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The fighter catches a lot of flak from the gaming community. The poor fighter can’t catch a break. I will be using only the SRD to keep things simple. I will address many (not all) of the issues concerning the fighter.

Can’t Handle Appropriate Encounters
The first thing that needs to be addressed is how the fighter compares to his enemy. The Challenge Rating (CR) is often used as a way to demonstrate why the fighter sucks. The CR system is meant as a way to determine the number of experience points a character should receive. A more appropriate system to use would be Encounter Levels (EL). With this system, a balor is both a CR 20 and an EL of 20. An ancient black dragon is also an EL 20, but is only a CR 19. When you use two or more creatures, you can lower the CRs without affecting the EL. This allows for more interesting combats. Rather than having the party always fight a single opponent, they can now fight 1 to 12 without changing the difficulty of the encounter. Both systems assume a party of four: fighter, cleric, wizard, and rogue.

Can the 20th level fighter handle 10 iron golems, 4 Half-Fiendish Hill Giant Were-Boar Barbarians 2, 1 balor, or 1 old silver dragon? Depends on the build of course, and this holds true for every class, the fighter should not be singled out.

If the DM is only throwing things at the party that 1 or 2 classes can handle with ease, but the rest have to sit and watch, then the DM has failed his players. Page 50 of the DMG gives a list of difficulty factors that will affect how challenging a given encounter will be. It ends with this sentence:

“None of the above factors should necessarily be taken into account when assigning or modifying Challenge Ratings, but you should keep them in mind when designing encounters.”

What this means is the DM should make sure that he doesn’t intentionally or unintentionally favor any class over another. He should be spending time with each encounter making sure that no one is left out.

Poor Saves
The fighter’s number of good/bad saves is equal to 6 of the 11 classes in the PHB. The only difference is that the fighter has no innate way to improve his saves.

51 spells require Fort saves; 30 spells require Ref saves; 120 require Will saves that need to be taken into account. Spells like heal or awaken are not included here.

Looking at the spells per level, we see that the trend for good Fort and Ref saves remains the same. Will drops considerably. There are quite a few spells that can remove anyone from the battle. Most require a Will save. If we look at minimums, the DC is 10 + 1.5 x spell level (round down). If we assume a 40% increase in DCs, any character with a low saving throw needs to worry. At 1st level, a wizard with a 16 Intelligence, Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus, the DC for his saves which he has focus will be 15, 13 for the rest. This gives the fighter a 30-40% chance of success. With Iron Will, against the appropriate spells, that improves to 40% to 50%. By level 7, he needs a natural 20 to make those saves. He really needs to stay focused on improving his weaknesses. Just like a wizard would make sure that he doesn’t get hit (hps are one of his weaknesses), the fighter should do the same for his Will saves. Some spells are issues: Sanctuary, Shatter, Suggestion, Bestow Curse, Hold Person, just to name a few low level spells. A fighter that does not take these into consideration deserves what he gets.


Blue bars represent Fort saves, Red bars are Ref, and Yellow bars are for Will saves.

As we go through the monsters, we see that there is a trend for the need for Fort and Ref saves to drop significantly as the party reaches higher levels. We also notice that the Will Power saves increase dramatically. Look at the following chart:


for some reason Excel wants to start the CR at level 2 and go to level 21; just subtract 1 from each level to get the correct numbers

High Level DCs are 25+. Fighters begin with saves of 12/6/6. He can gain +5 with a Cloak of Resistance. He can gain +3 more from bonuses to Dexterity and Wisdom enhancements. He can also gain +2 to +3 more from Inherent bonuses from books. Let’s give him +4 inherent Wisdom. Even starting with 10’s in Constitution, Dexterity, and Wisdom, his saves aren’t too bad. Give him a luckstone and all saves go up +1 more. He can take Lightning Reflexes and Iron Will (17/16/16). Certainly not the best, but workable; these would give him roughly a 50% chance of making the worst saving throws the MM has to throw at the adventurers.

This is where the casters should lend a hand if needed (this is a team effort after all). They can help shore up some of the problems. With spells like Guidance, Greater Heroism, Magic Circle against Evil, and Hero’s Feast, the cleric or wizard can use only a few spells to give him (and potentially the whole team) some decent bonuses to all saves. So with the DCs in the mid 20’s, this gives the fighter an excellent chance to handle those saves.

Some may see this as a cop-out. The fighter has spells cast on him while he doesn’t reciprocate. First, this isn’t a problem. Friends do this for each other. Second, the fighter definitely reciprocates. He may not be able to buff the casters, but he can keep the enemy off of them longer so long as he’s still in play. Every attack coming at the fighter is an attack not going to someone else. Some don’t really see this as a contribution but after watching a football game, this is what the linemen are doing. They don’t get the glory, but they do their best to keep the enemy off the quarterback. While I am discussing what the casters can do for the fighter, I am really discussing what they can do for everyone in the party. Many buffs are appropriate for just about any character.

It seems odd that the fighter would go for the inherent boost to Wisdom over the cleric. However, the fighter should be doing what he can to boost his saves. The cleric will likely want the boost to his Wisdom for the +2 bonus to DCs and the extra spells he will get. In a well-rounded party, the book should go to the fighter. In most games this doesn’t happen. Even in games I run, the book almost always goes to the cleric. People tend to focus their fighters on damage, to hit, and hit points. While these are good things to improve, there are enough ways to do this cheaply. He should argue for the book if it is found. Of course, this also assumes that the DM pits the fighter against numerous opponents that force him to make Will saves. In campaigns where the DM is afraid to attack the party’s weaknesses, this may not be an issue.

