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Harder than a Rock: The Fighter's Handbook (By lorduskblade)
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<blockquote data-quote="Veep" data-source="post: 6707777" data-attributes="member: 6793297"><p><strong><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18px">Ability Scores: What a Rock is Made of</span></p><p></strong></p><p>Given the rather large degree of variability in Fighter builds, the ability score ranges will be large and exceptions will occur, but this is the general outline for most Fighter builds:</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff9900">Strength</span> - This is your main stat. No exceptions. Boost it every chance you get.</p><p>Recommended Starting Score: 16-18, before racial adjustments.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Constitution</span> - It makes you tougher with more HP and surges, and it plays nice with Axes, Hammers, and Maces. Builds such as the Battlerager and most Great Weapon Fighters consider this <span style="color: #00ccff">more important</span> than other Fighters, but no one can truly afford to ignore this attribute.</p><p>Recommended Starting Score: 12-16, before racial adjustments.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Dexterity</span> - Gives you AC should you favor Light Armor, and it boosts your Reflex defense. It also plays a part in the feat support for Flails, Heavy Blades, Light Blades, and Spears. Given that you can patch your AC with heavy armor and a Shield (which also helps fix your Reflex), most Fighters will gun for a strong starting score, and then let it lie - the ones that don't use such gear will <strong><span style="color: #00ccff">invest heavily in it</span></strong>.</p><p>Recommended Starting Score: 10-16, before racial adjustments.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Intelligence</span> - A dump stat, plain and simple. It boosts none of your skills, it's redundant with Dexterity defensively, and it helps out no weapon group. Simply not necessary for a Fighter.</p><p>Recommended Starting Score: 8-10, before racial adjustments.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Wisdom</span> - A secondary stat for the majority of Fighters, thanks to Combat Superiority, Marked Scourge, and other goodies along those lines. It helps out for some feats that Polearm and Spear users find interesting, and it boosts your stereotypical weakness in Will defense.</p><p>Recommended Starting Score: 12-16, before racial adjustments.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Charisma</span> - While it is garbage in combat and as such paid little attention by the majority of Fighters, a bit of it is necessary in order to qualify for the excellent Avernian Knight Paragon Path, and a couple of your skills are happy when it gets points. Not a priority, but not a total waste either.</p><p>Recommended Starting Score: 8-13, before racial adjustments.</p><p></p><p>Races: Born to be a Rock</p><p></p><p><strong>Races - Player's Handbook</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Dragonborn</span> - You get a Charisma bonus which is of moderate use at best, but you do get the prime stat in Strength to work with, as well as an incredibly awesome feature in Dragon Breath or Dragonfear, which you can use to mark <em>en masse</em> and thus disrupt enemy tactics in nasty fashion. A very nice choice for Fighter.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Dwarf</span> - Having second wind as a minor action is great action economy, a resistance against forced movement is sweet, and not being encumbered by heavy armor doesn't hurt either. A top-notch Fighter race, especially with the ability to have Strength and Constitution as its ability score bumps.</p><p></p><p>Eladrin - While the extra skill from Eladrin Education is certainly nice, as is the +1 to Will, the fact of the matter is that Dexterity is of moderate use and Intelligence is worthless. Not quite a bad pick, thanks to a rather generous helping of racial support to pull the concept off.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"></span></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"></span><span style="color: #0000ff">Elf</span> - While you don't get a Strength bonus, that's OK: the extra speed, reroll ability, and bonus to two secondaries can make up for that (especially if you buy an 18). While it's not the most epic Fighter ever, it's a good one.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Half-Elf</span> - Constitution and Wisdom are nice to have, and the Dilettante racial ability can allow you to add something pretty to your arsenal of powers. While it's not the most natural fit for the class, it can certainly work.</p><p></p><p><strong>Halfling</strong> - Small is not a good thing to be as a Fighter, regardless of the racial support, but at least you get two secondaries. Not that great an idea, but not that terrible, either.