Editing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (section)

===[[Fighter]]===
Better than the 3.5 version, worse than the 4e version, fighters get their own unique goodies from sub-classes, plus the only real Healing Surge left in the game, have an ability boost/extra feat every few levels (ensuring that almost ''no'' build is too MAD for a properly leveled fighter, and directly allowing them to benefit from the beefy boosts to feats this edition), and gain crazy amounts of extra attacks. Who's a glorified dip class now? That said, if one ''wants'' to dip fighter, it's certainly worth attempting, as it offers a lot of powerful benefits at relatively low levels.

The Battle Master, Monster Hunter, and a UA fighting style make use of a special resource called Combat Superiority dice, which are d8s (upgrading to d10s at level 10 and d12s at level 18) that they can burn to fuel certain combat maneuvers. Those that do share the level 15 "Relentless" feature, which gives them 1 Superiority die each time they gain initiative and have none left.

Subclasses are called Martial Archetypes, and they're where the Fighter gets most of its fun goodies.
* '''Champion''' (PHB): The simplest fighter archetype, offering crit range boosts, extra fighting styles, benefits to the athletic aspects of being a fighter, including jumps and initiative checks, and, eventually, fast healing when injured. There aren't any active components to it, but, again, it's a simple archetype.
* '''Battle Master''' (PHB): who gains access to various "martial maneuvers" powered by "superiority dice," plus several flavor abilities clearly intending to focus on the idea of an intellectual and artistic personality who also happens to be a muscular badass. The more complex of the two non-spellcasting core fighters, with the ability to play more of a support character or status-effect monkey while still wearing heavy armor and smashing shit up with whatever weapon you like.
* '''Eldritch Knight''' (PHB): A mage/fighter combo who, hilariously, is channeling the [[duskblade]] rather than its namesake prestige class, and is a great method to make a proper battle mage. It starts off slow but gradually gets a bunch of useful spells, particularly when they can pick a limited number outside the abjuration and evocation schools at higher levels. The ''SCAG'' also pumped them up like a big syringe full of 'roids, because one of their signature abilities is cast a cantrip followed by a weapon attack and the ''SCAG'' added a couple spells with built-in melee attacks.
* '''Purple Dragon Knight''' / '''Banneret''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): A support class path, which basically lets the Fighter allow other members of the party to share in the Fighter's class abilities. For example, if a Purple Dragon Knight uses her second wind, then three allies within 60 feet also gain health as if they'd done the same thing. Gets two names because "Purple Dragon Knights" as a specific group only exist in the [[Forgotten Realms]].
<!--The Underdark Characters UA adds two new Fighting Styles that the Fighter, Paladin and Ranger can all take. The first is the Close Quarters Shooter fighting style, which as you might expect gives bonuses to using ranged weapons even when you're up close and personal, and is a pretty decent reskin for a pistol-packing [[Gunslinger]] type character. The second is the Tunnel Fighter, who can go into a defensive stance that lets them freely strike at anything that gets too close or tries to move around them.-->
* '''Cavalier''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Based on the [[Cavalier]] [[kits|kit]] from AD&D, this Archetype gets 2 free proficiencies in any combination of Animal Handling, Insight, Performance or Persuasion, the Born to the Saddle Feature (easier time staying on a mount, quicker at mounting/dismounting, always land on your feet if you fall off your mount), the ability to use Combat Superiority dice to enhance riding abilities, increase attack rolls, knock an enemy prone whilst using a lance from a steed, or to boost AC (and half damage if the attack still lands) whilst mounted, and the Ferocious Charger ability (increases your aforementioned special lance attack). As you can see, it still falls into the same old pitfall of the Cavalier, in that it's not much use without a horse. Got a reprise as part of the June 2017 UA, as essentially more of a mounted Battlemaster than anything.
** The final version released in XGE combines this archetype with Knight. While it loses Combat Superiority, it gains a reaction ability to grant bonus AC to allies and the power to draw aggro from others.  The end result is more of a "sticky tank" which focuses less on its mounted abilities and more on being defensive and drawing fire. It’s 14th level ability gives it unlimited oppurtunity attacks, basically giving you 3.5 Combat Reflexes. Which, for the uninformed, was VERY GOOD.