One of the things that will make buffs easier to dole out will be for the group to determine roles. Each character should fill a primary and secondary role. If the fighter and cleric are both focused on being the meat-shield, there’s a problem with party resources not being used well. The cleric should not be relegated to buffer (and neither should most classes). The cleric is much more potent when filling the role of cleric rather than fighter. Meat-shield should be more of a secondary role for the cleric even if he worships gods such as Kord or St Cuthbert. The domain choices determine the secondary role for the cleric. A football team made up of running backs could theoretically win games, but the team’s stronger when everyone has a role and they stick to it only leaving that role when necessary.

The objective for the game should be to have fun. This varies from person to person so it’s hard to define exactly what “fun” is. Some people want the battles to last longer. Some want the battles to be over more quickly. A battle that lasts longer brings in more tactical options which make for a very memorable encounter. A battle that lasts longer also brings more chances for character death. One-shotting the enemy is also very memorable. The group needs to determine what works best for them. Once this is determined, the issue of buffs and roles will be much easier to work with.

Poor Skills
Let’s look at the next problem with fighters (blue skills are class skills).

Appraise*: DC 12-20. Several synergy bonuses, a feat, and two items can aid here. Taking 10 a very viable option.

Balance*: DC 10-32. The more common DCs are 10-15. Depending on the situation, he may be able to Take 10 which may be enough (many fighters might still need some help). Aid Another can help out or using a 10-foot pole for can add +2 to +4 circumstance modifiers.

Bluff: There isn't a strong need to Feint in Combat for the Fighter, so he's left to simply lying out of combat.

Climb*: While the DCs can get rather high, rope, pitons, a climbing kit, and his probably high Strength makes Taking 10 perfectly within his grasp (the DC is probably 5-15).

Concentration*: With his decent Constitution, some of these are within his grasp. Most DMs only use this skill for casters; however there can be plenty of other reasons like dealing with getting hit while quaffing a potion.

Craft*: Taking 10 is very easily accomplished with Craft, even at low levels. Craft has its own problems, namely time.

Decipher Script: This should probably be left to other party members or hire someone to decipher the document. However, with a decent enough Intelligence, Skill Focus, and the Diligent feat, the simplest messages might be within the Take 10 reach. 
Diplomacy: DCs are from 0-60. Most of the time, the targets of this skill should be started at Indifferent. With a couple ranks, Skill Focus, and a decent Charisma he can Take 10 on improving the attitude. Note that he could also use it to worsen the attitude if he desires.

Disable Device: Not typically the fighter's job (some devices are impossible anyway unless done by a rogue). Nimble Fingers, Skill Focus, and an Intelligence of 14 are all that is needed for the basics.

Disguise*: Only 4 PC classes have Spot as a skill check. Many disguises may not catch anyone's attention. If he only needs to make minor changes, he gets a +5 bonus which can set the DC at 15 for the opposing check. Aid Another can bring this to 17. Note that the only time this check needs to be made is when it matters. The knight who makes himself look like a swashbuckler in a town where no one knows him may not need to worry much.

Escape Artist*: This will be a challenge. Grapples should be okay most of the time. The other checks may have to be bypassed by breaking the binding item. Hopefully the fighter has a good enough Strength to be able to Take 10 or even 20. Feats can make this easier, but usually that is a poor investment.

Forgery: Depending on the circumstances, the fighter could have a better than 50% chance of success. He would need 1 rank just to use the skill. Give him a 12 Intelligence, and he starts at +2 to this check. Deceitful might be a choice for him giving him +2 more. If he really wants to, he can take Skill Focus. He can also set the circumstances to give the opposing check up to a -6 penalty. Well within his grasp for many situations.

Gather Information*: DC 10 to learn about major news items. Taking 10 makes this achievable most of the time. With only 1 rank, he can Take 10 on many checks depending on race and circumstances.

Handle Animal: DC 30 is the highest (unless he wants to rear a wild animal). He needs a +10 to be able to Take 20. Not a problem at all.

Heal*: Most of the DCs are 15. A healer's kit, Self-Sufficient feat, Wisdom 12 and possibly Aid Another make this a Take 10 check. Note that the diseases in the SRD are DC 12-20. 8 of the 10 listed are within the Take 10 with the modifiers listed above. With poisons, nearly all can be overcome by Taking 10 with the modifiers listed above.

Hide: There is an armor check penalty that must be dealt with. The fighter may have a hard time with this check, but it is still possible to hide well. Two feats can give up to a +5 bonus.

Intimidate: This is an opposed check so every point should go here if he wants this skill. While not necessary, it should be maxed if he chooses it at all. Skill Focus may be a good investment if the fighter wants to be really good at this.

Jump: The more points here the better. Taking the Run feat will grant a +4 bonus. Honestly though, if you need to be jumping more than 20 feet, it may be time to ask the wizard for a fly spell. He only needs +10 to be able to jump 20 feet. There are some feats and skill synergies that make this possible.

Knowledge: For many checks, the DC is 10-15. Common knowledge is only a DC 10 so he can Take 10 on this check. If he wants to know more, he'll have to invest like anyone else. Even 1 point gives him the opportunity to hit the higher DCs. He can potentially hit the DC 20 for a tough question. Skill Focus can certainly help.

Move Silently: Moving silently a bit more difficult. Combined with the armor check penalty, moving silently isn’t something the fighter should consider most of the time. However, being an opposed check, it is entirely possible that he can pull this off. This is going to take some investment of feats and reduction in armor.

Open Lock: He needs to invest ranks and possibly a feat or two to make this worth trying. Of course, he can just cut through most obstacles with his high Strength and adamantine weapon.

Perform: With a masterwork instrument and a Charisma of 15, he can Take 10 to earn 1d10 sp daily. There isn't much use for this skill outside of the bard's abilities so it's not a big deal. A fighter who wants to be good at performing for his money should invest ranks, take Skill Focus, and improve his Charisma so he can at least Take 10 with a +10 bonus.

