D&D: Five Fighter Concepts To Spark Your Next Character
The humble Fighter is often considered D&D’s “starter class,” but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a million different ways to play one.
Fighters have a long history in D&D. They’re one of the original three classes: Fighting Man, Cleric, and Magic User. Over the years, they have gained a reputation for being one of the basic classes. A starter character class for people who are new to D&D. But just because they’re easy to play doesn’t mean they’re one-note.
Here are five different Fighter concepts that you can use as kindling for the flame of your next D&D Fighter PC, to prove that Fighters really are more than just “the guy with the Greatsword and multiple attacks.”
The Duelist
Fighters can be all about Strength, sure. But they can also be all about Dexterity. A graceful, agile Fighter might not fit most people’s first impression of the name, but that can be a terribly fun way to play one. And something like a renowned (or at least aspiring) duelist can be a great way to explore the other side of Fighters.
These are heroes that favor fancy footwork and fighting finesse. These are your swashbuckling types – and you don’t have to be a Rogue to use those finesse weapons. Start with a high Dex and a fighting style like Dueling or Two-Weapon Fighting, and feats like Defensive Duelist or Dual Wielder, depending on which flavor of master swordfighter you want to be. And then grab some fancy tricks; you could take the Battlemaster subclass and pick up maneuvers like Riposte so you can hit people when they miss you, or Disarming Attack so you can knock an enemy’s sword out of their hands with a fancy flourish.
Classic Hero
Or go for the iconic artwork Fighter. The warrior with sword and shield – an archetype so plentiful throughout fantasy that it has a nickname that isn’t even that much shorter, but it does rhyme: sword and board.
These Fighters can be all about protection, but in D&D having a shield can be a boon to an attacker, too. Again, the Dueling Fighting style can be your friend here. Or take Interception or Protection and make your defenses strong. Pair that with feats like Shield Master for both offense and defense, and you’ve got the makings of a classic hero.
Big Guy, Big Weapon
But hey, big guy with a big sword is another archetype for a reason. And in 5.5E, greatswords and other two handed weapons are still quite good. In fact, the greatsword with its graze weapon expertise lets you do damage, even on a miss, which always feels good. Combo that with the Great Weapon Master feat, and you’ll give yourself extra attacks galore.
Then you can take something like the Champion subclass, and just be quite good at being a big beefy hero.
Legally Distinct Witch-er
A slightly less common, but still fun Fighter archetype is the spellblade. And while sure, you could be a Bladesinger Wizard or some flavor of Warlock or Bard and Paladin, the Fighter does a surprisingly good job of emulating that Witcher-y style gameplay. Where you are primarily hitting things with your sword, but you have magic tricks to back you up.
Take the Eldritch Knight subclass, obviously. But you can supplement that with feats that hint at your supernatural powers, like Fey Touched, or take something like Mage Slayer to emphasize how skilled you are at fighting other magic users and monsters.
Ranged Weapons Aren’t Just For Rangers
Finally, if you roll up a Fighter, consider playing a ranged character. While sure, Ranger has “range” right there in the name, Fighters make surprisingly deadly archers. Give one a longbow or a musket and you’ve suddenly got the ability to deal pretty heavy damage at a surprising range. And feats like Sharpshooter and the Archery Fighting Style only make it easier for you to hit things.
Especially with a potentially revised Arcane Archer in the works for sometime later this year…
What are some of your Fighters like?
