The interesting things to do with Fighters thread….

[ImproperJustice]

I have a game coming up where we will begin play at level 11 and end at level 17.

Any Non-UA content is on the table.

In our group I frequently play the finger wagglers but this time I wanna play a Fighter.

But I want to do something unusual or interesting with it.

Something like an Alchemist Fighter w/ Poisoner and Healer feats.

Or maybe a Vampire Hunter with Magic Initiate (Cleric), Keen Mind, and ritual casting.

The GM is allowing a feat at 1st level, so I figure I can get away with at least two, non combat oriented feats. Maybe a third.
And I want flavor more than anything else.

I love looking at the Fighter as this customizable chassis that I can add some interesting bits to and come out with something that can kill stuff and be interesting role play wise as well with some out of combat utility.

I prefer generalists over specialized fighters.

I like being able to pick up and use the odd weapons that don’t fit the other party members maximized builds if that makes sense.
I would rather carry a variety of weapons and change things around to meet different enemies.

In 3.5 I would be the guy that would ignore weapons specialization in favor of Quick Draw, Blind Sense, Close Quarter Fighting and Combat Reflexes. So yeah.


Fellow forumites have you pulled together any interesting Fighter builds in your time?

[Sorinth]

Simic-Hybrid Rune Knight, taking Grappling Appendages and reflavouring the runes to be Eldritch instead of Giant in origin. You were a standard human warlock type but the bargain you made with the eldritch entity didn't go as planned and you now was tentacles growing out of your body, have weird growth spurts, and who knows what other bodily changes await you down the road. You're driven to find a cure/reverse what happens (Even though as a player you don't want the DM to give you that option).

[Waazraath]

I have a game coming up where we will begin play at level 11 and end at level 17.

Any Non-UA content is on the table.

In our group I frequently play the finger wagglers but this time I wanna play a Fighter.

But I want to do something unusual or interesting with it.

Something like an Alchemist Fighter w/ Poisoner and Healer feats.

Or maybe a Vampire Hunter with Magic Initiate (Cleric), Keen Mind, and ritual casting.

The GM is allowing a feat at 1st level, so I figure I can get away with at least two, non combat oriented feats. Maybe a third.
And I want flavor more than anything else.

I love looking at the Fighter as this customizable chassis that I can add some interesting bits to and come out with something that can kill stuff and be interesting role play wise as well with some out of combat utility.

I prefer generalists over specialized fighters.

I like being able to pick up and use the odd weapons that don’t fit the other party members maximized builds if that makes sense.
I would rather carry a variety of weapons and change things around to meet different enemies.

In 3.5 I would be the guy that would ignore weapons specialization in favor of Quick Draw, Blind Sense, Close Quarter Fighting and Combat Reflexes. So yeah.


Fellow forumites have you pulled together any interesting Fighter builds in your time?

I'd go for rune knight. You have plenty of uses of your bonus action, meaning you don't need a combat feat to utilize those. You can get bonusses to ability/skill/tool checks. You can be a decent grappler without any investment. Just use your asi's for whatever the hell you like and you be a versatile and useful character.

[Mostlymad]

I'd go for rune knight. You have plenty of uses of your bonus action, meaning you don't need a combat feat to utilize those. You can get bonusses to ability/skill/tool checks. You can be a decent grappler without any investment. Just use your asi's for whatever the hell you like and you be a versatile and useful character.If you go Rune Knight then being Duergar nets you Enlarge/Reduce so you can boost yourself to Huge Size and grapple up to Gargantuan Size enemies. Otherwise work with your party to have someone cast it on you.

[Unoriginal]

I have a game coming up where we will begin play at level 11 and end at level 17.

Any Non-UA content is on the table.

In our group I frequently play the finger wagglers but this time I wanna play a Fighter.

But I want to do something unusual or interesting with it.

Something like an Alchemist Fighter w/ Poisoner and Healer feats.

Or maybe a Vampire Hunter with Magic Initiate (Cleric), Keen Mind, and ritual casting.

The GM is allowing a feat at 1st level, so I figure I can get away with at least two, non combat oriented feats. Maybe a third.
And I want flavor more than anything else.

I love looking at the Fighter as this customizable chassis that I can add some interesting bits to and come out with something that can kill stuff and be interesting role play wise as well with some out of combat utility.

I prefer generalists over specialized fighters.

I like being able to pick up and use the odd weapons that don’t fit the other party members maximized builds if that makes sense.
I would rather carry a variety of weapons and change things around to meet different enemies.

In 3.5 I would be the guy that would ignore weapons specialization in favor of Quick Draw, Blind Sense, Close Quarter Fighting and Combat Reflexes. So yeah.