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Human</span> - While not getting +2 to two stats kind of sucks, the bonus to NADs, extra At-Will, skill, and feat go a long way toward making a better Fighter, and the racial support helps you stick around in a fight, which is always a nice thing to have. A great choice for the majority of Fighter builds.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Tiefling</strong> - By default, the class has little to make it appealing to a Fighter: it only has one Fighter secondary, the skills are rather unappealing to a Fighter, and the racial features are only of moderate use. Fortunately for it, racial support shows up in a big way to make it a better choice.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Races - Player's Handbook 2</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #800080">Deva</span> - To be honest, this feels like a poor man's version of the Elf. Intelligence is much less useful than Dexterity, and the racial power is worse. Not a good choice.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Gnome</span> - While the Dexterity bonus has made this race not absolutely terrible as a Fighter, it's still pretty darn bad at it.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Goliath</span> - The stats line up great, you have nice skill bonuses, and your racial power involves you being more able to take punishment, all great things to have as a Fighter. One of the major players in the class.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Half-Orc</span> - A bonus to Strength is good, Dexterity can certainly be useful, and even though the features flag more Striker appeal than Defender appeal, Fighters like hitting hard (so no problems there). A top-flight race.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Shifter, Longtooth</span> - A Strength bonus is great, a Wisdom bonus is also good, the skills line up well, and the racial power is incredibly good for a character such as a Fighter. Easily one of the prime racial choices.</p><p></p><p>Shifter, Razorclaw - Dexterity and Wisdom are useful secondaries for a fair sub-population of Fighters, but the racial power and skill bonuses aren't all that applicable. A fair choice, if a bit niche.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Races - Player's Handbook 3</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Githzerai</span> - Not only do you get two valued secondaries, you also get a good chunk of applicable racial support, which is always good to have around. A good choice, likely bordering on <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>great</strong></span>, despite the lack of a Strength bonus.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Minotaur</span> - One of the prime races for a Fighter, it packs Strength and either one of their most common secondary attributes, an extra healing surge, and some racial support as stickiness reinforcement. Easily one of the front-runners.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Shardmind</span> - Ehhh... no. The stats line up shakily at best, and the inclinations of the racial support go in the other direction. Not a good idea.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Wilden</span> - 2 out of the 3 secondaries (and you even get some leeway on that), plus a choice between some pretty nice racial powers. A nice choice overall.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Races - Other Rulebooks</strong></p><p> </p><p>Bladeling (MOTP) - Completely unsupported, and 2 secondary stats that it shares with quite a few races. While it's not an actively bad choice, it's most certainly nothing special.</p><p></p><p>Changeling (EPG) - While the secondaries are a bit marginal and your racial abilities are anything but Fighter-flavored, the fact of the matter is that it can work, and that's all you really need.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Drow</span> (FRPG) - Some solid secondaries, and their racial power has some downright beautiful synergy with the Fighter's chassis. A very good choice.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Genasi</span> (FRPG) - Though giving away an ability score boost to Intelligence stinks, a Strength bonus and the damage support characteristics of the race is more than good enough reason to stay here.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Goblin</span> (DSG) - It's small, and has a bonus to marginal attributes. I wouldn't.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Gold Dwarf</span> (NCS)</strong> - Stick to the normal Dwarf.</p><p></p><p><strong>Hamadryad (HotFw)</strong> - No prime stats to be found, but plenty of secondary ones and their racial powers don't suck. Could be worse.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Kalashtar</span> (EPG) - Aaaand... no. While having a secondary stat is nice, the rest is just completely unsuited to be a Fighter overall.