Best way to optimize a dueling fighting style Fighter?

[CrackedChair]

I wished to use a Shield and one-handed weapon, but I am at a loss at what race or feat could compliment such a thing. Two handed weapons get nice feats, as well as polearms, but the standard one-handed weapons don't get much. What could I do to optimize a character using dueling and onehanded weapons?

[Puh Laden]

The weapon feats from Unearthed Arcana (https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/UA-Feats-V1.pdf) are pretty cool if they are allowed. I especially love the flail one, if only because it saddens me that the only good thing about a flail is how little it weights for a martial weapon.

The shield master feat is also quite effective. It allows you to attempt to shove (and therefore knock prone) enemies as a bonus action when you take the Attack action if I recall correctly.

[bid]

I wished to use a Shield and one-handed weapon, but I am at a loss at what race or feat could compliment such a thing. Two handed weapons get nice feats, as well as polearms, but the standard one-handed weapons don't get much. What could I do to optimize a character using dueling and onehanded weapons?
Shield master, dip rogue for expertise in athletics, prone enemies. That's the typical SnB special feat.

The +2 damage doesn't give much to work with, other than waiting for level 11 and 3rd attack.

[Clone]

The Shield Master feat is great, allowing you a bit more survivability and shoving enemies to the ground for advantage.
If you go Eldritch Knight you can also pick up booming blade and the Warcaster feat.
If they try run away from you they get opportunity attacked with booming blade which auto-procs the secondary effect. Lots of damage along with lots of protection using heavy armor, health, the shield spell for extra AC on top of your shield and the absorb elements spell for elemental attacks against you.

[Sage Tellah]

I'm going to start something silly by saying you could one hand a Q.Staff and take Polearm Master anyway. The dueling bonus would apply to every hit you get with it.

[mephnick]

I actually prefer Barbarians for Sword n Board (don't hurt me) but Fighter obviously works too. Shield Master is probably the best feat in the game outside of the Lucky, SS, GWM crap.

If your DM allows the UA Skill Feats, grab Brawny and go to town. There isn't much you can do weapon-wise to optimize unfortunately outside of using BM maneuvers to add damage.

If you're going fighter I highly suggest using some of your extra feats to grab versatility. Things like Ritual Caster can really make you useful outside of combat (and in combat a bit) and feats like Sentinel aren't just for reach weapons. People who just take stat boosts with their extra ASI's and then complain that fighters aren't versatile really annoy me.

[Chugger]

Study Battle Master and see how maneuvers would work w/ your one hand weap and shield.

Riposte, for example, allows you a reaction attack (plus 1-8 dam!) on an enemy's miss, for example. You can fear or trip (make prone) on attacks - disarm even (which may have almost no effect or big effect if you or a party member can keep the enemy from picking it back up). Just look through them and see if that's the way you want to go. I'm not sure if BM makes sword and board any more special than any other weapon combo, but it might help you see how your choice could be useful.*

I can't think of a racial bonus that would give 1h weap and shield a big advantage, but if your campaign allows some of the stranger races, look into it.

I agree that Shield Master is really good as a feat and makes you pretty tanky. Here's the thing, going 1h weap and shield necessarily lowers your damage per round while giving you an edge on survival. Does your group live on burst damage attacks and just burning things down? Do fights last only 2 to 3 rounds typically? You will shine if fights last many rounds. You might get bored if most fights are over really fast - your shield's help won't mean as much then - and you'll feel gimped compared to the other bursters around you.

* from what I've seen the feat most helped by BM is one allowing a -5 to hit/+10 dam effect - with Precision you can add plus 1 to 8 and sort of cancel out the -5 to hit - making you do that big +10 dam more often (by not missing as often).

[Citan]

I wished to use a Shield and one-handed weapon, but I am at a loss at what race or feat could compliment such a thing. Two handed weapons get nice feats, as well as polearms, but the standard one-handed weapons don't get much. What could I do to optimize a character using dueling and onehanded weapons?
Polearm Master: works with one-handed quarterstaff.
Shield Master: works with any one-handed weapon since it triggers off your shield. :)
Defensive Duelist: works with any finesse weapon.
Sentinel: works with any weapon.
Mage Slayer: works with any weapon.
Dual Wielder: works with any one-handed weapon (and shield).

Pick your weapon of choice and stragegy. I'm personally fond of finesse weapons paired with Defensive Duelist (taken late) and Shield Master (taken early), along with Mage Slayer or Sentinel (or both if I can afford it).
Bu anything goes really.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

As a fighter, you're going to get a lot of feats.

Here's some good ones for your style:
Defensive Duelist
Shield Master

And here's some good ones for fighters in general:
Resilience (Wisdom)
Magic Initiate (Probably Warlock- Hex works better the more attacks you make in a round, so it works as well for Fighters as Warlocks, better even as you won't have other concentration effects to vie for your attention or need to waste attribute bonuses to a casting attribute and Eldritch Blast means you've got a ranged attack for when foes are outside your sword's reach).
Alert
Lucky

[Specter]

Other than Defensive Duelist and Shield Master, you should try to get your hands on more attacks, like through Haste or War Cleric's War Priest.