Fellow forumites have you pulled together any interesting Fighter builds in your time?

Not sure if you'd consider it interesting, but something I've seen mentioned on this forum in the past:

Take the Superior Technique Fighting Style, the Battlemaster Subclass, and the Martial Adept feat (which could be your lvl 1 bonus feat). Results: at lvl 3 you have six maneuvres known and six superiority dice (four d8s and two d6s) to spend, which would make your PC a pretty powerful generalist (especially with the Tasha's ability check-boosting maneuvres).

[kazaryu]

I have a game coming up where we will begin play at level 11 and end at level 17.

Any Non-UA content is on the table.

In our group I frequently play the finger wagglers but this time I wanna play a Fighter.

But I want to do something unusual or interesting with it.

Something like an Alchemist Fighter w/ Poisoner and Healer feats.

Or maybe a Vampire Hunter with Magic Initiate (Cleric), Keen Mind, and ritual casting.

The GM is allowing a feat at 1st level, so I figure I can get away with at least two, non combat oriented feats. Maybe a third.
And I want flavor more than anything else.

I love looking at the Fighter as this customizable chassis that I can add some interesting bits to and come out with something that can kill stuff and be interesting role play wise as well with some out of combat utility.

I prefer generalists over specialized fighters.

I like being able to pick up and use the odd weapons that don’t fit the other party members maximized builds if that makes sense.
I would rather carry a variety of weapons and change things around to meet different enemies.

In 3.5 I would be the guy that would ignore weapons specialization in favor of Quick Draw, Blind Sense, Close Quarter Fighting and Combat Reflexes. So yeah.


Fellow forumites have you pulled together any interesting Fighter builds in your time?

play samwise, take the chef feat (bonus points if you also take prodigy and convince your DM to let you have expertise in cooking). then use a pan as your primary weapon (idk, reflavor a warhammer probably)

[solidork]

I played a bodyguard for an order of healers and had Alchemist's Tools, Medicine, the Healer feat and Interception fighting style.(I may have accidentally recreated Kaladin Stormblessed)

I'm currently playing an investigator/detective that is an 8 Eldritch Knight/9 Warlock split, that would work almost as well as a single classed fighter. Take Observant(and/or Prodigy/Skill Expert) and Ritual Caster (for Detect Magic and Identify)

Another generalist build I've thought about trying was a build that ends up with 20 Str and 16 Dex and then takes Archery fighting style, so you're equally accurate with every weapon you pick up.

[Frogreaver]

I have a game coming up where we will begin play at level 11 and end at level 17.

Any Non-UA content is on the table.

In our group I frequently play the finger wagglers but this time I wanna play a Fighter.

But I want to do something unusual or interesting with it.

Something like an Alchemist Fighter w/ Poisoner and Healer feats.

Or maybe a Vampire Hunter with Magic Initiate (Cleric), Keen Mind, and ritual casting.

The GM is allowing a feat at 1st level, so I figure I can get away with at least two, non combat oriented feats. Maybe a third.
And I want flavor more than anything else.

I love looking at the Fighter as this customizable chassis that I can add some interesting bits to and come out with something that can kill stuff and be interesting role play wise as well with some out of combat utility.

I prefer generalists over specialized fighters.

I like being able to pick up and use the odd weapons that don’t fit the other party members maximized builds if that makes sense.
I would rather carry a variety of weapons and change things around to meet different enemies.

In 3.5 I would be the guy that would ignore weapons specialization in favor of Quick Draw, Blind Sense, Close Quarter Fighting and Combat Reflexes. So yeah.


Fellow forumites have you pulled together any interesting Fighter builds in your time?

Keen mind is fun. Actor is really fun. Lucky is great. Skulker is cool. Fey touched is nice. Telepathic would be cool. Skill Expert is always handy.

I'd pick one exploration helping feat and 1 social helping feat. Between the 2 you should always have something interesting and useful to do.

I'd probably do keen mind and actor as they both allow you to do things no other character can.

[Emongnome777]

My first thought is psi warrior, taking telekinetic and telepathy feats. Also, pump your Int as a secondary score and maybe take skill expert for expertise in investigation. If you can get powered-down versions of the dancing sword or animated shield, you can do all your fighting without using a hand. I'm imagining a detective style akin to Monk in the TV series of the same name. With your mage hand always up, you can avoid touching anything. Seems entertaining.

[Kane0]

Alert, Observant, Skill Expert (Perception/Insight), Martial Adept (Ambush & Tactical Assessment). Helps if you're a Dex build with decent Wis but it's not necessary, you're really good at Initiative, Perception and Insight. Medium Armor Master can also help if you are a Dex build and want to add Stealth to the list (Pro Tip: both Boots of Elvenkind and Gloves of Thievery are uncommon and don't need Attunement!)

