No two fighters are the same—your personal tastes define your fighting style. Swords, bows, or fists? Aggressive or defensive? Elegant and refined, or harsh and brutal? Long range or up-close and personal?
Choose a Martial Archetype to help perfect your own, unique style on the battlefield.
Choose Your Archetype
Choose your archetype from one of the following options:
- Champion: You and your weapon are one. In battle, you know how to best exploit an opening in your enemy's defense to deal massive damage.
- Defender: You protect your allies from harm. When you stand fast and hold your ground, nothing can escape your defender's mark.
- Commander: In the chaos of battle, you know how to take charge. You give orders and you expect those orders to be followed.
Creating an Archetype
To create your own Martial Archetype (or to convert an existing archetype from other sources), follow these steps:
- Add 4 Maneuvers: At 1st-level, martial archetypes expand the fighter maneuver list with 4 unique maneuvers. Create interesting ways to act in battle that are thematic to your archetype—be flavorsome.
- Create 3rd and 7th-level Features: Martial archetypes grant features at 3rd and 7th-level.
- Create a 10th-level Capstone: At 10th-level, martial archetypes grant a unique capstone feature that is the pinnacle of your archetype's theming.
And that's it, your archetype is complete!
Champion
A Champion hones their raw physical power to deadly perfection. You are one with your weapon, and you know how to exploit an opening to deal massive damage to your unworthy enemy.
1Martial Maneuvers
Add the following four maneuvers to your list of maneuver options: counterattack, parry, pierce, and predict.
Counterattack
When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the creature. If the attack hits, you deal an extra 1d6 damage with your weapon.
Greater Counterattack: (5th-level) You deal an extra 1d8 damage with your weapon when you successfully counterattack.
Superior Counterattack: (9th-level) You deal an extra 1d10 damage with your weapon when you successfully counterattack.
Parry
When a target hits you with an attack roll and you are not incapacitated, you can spend your reaction and attempt to parry the attack. Roll 1d6 and add the result to your AC—if the attack roll doesn't beat your parry AC, it misses.
Greater Parry: (5th-level) You may roll 1d8 when you attempt to parry.
Superior Parry: (9th-level) You may roll 1d10 when you attempt to parry.
Pierce
When you miss with an attack roll against a creature, you can attempt to pierce through with sheer resolve. Roll 1d6 and add it your attack roll.
Greater Pierce: (5th-level) You can roll 1d8 and add it to your attack roll.
Superior Pierce: (9th-level) You can roll 1d10 and add it to your attack roll.
Predict
When you make an ability check and use Insight or Perception, you can roll 1d6 and add it to the result. You can wait until after you roll your check before deciding to use this maneuver, but you must decide before the GM says whether your check succeeds or fails.
Greater Predict: (5th-level) Your bonus increases from 1d6 to 1d8.
Superior Predict: (9th-level) Your bonus increases from 1d8 to 1d10.
3Improved Critical
Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
7Remarkable Athlete
You can add half your proficiency bonus (round up) to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check you make that doesn't already use your proficiency bonus.
In addition, when you make a running long jump, the distance you can cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Strength modifier.
10Additional Fighting Style
You can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.
Commander
A Commander gives orders and expects them to be followed. You direct your allies with tactical prowess and turn a band of ill-fitting misfits into a well-oiled machine.
1Martial Maneuvers
Add the following four maneuvers to your list of maneuver options: direct, inspire, instruct, and order.
Direct
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can direct an ally to move. Choose one friendly creature that is (a) within 30 ft of you or the creature you hit, (b) can see and hear you, and (c) has a movement speed greater than 0—that creature may spend its reaction to move up to 10 ft. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks from the creature you hit.
Greater Direct: (5th-level) Your ally may move up to 15 ft.
Superior Direct: (9th-level) Your ally may move up to 20 ft.
Inspire
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can inspire a nearby ally. Choose one friendly creature that can see and hear you. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier—you may choose which.
Greater Inspire: (5th-level) The creature gains temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier.
Superior Inspire: (9th-level) The creature gains temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier.
Instruct
When an ally misses with a weapon attack, you can instruct them to try again. If your ally can see and hear you, that ally can reroll their attack—if the attack hits, it deals 1d6 extra damage.
Greater Instruct: (5th-level) The attack deals 1d8 extra damage.