</p><p></p><p>Kobold (DSG) - He may be small, but the stats are fairly good. His racial power does next to nothing to bolster his case, though.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Llewyrr Elf</span> (NCS)</strong> - The changes from the basic Eladrin chassis are basically treading water.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Moon Elf</span> (NCS)</strong> - An Eladrin with a couple of quirks. Sure, whatever.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Mul</span> (DSCS)</strong> - Strength and Constitution bonuses, an extra healing surge, and an excellent power to shake off conditions (including heavy hitters like daze or stun) make this a primordial choice for a Fighter. Throw in the fact that they have access to Dwarf support and it's almost impossible to argue against this racial choice.</p><p></p><p><strong>Pixie (HotFw)</strong> - Tiny isn't that mechanically distinct from Small (aka it's bad), and it doesn't have prime stats. That said, it does have a couple of nice tricks (like being able to hover around) that save it from the cellar.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Revenant</span> (HoS)</strong> - Some good but not great racials, but the very impressive toughness this race brings to the table makes it a very nice candidate.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Satyr</span> (HotFw)</strong> - It generates its own CA and has decent off-stats, which is nice, I guess.</p><p></p><p><strong>Shade (HoS)</strong> - Throwing away a surge for no good reason dips into this race's stock, though it still is decently applicable to this class.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Shield Dwarf</span> (NCS)</strong> - The changes to the Dwarf chassis are basically window dressing for a Fighter.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Sun Elf</span> (NCS)</strong> - Chances are the implement proficiency won't do much, but the traditional Eladrin weapon proficiency was doing nothing, anyway.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Thri-Kreen</span> (DSCS)</strong> - Strength and Dexterity bonuses, some extra speed, and quick drawing/stowing make for a prime Fighter race.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Vryloka</span> (HoS)</strong> - Though it has the requisite Strength bump as well as extra speed and a couple of other goodies, I can't in good faith give top marks to a race that has a flaw that will consistently come up as a Defender (Blood Dependency).</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Warforged</span> (EPG) - This race is blessed with appropriate racial bonuses, a powerful set of features to enhance your durability, and some quality racial support. One of the best in the business.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Wild Elf</span> (NCS)</strong> - Shifting your speed can be nice for positioning purposes, but I wouldn't say it's outright better than a re-roll per Encounter, so I have it as about even with the standard Elf.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Wood Elf</span> (NCS)</strong> - This version of the Elf can have a formidable racial ability, if you provide it with some investment in Perception. Unfortunately, the Fighter chassis makes that a bit of a challenge.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Races - Dragon Magazine</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Gnoll</span> (D 367) - Not quite the perfect racial bonuses, but pretty close, and bonuses for charging and getting banged up are welcome in the business of toe-to-toe combat.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Hengeyokai</span> (D 404)</strong> - No prime stat, but the animal transformations give you something to do outside of combat and the rest of the racial package isn't bad.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Shadar-Kai</span> (D 372) - The racial bonuses aren't bad, and the teleporting power is pretty useful to you. A pretty solid pick.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Races - Monster Manuals</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Bugbear</span> (MM) - Strength and Dexterity are very usable, Oversized is a beautiful thing to have, and extra damage is never a bad thing. A very powerful option.</p><p></p><p>Bullywug (MM 2) - Totally unsupported, but the attribute bonuses mean it has some sort of potential.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">Doppelganger</span> (MM) - Everything you don't need in a Fighter... in one convenient package. No.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Duergar</span> (MM 2) - It's not quite as powerful as a real Dwarf for this sort of job, but it's hardly a bad choice as a race.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080">Githyanki</span> (MM) - Secondary attribute notwithstanding, most of the things it offers are nice but don't carry the "pick me!" persuasion that a top-caliber Fighter race requires.</p><p></p><p>Hobgoblin (MM) - The attribute bonuses are just OK, and though the racial power is nice, it's nothing to salivate over.