Fighter 5eClass Guide & NPC Generator
Martial archetypes, every fighting style, the Battle Master manoeuvres and the stats that matter — then forge a finished fighter NPC, portrait and all, without typing a thing twice.
A fighter is the answer to “what if someone were simply extremely good at fighting” — every weapon, every armour, more attacks than anyone, and an extra action once a rest. No magic required, except the Eldritch Knight.
Choose your subclass
Fighter Subclasses — The Martial Archetypes
From “roll more crits” to “cast Shield and teleport”. Choose one; the forge follows.
Simple, brutal
Champion
Crits on 19–20, rising to 18–20. No resources, no decisions, no bookkeeping — just a bigger number, more often. The best class for a new player.
Full Champion guide →The Forge
Forge Champion Fighter
Everything you have chosen travels with you and arrives pre-filled. Nothing to type twice — just press Generate.
Champion · level 5 · pre-filled for you
Role in party
The Weapon Master
Fighter = the party’s martial workhorse — the most attacks in the game, the highest single-round burst, and enough armour to stand at the front all day.
You want to hit more often than anyone else and still be standing when the dust settles — reliable damage, no bookkeeping, no bad rounds.
Forged this morning
The Captain
Battle Master · Level 8 · Lawful Good
Captain Aveline
Reads a battlefield like a ledger. Trips the biggest thing in the room and lets the party do the rest — then writes up what everyone did wrong, afterwards, in detail.
Chosen lineage
Best Races for a Fighter
One attack stat drives everything, so the best lineages raise Strength or Dexterity — and throw in a little extra durability while they are at it.
Half-OrcGUIDE →
Relentless Endurance shrugs off the hit that would drop you, and Savage Attacks adds a die on every crit — brutal on a Champion.
Mountain DwarfGUIDE →
Two points of Strength and two of Constitution, plus armour proficiency you already have — the sturdiest melee chassis in the game.
Variant HumanGUIDE →
Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter online at level 1 — the build comes together the moment you roll it up.
DragonbornGUIDE →
Breath weapon covers the fighter’s missing AOE, and the draconic theme fits the plate and the greatsword.
Wood ElfGUIDE →
Dexterity for archery, extra speed and Mask of the Wild for the ranger-flavoured fighter — Wisdom guards the most-targeted save.
Combat doctrine
Fighting Styles
Chosen at level 1, before your archetype — it quietly shapes the whole build, and Archery is quietly the strongest.
Defense
Boring, correct, never a wasted pick.
Dueling
Sword-and-board’s damage pick.
Great Weapon Fighting
Two-handed consistency.
Archery
The strongest raw damage style.
Two-Weapon Fighting
Dual-wield damage.
Protection
Pure protector.
The fighter’s engine
Core Combat Features
Fighters have no spell list. This is the table that replaces it — the resources that make them the best pure martial in the game.
Where the points go
Fighter Builds — Where the Points Go
One attack stat, maxed. Constitution second, because you are the one they swing at — everything else is a rounding error.
Great weapon / heavy
Two-handed, Great Weapon Master, and enough Constitution to still be standing on round four.
Archer
Archery style plus Sharpshooter is the highest sustained damage in the game. Wisdom because you will be targeted.
Sword-and-board
Dueling, a shield and Defense. The most armour class any class can reach without magic.
Top picks
Best Feats for a Fighter
More attacks than anyone means every damage feat pays off more often — so the fighter is the class that wants them most.
Multiclass combos
Best Fighter Multiclass Combos
Action Surge and a fistful of ASIs make the fighter one of 5e’s best dips — and a strong base for anyone who wants more attacks.
Fighter / BarbarianGUIDE →
Rage damage and resistance under Action Surge and Extra Attack — the sturdiest, hardest-hitting melee bruiser in the game.
Fighter / RogueGUIDE →
Sneak Attack on the fighter’s attack count, plus Cunning Action and Assassinate — a mobile, bursty skirmisher (great with Arcane Trickster).
Fighter 2-dipGUIDE →
The most-splashed dip in 5e: Action Surge and a Fighting Style for two levels. Paladins, barbarians and rangers all want it.
Armory
Best Fighter Equipment by Tier
What to carry as you level — from a starting longsword to a suit of legendary plate.
The Long Campaign
Features by Level
From the forge
Fighters Made Here
Six archetypes, six ways to be the last one standing. Take any one — the whole build travels with it.
Durok Ironjaw
Says little, hits hard, and has never once lost a shield in forty years of losing everything else.
Use this build →
Captain Aveline
Reads a battlefield like a ledger. Trips the biggest thing in the room and lets the party do the rest.
Use this build →
Ser Corwin Vale
Casts Shield with a straight face and pretends the sword came back on its own.
Use this build →
Kenji the Unbroken
Has been dropped to one hit point four times and has never once actually gone down.
Use this build →
Dame Ostra
Puts herself between the party and everything. Marking you is the last polite warning you get.
Use this build →
Grimmar Runescarred
Was already the biggest person in the room. Then he used Giant’s Might, and the room got smaller.
Use this build →Counsel
Frequently Asked
What is a fighter in D&D 5e?
The pure martial class: every armour, every weapon, more attacks than anyone, and Action Surge to take a whole extra action. No spells (unless you take Eldritch Knight) — fighters win by hitting more often and staying up longer.
How do I build a fighter in 5e?
Pick Strength (heavy weapons, sword-and-board) or Dexterity (archery, finesse) and max it. Constitution second — you are the one being hit. Choose a Fighting Style at level 1 and your archetype at level 3.
What is the best fighter subclass?
Battle Master has the highest ceiling — manoeuvres let you control the fight, not just damage it. Champion is the simplest and genuinely fine. Eldritch Knight gets Shield and Misty Step. Rune Knight is the most versatile in modern books.
Do fighters get spells in 5e?
Not by default. The Eldritch Knight archetype grants a small wizard spell list from level 3 — mostly abjuration and evocation, with Shield and Absorb Elements being the standouts. Every other fighter is fully non-magical.
What are the best stats for a fighter?
Strength or Dexterity first — whichever your weapon uses — then Constitution for hit points and concentration if you are an Eldritch Knight. Wisdom third is worth considering: it is the most commonly targeted save in the game.
What is Action Surge and why is it good?
Once per rest (twice from level 17) you take an entire extra action on your turn. At level 11 that is six attacks in one round. It is the reason fighters have the highest single-round burst of any martial class.
Fighter vs Barbarian — which should I play?
Fighter for flexibility, range and the most attacks; barbarian for raw durability and damage while raging. Fighters can archer, tank or gish; barbarians do one thing — take hits and hit back — extremely well.
Draw Steel
Read the rules, choose your archetype, and forge the fighter — all on one page. Your first is free.
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