* '''Scout''' (UA: Kits of Old): Based on the [[Scout]] kit, it's your basic ranged weapon fighter, and at least manages to be an actually competent non-spellcasting version of the Ranger. You get three choices of free proficiency between Acrobatics, Athletics, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth or Survival, the ability to burn Superiority dice on the aforementioned checks, the ability to boost attack rolls with Superiority dice, the ability to boost AC and half damage if the attack still hits whilst wearing light or medium armor, and the Ranger's Natural Explorer feature, except you get new terrains at levels 7 and 15. Weirdly, the Scout would later get added as an archetype for the Rogue as well.
* '''Monster Hunter''' (UA: Gothic Heroes): Be Van Helsing with this archetype, which makes you better at fighting monstrosities, with tricks like free Knowledge proficiencies, the ability to spend superiority dice for increased attacking accuracy and power, enhanced protection, or increased perception, and spell-like abilities of detect magic and protection from evil/good.
* '''Arcane Archer''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): This one is, as you expected, a bow-wielding analogue to the Eldritch Knight. Its core trick is summoning an Arcane Arrow, a magical arrow that counts as magical (no duh) and does 2d6 force damage (upgrading to 4D6 at level 18). An Arcane Arrow can also have one of the "Arcane Shot" special attributes applied to it; initially, an Arcane Archer only knows two Arcane Shots, but it picks up four more as it levels up. Initially, it can only fire 2 Arcane Arrows per rest, but at 15th level, it now recharges its last Arcane Arrow after 1 minute. It also gains the ability to conjure a bundle of 20 non-magical arrows for 10 minutes at 7th level, and two bonus skills out of Arcana, Athletics, Nature, Perception, Stealth and Survival. For Arcane Shots, it's got Beguiling Arrow (charm the target so it can't attack one of your arrows), Brute Bane Arrow (target's physical damage is halved until the end of your next turn), Bursting Arrow (explodes in a 10ft blast on a hit), Defending Arrow (impose Disadvantage on the target's next attack), Grasping Arrow (wraps the target in brambles that slow it and inflict slashing damage if it moves, unless it spends an action ripping them all off), Piercing Arrow (blasts through all targets in a 30ft line), Seeking Arrow (fire a homing arrow) and Shadow Arrow (reduces the target's visual range). Unfortunately, this archetype was so weak that it ended up getting a revamp in May 2017.
** The version on Xanathar's Guide to Everything knocks it hard. For one, its basic Arcane Shots no longer get to do straight damage without some special effect, and they can no longer magically summon arrows. On the plus side, it gains an Arcane Shot when starting a fight, making sure one shot is always available. It also gets the power to re-roll missed shots.
* '''[[Knight]]''' (UA: Martial Archetypes): Actually a throw-back to the 4th edition Fighter, with a dose of [[Cavalier]] for good measure. Born to the Saddle makes a knight more adept at mounted combat, in that mounting/dismounting only costs 5 feet of movement, it has advantage on saves to avoid being knocked off, and it always land on its feet if knocked off, providing it's not incapacitated and it doesn't fall more than 10 feet in the process. Implacable Mark lets it "mark" a target with a melee attack three times per short rest, so long as the target isn't immune to fear. A marked creature suffers Disadvantage when not attacking targets that marked it, and if it moves whilst within five feet of the knight, the knight can use its reaction to make a melee attack with advantage that does (+ level) bonus damage on a hit, though this "bonus" reaction can only be done once per round. Noble Cavalry gives the knight its choice of either two bonus skills from the list of Animal Handling, History, Insight, Persuasion or Religion, or else a bonus language. Hold the Line means that when an enemy moves within 5 feet of the Knight, the knight can use its reaction to deliver a melee attack that does (+ 1/2 level) bonus damage and immediately stops it from moving. Rapid Strike lets a knight trade off having combat advantage on a weapon attack to instead make an extra bonus attack. Finally, Defender's Blade lets it use its per-round reaction to deliver an opportunity attack and gives it +1 AC when wearing heavy armor.
