Quick Build

You can make a fighter quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength your highest ability score. Your next-highest score should be Constitution. Second, choose the soldier background. Finally, choose the Riposte and Second Wind maneuvers. When you adopt a martial archetype at third level, choose the Champion.

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.

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.

Thrown Weapon Fighting

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.

On Thrown Weapons

This version of the fighter assumes that player cha-racters needn't use their free object interaction to draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of making an attack with that weapon.

If your group doesn't allow this, the fighting style Thrown Weapon Fighting gains "In addition, you can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon." Likewise, any maneuver that allows you to make one or more additional attacks implicitly allows you to draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of making each of those attacks with those weapons.

Maneuvers

You start out knowing two basic maneuvers of your choice, which are detailed at the end of the class description. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one maneuver per attack.

When you gain certain fighter levels, you learn additional maneuvers of your choice, as shown in the Maneuvers Known column of the Fighter table. If a maneuver has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it.

Additionally, whenever finish a long rest, you can choose one of the maneuvers you know and replace it with another maneuver, provided you meet its prerequisites (if it has any). Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can do this for any number of maneuvers you know.

Archetypal Maneuvers

Most martial archetypes have several maneuvers unique to them. If a maneuver is exclusive to a certain martial archetype (as stated under the maneuver's name), you can only learn that maneuver if you belong to that archetype.

Superiority Dice

You have two superiority dice, which are d6s. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your exp-ended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.

You gain additional superiority dice when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Superiority Dice column of the Fighter Table.

The size of your superiority dice also increases as you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Die Size column of the Fighter table.

Superiority Ability

Choose Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. The chosen ability is your superiority ability. If a maneuver or other feature refers to your superiority ability modifier, it is referring to the modifier of the chosen ability. When you gain a level in this class, you can replace your superiority ability with one from the list.

In addition, some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Arcane Marksman Lore

3rd-level Arcane Marksman feature

You learn magical theory or some of the secrets of nature—typical for practitioners of this magical and martial tradition. You choose to gain proficiency in either the Arcana or the Nature skill, and you choose to learn either the prestidigita-tion, druidcraft, or minor illusion cantrip. Your superiority ability is your spellcasting ability for the chosen spell.

Magic Shot

3rd-level Arcane Marksman feature

You gain the ability to infuse your attacks with magic. Whenever you make a ranged weapon attack with a weapon with which you are proficient, you can make it magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. The magic fades from the weapon immediately after the attack hits or misses its target.

Deep Sight

7th-level Arcane Marksman feature

Your frequent use of magic has sharpened your senses. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain proficiency in the Perception skill. If you already have this proficiency, you instead double your proficiency bonus for any (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
• You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, its range increases by 30 feet.

Curving Shot

10th-level Arcane Marksman feature

You learn how to direct an errant projectile toward a new target. When you make a ranged weapon attack roll and miss, you can use a bonus action to reroll the attack roll against a different target within 60 feet of the original target.

Ever-Ready Shot

15th-level Arcane Marksman feature

Your magical marksmanship is ready when it's most needed. When you use your Action Surge feature, you gain one superiority die. This die doesn't count toward the maximum number of superiority dice you can have at a time, and it can only be used on Arcane Marksman maneuvers. If the die isn't used by the end of your turn, it is lost.

Arcane Destruction

18th-level Arcane Marksman feature

You've learned to infuse your shots with raw magical power. Whenever you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack, or whenever one of your Arcane Marksman maneuvers deals damage to one or more creatures, you can cause one of those creatures to take an extra 1d12 damage. The damage type is force damage or a type dealt by the attack (your choice).

The Power of Maneuvers

While some of the martial archetypes might not seem particularly impressive at first glance, each one (save the Champion) gains access to unique maneuvers. The Arcane Marksman in particular has a suite of powerful magical maneuvers it uses to enhance its attacks. Remember to check these unique maneuvers—detailed at the end of the class description—to better understand the full extent of each archetype's capabilities.

Spellcasting

3rd-level Eldritch Knight feature

You augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells.

Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn an additional wizard cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots. The Eldritch Knight Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of 1st level and higher.

To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell shield and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast shield using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st level and Higher. You know three 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the abjuration and evocation spells on the wizard spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Eldritch Knight Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be an abjuration or evocation spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an abjuration or evocation spell, unless you’re replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school.

Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Bonus Proficiency

3rd-level Samurai feature

You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, History, Insight, or Persuasion. Alternatively, you can learn one language of your choice.

Deadly Grace

3rd-level Samurai feature

You've learned to avoid relying on a shield, instead using your weapons to deflect otherwise deadly blows. When you use a maneuver that gives you temporary hit points, reduces the damage you take, or increases your AC, you gain a bonus to the superiority die roll equal to your superiority ability modifier. You can use this feature only if you're wielding a melee weapon and aren't wielding a shield.

Strength of Spirit

3rd-level Samurai feature

You learn the Fighting Spirit maneuver, which doesn't count against your number of maneuvers known. In addition, once per short or long rest, you can use this maneuver without expending a superiority die, instead rolling a die of the same size as your superiority dice.

Elegant Courtier

7th-level Samurai feature

You are as graceful at court as you are on the battlefield. Whenever you make Persuasion check, you gain a bon-
us to the roll equal to your superiority ability modifier.

Your self-control also causes you to gain proficiency
in Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this pro-
ficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Intelligence
or Charisma saving throws (your choice).

Fight with Honor

10th-level Samurai feature

You fight with honor, and you can compel an enemy
to do the same. As a bonus action, you can challenge
a hostile creature to a duel by making a Persuasion
check (using your superiority ability rather than
Charisma), contested by the creature's Wisdom
(Insight) check. If you win the contest, the target
can't attack creatures other than you or cast spells on
creatures other than you, and you can't attack or cast
spells on creatures other than the target. The duel
lasts for 1 minute, until one of your companions
attacks the target or affects it with a spell, or until
you and the target are more than 60 feet apart.
The duel also ends if you take this action again,
if you die, or if the target dies.

Unbreakable Resolve

15th-level Samurai feature

Even the mightiest obstacles can't lay you low. When you use your Indomitable feature, you can choose to pass the failed saving throw instead of rerolling it.

Strength Before Death

18th-level Samurai feature

Your fighting spirit drives you ever onward, allowing you to shrug off your injuries and keep fighting. At the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 10 + your Constitution modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.

Bonus Proficiency

3rd-level Warleader feature

You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: History, Insight, or Persuasion. Alternatively, you can learn one language of your choice.

Cunning Combatant

3rd-level Warleader feature

When you attack with a weapon with which you are proficient, you can use your superiority ability modifier, instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls.

Natural Leader

3rd- and 15th-level Warleader feature

You can execute brilliant strategies with ease. You gain an additional, special superiority die known as a leadership die. A leadership die functions like a regular superiority die, except that you can only expend a leadership die on a maneuver that effects one or more of your allies.

When you reach 15th level, you gain another leadership die.

Tactical Acumen

7th-level Warleader feature

You have a mind for gambits and schemes, and you are difficult to take by surprise. Whenever you make an Intelligence check or an initiative roll, you can gain a bonus to the roll equal to your superiority ability modifier.

Military Secrets

10th-level Warleader feature

Your studies of battle tactics have exposed you to maneuvers from a wide range of martial disciplines. You learn two additional maneuver of your choice, which don't count against your number of maneuvers known. You can ignore archetype prerequisites when you learn these maneuvers, but you must abide by any other prerequisites they have. If you later choose to replace one or both of these maneuvers, you can replace them with maneuvers that meet the above criteria.

Warleader's Stratagem

18th-level Warleader feature

You've become especially adept at executing complex strategies. Whenever you use a maneuver that affects one or more nonhostile creatures, each creature that rolls one or more superiority dice as a result of the maneuver rolls an additional d12 and adds it to their roll.

High Esteem

3rd- and 7th-level Knight-Errant feature

You are loved and respected by all. You gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in another skill of your choice.