If you want a combat feat that is different from the usual PAM/GWM try Gift of the Chromatic Dragon, its great on a Fighter especially if you aren't getting resistances via EK or Rune Knight. It might even entice you to do something like using a versatile weapon as your primary so you can grapple with a free hand, use two hands for damage or draw a second weapon for an extra attack after you activate elemental damage (don't bother with the style or feat).

Crusher/Slasher paired with Mobile can be fun too, especially if you're using Maneuvers or Poisoner to also inflict a condition every now and again.

[paladinn]

IDK, any multiclassing or reliance on certain feats seems to automatically remove a build from the "generalist" description. And yet the true "generalist" fighter, the Champion, has been disparaged more than any other sub/class I can think of. The Ranger core class comes a close 2nd.

Thus I re-present my take on a proper generalist fighter build: The Hunter Fighter! I think it would work Really well as a "generalist".


There are players, believe it or not, who aren't attracted by tactical play and don't want to cast spells: they just want to fight. My thought was to use much of the Hunter ranger subclass in place of the champion features. Call it a Slayer or whatever. As I mentioned, the hunter subclass features are pretty disconnected from the ranger class, and would work as well or better on a fighter!

So we take the fighter chassis pretty much as-is (with one exception). Here are the subclass features:
L3 - Horde Breaker or Colossus Slayer (choice) (Horde Breaker is a lot like Cleave)
L7 - MultiAttack Defense
L10 - 2nd Fighting Style
L13 - allow Whirlwind Attack, Volley or Indomitable (choice)
L15 - Evasion or Uncanny Dodge
L18 - Survivor or Feral Senses (choice)

The choices at L3, 13 and 15 likely depend on the fighting style; melee fighters might prefer differently than archers. The L7 feature should work for either.

Not sure at L18 which might be better for this concept, so I'd leave it to the player.

I think it's not OP, and should be "exciting" enough to make being a "plain" fighter more appealing, and you still get all the benies baked into the base fighter class.

[da newt]

I'm a sucker for Dhampir w/ Spider Climb + Bites. I think Rune, Echo, and Eldritch are the most interesting fighters (BM is good too). A dip into war cleric gets you some handy spells and extra attacks. You can do anything w/ fighter, especially w/ an extra feat.

I would be tempted to go Custom Lineage, and double dip feats at lvl 1 ...

[strangebloke]

Fellow forumites have you pulled together any interesting Fighter builds in your time?

Battlemasters are fun. :) Here's three quick ones.

The Tactician

Dex-based fighter on the surface, but you have 16 DEX at best and never go beyond that. Start with at least a 14 in CHA and possibly intelligence.
Pick up the interception style to reduce damage by 7 on average as a reaction. (alternately take superior technique for more maneuvers)
Go battlemaster, pick up commander's strike, commanding presence, and Bait and Switch.
grab inspiring leader, healer, chef. Whichever you like!


you're a S&B dex fighter, but really you're the party face, healer, and tank. You can give the rogue a second sneak attack. You can hit people with your rapier, and you will frequently but that's not what you're built for.

The Luchador

STR-based fighter in armor
pick unarmed fighting style
trip attack, whatever other two maneuvers you like
tavern brawer and skill expert:athletics


You get close, you hit 'em, you knock 'em prone, you grapple 'em with a BA, then you watch them cry and you realize they can't do anything to you or anyone. Repetitive but fun.

Not a Ranger

DEX-based fighter in light armor
archery style
Wood Elf, Wood Elf Magic feat
Get the Ambush Maneuver, the precision attack manuever
Get Sharpshooter too. Or maybe get observant for something 'fun.'


You are Not a Ranger. But you are very very sneaky. Really wants two levels of rogue to up the raw sneakiness.

[Rashagar]

Yeah racial feats are a great way to make a character feel interesting, I think.

Gnome fighter could be fun for the saving throws, with a half feat spent on adding some minor invisibility to your repertoire.

Dragonborn with draconic fear.

The tactician battlemaster above could be great fun for a Halfling with bountiful luck.

The fighter I'm most interested in trying is a psi warrior who takes superior technique and the martial adept feat, so they have psi dice and maneuvers. My plan is to flavour as many of the abilities as possible as using extra weapons, so tripping will be using bolas, pulling with telekinetic thrust is going to be using a hook and chain, etc.

[ImproperJustice]

Thank you to everyone with all of your ideas!

There is a lot to unpack from what everyone posted.

A Rune Knight sounds interesting.

A bare knuckle Dragonborn Psi Warrior could be cool.

I like the Halfling Tactician idea too.