Superior Instruct: (9th-level) The attack deals 1d10 extra damage.
Order
When you make an ability check and use Persuasion or Intimidation, you can roll 1d6 and add it to the result. You can wait until after you roll your check before deciding to use this maneuver, but you must decide before the GM says whether your check succeeds or fails.
Greater Order: (5th-level) Your bonus increases from 1d6 to 1d8.
Superior Order: (9th-level) Your bonus increases from 1d8 to 1d10.
3Commanding Strike
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your allies to strike.
Choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack.
7Commanding Action
During another creature's turn, you can spend your reaction and one use of your Action Surge feature to grant that creature one additional action on top of their regular action and a possible bonus action.
10Word of Command
You can use your action to speak a one-word command to a creature. Choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature can see and hear you, it must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier) to resist being commanded. If the creature fails, it must follow the command on its next turn.
You can use this feature up to three times. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Command of Resolve
When you speak a command, you can spend a number of resolve points to heighten your command. For each point of resolve you spend, you can target one additional creature with your command. The creatures must be within 30 feet of each other when you target them.
Immunities
Your command has no effect if the target is undead, if it doesn’t understand your language, or if your command is directly harmful to it.
Example Commands
Some typical commands and their effects follow. You might issue a command other than one described here. If you do so, the GM determines how the target behaves. If the target can’t follow your command, the effect ends.
- Approach: The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.
- Drop: The target drops whatever it is holding and then ends its turn.
- Flee: The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means.
- Grovel: The target falls prone and then ends its turn.
- Halt: The target doesn’t move and takes no actions. A flying creature stays aloft, provided that it is able to do so. If it must move to stay aloft, it flies the minimum distance needed to remain in the air.
Defender
A Defender protects their allies from harm. With keen senses and keener skill, you know how to spot incoming danger and shield your allies from it.
1Martial Maneuvers
Add the following four maneuvers to your list of maneuver options: alert, bastion, sentry, and switch.
Alert
When you make an ability check and use Perception or Initiative, you can roll 1d6 and add it to the result. You can wait until after you roll your check before deciding to use this maneuver, but you must decide before the GM says whether your check succeeds or fails.
Greater Alert: (5th-level) Your bonus increases from 1d6 to 1d8.
Superior Alert: (9th-level) Your bonus increases from 1d8 to 1d10.
Bastion
When an ally within 5 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points from a weapon attack but not killed outright, you can intercept part of the attack—your ally drops to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this maneuver again until you finish a long rest.
Greater Bastion: (5th-level) You can use this maneuver two times per long rest.
Superior Bastion: (9th-level) You can use this maneuver three times per long rest.
Sentry
When an enemy that you can see moves within 5 feet of you, you can make one weapon attack against that creature as a free action. If your attack hits the creature, you deal 1d6 extra damage.
Greater Sentry: (5th-level) Your attack deals an extra 1d8 damage.
Superior Sentry: (9th-level) Your attack deals an extra 1d10 damage.
Switch
If you are within 5 feet of an ally on your turn, you can spend at least 5 feet of your movement to switch places with that ally. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. In addition, you may roll 1d6. Until the start of your next turn, your ally gains a bonus to their AC equal to the number rolled.
Greater Switch: (5th-level) The AC bonus increases from 1d6 to 1d8.
Superior Switch: (9th-level) The AC bonus increases from 1d8 to 1d10.
3Defender's Mark
When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can mark the creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends early if you are incapacitated or you die, or if someone else marks the creature.
While it is within 5 feet of you, a creature marked by you has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn't target you.
Punishing Attack
If a creature marked by you deals damage to anyone other than you, you can make a special melee weapon attack against the marked creature as a bonus action on your next turn. You have advantage on the attack roll, and if it hits, the attack's weapon deals extra damage to the target equal to half your fighter level.
Regardless of the number of creatures you mark, you can make this special attack a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (a minimum of 1). You may also spend 1 point of resolve to use this feature. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
7Defender's Ward
If you or a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can roll 1d8 as a reaction if you're wielding a melee weapon or a shield. Roll the die, and add the number rolled to the target's AC against that attack. If the attack still hits, the target has resistance against the attack's damage.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of 1). You may also spend 1 point of resolve to use this feature. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
10Hold the Line
Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach. If you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target's speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn.