Dragonborn Champion Fighter Build Guide
Maximizing the Champion's Improved Critical requires raw attack volume, and combining Draconic Flight with Action Surge gives you the perfect, inescapable delivery system.
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Why Champion?
The Champion Fighter is often unfairly dismissed as a "basic" subclass. While it lacks the resource management of a Battle Master or the magic of an Eldritch Knight, it possesses a brutal, undeniable mathematical consistency. When you pair this chassis with a Dragonborn—specifically a Fizban's-era Dragonborn with Draconic Flight and a streamlined Breath Weapon—you solve the Champion's two biggest weaknesses: mobility and area-of-effect damage.
By default, a Champion is a single-target meatgrinder. Improved Critical at level 3 doubles your chance to land a massive blow, but if you're stuck dashing toward a flying enemy, your DPR drops to zero. Draconic Flight completely negates this. You can launch yourself into the backline, bypass the enemy frontline, and unleash an Action Surge directly into the enemy wizard's face.
Furthermore, the Dragonborn's Breath Weapon integrates flawlessly with the Fighter's Extra Attack. Because it only replaces a single attack rather than consuming your entire action, you can exhale a cone of fire to clear out low-HP minions, then use your remaining attacks to fish for 19-20 crits on the main boss. With an optimal starting stat block of STR 15 and CON 13, you are perfectly positioned to grab half-feats that weaponize your critical hits.
Champion Features
Improved Critical
Level 3Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
Remarkable Athlete
Level 3You can add half your Proficiency Bonus (round up) to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check you make that doesn't already use your Proficiency Bonus. In addition, when you make a running Long Jump, the distance you can cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Strength modifier.
Additional Fighting Style
Level 7You can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.
Heroic Warrior
Level 10You have advantage on saving throws to avoid being Incapacitated or killed outright.
Superior Critical
Level 15Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20 on the d20.
Survivor
Level 18You regain hit points equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier when you finish a Short Rest. You must have at least 1 hit point to gain this benefit.
Recommended Ability Scores
Dragonborn Traits That Benefit Champion Fighter
Draconic Flight
Flight provides incredible mobility, letting the Fighter reach otherwise inaccessible positions.
Draconic Ancestry
Breath Weapon provides AoE damage that martial Fighters otherwise lack.
Breath Weapon
Breath Weapon provides AoE damage that martial Fighters otherwise lack.
Damage Resistance
Built-in damage resistance reduces incoming damage, keeping your Fighter alive longer in combat.
Combat Effectiveness
| Level | HP | Melee DPR | Ranged DPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 7.8 |
| Level 11 | 81 | 10.73 | 10.73 |
| Level 17 | 123 | 10.73 | 10.73 |
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Build Path (Levels 1-20)
Levels 1-4
Start with a Greatsword and chain mail. For your Level 1 Fighting Style, take Great Weapon Fighting to reroll 1s and 2s on your massive 2d6 damage dice. At Level 3, you unlock the core of the subclass: Improved Critical. Expanding your crit range to 19-20 means you have a 10% chance per swing to deal double dice. At Level 4, take the Slasher feat to bump your Strength from 15 to 16. Slasher has incredible synergy with Improved Critical—every time you crit, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls until your next turn. At a 10% base chance (or 19% with advantage), you will constantly debuff enemies.
Levels 5-10
Level 5 brings Extra Attack. Now you can use your Breath Weapon to fry a swarm of goblins and still swing your Greatsword in the same action. At Level 6, take Great Weapon Master (GWM). When you score a critical hit, GWM grants a bonus action attack. With Improved Critical, you'll trigger this frequently. At Level 7, you get Remarkable Athlete (which adds half your proficiency to Initiative, as it's a Dexterity check!) and Additional Fighting Style. Take Defense for a flat +1 AC. Level 8 goes to +2 STR (18). Level 10 grants Heroic Warrior, giving you advantage on saves against effects that incapacitate or kill you outright—crucial for surviving high-level save-or-suck spells.
Levels 11-16
Level 11 is the Fighter's major power spike: Extra Attack (2). Three attacks per action means three chances to roll a 19 or 20. At Level 12, max your Strength to 20. Level 13 brings Indomitable, patching up your low Wisdom saves. At Level 14, take Resilient (Wisdom) to survive tier 3 spellcasters. Level 15 is massive: Superior Critical expands your crit range to 18-20. With three attacks (six on an Action Surge), your chance of landing at least one critical hit and triggering GWM's bonus attack skyrockets. At Level 16, take +2 CON to prepare for your capstone.