Ride: DC 20 is the highest he will have to worry about unless he also takes Mounted Combat. DC 10 or 15 is more likely. While he won't be able to Take 10 on most of these checks, 5 ranks in Handle Animal and a military saddle grant him a +4 bonus.

Search: He can't search for difficult or magical traps, like everyone except the rogue. He can Take 20 so many uses are within his grasp. If he's in a situation where he can only Take 10, there are some things he can do. He can also use Aid Another to help someone else (or vice versa).

Sleight of Hand: The fighter will probably have to deal with the armor check penalty. He needs at least 1 rank. Depending on what he's trying to hide, he may have a +4 bonus on this check. He shouldn't be using this skill to pick pockets. However it's still opposed so if he wants to gamble, he can try. Synergy and feats can add +4 to +7 to the check. Without training, you can’t succeed on any Sleight of Hand check with a DC higher than 10, except for hiding an object on your body.

Speak Language: Only 1 class has this as a class skill so the fighter is in the same situation as everyone else. The only difference is that characters that rely on high Intelligence may not need to invest many ranks (if any).

Spellcraft*: Most uses are for casters. He can invest some ranks, boost his Intelligence, and take a feat or two to make some of these checks doable. However, he has about as much reason to take this skill as the barbarian or monk.

Spot: Only 4 classes have Hide as a class skill. Those classes should be good at hiding so the fighter is in the same boat as most everyone else. Note that most of the classes with Hide also have Spot as class skills. If it's an issue, take 1 or 2 feats and be an elf granting you a +7 to your Spot checks by level 3. Improve your Wisdom and invest a few ranks.

Swim: DC 20 is the worst. With Full Plate, he's at a -12 and if he has a shield, he suffers another -4. Not a good idea to be swimming in a storm in full plate. He needs to dump a lot into this skill to make it viable at that point. However, DC 10 to 15 are more common. I would allow anyone to Take 10 in Calm Water only.

Survival*: Most DMs ignore the effects of weather in their games. However, that doesn't mean that all do. A fighter can Take 10, feeding himself every day without any problems. If he wants to feed the party, he will have to do something about it. A 1 or 2 feat investment gives him up to a +5 to his check (making the other uses Take 10 options). A single rank or a Wisdom of 12 makes it so the fighter can feed a party of 4 every day. Tracking can become an option, with many of the DCs within grasp.

Tumble: Only dwarven fighters or lightly armored fighters can use this at all.  He can take a couple feats for up to a +5 bonus and he'll need at least 1 rank. Not the best option, but still doable.

Use Magic Device: The DCs are all tough, but still within his grasp. He'll need to invest at least 1 rank. He can take two feats to give him +5. A high Charisma will also be needed. Since this is not a class skill for most classes, he's no better or worse than most other classes.

Use Rope*: One use is an opposed check with a +10 bonus. A silk rope and 1 to 2 feats can give +7 more. This makes every use a Take 10 option with no ranks invested.

* requires no ranks to achieve what’s described.

The key here is to understand how DCs are supposed to be set. For this information, refer to your PHB. You’ll notice that most DCs are in the 10-20 range, well within the Take 10 or Take 20 range for any character.

There are many skills where only 1 person really needs to succeed. For those skills, the character with the best score should be the one making the attempt. Let’s touch on a couple of those skills:

Physical Skills
Most physical skills only require 1 success from the party. Climb, Balance, and Jump all usually only need 1 member of the party to successfully get past the obstacle. Once that happens he can use a rope or other device to aid the rest of the team.

Social Skills
The one with the highest Charisma and most ranks should be attempting this skill. The rest of the party should keep their mouths shut lest they cause problems. This goes for Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate. While sometimes it can help, generally only 1 person needs to succeed.

Utility Skills
These skills only really need 1 person to succeed. Skills such as Craft, Gather Information, and Knowledge only need 1 good success. It really doesn’t matter who succeeded, so long as he succeeded.

I am not referring to any single fighter. Just like not every rogue will have all the skills available to him, the same holds true for the fighter. The character should focus on skills appropriate to his concept. If he has a high Intelligence he not only has more skill points but he gets more out of investing in skills which use Intelligence. If the fighter is focused on Dexterity he should also consider skills that use Dexterity over those where he chose his dump stat.

Can’t fill classic roles
Here are the roles as I see them:

Sword-and-board. Classic shield and sword fighter with heavy armor. He can fill the role of classic knight, hero-for-hire, bodyguard, front-line infantry, or any number of similar roles. Feats to take include Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization, Combat Expertise, Improved Shield Bash, and Two-Weapon Fighting.

Brawler. The fighter can make a great unarmed combatant. He can be a street brawler, professional wrestler/boxer/martial artist, vigilante, or any other similar role. Feats to consider include Improved Unarmed Combat, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Improved Weapon Focus, Improved Weapon Specialization, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Grapple, and Stunning Fist.

Hulking Brute. This fighter prefers two-handed weapons. He likes his weapons and armor big and heavy. This type of fighter is a great choice for thugs, mercenaries, professional gladiators, or similar roles. The key here is that he is focuses on damaging his opponent brutally. Weapon Specialization, Weapon Focus, Power Attack, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization, and Improved Critical are all great choices.

Mounted Warrior. This fighter prefers fighting from a mount. He is usually armed with a lance, longsword, and bow. He is very mobile on the battlefield and can bring the fight to the enemy quickly with some serious damage. He can often fill the role of cavalry, knight, professional soldier, rapid responder, or similar role. Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Mounted Archery, Ride-by Attack, Trample, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, and Point Blank Shot are perfect choices. He should also consider the Leadership feat to get a more powerful mount.

Artillery. This fighter prefers light armor and ranged weapons. He tends to focus on attacking either from a distance or from a safe, hidden spot. He is precise in his movements and tactics. Rarely does he start firing randomly. He can be an assassin, mercenary, bodyguard (think modern sniper for Secret Service), hunter, or other similar role. All the archery feats and weapon focus tree works here.

Skirmisher. This type of fighter gets in and out of combat quickly. He moves in, hits, and moves out. His attacks are precise and lethal. There is little room for error because he needs light armor for mobility. His weapons tend to have reach and may offer more options like tripping so he can be even more versatile. He works best as part of a unit. The roles great for him would be scout, forward observer, small specialty units (like modern day ranger or special forces), or other similar role. He could also fill in as an advanced unit to determine information about the enemy (SALUTE: Size, Activity, Location, Units, Time, and Equipment) and be able to report back with little problem. He can take Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus tree, Combat Expertise, and Improved Trip. Maybe throw in Combat Reflexes for some fun and a reach weapon to round it out.

Skilled Dilettante. Think Errol Flynn, Zorro, or Inigo Montoya. He is flashy. He prefers light-to-no armor and uses light weapons such as the rapier. His primary goal is to woo the ladies and look good while doing it. It's all about style with him. This is a bit harder to pull off, but not impossible. Take feats like Weapon Finesse, Combat Expertise, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Disarm, Two-Weapon Defense, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Improved Feint, Spring Attack, Lightning Reflexes, Persuasive, Acrobatic, and Agile.

Man-at-Arms. This fighter is a master of options. The weapon doesn't matter, the person wielding it does. He is a master of tactics. This fighter is a drill sergeant, gladiator, or any other type that would use multiple weapons. He tends not to take Weapon Focus. He prefers small feat chains. He would focus on Combat Expertise tree, Power Attack tree, Point Blank Shot tree, and others. He won’t be able to complete all the trees, but he would have enough to make himself flexible in a variety of situations.

Exotic Warrior. This fighter either prefers unusual/unorthodox styles or prefers the more esoteric weapons. He can be found wielding two weapons, double weapons, climbing on larger opponents, is a mountain warrior preferring uneven terrain, uses exotic armors, or any other non-standard style or gear. This is usually a non-human character but need not be.

I’ve read that Commander is considered an archetype. This is incorrect. The Commander is actually a role that can be played by anyone. Simply taking the Leadership feat puts the character into the Commander role. There are a few other things that could improve that role, but any class or archetype can qualify.

Gear Dependant
The higher levels he attains, the more dependent upon his gear he becomes. This is true of all characters. According to the DMG Page 3, “A character without magic items is like a wizard with only half her spells prepared or a fighter who hasn’t bothered to select all his feats. – he’s simply incomplete.” So it is assumed by the design of the game that the fighter will have gear appropriate to his level.

We need to look at why the fighter “needs” gear more than other classes. He is shoring up weaknesses and improving his strengths. This is not unique to the fighter. The cleric does this by using magical armor, shields, and weapons (so he can save his spells for more useful purposes). The wizard does this by buying more scrolls or crafting items. The rogue needs to improve his skills so they can remain useful even into the high levels. The fighter spends his money more overtly on improvements, but that certainly doesn’t mean other classes aren’t doing the same thing.

Let’s leave Core for just a moment and look at one of the more “broken” builds out there, DMM and nightsticks. Keep in mind that the game is built around 25 point buy. This means that the cleric will probably start with Wisdom and then Charisma for his highest stats. Using the Elite Array, this means 15 and 14 respectively. If he adds +2 to Wisdom and +3 to Charisma, then he will only be at 17 for each. He’s going to want that 19 in Wisdom at a minimum. Let’s make sure he can get his DCs up, bonus spells, and enough turn attempts to make Persistent Spell useful. The dreaded DMM cleric with nightsticks is now dependent upon his gear. He will need to spend 7500 gold just for the nightsticks. Add in ability enhancers (Wisdom, Charisma) and he’s going to be spending 36000 x 2 (periapt and cloak) + 110,000 (tome +4) + 110,000 (tome +4) and we’re at 299,500. That’s about 40% of his money at level 20 and we’ve only bought 5 items. The cleric managed to get his Wisdom and Charisma to 27. If our cleric decides that he wants to emulate a fighter, he’s going to be putting quite a bit of money and effort into this. If he wants to be casting spells like raise dead or true resurrection, it is going to cost even more. Even if the party chips in, 25% of those values still add up.

Wizards are no different. Looking at their spells, they need to spend quite a bit of money just scribing them into their books. 1 page per level, 100gp per page, 100 pages per book, empty book costs 15gp. 19 level 0 spells, 4 1st level spells (assuming 15 starting Intelligence), and as he levels, he could have a total of 19, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 + 4 more of any level (let’s make them 2, 4, 6, 8 for simplicity). Every spell after this is going to cost. Just by adding one more known spell per level is going to cost 5,130 gold just for scribing the spells. The cost of each spell is also 13,167 for the spells themselves. To scribe 10 spells, one of each level, will cost 18,667. For the flexibility we the wizard is supposed to have with the spells he can cast, he should know 7 spells per level (this is what I’ve been able to gather from the boards, not my opinion). He will need 55,911 gold. While not much, it starts to add up quickly. He’s also going to need and want a high Intelligence. Let’s assume that he only cares about Intelligence. Starting with a 15, let’s give him +6 headband and +4 tome to get him up to 30 Intelligence (he does want his DCs as high as he can set them, this would make the DC 20+ spell level). He’s just spent 201,941, which is 28% of his money. He hasn’t invested in scrolls, wands, staves, or rings of wizardry yet.

The rogue is the same, but I don’t think I need to go into more purchases to show this. Every character needs money to be able to handle the higher level encounters. How they spend that money is up to them, but no character is going to do well without that money.

Feats Don’t Scale
Feats don’t scale, they stack. Power Attack and Combat Expertise do not scale since you need to take a penalty to get a bonus. Scaling means that your abilities improve without you sacrificing anything. Fireball scales. Power Attack does not; it synergizes with other bonuses so gives the illusion of scaling.

The other benefit of feats is that they continuously grant options. While any class can take almost any feat, only the fighter can have 3 or 4 feat trees (or more). He is not limited to 7 feats at 20th level. He has nearly three times as many. Some trees share prerequisites making them good combinations. When leaving Core, this becomes even truer.

Drain on Resources
This is an issue for many players. Buff spells are not really an issue. Most of the spells are low level, spell slots that the cleric or wizard wasn’t going to be relying on in the first place. Most buffs last quite some time. There is no reason why the party should wait for combat before using many of these spells. The party could chip in for a wand or staff that would grant these buffs instead of the casters having to prepare those spells.

Nothing says the fighter should be the only one getting buffs. In fact buffs should go to the most appropriate character. If the fighter is getting Enlarge, the rogue should be getting Blur. The cleric does not need to cast two to three spells on himself to become equal to the warrior (not fighter, but warrior) before buffs when he can instead cast one spell on the fighter and focus more on doing what he needs to do to affect the enemy. Any caster that is taking two to three rounds to become almost as good as someone who is already filling that role is not being played intelligently or wisely. They are in fact being played the exact opposite. For long-term buffs this is different, but in the short term, there is little reason to waste time. Strangely enough, the casters can really only get those two to three rounds when the melee guys are keeping the enemy at bay.

When it comes to reciprocation, it should be noted that everyone is going to view this differently. The fighter that puts his life on the line so the casters can get that extra round of spellcasting has reciprocated. The fighter can easily get into and stay in melee so the rogue can get his sneak attack. Note that while anyone can get into position for flanking, the fighter is suited to staying there and being dangerous.

Healing spells are not really a drain either. Everyone in the party is going to need one at some point. The party is supposed to use resources. Casting spells is supposed to happen. Using wands, scrolls, staffs, etc. is supposed to happen. The fighter can chip in for some of those costs, and should since he is benefiting.

The Fighter is not a Threat
This comes from a few different issues. First is probably a DM issue. If the DM is not making sure everyone has a chance to shine, then he has failed the player(s). If the DM is not using traps and the rogue has ranks in the appropriate skills, what’s at fault: the skills, the rogue, the DM, or the player? The DM has a responsibility to make sure every player and character has appropriate opportunities. The player has a responsibility to take those opportunities or even work on creating his own. This is not DM fiat. DM fiat is actually more of dues ex machina. The DM should be spending time making sure that the party can handle the encounter. He should not be throwing things in just because he wants the party to survive. That’s the party’s problem. The DM has an obligation to his players to provide an adventure they will enjoy. This isn’t a problem with the fighter, but a problem with the DM/player compatibility.

The DM should make sure that he is sending EL appropriate encounters at the party. He should be spending time making sure that those encounters are not going to hinder one class too much or too often. Sending hoards of undead at the party is screwing the rogue. This is the same as sending tons of colossal scorpions at the fighter who focused on Improved Trip. I have seen many players get upset because the DM sent too many rust monsters, too many undead, or too many magic resistant monsters at the party. It’s okay to do this periodically, but it should not be the norm.

If the DM targets the fighter to take him out first and the cleric or wizard takes that opportunity to slay the opponent, why did this happen? If the fighter was not a threat, then the enemy was not played as intelligently as he could have been. If the fighter was just an easy target, then the DM is just being mean. If this happened because that’s how the DM feels fighters should be treated, then the DM is at fault. The enemy should be played according to its Intelligence and Wisdom.

No Class Features
This is untrue. Their class features are Bonus Feats. This is important to note. While almost any feat can be taken by any class, the fighter gets three times as many. When built right, the fighter can have several different combat options and still have a few feats left over for improving saves and/or skills.

The Best Feats Are Useless As He Levels
Let’s take a look at what people refer to here. They are generally referring to any tactic that requires an opposed roll. Looking through the Monster Manual, the highest roll you’ll need worry about is 40 for the purposes of trip and bull rush. For grappling, you’re going to need to worry about 81. For sundering and disarming, 35 is the target number. Note that sundering is also going to need decent damage. Adamantine weapons are nice for this, but even a fighter dealing 30+ points of damage won’t have to worry much most of the time.

Only one creature has a grapple check at +81. All characters will have a hard time dealing with that number. The best answer is to just not deal with the grapples by using any number of tactics including freedom of movement, just not being in a grappling situation, or using ranged or reach weapons.

Better when they prestige/multiclass
This is a very strange argument in the fact that every character (not class, but character) is probably going to be stronger when they multiclass. That is the reason why people multiclass.

Some people leave the fighter for greener pastures as soon as they get what they want out of the class. Doesn’t this hold true for all classes? Who continues to take Wizard to level 20 when he would be better off taking a prestige class? To assume this is a problem unique to the fighter is wrong. Let’s take a look at the importance of multiclassing. A character does not multiclass because he doesn’t like the class he is in. What happens is that he needs more. The barbarian that takes a few levels of fighter so he can get some bonus feats isn’t seen as a problem but the fighter that takes a few levels of barbarian so he can rage is. If the fighter sucks because he must do this, then so does the barbarian. What about fighter/wizards? The wizard does not suck just because he doesn’t have a good enough base attack to fill the role. The wizard does not suck because he doesn’t have enough bonus feats. The wizard is inappropriate as a single classed character to fill that role.

Multiclassing allows a character to pick the features he wants to fill the concept. In most games, characters are not built as static sets of numbers. Most players come up with a concept and try to select the combination of classes that fit that concept.

How Do You Make a Decent Fighter?
The first thing you need to do is come up with a fighting style you would like to specialize in. This should be something you’ll be able to accomplish by level 4 or 5. From there, focus on a few more styles that compliment your specialization. Don’t forget that you will also need to address some of your weaknesses.

Step 1: Check with DM
Talk to the DM about the campaign. What type of campaign is this? The DM says that there is a war going on between the good humanoids and the evil ones. Most of the encounters will be with humanoids, but we should keep in mind that they tend to employ whatever means they can. Good we spoke with the DM first. The first concept we had might have been a dwarven swashbuckler built more for city adventuring and interacting with the ladies.

Step 2: Concept.
We want this fighter to be the stereotypical knight. A little background here would be a good start. This fighter originally wanted to be a paladin, but he can’t seem to keep his anger in check and tends to react to his emotions. Let’s make him Chaotic Good. We should consider his race here also. Knights seem to be more of a human concept so let’s make him human.

Step 3: Plan.
What will he look like at levels 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20? While we know that this will change as the campaign goes on, it’s important to have a plan. Let’s look at some feats that will help us fill that goal.
[LIST=1]

Weapon Focus (longsword)

Weapon Specialization (longsword)

Weapon Focus (lance)

Weapon Specialization (lance)

Greater Weapon Focus (longsword)

Greater Weapon Focus (lance)

Greater Weapon Specialization (lance)

Greater Weapon Specialization (longsword)

Dodge

Mounted Combat

Improved Shield Bash

Two-Weapon Fighting

Mobility

Combat Expertise

Leadership

Ride-by Attack

Spirited Charge


We may have chosen too many feats. We need to remain flexible with our choices. We can’t neglect our skills or saves so let’s make sure that we leave some room for feats to help out there. We can drop Dodge and Mobility. This will leave us with 3 feats to play with later. We can still drop things if we need to.

Let’s go to the skills and see what we need. We know that we’re going to need Ride. That’s going to eat up our skill points. What else should we focus on? Intimidate seems good. So does Jump and Climb. Diplomacy may come in handy. Handle Animal will be a very good choice. We may also want to give him some Knowledge (nobility and royalty). We know that we have at least 3 skill points per level so far. We’re probably going to have to look at some attributes. Our feats and skills are going to need this information.

Step 4: Build
Since this is a 25 point buy character, let’s keep it simple and give him the Elite Array. We know that we need and 13 Intelligence, 15 Dexterity. We’re going to want some good scores in Strength and Constitution. So let’s start with the minimums.

Str: 14
Dex: 15
Con: 12
Int: 13
Wis: 10
Cha: 8

So now we qualify for all of our feats and we can still have some flexibility.

At first level, we have 16 skill points to spend. Let’s start with Climb 4, Knowledge 2, Diplomacy 2, and Handle Animal 4. We really can’t afford a mount yet, so let’s not worry about Ride quite yet.

We will want to take the feats now, so let’s take Weapon Focus (longsword), Two-Weapon Fighting, and Improved Shield Bash.

Level 1
Attack: Longsword +4 (1d8+2) or longsword +2 (1d8+2) and shield +0 (1d6+1)
Saves: Fort +3, Ref: +2, Will +0
Skills: Climb +6 (4r), Diplomacy +1 (2r [cc]), Handle Animal +3 (4r), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +3 (2r [cc])

Let’s move him to level 5. We have an attribute increase to address. Since we have an odd number of points to add up to level 20, we can add to Intelligence first and still add 4 more to Strength later. Let’s do that.

We have 3 more feats to add in. We’re also going to have 8 skill points for levels 2 and 3. Levels 4 and 5, we’ll have 10 points. We can work with this.

We can now afford a mount so let’s put points into Ride. We’re going to max this skill out since we’re going to want to protect our mount. At level 5 that’s 8 ranks. We also need one more point in Handle Animal at a minimum for the synergy bonus. It’s time to put points into Intimidate and Diplomacy now. 5 ranks in Bluff will give us +2 to both skills.

We should take Mounted Combat and Power Attack. Let’s take Improved Initiative (it wasn’t on our list, but that +4 bonus is nice).

We should write up a wish list of gear. Note that we may not get all this gear, but there is very little reason why it should be denied in a standard campaign.

Level 5
Str: 14
Dex: 15
Con: 12
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 8

Initiative: +6
AC: 19
Attack: Longsword +9 (1d8+3), or lance +8 (1d8+2), or longsword +6 (1d8+2) and shield +4 (1d6+1), or lance +5 (1d8+2) and shield +4 (1d6+1)
Saves: Fort +5, Ref: +3, Will +1
Skills: Bluff +0 (1r [cc]), Climb +2 (4r), Diplomacy +1 (2r [cc]), Handle Animal +7 (8r), Intimidate +1 (2r), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +3 (2r [cc]), Ride +14 (8r)
Feats: Weapon Focus (longsword), Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Shield Bash, Mounted Combat, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.

We can get some gear to improve these numbers a little bit like an appropriate saddle to give +2 to Ride checks. We will probably have either masterwork weapons or magical ones. Let’s give him a +1 longsword and a masterwork lance. He also has masterwork breastplate and heavy steel shield.

Let’s look at level 10.