And then I think a Healer / Poisoner Champion with the different Tasha combat feats could be interesting too.

So many good ideas for so many future games!!

[togapika]

Or maybe a Vampire Hunter with Magic Initiate (Cleric), Keen Mind, and ritual casting.


Combine this with Dhampir, and you've got yourself Blade

[Unoriginal]

A bare knuckle Dragonborn Psi Warrior could be cool.

Important to note: the Psionic Strike ability does not work with unarmed strikes.

Well, unless if you take the Dragon Hide feat, which make your claws natural weapons (also able to do unarmed strikes). As a bonus it also gives you unarmored AC at 13+DEX mod, which is nice for a bare knuckle combatant.

[ImproperJustice]

Important to note: the Psionic Strike ability does not work with unarmed strikes.

Well, unless if you take the Dragon Hide feat, which make your claws natural weapons (also able to do unarmed strikes). As a bonus it also gives you unarmored AC at 13+DEX mod, which is nice for a bare knuckle combatant.

Ugh…this is nothing personally directed towards you or anyone in general, but how or why does anyone think that having such a rule distinction benefits any form of fantasy role play whatsoever?

I mean, does having a force empowered weapon or bare fist distinction really influence anything that matters….

Such pointless rules minutia makes me nauseous sometimes….

Anywho, rant over.

I imagine my GM would approved psychic fists.
He tends to run higher level, magic item generous, let’s all have a good clean fight kinda games…

But yeah, a whole lot to think about with this thread. I may be playing Fighters for the next year.

[animorte]

Obviously I'm going to mention Hexblade because I bring Warlocks into every conversation.

Anyway, Echo Knight can be really fun and useful.

If you want to be a front liner that also has weird support options Crown Paladin/Banneret Fighter.

Real talk time: Barbarian (1) just for Unarmored Defense, obviously max out Dex and Con when you can. Add a shield. Pick up Defensive Duelist feat vs melee. Pick up Shield Master feat vs casters. The beauty of this build is that you can take whatever Fighter subclass you want and just go with it. Or build whatever you want, really. Just get War Caster feat if you're going to build a caster.

[loki_ragnarock]

Something I played for a one shot:

Guy started at wizard college, got involved in a series of magical accidents in the lab. Went to fighter community college in the aftermath since magic got weird for him, mostly for access to the gym and the pool. He's partially unstuck in time as a result of the earlier accident, constantly getting help from his future self who has a better understanding of fighting than he does... which he's not cognizant of, yet. As far as he's concerned, some hooded dude shows up and starts fighting people who mean him harm while he freaks out.

V. Human Echo Knight, Magic Initiate (Warlock) (Eldritch Blast and Hex) and Fey Touched (Misty Step and Hunter's Mark) feats. Ritual Caster later, for utility. Eventually, Shadow Touched. All explained as getting in touch with the way his magic manifests. The Sage background.

Mostly attacks through his echo, occasionally does something heroic on his own. Somewhat bitter about his magic having gone wonky in the accident, but whatever.

[CTurbo]

1. Battlemaster with all utility maneuvers

Ambush
Bait and Switch
Commanding Presence
Maneuvering Attack
Rally
Tactical Assessment

Take all utility feats

Actor
Healer
Inspiring Leader
Keen Mind
Linguist
Magic Initiate
Observant
Ritual Caster
Skilled


This would be an incredibly versatile character.


2. This would be a good opportunity to play a Banneret

Choose mostly utility feats and maybe PAM.

This is not overly exciting but would be a good character.


3. Eldritch Knight that takes only feats that add more spells.

Magic Initiate
Ritual Caster
Spell Sniper(Thorn Whip)
Fey Touched
Shadow Touched
Wood Elf Magic?

[paladinn]

It's just interesting how the thread was about "Interesting things to do with Fighters"; yet most of the posts involve multiclassing to get spellcasting and/or picking a subclass that gets spells.

The overwhelming impression that most anyone who would drop in on the thread would get is, "If you can't cast spells, your character just isn't worth it." I don't think I agree.

[renzdog]

I see alchemist, vampire hunter, and switch hitter ... and my mind goes straight to Blood Hunter, order of the mutant (if allowed).
I think blood hunters are crawling with flavor ... but that's just my two cents.
You can find the blood hunter description on dndbeyond.

From the description: Calling themselves the Order of the Mutant, these blood hunters now specialize in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of their foes, altering their biology to be best prepared for any conflict.

The problem with being a switch hitter is most builds work best with feats (crossbow expert- sharpshooter, or pole-arm master great weapon master), but one of the mutagens (potion) gives you a bonus action attack (either ranged or melee) whenever you take the attack action (at level 11)
They also have a mutagen that will increase strength, and another one that lets you increase dexterity- you can decide to take it as a bonus action and switch to another after a short rest ... so you can reasonably have a very high dex or strength on demand.

