Do you want to play D&D to mainly hunt down monsters and powerful foes? Do you want a character with superior martial combat skills and the mind of a strategist? If so, you’re sure to have fun with a Human Fighter character. Below is a short guide on how to create and play as one. 

The Human race AND the Fighter class can be found in the Player’s Handbook. Click here to pick up your own copy of The Player’s Handbook!

How to Make a Human Fighter

Roll your die or use the 15-14-13-12-10-8 system to determine your stats. Place the highest number under Strength. However, if you plan to use the archery fighting style, make Dexterity your highest stat. The second-highest ability score should be Constitution or Intelligence. Pick the latter if you’ll subclass as an Eldritch Knight.

With that said, Fighters have three subclasses or martial archetypes, to pick from in the PHB. Eldritch Knight is one of them. The other two are Champion and Battle Master.

Out of the three, Eldritch Knights are the only ones that can use spells and magic with their fighting styles. Battle Masters are strategists and could use special maneuvers in battle. Champions are the types of Fighters that like to overpower their foes or deal as much damage to them as fast as possible.

Finally, we recommend you pick the Variant Human. This gives you an extra feat, which you can use to learn to read lips, speak new languages, and more. 

How to Play a Human Fighter

Your allies will depend on you to be a primary damage dealer of the party. Use Second Wind to regain some hit points whenever you’re getting low on them. Your Action Surge lets you take an extra attack, action, or movement to turn the tides of battle.

If you’re new to D&D the optimal subclass for you is the Champion. It has a simplistic playstyle with fewer choices to get confused with while offering better athleticism, more chances to make critical hits, and added resilience. If you like something that allows for more flexibility in combat actions, be a Battle Master. You’ll learn to use trip attacks, pushing attacks, parrying, and other battle maneuvers. 

As for Eldritch Knights, it’ll help to have a handful of defensive and offensive spells in your spellbook. Spells that allow you to be more mobile are also good. Some of the best spells and cantrips that prove handy in combat are:

• Fireball
• Invisibility
• Shield
• Magic Weapon
• Haste
• Stone Skin
• Protection From Good/Evil

How to Roleplay as a Human Fighter

Fighters don’t need to be battle-hungry and bloodthirsty all the time. Roleplaying this type of character can be tiring. Your character should have a deeper side to him or her other than her class and race.

You can add a deeper layer to your character by using an accent or changing your pitch. You can also roleplay your character based on his mental stats. For example, if your Human Fighter has moderate Charisma but low Wisdom, they may act a lot like Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) or Gilderoy Lockhart (Harry Potter). 

Don’t forget that you designed your character with a backstory. Use this to add another layer of depth to the character.