Fighter Archetype Handbook
By Joshua Joseph Kochuthelliyil
Hello! I am Joshua Joseph Kochuthelliyil, and this is the Fighter Archetype Handbook. This is intended for use with the Dungeons and Dragons 5e tabletop role-playing game. Here, I shall present a quick synopsis of what each Martial Archetype is all about, but before we get into that, let’s answer some questions . . .
What is a Fighter?
Fighters are the masters of weapons and armour, and possess an expertise in the art of combat! This class is a broad net that is suitable for anyone who wants to use a weapon! Archers, knights, bandits, pirates, spearmen, and bodyguards are all ! Where a Barbarian pushes through the pain with raw emotion, a Rogue exploits their opponent’s weaknesses, and a Monk utilizes their mystic Ki, the Fighter relies only on their weapons, armor, and sheer willpower! The Fighter is a hardy, dependable fellow who can dice up goblins without breaking a sweat, get up no matter what knocks them down, and can fill almost any character concept a player may formulate. Through determination alone, the most ordinary men stand toe-to-toe with Gods. Through hard work, mortals can stare death in the eyes unflinchingly. So long as a Fighter has the fortitude to keep going, anything is possible! A Fighter’s main attribute is Strength or Dexterity.
If you can’t tell, this is my favorite class.
What is a Martial Archetype?
A Martial Archetype is the classification of the Fighter’s specialized techniques. There are many different ways to fight, and so each Martial Archetype’s Fighters develops different skills for their specialization on the battlefield. Functionally, the Martial Archetype you choose for your Fighter is your subclass.
Alright, without further ado, let’s begin with the Fighter Archetype Handbook!
Arcane Archer
"Magic is not a practice. It is a living, breathing web of energy that, with our permission, can encase our every action." - Dorothy Morrison
Arcane Archer Fighters are mystical bowmen who weave elven magic into their arrowshots, manifesting wondrous effects! Like tools in a toolbox, these ranged warriors have an Arcane Shot for any situation, a magic to suit any target! Need to pin a runaway goblin? Use Grasping Arrow to anchor him to the ground with vines! Need to make a getaway? Use Shadow Arrow to shroud your foe’s vision with darkness! Is your target hiding from you? Well, nothing can hide from the Seeking Arrow! The Arcane Archer Archetype is for a player that wants to exercise the freedom that a soaring arrow embodies, channeling magic as varied as their reasons to fight into every life-ending shot!
Recommended Feats: Sharpshooter is an excellent choice for any bow user, as the Sharpshooter feat allows you to wait to line up the perfect shot, subsequently taking a penalty to your accuracy due to giving your target more time to dodge. However, if you hit your shot, you deal extra damage by striking the vitals!
Banneret
"Go forward bravely! Fear nothing!” - Jeanne D’Arc
Banneret Fighters are steadfast leaders, capable of changing the tides of a battle through their inspiring vocation alone! In a battle, it is not the archers and knights that are the bravest, but those who charge onto the battlefield with flags! The Bannerets; those who put their full faith and support in their allies! Through the heart lifting support of a Banneret Fighter, party members are able to shake off mortal wounds, push themselves beyond their limits, and realize their true potential! The Banneret Fighter Archetype is for a player that wants to aid their fire-forged allies, taking an indirect but essential supporting role in their party!
Recommended Feats: To enhance your team support, consider taking the Inspiring Leader feat, which allows you to give a rousing speech during each short rest, giving the entire party THP! Alternatively, consider the Chef feat, which allows you to whip up a hearty meal for your allies during a short rest, which aids their recovery, and you can make a handful of treats that can be consumed mid-combat to give the recipient a boost of THP!
Battle Master
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." - The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
Battle Master Fighters are cunning tacticians, who have mastered the art of strategy, and have tirelessly perfected martial Maneuvers to match the might of any opponent! These generals understand war not as a mere brawl, but an academic study to be learned inside and out! Each strike from a Battle Master Fighter is a deliberate move, like moving pieces on a chessboard. Goading Attack, Precision Attack, Feinting Attack, Tripping Attack, Menacing Attack; they all have a time and place, and when utilized correctly, can grant one a superiority on the battlefield like no other. The Battle Master Fighter Archetype is for a player who means to cut a calculated path to victory with each attack!
Recommended Feats: The Battle Master Archetype is extremely flexible, so you have a plethora of options. Although Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Master require taking an accuracy penalty in order to do the extra damage on a hit, you can cancel that penalty out by using the Precision Attack maneuver. Crossbow Expert and Shield Master are good for crossbow and sword and shield users respectively. Finally, the Martial Adept feat stands out, as it gives you more learned maneuvers and more uses of said maneuvers. It works extremely well when combined with the Superior Technique Fighting Style, which also gives more maneuvers and more maneuver uses.