He should add this to Strength now. Now let’s look at his feats. He gets 5 more feats. He can now take Leadership to get a decent mount. He can have a Leadership score of 10. This gives him a 7th level mount. He could take a Pegasus which should last him a few levels. The mount can continue to grow with the fighter through several levels. For the other 4 feats, let’s give him Weapon Specialization (longsword), Weapon Focus (lance), Spirited Charge, and Iron Will. He also gets 25 more skill points. Let’s continue to max out Ride and see where we want to go from here. He should have a +2 weapon, +1 back up weapon, +2 armor, and a +2 shield. This takes up more than 28,000 gold but he still has plenty to play with. He should consider improving his Constitution to get more hit points.

Here he is at level 10
Str: 15
Dex: 15
Con: 12
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 8

Initiative: +6
AC: 23
Attack: +1 Longsword +14/+9 (1d8+5), or +2 lance +15/+10 (1d8+4), or longsword +12 (1d8+5) and shield +10 (1d6+1), or lance +13 (1d8+4) and shield +10 (1d6+1)
Saves: Fort +8, Ref: +5, Will +5
Skills: Bluff +4 (5r [cc]), Climb +2 (4r), Diplomacy +9 (6r [cc]), Handle Animal +7 (8r), Intimidate +9 (6r), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +5 (3r [cc]), Ride +19 (13r)
Feats: Weapon Focus (longsword), Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Shield Bash, Mounted Combat, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (lance), Leadership, Weapon Focus (lance), Spirited Charge, Iron Will

When he charges, he deals triple damage with the lance and double damage with other weapons. His mount can also attack. Remember that we haven’t purchased all his gear yet, there is still a decent amount left over.

Our level 10 fighter can handle himself in combat. His skills are useful out of combat. He can fill the role of commander.

Now we’ve hit level 15. We’ve not used all the feats on the list from before. We get 4 more feats and 25 more skill points so let’s see where we stand now. We need to take the Greater Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Specialization feats as well as Combat Expertise to finish our list. Let’s take Weapon Specialization (Lance), Greater Weapon Focus (lance), Greater Weapon Specialization (lance), and let’s also throw in one from outside the list, Skill Focus (Ride). We should switch our Pegasus mount for a griffon at any point from 10th level on.

He should have a +3 primary weapon, +2 back up weapon, +3 armor, +3 shield, saving throw buffs, Strength and Constitution buffs. His mount is now a level 10 mount. We have 200,000 gold to play with. We can spend just over 141,000 to end up with a +2 longsword, +3 lance, +3 breastplate, +3 heavy steel shield, belt of giant strength +6, amulet of health +6, and cloak of resistance +5.

Str: 22
Dex: 15
Con: 18
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 8

Initiative: +6
AC: 25
Attack: +2 Longsword +24/+19 (1d8+8), or +3 lance +26/+21 (1d8+16), or longsword +22 (1d8+8) and shield +19 (1d6+3), or lance +24 (1d8+13) and shield +19 (1d6+3)
Saves: Fort +15, Ref: +12, Will +12
Skills: Bluff +4 (5r [cc]), Climb +6 (4r), Diplomacy +12 (9r [cc]), Handle Animal +7 (8r), Intimidate +9 (6), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +5 (3r [cc]), Ride +27 (18r), Sense Motive +5 (3r [cc]), Tumble +2 (4r [cc])
Feats: Weapon Focus (longsword), Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Shield Bash, Mounted Combat, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (lance), Leadership, Weapon Specialization (lance), Spirited Charge, Iron Will, Power Attack, Greater Weapon Focus (lance), Greater Weapon Specialization (lance), Skill Focus (Ride)

So our core only fighter can deal with battlefield mobility, can inspire troops, deals a decent amount of damage.

Let’s go to level 20. The two attribute points are going into Constitution rather than Strength as we originally planned. It looks like we can deal enough damage just fine. We get 4 more feats and 20 more skill points. Let’s look at feats first. We can take Negotiator, Greater Weapon Focus (longsword), Improved Critical (longsword), and Greater Weapon Specialization (longsword). As for the skills, we know Ride needs more points. Let’s also add 1 more to Diplomacy. This leaves us with 15 points. Let’s put them all into Intimidate.

We should have a +5 primary weapon, +4 back up, +5 armor, and a +5 shield at this point.

Str: 22
Dex: 15
Con: 20
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 8

Initiative: +6
AC: 29
Attack: +4 Longsword +34/+29/+24/+19 (1d8+12), or +5 lance +35/+30/+25/+20 (1d8+18), or longsword +32 (1d8+12) and shield +23 (1d6+3), or lance +33 (1d8+15) and shield +23 (1d6+3)
Saves: Fort +22, Ref: +13, Will +13
Skills: Bluff +4 (5r [cc]), Climb +6 (4r), Diplomacy +16 (11r [cc]), Handle Animal +7 (8r), Intimidate +19 (18r), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +5 (3r [cc]), Ride +32 (23r), Sense Motive +7 (5r [cc]), Tumble +2 (4r [cc])
Feats: Weapon Focus (longsword), Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Shield Bash, Mounted Combat, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (lance), Leadership, Weapon Specialization (lance), Spirited Charge, Iron Will, Power Attack, Greater Weapon Focus (lance), Greater Weapon Specialization (lance), Skill Focus (Ride), Negotiator, Greater Weapon Focus (longsword), Improved Critical (longsword), and Weapon Specialization (longsword)

So there’s our Core-only fighter that can fill the role of mounted warrior, sword-and-board, and commander. So he can handle multiple opponents (two-weapon fighting, shield bashing, and his mount); he can handle single opponents (mounted combat, power attack, charge); he can deal with mobile opponents (mounted combat, flying or grounded); he has about a 50% chance of dealing with Ref and Will saves (we haven’t finished purchasing his gear so this can go higher); and he can lead an army into battle immediately after they’ve been demoralized by significant losses with the command presence of Patton. Expect the character to change as the campaign progresses. There are still things we can do like improve Charisma, get defending weapons, etc. This is just a start.