* '''[[Samurai]]''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): A super-tanky fighter. Fighting Spirit lets it gain some Temp HP, and advantage on all its attacks, three times per short rest. Elegant Courtier lets a samurai add its Wisdom bonus to its Charisma bonus when making Charisma checks to please or persuade a member of a high social class, and also grants the samurai its choice of either a bonus skill (History, Insight, or Persuasion) or a bonus language. Unbreakable Will gives the samurai proficiency in Wisdom saves (or in its choice of Intelligence or Charisma saves, if it's already got the Wisdom proficiency). Rapid Strike lets a samurai trade off having combat advantage on a weapon attack to instead make an extra bonus attack. Finally, Strength Before Death lets a samurai that has been reduced to zero hitpoints gain an "interruptive" bonus turn, not taking the damage until it ends this bonus turn - and yes, using Fighting Spirit or other effects to lower the damage taken is allowed.
* '''Sharpshooter''' (UA: Martial Archetypes): A ranged weapon master, obviously. Its Steady Aim feature lets it take extra-careful aim three times per short rest, which lets it both ignore half & three-quarters cover and deal (2 + fighter level) bonus damage on a successful hit. Careful Eyes lets it take Search checks as a bonus action and gives it proficiency in one skill from Perception, Investigation or Survival. Close-Quarters Shooting means that not only does the sharpshooter not suffer combat disadvantage for firing on someone within 5 feet, but if it hits a close-ranged opponent with its ranged attack, that creature can't take reactions until the end of the turn. Rapid Strike, yet again, lets a sharpshooter trade off having combat advantage on a weapon attack to instead make an extra bonus attack. Finally, Snap Shot means that if the sharpshooter takes the Attack action on the first turn of combat, it can make an additional ranged weapon attack as part of that action.
* '''Brute''' (UA: Three Subclasses January 2018): Take the Champion and give it more meat on those bare bones. Now every attack deals extra damage that scales by level, saves gain +1d6, and it can regain HP if they start a battle seriously damaged. They still gain a bonus fighting style and crits do extra damage based on level. The cause of much [[skub]] due to it being just slightly better than the Champion in a slightly unsubtle way.
* '''Rune Knight''' (UA Fighter, Ranger and Rogue): You become something like a Runepriest, able to etch the runes of giants onto your gear. You eventually get to grow like one, gaining extra damage in melee. These runes can also protect allies with surprise extra AC.
* '''[[Psychic Warrior]]''' (Mearls' Stream): Part of Mearls' plan to convert over psionics without having to do an entire new subsystem to handle psionics. Full of skub as a result.  Later adapted to The Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard UA. This lets you pick between focusing on extra damage or damage reduction.
** '''Psi Warrior (Formerly Psi Knight)''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Take two (or three if you count the stream). This gives more flexible with the psionic surge die, which you can use to either reduce damage taken, deal bonus damage, or just add jump distance. Later levels actually grant telekinetic powers, including an aura of protection for your allies and eventually the ability to cast Telekinesis.
* '''Slayer''' (Mearls' Stream): Basically Mearls' take on the Monster Hunter archetype, this is for fighters specialized in bringing down huge monsters. Because Monster Hunter World is a thing, after all.
* '''[[Warlord]]''' (Mearls' Stream): The beloved 4rrie martial class returns at long last! Is it actually any good? Eh...
* '''Weapon Master''' (Mearls' Stream): A nested subclass, this subclass features its own distinct subclasses to distinguish which kinds of weapons you specialize in.
* '''Echo Knight''' (EGtW): A variant Eldritch Knight who practices "Dunamancy", which is space/time magic. This allows them to call up ghostly doppelgangers from alternate timelines and use them to launch attacks or soak damage. They can initially only have one Echo at a time, but at level 18, gain the ability to deploy two.