You could take both sharpshooter and great weapon master feats ... or just use all you feats on cool other stuff.

You will need to do something to mitigate the saving throw penalties though.

[Unoriginal]

It's just interesting how the thread was about "Interesting things to do with Fighters"; yet most of the posts involve multiclassing to get spellcasting and/or picking a subclass that gets spells.

The overwhelming impression that most anyone who would drop in on the thread would get is, "If you can't cast spells, your character just isn't worth it." I don't think I agree.

What are you talking about?

That is absolutely not the case. Aside from solidork and animorte, no one even suggested multiclassing. And most people didn't suggest Eldritch Knight either, which is the only Fighter subclass that gets spells (outside of the Psi Warrior's last ability).

[loki_ragnarock]

It's just interesting how the thread was about "Interesting things to do with Fighters"; yet most of the posts involve multiclassing to get spellcasting and/or picking a subclass that gets spells.

The overwhelming impression that most anyone who would drop in on the thread would get is, "If you can't cast spells, your character just isn't worth it." I don't think I agree.

Not constrained to fighters, really. In every "I would like to play an X" thread there's a bunch of people piping up with some three way hexblade multi-class, as if that's actually helpful to the question.

[Unoriginal]

Not constrained to fighters, really. In every "I would like to play an X" thread there's a bunch of people piping up with some three way hexblade multi-class, as if that's actually helpful to the question.

Good thing it didn't happen in this thread, then.

[loki_ragnarock]

Good thing it didn't happen in this thread, then.

Yeah, this one hasn't been bad at all.

I think we were looking at the statement and calling it out from two different directions:
1. You, saying this hasn't happened here.
2. Me, saying it's happening in non-fighter threads, so the conclusion is probably busted in general.

Now, that said, what is a fighter but someone who fights, and surely a hexblade can fight. In this essay...

[Dork_Forge]

I would personally go for a Psi Warrior and load up on the Psionics:

-Githyanki (Monsters of the multiverse version)

-Telepathic and Telekinetic feats

-Be Dex based and have at least a +3 (if not +4) Int, but don't fully dump Str and grab Athletics prof

You're now hyper mobile, with abilities to enhance your damage, reduce enemy damage, control the battlefield and read minds/communicate telepathically.

And with how the Fighter works you can even take Superior Technique as your style (and maybe even Martial Adept at 12) to grab whatever maneuvers interest you.



Not sure if you'd consider it interesting, but something I've seen mentioned on this forum in the past:

Take the Superior Technique Fighting Style, the Battlemaster Subclass, and the Martial Adept feat (which could be your lvl 1 bonus feat). Results: at lvl 3 you have six maneuvres known and six superiority dice (four d8s and two d6s) to spend, which would make your PC a pretty powerful generalist (especially with the Tasha's ability check-boosting maneuvres).

It's worth noting that the feature that improves the Battle Master's native dice doesn't specify Superiority Dice gained from that class, so it should improve all Superiority Dice you have. This was confirmed in a tweet by JC for whatever it's worth, but shows intent behind the RAW wording.

So at this level it's possible to have all dice at the same size... I think. It's stupid they don't automatically align for a Battle Master at any level.

[RogueJK]

How about the Wise Wilderness Warrior, a noble and wise nature-loving WIS-SAD Fighter who wanders the countryside with their walking stick to dispense wisdom, mediate disputes, and stand up for the little guy:

Wood Elf
Samurai Fighter
Start with high WIS, a decent DEX and CON, and at least a 10 CHA. Something like this with Point Buy:
STR 8
DEX 15+1
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 15+2
CHA 10

Take Magic Initiate: Druid as your free feat at 1st, Wood Elf Magic at 4th, and Elven Accuracy at 6th, then use further ASIs to max out WIS, followed by DEX, then buff CON. (Or take further interesting feats like Alert, Lucky, Chef, or Skill Expert.)

For skills, you get Perception proficiency from Wood Elf, and then take Insight and Survival proficiency from Fighter, Stealth and Animal Handling from Background, and Persuasion proficiency from Samurai 3.

With the Magic Initiate Druid feat, take the Shillelagh cantrip for WIS-based quarterstaff melee attacks, plus a ranged cantrip like Frostbite, Magic Stone, or Produce Flame for WIS-based ranged attacks, and then either Goodberry or Absorb Elements as your 1st level spell. With Wood Elf Magic, take the Guidance cantrip, along with the standard Longstrider and Pass Without Trace spells. Elven Accuracy turns the Advantage from Samurai's Fighting Spirit into Triple Advantage with WIS-based attacks. Also gets WIS-based Persuasion checks and WIS save proficiency at Level 7.