Cavalier
“A knight is sworn to valor. His heart knows only virtue. His blade defends the helpless. His might upholds the weak. His word speaks only truth. His wrath undoes the wicked.”- Code of Chivalry
Cavalier Fighters are knights in shining armor, who arrive to rescue upon their trusty steed! Noble in name and in heart, a Cavalier Fighter swears that they will vanquish the darkness, shelter the meek, and protect the innocent, even at cost to themselves. To do so, these bulwarks employ many defensive abilities, from shielding strikes directed towards allies, to making an enemy’s retreat from them impossible, to even sapping the target with an Unwavering Mark, forcing the wicked to direct their ire on the Cavalier and the Cavalier only! The Cavalier Fighter Archetype is for a player who wants to be the defending backbone of the party!
Recommended Feats: Although the Cavalier Fighter is a defender, they do not want to take the Sentinel feat, because the Cavalier Archetype already has a feature that replicates the feat. Instead, consider Mounted Combatant if you plan on riding a horse into combat. Surprisingly, Mobile is also a good pick, as it allows you to back up out of your enemy’s reach, in order to charge at them again and try knocking them down.
Champion
“It's not about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." - Rocky Balboa, Rocky Balboa, by Sylvester Stallone
Champion Fighters are heroes who work their entire body until it is simply perfect, and bear within them an immortal spark of determination that allows them to push through, no matter the odds! Champions have trained tirelessly until they are bluntly better than the competition, as they gain features that allow them to score more critical hits and endure consecutive battles without a quarter. Unlike other Fighters, Champions rely on no limited resources, putting faith only in their unbreakable bodies and spirit. Due to this, the Champion Fighter is always the first one in and the last one out; the core of the party that keeps moving forward, long after not only the enemies, but one’s own party members have run out of steam! The Champion Fighter Archetype is for a player that wants a simple, well-rounded, but rewarding path to greatness!
Recommended Feats: Since the Champion Fighter is blank slate for you to shape to your liking, nearly any feat works. The Great Weapon Master, Slasher, Piercer, and Crusher feats are good for Champion Fighters because they all have on crit effects, which a Champion Fighter will get more use out of. Most of all, the Shield Master feat is great, not only because it fits the “knight in shining armour”, classic theme, but because it helps you get advantage on your attacks, which doubles your already high crit chance. Sharpshooter, Crossbow Expert, and Polearm Master also do well.
Echo Knight
"The power of imagination makes us infinite.” - John of the Mountains, by John Muir
Echo Knight Fighters are armies made of one man, that fight with double the power of an ordinary Fighter -by summoning a spectral duplicate of themselves to their aid! The Fighter and their phantasmal Echo are used in tandem to pincer and tag team opponents, who are often utterly unprepared for the supernatural coordination of the two! An Echo looks like whatever the player wishes. Common examples of an Echo include a pseudo-real version of the original character from a different timeline or the future, the ghost of a dead friend or relative, or even your character's own shadow, come alive! The Echo Knight Fighter Archetype is for players with no friends who want to always be able to count on themselves to watch their back!
Recommended Feats: The Echo Knight Fighter wants to take advantage of their superior battlefield control, so grabbing the Sentinel feat will bode well, as the Sentinel feat prevents enemies from leaving your reach. Since you are in two places at once, both count as your “reach”, so you have two areas where you can keep enemies from escaping. This gets even better when combined with the Polearm Master feat, as polearms have increased reach, and as such you can affect a greater area.
Eldritch Knight
“The heart of a knight and the soul of a sorcerer combined in one warrior.” - The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander
Eldritch Knight Fighters are skilled spellblades that combine magecraft and warcraft to enhance their potential! This is the gish option for the Fighter, as it supplements the Fighter’s already impressive martial prowess with spellcasting, and gains the ability to weave both into single, harmonious strikes! Eldritch Knights learn spells in the same vein that Wizards do, and as such their secondary ability is Intelligence. Although their spellcasting is limited, it is a force not to be reckoned with, as when used properly, an Eldritch Knight is unstoppable. The Haste spell is used to allow the Fighter to make flurries of strikes in a fraction of a second! The Green-Flame Blade and Booming Blade spells are used to turn the Fighter’s foes to cinders and to shatter them like glass. The Shield spell is used to reinforce the Fighter’s already stellar defense, transforming them into a 1-man tank, capable of withstanding anything. When the wand and the blade are combined, nothing is off table. The Eldritch Knight Fighter Archetype is for a player who wants both the mind of a mage, and the will of a warrior!
Recommended Feats: The War Caster feat is a must-have for an Eldritch Knight Fighter, as without it, you will have trouble holding your weapons and casting spells with somatic requirements at the same time. Other than that, the Ritual Caster, Magic Initiate, Shadow Touched, and Fae Touched feats are good, as they give you more spells.
