Fighter
Fighting for honor, greed, loyalty, or simply the thrill of battle, you are an undisputed master of weaponry and combat techniques. You combine your actions through clever combinations of opening moves, finishing strikes, and counterattacks whenever your foes are unwise enough to drop their guard. Whether you are a knight, mercenary, sharpshooter, or blade master, you have honed your martial skills into an art form and Perform devastating critical attacks on your enemies.
Key Ability: Strength or Dexterity
At 1st level, your class gives you an ability bonus to Strength or Dexterity
Hit Points: plus your Constitution modifier
You increase your maximum number of HP by this number at 1st level and every level thereafter.
Roleplaying the Fighter
DURING COMBAT ENCOUNTERS...
You strike with unmatched accuracy and use specialized combat techniques. A melee fighter stands between allies and enemies, attacking foes who try to get past. A ranged fighter delivers precise shots from a distance.
DURING SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS...
You can be an intimidating presence. This can be useful when negotiating with enemies, but is sometimes a liability in more genteel interactions.
WHILE EXPLORING...
You keep up your defenses in preparation for combat, and keep an eye out for hidden threats. You also overcome physical challenges in your way, breaking down doors, lifting obstacles, climbing adeptly, and leaping across pits.
IN DOWNTIME...
You might perform manual labor or craft and repair armaments. If you know techniques you no longer favor, you might train yourself in new ones. If you've established your reputation, you might build an organization or a stronghold of your own.
YOU MIGHT...
- Know the purpose and quality of every weapon and piece of armor you own.
- Recognize that the danger of an adventurer's life must be balanced out with great revelry or ambitious works.
- Have little patience for puzzles or problems that require detailed logic or study.
OTHERS PROBABLY...
- Find you intimidating until they get to know you - and maybe even after they get to know you.
- Expect you're all brawn and no brains.
- Respect your expertise in the art of warfare and value your opinion on the quality of armaments.
INITIAL PROFICIENCIES
At 1st level, you gain the listed proficiency ranks in the following statistics. You are untrained in anything not listed unless you gain a better proficiency rank in some other way.
PERCEPTION
Expert in PerceptionSAVING THROWS
- Expert in Fortitude
- Expert in Reflex
- Trained in Will
SKILLS
- Trained in your choice of Acrobatics or Athletics
- Trained in a number of additional skills equal to 3 plus your Intelligence modifier
ATTACKS
- Expert in simple weapons
- Expert in martial weapons
- Trained in advanced weapons
- Expert in unarmed attacks
DEFENSES
- Trained in all armor
- Trained in unarmored defense
Class DC
- Trained in fighter class DC
CLASS FEATURES
You gain these features as an . Abilities gained at higher levels list the levels at which you gain them next to the features' names.
Ancestry and Backgrounds
In addition to the abilities provided by your class at 1st level, you have the benefits of your selected ancestry and background, as described here.
Initial Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain a number of proficiencies that represent your basic training. These proficiencies are noted at the start of this class.
You'll see the following key terms in many fighter class features.
Flourish: Actions with this trait are special techniques that require too much exertion for you to perform frequently. You can use only 1 action with the flourish trait per turn.
Open: These maneuvers work only as the first salvo in the attacks you make on your turn. You can use an action with the open trait only if you haven't used an action with the attack or open trait yet this turn.
Press: Actions with this trait allow you to follow up earlier attacks. An action with the press trait can be used only if you are currently affected by a multiple attack penalty.
Some actions with the press trait also grant an effect on a failure. The effects that are added on a failure don't apply on a critical failure. If your press action succeeds, you can choose to apply the failure effect instead. (For example, you may wish to do this when an attack deals no damage due to resistance.) Because a press action requires a multiple attack penalty, you can't use one when it's not your turn, even if you use the Ready activity.
Stance: A stance is a general combat strategy that you enter by using an action with the stance trait, and you remain in for some time. A stance lasts until you get knocked outunconscious, until its requirements (if any) are violated, until the encounter ends, or until you enter a new stance, whichever comes first. After you take an action with the stance trait, you can't take another one for 1 round. You can enter or be in a stance only in encounter mode.
Fighter Feats
At 1st level and every even-numbered level thereafter, you gain a fighter class feat.
Shield Block
You gain the Shield Block general feat, a reaction that lets you reduce damage with your shield.
Attack of Opportunity
Ever watchful for weaknesses, you can quickly attack foes that leave an opening in their defenses. You gain the Attack of Opportunity reaction.
Attack of Opportunity
Trigger A creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it's using.You Lash Out at a foe that leaves an opening. Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature. If your attack is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action. This Strike doesn't count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn't apply to this Strike.