</p><p></p><p>Kenku (MM 2) - The attributes are meh, but +1 extra to hit while flanking can be nice to have. A serviceable choice for a Fighter.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Orc</span> (MM) - The stats are in the right place, and it has a self-healing ability. You can work with this.</p><p> </p><p></p><p>Backgrounds and Themes: Surface of the Rock</p><p></p><p>In this section, I'll be discussing which backgrounds and themes would benefit a Fighter the most. Since there is a wide selection of them, I'll be sticking to the ones which are <strong>Black</strong> or better.<span style="color: #00ccff"></span></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"></span></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"></span><strong>Recommended Backgrounds</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Akanul (FRPG)</strong> - A minor resistance to common types of elemental damage is actually a fairly nice pick.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Auspicious Birth/Born Under a Bad Sign</strong></span><strong> (D 366)</strong> - Some Fighters will have the Constitution to make this pick unnecessary, but the ones who don't will be glad to have it.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Chessenta</span> (FRPG)</strong> - A minor benefit when you AP. Since it applies to both attack and damage rolls, you can potentially get pretty good mileage out of it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Detective/Missing Master (D 366)</strong> - The important part here is that it opens access to taking Insight as a class skill, which in turn allows for some nice Skill powers to be taken.</p><p></p><p><strong>Gritty Sergeant (D 366)</strong> - +1 initiative is better than nothing, I guess.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Recommended Themes</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Bloodsworn</span> (DSG)</strong> - A bit conditional, but an Encounter re-roll is pretty good stuff.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Elemental Initiate</span> (HotEC)</strong> - You get a counter-swing against an enemy who misses you, and a couple of nice peripheral benefits, including access to a ki focus and a Will bump. Nice to have.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Guardian</span> (D 399)</strong> - A very nice power to have, and it even has a couple of power-swaps that look respectable. That's a good deal if you ask me.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Infernal Prince</span> (D 406)</strong> - If you see yourself doing a lot of fire attacks, this theme will serve you very well, provided it's legal where you play.</p><p></p><p><strong>Ironwrought (HotEC)</strong> - It offers extra damage and another chance to crit, and it can even buff your attack rolls at higher levels. Decent.</p><p></p><p><strong>Noble Adept (DSCS)</strong> - Adding a bonus to an attack after the roll can help keep an attack chain going.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Sarifal Feywarden</span> (D 405)</strong> - A one-shot dose of vulnerability can turn out to be quite the effective damage boost, though you need to have elemental damage to make it work.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Sohei</span> (D 404)</strong> - It gives you an attack you can use as a minor action. Nothing more need be said.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Yakuza</span> (D 404)</strong> - Not much aligns with you as far as the features go (you'd actually need a positive Cha modifier for that), but the power-swaps are simply too good to be ignored.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Veep, post: 6707777, member: 6793297"] [B][CENTER][SIZE=5]Ability Scores: What a Rock is Made of[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] Given the rather large degree of variability in Fighter builds, the ability score ranges will be large and exceptions will occur, but this is the general outline for most Fighter builds: [COLOR=#ff9900]Strength[/COLOR] - This is your main stat. No exceptions. Boost it every chance you get. Recommended Starting Score: 16-18, before racial adjustments. [COLOR=#0000ff]Constitution[/COLOR] - It makes you tougher with more HP and surges, and it plays nice with Axes, Hammers, and Maces. Builds such as the Battlerager and most Great Weapon Fighters consider this [COLOR=#00ccff]more important[/COLOR] than other Fighters, but no one can truly afford to ignore this attribute. Recommended Starting Score: 12-16, before racial adjustments. [COLOR=#0000ff]Dexterity[/COLOR] - Gives you AC should you favor Light Armor, and it boosts your Reflex defense. It also plays a part in the feat support for Flails, Heavy Blades, Light Blades, and Spears. Given that you can patch your AC with heavy armor and a Shield (which also helps fix your Reflex), most Fighters will gun for a strong starting score, and then let it lie - the ones that don't use such gear will [b][COLOR=#00ccff]invest heavily in it[/COLOR][/b]. Recommended Starting Score: 10-16, before racial adjustments. [COLOR=#ff0000]Intelligence[/COLOR] - A dump stat, plain and simple. It boosts none of your skills, it's redundant with Dexterity defensively, and it helps out no weapon group. Simply not necessary for a Fighter. Recommended Starting Score: 8-10, before racial adjustments. [COLOR=#0000ff]Wisdom[/COLOR] - A secondary stat for the majority of Fighters, thanks to Combat Superiority, Marked Scourge, and other goodies along those lines. It helps out for some feats that Polearm and Spear users find interesting, and it boosts your stereotypical weakness in Will defense. Recommended Starting Score: 12-16, before racial adjustments. [COLOR=#800080]Charisma[/COLOR] - While it is garbage in combat and as such paid little attention by the majority of Fighters, a bit of it is necessary in order to qualify for the excellent Avernian Knight Paragon Path, and a couple of your skills are happy when it gets points. Not a priority, but not a total waste either. Recommended Starting Score: 8-13, before racial adjustments. Races: Born to be a Rock [b]Races - Player's Handbook[/b] [COLOR=#00ccff]Dragonborn[/COLOR] - You get a Charisma bonus which is of moderate use at best, but you do get the prime stat in Strength to work with, as well as an incredibly awesome feature in Dragon Breath or Dragonfear, which you can use to mark [i]en masse[/i] and thus disrupt enemy tactics in nasty fashion. A very nice choice for Fighter. [COLOR=#00ccff]Dwarf[/COLOR] - Having second wind as a minor action is great action economy, a resistance against forced movement is sweet, and not being encumbered by heavy armor doesn't hurt either. A top-notch Fighter race, especially with the ability to have Strength and Constitution as its ability score bumps. Eladrin - While the extra skill from Eladrin Education is certainly nice, as is the +1 to Will, the fact of the matter is that Dexterity is of moderate use and Intelligence is worthless. Not quite a bad pick, thanks to a rather generous helping of racial support to pull the concept off. [COLOR=#0000ff] [/COLOR][COLOR=#0000ff]Elf[/COLOR] - While you don't get a Strength bonus, that's OK: the extra speed, reroll ability, and bonus to two secondaries can make up for that (especially if you buy an 18). While it's not the most epic Fighter ever, it's a good one. [COLOR=#0000ff]Half-Elf[/COLOR] - Constitution and Wisdom are nice to have, and the Dilettante racial ability can allow you to add something pretty to your arsenal of powers. While it's not the most natural fit for the class, it can certainly work. [b]Halfling[/b] - Small is not a good thing to be as a Fighter, regardless of the racial support, but at least you get two secondaries. Not that great an idea, but not that terrible, either. [COLOR=#00ccff]Human[/COLOR] - While not getting +2 to two stats kind of sucks, the bonus to NADs, extra At-Will, skill, and feat go a long way toward making a better Fighter, and the racial support helps you stick around in a fight, which is always a nice thing to have. A great choice for the majority of Fighter builds. [b]Tiefling[/b] - By default, the class has little to make it appealing to a Fighter: it only has one Fighter secondary, the skills are rather unappealing to a Fighter, and the racial features are only of moderate use. Fortunately for it, racial support shows up in a big way to make it a better choice. [b]Races - Player's Handbook 2[/b] [COLOR=#800080]Deva[/COLOR] - To be honest, this feels like a poor man's version of the Elf. Intelligence is much less useful than Dexterity, and the racial power is worse. Not a good choice. [COLOR=#800080]Gnome[/COLOR] - While the Dexterity bonus has made this race not absolutely terrible as a Fighter, it's still pretty darn bad at it. [COLOR=#00ccff]Goliath[/COLOR] - The stats line up great, you have nice skill bonuses, and your racial power involves you being more able to take punishment, all great things to have as a Fighter. One of the major players in the class. [COLOR=#00ccff]Half-Orc[/COLOR] - A bonus to Strength is good, Dexterity can certainly be useful, and even though the features flag more Striker appeal than Defender appeal, Fighters like hitting hard (so no problems there). A top-flight race. [COLOR=#00ccff]Shifter, Longtooth[/COLOR] - A Strength bonus is great, a Wisdom bonus is also good, the skills line up well, and the racial power is incredibly good for a character such as a Fighter. Easily one of the prime racial choices. Shifter, Razorclaw - Dexterity and Wisdom are useful secondaries for a fair sub-population of Fighters, but the racial power and skill bonuses aren't all that applicable. A fair choice, if a bit niche. [b]Races - Player's Handbook 3[/b] [COLOR=#0000ff]Githzerai[/COLOR] - Not only do you get two valued secondaries, you also get a good chunk of applicable racial support, which is always good