Conclusion
The fighter can be a significant member of any party when built properly. The fighter can handle himself in any combat and can do just fine outside of combat. He may have some difficult battles, but that would hold true for any character.

If we were to look only at how casters fare, of course the fighter may appear lacking. However, this isn’t a problem unique to the fighter. All non-casting classes will have the same issues. If we only look at how spells work, ignoring how feats and skills work, then we will see many of the same problems again. However, when we realize that the feats are not meant to be consumable resources, we realize that they function quite well. Of course, this all depends on how the DM runs his games. If the DM is only using a few encounters per day, the casters can nova. If the DM is using mostly magical opponents, then he is tilting the balance of the game towards the casters. If the DM is only using anti-magic encounters (not necessarily the spell, but tactics), then he is favoring the non-casters. If the DM runs the characters through a gauntlet without giving them any rest time or allowing the wizards to learn new spells, then he is favoring the non-casters.

If we really spend some time understanding the game, we can see that the fighter is actually rather balanced. While not perfect (and I would never claim that any class is), it fills its intended function: chassis for any fighter-type the player wants. The only thing that would really make the class better would be some guidelines on how to build the character. Ideally, guidelines shouldn’t be needed for a well built character. There should be some guidelines for all classes, but nothing on the level that I have written here.

I would say that the fighter is a very difficult class to work with when it comes to building it up from 1st to 20th. I think it’s very easy to play, just not build. I would say that casters are the exact opposite. They are very easy to build from 1st to 20th, but not as easy to play. Sometimes more options can cause more problems as you are more likely to make a poor choice that can cause your character’s untimely death. If you select the wrong spells today, you may not survive until tomorrow to fix the problem. This isn’t the best way to balance classes against each other or within the system, but this is how things have been for decades now. Hopefully 4E changes things, we can only wait and see.

Just to say I think this is a great piece of work.

To the guy above, some comments:

-The more books you add the more complicated things start being. Stuff such as Unearthed Arcana full of alternative rules makes comparisons very hard.

-Ironically, more books actually help the fighter quite a lot. Thanks to his feats the fighter can enter powerful prestige classes quickly and easily. Then, just like spells, there are a lot of powerful feats in splatbooks to improve your fighter. And mounts, magic items, etc, etc.

-The barbarian being stronger than the fighter in 1 to 1 combat is far from truth. A well built pure fighter can actually outdamage the well built pure barbarian.

(1) I am a huge fighter fan, so don't get me wrong, but you're going against The Oberoni Principle. you can't use the bad DM argument, since that way, you can say the commoner is balanced, since its the DM's job to make things fun.

(2) looking further in the post ... nice graphs, but the spells themselves don't matter: it matters what monsters have (suppose all lvl 20 monsters have the lvl 9 spell with Will save, but there also exist 200 spells with a Fortitude save. As you see, the spell count doesn't matter how many spells there are; only the monsters).

(3) nice comparison about the football team. a team of clerics can easily be overcome by a few early fireballs (CoDzilla's in core are MAD: WIS 19+ for spells, STR or your attacks won't hit, CON for hp, DEX 12 for AC, ...).

also: Will saves? the party booster casts a simple magic circle vs evil ... bye bye dominate person, charm person, and monster variants ...

(4) about skills? fighter has more skills then the sorcerer. the sorcerer needs skills (like concentration, spellcraft, knowledge(arcane)) the fighter needs nothing.

I'm more of the "Lets put the party together, and check the global resources. what does the fighter contribute?" IMO the fighter will be the best meat shield even better then the cleric, because what are the prerequisites for a meat shield?
- he has AC and hp
- at any point of the day (even if the enemy has suprise or higher init)

This post is fairly moot when we look at all the design changes and posts about 4e. The designers have already acknowledged how terrible the fighter is compared to other classes, we can hear it in the podcasts and read it on the blogs.

Can you have fun with a gimped class? Certainly. Doesn't change the fact that designers said it has been gimped, and that those "flaws" so cunningly reinterpreted are being exorcised in the next edition.

Let's look at it this way: A Druid's animal companion typically has better attributes, better to-hit values, isn't gear dependent, has better saves, receives spells for free, and can fulfill one of the 'doable' fighter roles (Tank, damage dealer,skirmisher) better than a PC can, then there's trouble, especially considering that if the animal had the fighter's gear budget, it would do a much better job. Heck, with the awaken spell, the animal companion would do much better.

Honestly, if a class feature is better at doing the fighter's job then a fighter, that means something is wrong. You might be better off assigning your fighter player to be the animal companion and allocate the animal companion the fighter's gear budget!

The gimpedness of the fighter has been publicly acknowledged and is an opinion with the consensus of the majority of players on this website. It doesn't do anyone any good denying it, as many people from many styles of play and years of playtesting have indeed reported that yes, fighters suck.

Looking at statistical weaknesses differently won't change the fact that they are statistical weaknesses; if a fighter can't do job X effectively, he can't do it effectively. Unless you come up with a brilliant new build and play style that magically eliminates these weaknesses, then nothing is going to change other than how people -talk- about the fighter, and frankly that isn't particularly useful at all.

The OP has put in some very thorough work here, well done! I too am a big fan of fighters, and, if properly built they really can be very good. I still think that spellcasters are better, as disintegrate goes to show (40d6? Criminal!)

Personally, I gave the fighter more feats (from 11th onwards he gets one every level instead of every other level) and tweaked some of the feats so that Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization and Two-Weapon Fighting all keep getting better.

Complete Warrior did the fighter a lot of favors, not least because of the occult slayer prestige class.