Psi Warrior
“Your focus determines your reality” - Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars - Episode I : The Phantom Menace, by Lucasfilms
Psi Warrior Fighters are combatants that bear psionic powers! Utilizing only their mental prowess, these Wu-gen deflect energy blasts, propel their strikes with telekinesis, levitate, and even restrain their enemies, using a mystic, invisible force! As Psionics users, Intelligence becomes their secondary ability. Through the mastery of the mind alone, Psi Warrior Fighters can accomplish what clothes would deem impossible! They dance around the battlefield, using telekinetic leaps to fight for the high ground as their blades crash at blinding speeds! Their heightened minds are guarded from charming magics. Even a carreaning bomb of energy can be dismissed by a Psi Warrior’s simple gesture. The Psi Warrior Archetype is for a player that desires to harness the power of the mind to control the flow of the battlefield!
Recommended Feats: The Telepathic and Telekinetic feats are great and fitting in theme. The Defensive Duelist feat works great too for those who want to wield one handed weapon, and the same goes for two weapon users and the Dual Wielder feat.
Rune Knight
“In order to overcome monsters, one must toss aside their humanity.” - Armin Arlert, Attack on Titan, by Hajime Isayama
Rune Knight Fighters are formidable foes, who wield the power of the giants! These epic smiths engrave magical Giant Runes into their adventuring gear to enchant them with wondrous effects, and invoke the might of the Giants by utilizing a Jotun magic to enlarge themselves to the size of a mountain! Once in their Giant form, a Rune Knight is an unstoppable, immovable, unreckonable siege, capable of lifting any boulder, toppling any castle! Not only that; but thanks to the aforementioned engraved Runes, a Rune Knight Fighter can strike with the intensity of a Fire Giant, endure assault like a Hill Giant, slip away like a Cloud Giant, or even access the future-vision of Storm Giants! With a Giants overshadowing power at the party’s disposal, you’ll fly higher than even the storm clouds that brew in the ancient sky! The Rune Knight Fighter Archetype is for a player that wants to have a far-reaching presence on the battlefield!
Recommended Feats: The Tavern Brawler feat is an immediate standout. Since in order to grapple a creature, it must not be no more than 1 size category larger than their target. Rune Knight Fighters can increase their size category to Huge, and so they are great grapplers, and they excel even further with the Tavern Brawler feat. Furthermore, this feat makes you feel like a living siege weapon with how you can smash your enemies with slams, and use improvised weapons! For a normal-sized person, an improvised weapon may be a spoon, plank of wood, or shield, but for you, why not use a tree, boulder, or building?
Samurai
“The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win.”- Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi
Samurai Fighters are disciplined masters of the blade, whose souls are fire forged; who’s swords are immortal. These dedicated shogun put their full fury behind each battle; pouring all of their skill into each strike. There is no room for error, no honor to spare for retreat. To a Samurai Fighter, surrender is not an option. These warriors set their heart on fire, drawing on an implacable Fighting Spirit to overpower their enemies, no matter the odds! They unleash unbelievable offensive flurries, pushing themselves beyond their limits, continuing to fight even in the face of imminent death! A mortal blow may guarantee the end of a Samurai Fighters life, but it’s simply not enough to hinder their unbreakable will, set on cutting down their challenger, even at the cost of their own life! All who find themselves in a Samurai Fighter’s path are left with only two choices: yield . . or die fighting. The Samurai Fighter Archetype is for a player who understands that there is no defense; there is only offense!
Recommended Feats: The two prime feats for Samurai are Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter, as both offer an accuracy penalty/damage bonus tradeoff, but the accuracy penalty can be offset with the Samurai Fighter’s Fighting Spirit feature! Furthermore, the Sharpshooter feat can be combined with the Elven Accuracy feat for even more accuracy to offset the Sharpshooter accuracy penalty!
Citations:
“DND 5th Edition.” Fighter - DND 5th Edition, dnd5e.wikidot.com/fighter. Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.
“Dorothy Morrison Quote.” A, www.azquotes.com/quote/585093. Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.
“Top 25 Quotes by Joan of Arc (of 53): A-Z Quotes.” A, www.azquotes.com/author/501-Joan_of_Arc#:~:text=One%20life%20is%20all%20we,more%20terrible%20than%20dying%20young. Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.
Sunzi, and Nigel Cawthorne. The Art of War. Sirius Publishing, a Division of Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2022.
What Was Chivalry and What Were Its “Laws”?, www.abdn.ac.uk/sll/disciplines/english/lion/chivalry.shtml#:~:text=A%20knight%20was%20supposed%20to,his%20family%20and%20his%20friends. Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.
Stallone, Sylvester. Rocky Balboa.
John Muir - the Power of Imagination Makes Us Infinite. - Brainyquote, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_muir_378452. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023.
“The Black Cauldron.” The Black Cauldron, Walt Disney Co., Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.
“Star Wars I the Phantom Menace”, Lucasfilms, Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.
Isayama, Hajime, et al. Attack on Titan. Kodansha Comics, 2013.
Miyamoto, Musashi, and Victor Harris. The Book of Five Rings. Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2023.
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