to have around. A good choice, likely bordering on [COLOR=#00ccff][b]great[/b][/COLOR], despite the lack of a Strength bonus. [COLOR=#00ccff]Minotaur[/COLOR] - One of the prime races for a Fighter, it packs Strength and either one of their most common secondary attributes, an extra healing surge, and some racial support as stickiness reinforcement. Easily one of the front-runners. [COLOR=#800080]Shardmind[/COLOR] - Ehhh... no. The stats line up shakily at best, and the inclinations of the racial support go in the other direction. Not a good idea. [COLOR=#0000ff]Wilden[/COLOR] - 2 out of the 3 secondaries (and you even get some leeway on that), plus a choice between some pretty nice racial powers. A nice choice overall. [b]Races - Other Rulebooks[/b] Bladeling (MOTP) - Completely unsupported, and 2 secondary stats that it shares with quite a few races. While it's not an actively bad choice, it's most certainly nothing special. Changeling (EPG) - While the secondaries are a bit marginal and your racial abilities are anything but Fighter-flavored, the fact of the matter is that it can work, and that's all you really need. [COLOR=#0000ff]Drow[/COLOR] (FRPG) - Some solid secondaries, and their racial power has some downright beautiful synergy with the Fighter's chassis. A very good choice. [COLOR=#00ccff]Genasi[/COLOR] (FRPG) - Though giving away an ability score boost to Intelligence stinks, a Strength bonus and the damage support characteristics of the race is more than good enough reason to stay here. [COLOR=#800080]Goblin[/COLOR] (DSG) - It's small, and has a bonus to marginal attributes. I wouldn't. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Gold Dwarf[/COLOR] (NCS)[/b] - Stick to the normal Dwarf. [b]Hamadryad (HotFw)[/b] - No prime stats to be found, but plenty of secondary ones and their racial powers don't suck. Could be worse. [COLOR=#800080]Kalashtar[/COLOR] (EPG) - Aaaand... no. While having a secondary stat is nice, the rest is just completely unsuited to be a Fighter overall. Kobold (DSG) - He may be small, but the stats are fairly good. His racial power does next to nothing to bolster his case, though. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Llewyrr Elf[/COLOR] (NCS)[/b] - The changes from the basic Eladrin chassis are basically treading water. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Moon Elf[/COLOR] (NCS)[/b] - An Eladrin with a couple of quirks. Sure, whatever. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Mul[/COLOR] (DSCS)[/b] - Strength and Constitution bonuses, an extra healing surge, and an excellent power to shake off conditions (including heavy hitters like daze or stun) make this a primordial choice for a Fighter. Throw in the fact that they have access to Dwarf support and it's almost impossible to argue against this racial choice. [b]Pixie (HotFw)[/b] - Tiny isn't that mechanically distinct from Small (aka it's bad), and it doesn't have prime stats. That said, it does have a couple of nice tricks (like being able to hover around) that save it from the cellar. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Revenant[/COLOR] (HoS)[/b] - Some good but not great racials, but the very impressive toughness this race brings to the table makes it a very nice candidate. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Satyr[/COLOR] (HotFw)[/b] - It generates its own CA and has decent off-stats, which is nice, I guess. [b]Shade (HoS)[/b] - Throwing away a surge for no good reason dips into this race's stock, though it still is decently applicable to this class. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Shield Dwarf[/COLOR] (NCS)[/b] - The changes to the Dwarf chassis are basically window dressing for a Fighter. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Sun Elf[/COLOR] (NCS)[/b] - Chances are the implement proficiency won't do much, but the traditional Eladrin weapon proficiency was doing nothing, anyway. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Thri-Kreen[/COLOR] (DSCS)[/b] - Strength and Dexterity bonuses, some extra speed, and quick drawing/stowing make for a prime Fighter race. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Vryloka[/COLOR] (HoS)[/b] - Though it has the requisite Strength bump as well as extra speed and a couple of other goodies, I can't in good faith give top marks to a race that has a flaw that will consistently come up as a Defender (Blood Dependency). [COLOR=#00ccff]Warforged[/COLOR] (EPG) - This race is blessed with appropriate racial bonuses, a powerful set of features to enhance your durability, and some quality racial support. One of the best in the business. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Wild Elf[/COLOR] (NCS)[/b] - Shifting your speed can be nice for positioning purposes, but I wouldn't say it's outright better than a re-roll per Encounter, so I have it as about even with the standard Elf. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Wood Elf[/COLOR] (NCS)[/b] - This version of the Elf can have a formidable racial ability, if you provide it with some investment in Perception. Unfortunately, the Fighter chassis makes that a bit of a challenge. [b]Races - Dragon Magazine[/b] [COLOR=#0000ff]Gnoll[/COLOR] (D 367) - Not quite the perfect racial bonuses, but pretty close, and bonuses for charging and getting banged up are welcome in the business of toe-to-toe combat. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Hengeyokai[/COLOR] (D 404)[/b] - No prime stat, but the animal transformations give you something to do outside of combat and the rest of the racial package isn't bad. [COLOR=#0000ff]Shadar-Kai[/COLOR] (D 372) - The racial bonuses aren't bad, and the teleporting power is pretty useful to you. A pretty solid pick. [b]Races - Monster Manuals[/b] [COLOR=#00ccff]Bugbear[/COLOR] (MM) - Strength and Dexterity are very usable, Oversized is a beautiful thing to have, and extra damage is never a bad thing. A very powerful option. Bullywug (MM 2) - Totally unsupported, but the attribute bonuses mean it has some sort of potential. [COLOR=#ff0000]Doppelganger[/COLOR] (MM) - Everything you don't need in a Fighter... in one convenient package. No. [COLOR=#0000ff]Duergar[/COLOR] (MM 2) - It's not quite as powerful as a real Dwarf for this sort of job, but it's hardly a bad choice as a race. [COLOR=#800080]Githyanki[/COLOR] (MM) - Secondary attribute notwithstanding, most of the things it offers are nice but don't carry the "pick me!" persuasion that a top-caliber Fighter race requires. Hobgoblin (MM) - The attribute bonuses are just OK, and though the racial power is nice, it's nothing to salivate over. Kenku (MM 2) - The attributes are meh, but +1 extra to hit while flanking can be nice to have. A serviceable choice for a Fighter. [COLOR=#0000ff]Orc[/COLOR] (MM) - The stats are in the right place, and it has a self-healing ability. You can work with this. Backgrounds and Themes: Surface of the Rock In this section, I'll be discussing which backgrounds and themes would benefit a Fighter the most. Since there is a wide selection of them, I'll be sticking to the ones which are [b]Black[/b] or better.[COLOR=#00ccff] [/COLOR][b]Recommended Backgrounds[/b] [b]Akanul (FRPG)[/b] - A minor resistance to common types of elemental damage is actually a fairly nice pick. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Auspicious Birth/Born Under a Bad Sign[/b][/COLOR][b] (D 366)[/b] - Some Fighters will have the Constitution to make this pick unnecessary, but the ones who don't will be glad to have it. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Chessenta[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - A minor benefit when you AP. Since it applies to both attack and damage rolls, you can potentially get pretty good mileage out of it. [b]Detective/Missing Master (D 366)[/b] - The important part here is that it opens access to taking Insight as a class skill, which in turn allows for some nice Skill powers to be taken. [b]Gritty Sergeant (D 366)[/b] - +1 initiative is better than nothing, I guess. [b]Recommended Themes[/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Bloodsworn[/COLOR] (DSG)[/b] - A bit conditional, but an Encounter re-roll is pretty good stuff. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Elemental Initiate[/COLOR] (HotEC)[/b] - You get a counter-swing against an enemy who misses you, and a couple of nice peripheral benefits, including access to a ki focus and a Will bump. Nice to have. [b][/b] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Guardian[/COLOR] (D 399)[/b] - A very nice power to have, and it even has a couple of power-swaps that look respectable. That's a good deal if you ask me. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Infernal Prince[/COLOR] (D 406)[/b] - If you see yourself doing a lot of fire attacks, this theme will serve you very well, provided it's legal where you play. [b]Ironwrought (HotEC)[/b] - It offers extra damage and another chance to crit, and it can even buff your attack rolls at higher levels. Decent. [b]Noble Adept (DSCS)[/b] - Adding a bonus to an attack after the roll can help keep an attack chain going. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Sarifal Feywarden[/COLOR] (D 405)[/b] - A one-shot dose of vulnerability can turn out to be quite the effective damage boost, though you need to have elemental damage to make it work. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Sohei[/COLOR] (D 404)[/b] - It gives you an attack you can use as a minor action. Nothing more need be said. [b][/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Yakuza[/COLOR] (D 404)[/b] - Not much aligns with you as far as the features go (you'd actually need a positive Cha modifier for that), but the power-swaps are simply too good to be ignored. [/QUOTE]
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Harder than a Rock: The Fighter's Handbook (By lorduskblade)
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