High WIS plus Perception proficiency, boosted as needed by Guidance, makes them an excellent scout/observer. WIS-based Persuasion and Insight, boosted as needed with Guidance, makes them an excellent Face/Negotiator. When they want to be unseen, Stealth+Guidance+Pass Without Trace+Mask of the Wild makes them practically invisible in natural cover. Longstrider+Fleet of Foot allows them to move rapidly (45' movement speed).

[paladinn]

Good thing it didn't happen in this thread, then.

By "spells" I should have clarified, "Powers beyond physically doing something" or "Non-martial stuff." If someone were to only read this thread, s/he would come away with, "The interesting thing to do with Fighters is to get a sub/multi-class where you can do something besides fight."

[ender241]

By "spells" I should have clarified, "Powers beyond physically doing something" or "Non-martial stuff." If someone were to only read this thread, s/he would come away with, "The interesting thing to do with Fighters is to get a sub/multi-class where you can do something besides fight."

Hold on, so in a thread about interesting things to do with a fighter we're not supposed to talk about half the fighter's subclasses because they go beyond "hit something with a big stick?" What? We all know fighters are good at martial combat. OP is obviously looking for ways to spice things up a little bit and do something more than that. I think you're confused about what the purpose of this thread is.

[paladinn]

Hold on, so in a thread about interesting things to do with a fighter we're not supposed to talk about half the fighter's subclasses because they go beyond "hit something with a big stick?" What? We all know fighters are good at martial combat. OP is obviously looking for ways to spice things up a little bit and do something more than that. I think you're confused about what the purpose of this thread is.

That's my point.. The consensus here seems to be that the only way fighters can be "interesting" is to do something non-fightery.

[Kane0]

That's my point.. The consensus here seems to be that the only way fighters can be "interesting" is to do something non-fightery.

Well I suggested using ASIs on Alert, Observant, Skill Expert and the Stealth/Initiative/Persuasion/Insight maneuvers instead of spells or more stick-whacking, does that count?

[paladinn]

Well I suggested using ASIs on Alert, Observant, Skill Expert and the Stealth/Initiative/Persuasion/Insight maneuvers instead of spells or more stick-whacking, does that count?

Those are all very "fightery" things. And very much what came to My mind when I read at least the thread topic.

[ender241]

Those are all very "fightery" things. And very much what came to My mind when I read at least the thread topic.

Relevant bits from OP:


In our group I frequently play the finger wagglers but this time I wanna play a Fighter.

But I want to do something unusual or interesting with it.

Something like an Alchemist Fighter w/ Poisoner and Healer feats.

Or maybe a Vampire Hunter with Magic Initiate (Cleric), Keen Mind, and ritual casting.

The GM is allowing a feat at 1st level, so I figure I can get away with at least two, non combat oriented feats. Maybe a third.
And I want flavor more than anything else.

I love looking at the Fighter as this customizable chassis that I can add some interesting bits to and come out with something that can kill stuff and be interesting role play wise as well with some out of combat utility.

Why don't we worry about satisfying OP's request instead of whatever you're looking for.

Edit: later, OP even said:

Thank you to everyone with all of your ideas!

There is a lot to unpack from what everyone posted.

A Rune Knight sounds interesting.

A bare knuckle Dragonborn Psi Warrior could be cool.

I like the Halfling Tactician idea too.

And then I think a Healer / Poisoner Champion with the different Tasha combat feats could be interesting too.

So many good ideas for so many future games!!

Seems OP has been given what they're looking for. Even listed some of the "non fightery" sub-classes as potential options. Not sure what you're looking for, but seems you're in the wrong thread.

[Unoriginal]

That's my point.. The consensus here seems to be that the only way fighters can be "interesting" is to do something non-fightery.

So you define the Psi Warrior, a Fighter subclass, as non-fightery?

Similarly, the maneuvres granted to the Fighter subclass Battle Master are non-fightery ?



Why don't we worry about satisfying OP's request instead of whatever you're looking for.

True.

[paladinn]

Relevant bits from OP:



Why don't we worry about satisfying OP's request instead of whatever you're looking for.

I'm not "looking " for anything. It's not my thread. Just an observation based on the thread subject compared to the content.

If someone wants a EK/Hexblade/Rune Knight/Psi Warrior with Magic Initiate for another class' magic as well, go for it. At some point it doesn't look much like a fighter. But by all means, pursue your bliss. I'm out.

[Unoriginal]

I'm not "looking " for anything. It's not my thread. Just an observation based on the thread subject compared to the content.

If someone wants a EK/Hexblade/Rune Knight/Psi Warrior with Magic Initiate for another class' magic as well, go for it. At some point it doesn't look much like a fighter. But by all means, pursue your bliss. I'm out.

So you show up, declare that half the Fighter subclasses aren't fightery enough, then leave without suggesting anything.

Interesting.

[paladinn]

So you show up, declare that half the Fighter subclasses aren't fightery enough, then leave without suggesting anything.

Interesting.

Nope, just not appreciating the hostility. Independent thought gets one treated like sharkbait.

and FYI, I have zero issues with Battlemasters. Definitely fightery.

And if you read back in the thread, I did make some suggestions. But they didn't involve spells or powers, so likely not interesting enough.

[ender241]

I'm not "looking " for anything. It's not my thread. Just an observation based on the thread subject compared to the content.

If someone wants a EK/Hexblade/Rune Knight/Psi Warrior with Magic Initiate for another class' magic as well, go for it. At some point it doesn't look much like a fighter. But by all means, pursue your bliss. I'm out.

We'll let you know if someone starts a "boring things to do with fighters" thread lol.

[paladinn]

We'll let you know if someone starts a "boring things to do with fighters" thread lol.

No hostility here at all..

I guess for this thread, the guiding principle is, "If we want your opinion, we'll give it to you."

Peace out

[ender241]

No hostility here at all..

I guess for this thread, the guiding principle is, "If we want your opinion, we'll give it to you."

Peace out

Honestly not trying to be hostile at all. Just being critical of your opinion just as you were critical of half the responses on the thread. You are certainly free to share your opinion, but if it's demonstrably false, well you can expect someone to disprove it 😁.

[animorte]

I think a very different debate is cropping up about the "casters can do everything" but there's already several existing threads for that.

One example of interesting is multiclassing. Finding another class that synergizes really well with what you're going for and putting them together.

That being said, one of my favorite things about 5e (having come from several years of 3.5e) is that I don't really feel like you need to multiclass anymore. If you want your character to do something that another class does, just do a little research and there's most likely a subclass for it, not literally everything, but a lot of stuff. Now if you really just want to META-game, there's plenty room for that too! But again, you don't really need to.

[Ganryu]

Thrown weapon master!

Pick custom lineage. Go for entertainer background for a disguise kit, and a costume. Dress like a clown.

Get fighting style. Pick thrown weapon style.

Lvl 1, pick dueling fighting style! Everything you throw is a +4 on hit. Javelin, isn't bad at 1d6+7 at lvl 1. And you can switch out damage types! Hand ax, Javelin, light hammer, one for each damage type for variety.

You can make yourself a juggler, a clown in makeup. Juggle weapons for flavor and throw them, nailing enemies, and confusing your DM... and party members.

Pick Rune Knight, randomly grow and shrink in battle. Laugh Maniacally the entire roleplay. Pick Chaotic Evil alignment.

-------

Does this count as interesting...?

[animorte]

Thrown weapon master!

Pick custom lineage. Go for entertainer background for a disguise kit, and a costume. Dress like a clown.

Get fighting style. Pick thrown weapon style.

Lvl 1, pick dueling fighting style! Everything you throw is a +4 on hit. Javelin, isn't bad at 1d6+7 at lvl 1. And you can switch out damage types! Hand ax, Javelin, light hammer, one for each damage type for variety.

You can make yourself a juggler, a clown in makeup. Juggle weapons for flavor and throw them, nailing enemies, and confusing your DM... and party members.

Pick Rune Knight, randomly grow and shrink in battle. Laugh Maniacally the entire roleplay. Pick Chaotic Evil alignment.

-------

Does this count as interesting...?

I think you just won.

[Ganryu]

Echoes of the Underdark

Drow Echoknight.

Use Tasha's to redistribute your stats, max out con, then strength.

Pick Blind fighting style. Rush your enemy, at 5th level, cast darkness, and rush past your enemy. You can see them. As a bonus action, cast your echo behind them. Next turn, wail on them, then as a bonus action, switch places with your echo. You have an entire mindgame with your opponent about where you are, vs where the echo is, and if they try and leave, you get an AO from your echo.

Grab Sentinel, and a pike. Stand 10 feet away at all times. Whenever they attack your echo, stab them with sentinel. Whenever they try and leave the bubble, have your echo stab them. They lose all movement speed, and are stuck in place. At 10 feet away in the dark, you are hard to target. And even if they do target you... are they really hitting you, or the echo?

[Ganryu]

Sorry for double posting, but...


GROG THE ELEPHANT RIDER!!!


Champion Half orc


For once, you don't need to reassign stats!


