical advantage. His opponent’s sword flares
with blue light an instant before she sends lightning flashing forth to
smite him.

All of these heroes are fighters, perhaps the most diverse class of
characters in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Questing knights,
conquering overlords, royal champions, elite foot soldiers, hardened
mercenaries, and bandit kings—as fighters, they all share an
unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of
 the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both
meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face.

## Well-Rounded Specialists

Fighters learn the basics of all combat styles. Every fighter can
swing an axe, fence with a rapier, wield a longsword or a greatsword,
use a bow, and even trap foes in a net with some degree of skill.
Likewise, a fighter is adept with shields and every form of armor.
Beyond that basic degree of familiarity, each fighter specializes in a
certain style of combat. Some concentrate on archery, some on fighting
with two weapons at once, and some on augmenting their martial skills
with magic. This combination of broad general ability and extensive
specialization makes fighters superior combatants on battlefields and in
 dungeons alike.

## Trained for Danger

Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the
queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively untrained
 soldiers with only the most basic combat knowledge. Veteran soldiers,
military officers, trained bodyguards, dedicated knights, and similar
figures are fighters.

Some fighters feel drawn to use their training as adventurers. The
dungeon delving, monster slaying, and other dangerous work common among
adventurers is second nature for a fighter, not all that different from
the life he or she left behind. There are greater risks, perhaps, but
also much greater rewards—few fighters in the city watch have the
opportunity to discover a magic flame tongue sword, for example.

As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your
character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what
 set you apart from the mundane warriors around you? Were you
particularly ruthless? Did you get extra help from a mentor, perhaps
because of your exceptional dedication? What drove you to this training
in the first place? A threat to your homeland, a thirst for revenge, or a
 need to prove yourself might all have been factors.

You might have enjoyed formal training in a noble’s army or in a
local militia. Perhaps you trained in a war academy, learning strategy,
tactics, and military history. Or you might be self-taught—unpolished
but well tested. Did you take up the sword as a way to escape the limits
 of life on a farm, or are you following a proud family tradition? Where
 did you acquire your weapons and armor? They might have been military
issue or family heirlooms, or perhaps you scrimped and saved for years
to buy them. Your armaments are now among your most important
possessions—the only things that stand between you and death’s embrace.

As a fighter, you gain the following class features.

**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

### 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.

##### 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.

##### 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.

##### 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.
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. Choose Champion,
 Battle Master, or Eldritch Knight, all detailed at the end of the class
 description. 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 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.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

### 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.