D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal #2: "New Fighter"

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"The Fighter is now the weapon master equivalent of the Wizard" (with respect to versatility).

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OVERVIEW

The Fighter seems to have been mostly set in Playtest 7. Most of the features described carry over from there, though Brawler has gone and is replaced by Psi Warrior form Tasha's.

• Ranger and Fighter have the most new features.
• Subclasses provide "different levels of mechanical idiosyncracy".
• Weapon mastery (level1), tactical mind (2), tactical shift (5), studied attacks (13) -- all of these are as in PT7.
• second wind -- increased number of uses (as PT7)
• NEW: Level 9: Tactical master is like mastery of Armaments, but limited to push. sap, and slow. These properties are now always in the fighter's pocket, regardless of the weapon used. These properties add to Battle Master abilities.
• Fighting Styles: new options available: Blindfighting, Interception, Thrown Weapons, and Unarmed fighting (from Tasha's). (YAY for thrown weapons and unarmed fighting!). Protection style "improved".
• NEW: You can change your fighting style when you level up.
• NEW: All classes now get an Epic Boon at level 19, replacing the ASI.

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SUBCLASSES

Battle Master:

• they considered making the maneuvers the core of the fighter, but that would undermine the goal of different playstyles for each subclass.
• ambush, bait and switch, commanding presence, and tactical presence all brought over from Tasha's (as PT7)
• Student of War also gives you a skill proficiency (as PT7)
• Know your enemy has "limited number of uses per day" (PT7 had one, IIRC)

Champion:

• same core identity, focusing on crits.
• Remarkable Athlete: NEW. When you score a crit, you can move without receiving opportunity attacks.
• Remarkable Athlete: advantage on initiative and athletics (as PT7). This works with the new surprise rules, which give you an edge but "defang" the one-sidedness of surprise.
• Additional fighting style at 7, Heroic Warrior at 10, Survivor at 18 (as PT7).

Eldritch Knight:

• for players who played OD&D when Elf was a class...
• with the Psi Warrior are for people who want Fighter and X (mixed).
• no school restrictions (also for Arcane Trickster)
• NEW: you can now use an arcane focus.
• War Magic and Improved War Magic: as in PT7, but at level 18 you can replace two attacks with spells up to level 2 (I think this is new).

Psi Warrior:

• changes from Tasha: changes are primarily in rewording.

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NEW RULES
Epic Boon:

• you may choose a non-epic boon feat. They include an ASI that can go past 20, and include abilities go beyond what feats normally do.
• Example: Boon of Combat Prowess. Once per TURN, you can turn a miss to a hit. Another example: You have Truesight. Another example: when you attack or take the magic action, you also teleport.
• The PHB now has rules to go beyond level 20. Every time you hit some XP threshold, you can choose another Epic Boon (which could take one of your scores to level 30).

Other NEW rules clarifications:

• Heroic Inspiration which lets you re-roll any one die (may be one damage die, but not all damage dice).
• Surprise now gives you disadvantage on your initiative. (Champion, Assassin, and Barbarian are hard to surprise -- they won't have disadvantage on init).
• No school restrictions for Arcane Trickster or Eldrtich Knight.

 

[tglassy]

Right. I'd like there to be a more complex martial character, but that's clearly not happening – at least not here. And it's fine if the more complex option has a higher ceiling as a reward for engaging with it, as long as it isn't too much higher.

The Battlemaster is the more complex martial. Not only do they have Maneuvers, but they have Weapon Masteries, and they stack. So you can mix and match abilities on a single hit. Both Pushing and Tripping on the same attack, for example.

 

[Asisreo]

The Battlemaster is the more complex martial. Not only do they have Maneuvers, but they have Weapon Masteries, and they stack. So you can mix and match abilities on a single hit. Both Pushing and Tripping on the same attack, for example.

.

The unarmed Battlemaster fighter after hitting a commoner once.

 

[mellored]

It also gives them a safety net for things like Great Weapon Mastery or Sharpshooter, assuming they (or a fixed version) are still around in 2024.

The -5/+10 is gone. Specifically mentioned as a "must have" that needed changed.

As of the playtest.

Great Weapon is +1Str, +proficiency damage once per turn, and cleave as a bonus action on crit or kill.

Sharpshooter is +1Dex, lets you ignore cover / melee / long range penalties.

 

[Lucas Yew]

So, what about Out Of Combat (OOC)? No extra amount of skill proficiencies (if any /s) would make them more reliable if the DCs for common tasks differ too much by table and DM... (and don't even mention niche robbing spells like Knock still existing AFAIK)

 

[Vaalingrade]

The Battlemaster is the more complex martial. Not only do they have Maneuvers, but they have Weapon Masteries, and they stack. So you can mix and match abilities on a single hit. Both Pushing and Tripping on the same attack, for example.

Haven't seen the new one yet: Have we dealt with the issue of only getting the use maneuvers once or twice an encounter because of D&D's awful obsession with attrition?

 

[Umbran]

Maybe learn what the rules are before you attempt to criticize them?

Mod Note:

Maybe... try to be more kind? Thanks.

 

[Iosue]

Reroll-keep better or reroll-replace?

And do you reroll a check with advantage with another check with advantage?

Crawford mentioned crit-fishing in the video, so it must be reroll-keep better.

There is a question of whether Heroic Inspiration allows for re-rolling of dice or just a die. If the latter, then presumably one could use it to reroll the low roll of Advantage, in the hopes of getting something better. I suspect that’s what it will be, because rerolling all the dice in a damage or Advantage roll seems too good to be true.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Never said it did. I was critiquing a changed initiative plan that would end up make those changes. Which was in what I quoted so all of the information was there is the post you quoted for you to understand what was going on.

Please, actually read what you are responding to before going off half cocked. And please try to tune down how rude your responses are.

My apologies, looking back I thought you were quoting someone else. I didn't realize you were talking about the card-based initiative system.

 

[Chaosmancer]

So, what about Out Of Combat (OOC)? No extra amount of skill proficiencies (if any /s) would make them more reliable if the DCs for common tasks differ too much by table and DM... (and don't even mention niche robbing spells like Knock still existing AFAIK)

No changes to DCs has been mentioned.

 

[mellored]

So, what about Out Of Combat (OOC)? No extra amount of skill proficiencies (if any /s) would make them more reliable if the DCs for common tasks differ too much by table and DM... (and don't even mention niche robbing spells like Knock still existing AFAIK)

It is still compatible with old adventures. Which means the DCs haven't changed.

And yes, martials got extra skill boosts in order to better compete with casters. Fighters can use a second wind to add a d10 to pick locks for instance. Similar-ish to casting knock instead of cure wounds.