Starting at 7th level, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Persuasion.

Noble Steed

3rd-level Knight-Errant feature

When you adopt this archetype, you gain a noble steed. Far more than mere mount, a noble steed is a valuable ally, a trusted companion, and perhaps even a friend. Your steed is a Large or smaller beast with a challenge rating of 1/2 or lower. A steed is usually a camel, draft horse, mastiff, mule, pony, riding horse, or warhorse. At your DM's discretion, you might be allowed to choose another creature as your steed. You gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your steed.
• If you fall off your steed and descend no more than 10 feet, you can land on your feet if you're not incapacitated.
• Mounting or dismounting your steed costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
• Falling unconscious while mounted on your steed doesn't cause you to be knocked prone.
• When you use a maneuver while mounted on your steed, if that maneuver affects only you and doesn't increase the damage an attack deals, you may extend the maneuver's benefits to your steed as well.

In addition, your steed's hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus + twice your fighter level.

If you become incapacitated while mounted on your steed, it will attempt to take you to safety.

Finally, if your steed dies, you can obtain a new one by spending 8 hours training and bonding with a beast that isn't hostile to you and that meets the requirements.

Sworn Shield

3rd- and 10-level Knight-Errant feature

You gain the Protection fighting style. If you already have this fighting style, you gain another fighting style of your choice instead.

In addition, you needn't wield a shield in order to take the reaction provided by the Protection fighting style, and you can use that reaction when a creature you can see attacks a creature that is within 10 feet of you, rather than only 5 feet.

Finally, when you take that reaction, you impose disadvantage on all subsequent attack rolls made by the attacking creature against the chosen target until the beginning of your next turn, not just on the first one.

Starting at 10th level, you gain an additional reaction each round. You may use this reaction only to use the Protection fighting style.

Valorous Stance

7th-level Knight-Errant feature

Your bravery holds true even in the face of overwhelming odds. You can't be frightened.

Hold the Line

10th-level Knight-Errant feature

You've become a master of locking down your enemies. Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach, and if you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn.

Protector of the Small

15th-level Knight-Errant feature

You can fill your allies with the same courage and determination that fuel you. When you use your Indomitable feature to reroll a failed saving throw and you aren't incapacitated, you can choose a number of creatures equal to or less than your superiority ability modifier within 60 feet of you who also failed their saving throws against the same effect. Any of those creatures who can see or hear you can reroll their saving throws. A creature who does must keep the new roll.

A Glorious Death

18th-level Knight-Errant feature

No one lives forever, but you can at least ensure that your death will not be in vain. If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn't kill you outright, you can use your reaction to delay falling unconscious, and you can immediately take an extra turn, interrupting the current turn. While you have 0 hit points during that extra turn, taking damage causes death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throw failures can still kill you. When the extra turn ends, you fall unconscious if you still have 0 hit points.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Basic Maneuvers

Basic maneuvers have no level prerequisite. They may still have other prerequisites.

Banishing Shot

Master Arcane Marksman maneuver

When you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die and use abjuration magic to try to temporarily banish your target to a harmless location in the Feywild. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the target is banished. While banished in this way, the target is incapacitated and its speed is 0. At the end of its next turn, the target reappears in the space it vacated or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.

Bar the Way

Master maneuver

Your enemies break upon you as waves upon a bulwark. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can expend three superiority dice and forgo two of your attacks and all of your movement. If you do, until your next turn, you don't need to use your reaction to make opportunity attacks, and you make opportunity attacks with advantage. In addition, make a Strength (Athletics) check, adding the superiority dice to the roll. An enemy who tries to move through the space within a 10-foot radius of you for the first time in a turn must make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the result of your check. If it loses the contest, it can't move past you until the end of the turn.

Blood and Broken Bones

Master maneuver

Your vengeance is swift and terrible. When a creature deals damage to you that reduces you to half your hit points or fewer, or that reduces an ally you can see or hear to 0 hit points, you can expend two superiority dice and use a reaction to make a weapon attack with advantage against the creature that dealt the damage. On a hit, the creature takes bonus damage equal to your fighter level + twice the result of the superiority dice.