Source Core Rulebook pg. 142
Skill FeatsLevel 2
At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill feat. Skill feats can be found in Chapter 5 and have the skill trait. You must be trained or better in the corresponding skill to select a skill feat.
BraveryLevel 3
Having faced countless foes and the chaos of battle, you have learned how to stand strong in the face of fear and keep on fighting. Your proficiency rank for Will saves increases to expert. When you roll a success at a Will save against a fear effect, you get a critical success instead. In addition, anytime you gain the frightened condition, reduce its value by 1.
General FeatsLevel 3
At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a general feat. General feats are listed in Chapter 5.
Skill IncreasesLevel 3
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill increase. You can use this increase either to increase your proficiency rank to trained in one skill you’re untrained in, or to increase your proficiency rank in one skill in which you’re already trained to expert.
At 7th level, you can use skill increases to increase your proficiency rank to master in a skill in which you’re already an expert, and at 15th level, you can use them to increase your proficiency rank to legendary in a skill in which you’re already a master.
Ability BoostsLevel 5
At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you boost four different ability scores. You can use these ability boosts to increase your ability scores above 18. Boosting an ability score increases it by 1 if it’s already 18 or above, or by 2 if it starts out below 18.
Ancestry FeatsLevel 5
In addition to the ancestry feat you started with, you gain an ancestry feat at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter. The list of ancestry feats available to you can be found in your ancestry’s entry in Chapter 2.
Fighter Weapon MasteryLevel 5
Hours spent training with your preferred weapons, learning and developing new combat techniques, have made you particularly effective with your weapons of choice. Choose one weapon group. Your proficiency rank increases to master with the simple and martial weapons in that group, and to expert with the advanced weapons in that group. You gain access to the critical specialization effects of all weapons for which you have master proficiency.
Battlefield SurveyorLevel 7
Whether taking stock of an enemy army or simply standing guard, you excel at observing your foes. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master. In addition, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks for initiative, making you faster to react during combat.
Weapon SpecializationLevel 7
You’ve learned how to inflict greater injuries with the weapons you know best. You deal 2 additional damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you are an expert. This damage increases to 3 if you’re a master, and to 4 if you’re legendary.
Combat FlexibilityLevel 9
Through your experience in battle, you can prepare your tactics to suit different situations. When you make your daily preparations, you gain one fighter feat of 8th level or lower that you don’t already have. You can use that feat until your next daily preparations. You must meet all of the feat’s other prerequisites.
JuggernautLevel 9
Your body is accustomed to physical hardship and resistant to ailments. Your proficiency rank for Fortitude saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Fortitude save, you get a critical success instead.
Armor ExpertiseLevel 11
You have spent so much time wearing armor that you know how to make the most of its protection. Your proficiency rank for light, medium, and heavy armor, as well as for unarmored defense, increase to expert. You gain the armor specialization effects of medium and heavy armor.
Fighter ExpertiseLevel 11
You’ve practiced your techniques to make them harder to resist. Your proficiency rank for your fighter class DC increases to expert.
Weapon LegendLevel 13
You’ve learned fighting techniques that apply to all armaments, and you’ve developed unparalleled skill with your favorite weapons. Your proficiency ranks for simple and martial weapons and unarmed attacks increase to master. Your proficiency rank for advanced weapons increases to expert. You can select one weapon group and increase your proficiency ranks to legendary for all simple and martial weapons in that weapon group, and to master for all advanced weapons in that weapon group.
EvasionLevel 15
You’ve learned to move quickly to avoid explosions, a dragon’s breath, and worse. Your proficiency rank for Reflex saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Reflex save, you get a critical success instead.
Greater Weapon SpecializationLevel 15
Your damage from weapon specialization increases to 4 with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you’re an expert, 6 if you’re a master, and 8 if you’re legendary.
Improved FlexibilityLevel 15
Your extensive experience gives you even greater ability to adapt to each day’s challenges. When you use combat flexibility, you can gain two fighter feats instead of one. While the first feat must still be 8th level or lower, the second feat can be up to 14th level, and you can use the first feat to meet the prerequisites of the second feat. You must meet all of the feats’ prerequisites.
Armor MasteryLevel 17
Your skill with armor improves, increasing your ability to prevent blows. Your proficiency ranks for light, medium, and heavy armor, as well as for unarmored defense, increase to master.
Versatile LegendLevel 19
You are nigh-unmatched with any weapon. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to legendary, and your proficiency rank for advanced weapons increases to master. Your proficiency rank for your fighter class DC increases to master.
Every level at which you gain a feat, select one of the following feats. You must satisfy any prerequisites before taking the feat.