Twin weapon fighting for fighting style, though start with dueling, switch to it at lvl 4.


Lvl 4, grab dual wielder feat. Lvl 6, get Piercer feat, lvl 8 mounted combatant.
Also, we need to buy a mount for this... We're buying a war elephant :D


The build's pretty simple, attack with advantage at all times, crit on 19-20. Deal 4d12 damage on a crit. You crit often, and crit hard. Also, because elephant is large, you can be 10 feet away for lances at all times. You're dual wielding lances. Run people over, and laugh. You are stealthy as jazz.


Could we do this with a horse? Probably. Would it be half as funny? Hell no! My requirement was interesting, and dangit, we're going for interesting!

[Kane0]

Speaking of Orcs, ask your DM if/how the Charger feat would interact with their Aggressive trait. If youre lucky you might get the bonus action +5 damage attack as part of your bonus action dash towards an enemy so then you can pick up Mobile and pinball around the battlefield

[J-H]

Cavalier or Samurai...use those extra skills to be the party face.

Or, for something a little different:
Here's an Arcane Archer built on DND Beyond. (https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/JonathanH/characters/65683538)
(note, this may only stay live for a week; I don't have that many slots)

Build details:

Vuman, Entertainer background (archery trick shot/champion/showman)
Arcane Archer
Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 12 at 20
Feats:
Poisoner
Sharpshooter
Mobile
Fighting Initiate: Defense
Resilient Cha & Resilient Int

My goal was to do something where I didn't try to get any spellcasting. Arcane Archer does give one cantrip, but not a damaging one.

At 20, with no magical gear:
Attacks 4x with a longbow (range 150/600) for either +13 and 1d8+5 or +8 and 1d8+15
AC 18, speed 40.
Add magic gear and all the numbers go up, but he can kite reasonably well and do 4d8+20 (avg 38) or 4d8+60 (avg 78) damage per round as-is depending on the target's AC, all day long, at range. Action Surge to cause this to spike.

Bonus action Poison, once per round; one arrow forces Con DC 14 or +2d8 poison damage and a poisoned status debuff for a round. Ignores resistance to poison.

Arcane shot 2/short rest, also get 1 recharge every time initiative is rolled if none are left, so functionally 1/encounter: Moderate DC or banish, grasping arrow (+4d6 poison damage, ignoring poison resistance, and damage on move until creature makes DC 16 Athletics check), Moderate DC or blind for 1 round, and a few other "meh" options.

Saving throws:
Str+6
Dex+5
Con+8
Int+8
Wis+0
Cha+7
Wis is a bit of a hole, but this is a saving throw spread better than most PCs have.

Notable Skills:
Acrobatics +11
Animal Handling +6 for horsemanship or dealing with wild beasties
Arcana +8 for knowing what's going on
Insight +6 for reading the crowd, spotting liars, etc.
Perception +6
Performance +7 for playing to the crowd or drawing attention; includes proficiency with a musical instrument, so he has social options besides just trick shots and acrobatics
Stealth and Sleight of Hand are still +5

So, leaving aside all magic items:
Decent to good damage
Long range and good foot speed means he is almost never left out of battle
Multiple ways to debuff (poisoner, arcane arrows)
5/6 good saves, better than most casters will have
8 skills at +5 or above, including enough to read and please a crowd, navigate a social situation, calm a wild animal, and have a reasonable chance of being sneaky.

This isn't a great OP build, but it actually turns out pretty decent.

[ImproperJustice]

Sorry for double posting, but...


GROG THE ELEPHANT RIDER!!!


Champion Half orc


For once, you don't need to reassign stats!


Twin weapon fighting for fighting style, though start with dueling, switch to it at lvl 4.


Lvl 4, grab dual wielder feat. Lvl 6, get Piercer feat, lvl 8 mounted combatant.
Also, we need to buy a mount for this... We're buying a war elephant :D


The build's pretty simple, attack with advantage at all times, crit on 19-20. Deal 4d12 damage on a crit. You crit often, and crit hard. Also, because elephant is large, you can be 10 feet away for lances at all times. You're dual wielding lances. Run people over, and laugh. You are stealthy as jazz.


Could we do this with a horse? Probably. Would it be half as funny? Hell no! My requirement was interesting, and dangit, we're going for interesting!

In response to this, about a year ago I ran a basic Samurai Fighter with Heavy Armor Master and a Greatsword, and went to the trouble of purchasing and maintaining a mount.

My GM who has about 1-2 years of experience shared that most of his PCs never bother with Mounts.

Then in a later battle, which was a neat set piece, we had to maneuver through a city under siege with buildings on fire and panicked people in the streets and the simple movement boost of having a mount was a major balance tipper.