Bursting Shot

Master Arcane Marksman maneuver

When you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to imbue your attack with force energy drawn from the school of evocation. The target of your attack, and each creature within 10 feet of it, take force damage equal to the superiority die roll + your superiority ability modifier.

Chain of Woe

Master maneuver

Your attacks shred through your enemies, felling one after another. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a weapon attack on your turn, you can expend one superiority die to make a weapon attack against a creature within reach of your weapon as part of the same action. On a hit, add the superiority die to your damage roll. If this attack also reduces a creature to 0 hit points, you may repeat this process.

Concuss

Master maneuver

Your blows rain down like hammer strikes, leaving your enemies dazed. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to stun the target. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is stunned until the start of your next turn.

Draining Shot

Master Arcane Marksman maneuver

When you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die and use necromancy magic to sap the creature's vitality and empower yourself with it. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the attack deals necrotic damage instead of its regular damage type. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt in this way.

Illusory Shot

Master Arcane Marksman maneuver

When you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to magically create an illusory projectile that appears identical to the projectile used by the attack. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll and choose one creature you can see (other than the target of your attack) within range of your weapon.

The illusory projectile travels toward the chosen creature just as the real projectile would. The creature must make an Intelligence saving throw or become utterly convinced the illusory projectile is real. On a failed save, the creature takes psychic damage equal to the attack's damage roll.

Lead the Assault

Master Knight-Errant maneuver

On your first turn in combat, you can use a bonus action and expend two superiority dice to lead your allies into glorious battle. Choose a number of nonhostile creatures equal to or less than your superiority ability modifier within 60 feet of you who can see or hear you. Roll the superiority dice, add them together, and halve the result. Until the start of your next turn, you and each of those creatures gain a bonus to your AC equal to the total, and your movement speeds increase by 15 feet.

Multiclassing into or out of the variant fighter follows the regular rules for multiclassing described in the Player's Handbook.

Using Content from Other Sources

The variant fighter is a self-contained supplement, designed to work with itself but not built with outside content in mind. Here are some guidelines for handling their interactions.

Fighting Styles

Most of the fighting styles designed by Wizards of the Coast are relatively well balanced against one another. Some fighting styles from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and various Unearthed Arcana were omitted from this supplement, but they would likely work with few alterations.

Maneuvers

Maneuvers are a core part of the class, and as such, you should be careful when choosing to allow maneuvers from other sources. A maneuver that works with the base game's Battle Master might become too powerful in this new context. When in doubt, err on the side of caution: consider increa-sing a maneuver's tier, imposing a flavorful prerequisite, decreasing its potency, or in extreme cases, requiring the expenditure of additional superiority dice.

Martial Archetypes

The variant fighter isn't designed to work with subclasses not presented here. However, most subclasses could probably be converted to work with it. Subclass features that deal damage should probably be turned into archetypal maneuvers. The conversion process takes careful consideration, and is more art than science; maintaining the feel of a subclass is more important than perfectly preserving every one of its features. Consider the power fantasy the subclass aims to fulfill, then imagine what that would look like within the context of this class and the maneuver system.

Version 1.08

• Wording and formatting updated throughout
• Combat Superiority: Number of maneuvers known slightly increased
• Arcane Marksman: Deep Sight now expertise (was advantage)
• Eldritch Knight: Weapon Bond buffed; other features now care about bonded weapon
• Samurai: Strength of Spirit added
• Basic maneuvers: Track Down added; Quick Toss now a basic maneuver (was advanced); Ambush and Battlefield Healing now have prerequisites; Disarm, Eldritch Blade, and Evasive Footwork buffed; Ambush and Second Wind reworked
• Advanced maneuvers: Discern Weakness, Parry, Steel Resolve, and Withstand Death added; Sunder buffed; Rapid Fire replaced with One Thousand Cuts
• Master maneuvers: Blood and Broken Bones and Strategic Planning added; Spell strike now EK specific