Levels 17-20
Level 17 grants your second Action Surge. Level 18 unlocks Survivor, regenerating 1d6 + CON modifier at the start of your turn if you're below half HP. This makes you incredibly sticky in protracted fights. At Level 19, take the Tough feat to massively pad your hit points. Finally, Level 20 brings Extra Attack (3). Four attacks per action, critting on an 18-20, means you are an absolute lawnmower. Pop Draconic Flight, Action Surge for 8 attacks, and watch the critical hits roll in.
Recommended Feats
Great Weapon Master
Take this at Level 6. The -5 to hit / +10 to damage is mathematically superior against anything with an AC of 16 or lower, but the real reason we take it on a Champion is the bonus action attack on a critical hit. Because Improved Critical effectively doubles your chances of scoring a crit, you will trigger this bonus action attack constantly, significantly boosting your action economy and DPR.
Slasher
Take this at Level 4 to round your 15 STR to 16. Champion Fighters lack built-in crowd control or debuffs. Slasher fixes this. Reducing a target's speed by 10 feet on a hit is nice, but the real prize is imposing disadvantage on all of the target's attack rolls when you score a critical hit. With a 19-20 (and later 18-20) crit range, you become an elite single-target debuffer.
Resilient (Wisdom)
With a starting WIS of 10, you are a massive liability against mid-to-high CR casters. Take this at Level 14. Heroic Warrior helps against incapacitation, but Resilient (Wisdom) ensures you don't get mind-controlled by a vampire and forced to turn your 18-20 crit range against your own cleric.
Gear Progression
Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)
Start with Chain Mail and a Greatsword. Your priority is saving up 1,500 gold for Full Plate armor. If you find a Potion of Giant Strength, hoard it for a boss fight where you plan to Action Surge to maximize your attack accuracy.
Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)
Secure a +1 Greatsword to offset the GWM penalty. Since you have built-in Draconic Flight (assuming Gem Dragonborn), you don't need Winged Boots. Instead, seek out a Cloak of Displacement. Giving enemies disadvantage on attacks against you pairs beautifully with the flat AC from your Defense fighting style.
Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)
You need a weapon with extra damage dice to multiply on critical hits. A Flametongue Greatsword is best-in-slot here. When Superior Critical hits at level 15, critting on an 18-20 with a Flametongue means you are doubling 2d6 slashing AND 2d6 fire damage constantly. It's a massive DPR multiplier.
Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)
Seek a Belt of Fire Giant Strength (or better) to push your STR beyond 20, making your GWM swings practically guaranteed to hit. A Blood Fury Tattoo is your ultimate endgame item; the extra necrotic damage doubles on crits, and it heals you, stacking beautifully with your Survivor feature.
Party Composition
As a Dragonborn Champion Fighter, your party role is strictly a Striker. You are the hammer. Your primary goal is to get into melee, stay there, and output an overwhelming volume of attacks to fish for critical hits. Because your toolkit is entirely self-sufficient regarding damage, you heavily rely on your party to provide utility and advantage-generating conditions.
This build shines brightest when paired with a Wolf Totem Barbarian or an Oath of Enmity Vengeance Paladin who can guarantee you melee advantage. Rolling 2d20s per attack with an 18-20 crit range from Superior Critical gives you a 27.1% chance to crit per swing. You also pair flawlessly with control casters—a Wizard casting Hold Person or a Druid casting Faerie Fire turns your Champion into an unstoppable force.
Multiclass Options
Barbarian 2
Taking a two-level dip in Barbarian gives you Reckless Attack. Gaining at-will advantage is the holy grail for a Champion Fighter because it mathematically breaks your Improved Critical feature. If you have the stats to support it (requiring you to use medium armor instead of heavy), this dip turns you into a critical-hit machine at the cost of delaying your Extra Attacks.
Paladin 2
If you can spare the 13 Charisma requirement (you start with 12, so it takes a half-feat or ASI), two levels of Paladin for Divine Smite is lethal. Since you crit on an 18-20 by tier 3, you can hold your spell slots and ONLY declare a Divine Smite when you score a critical hit, doubling the radiant damage dice every single time.
Common Pitfalls
- Taking the Savage Attacker feat: Players think rerolling damage dice sounds great for a Champion, but mathematically, it adds less than 2 DPR on a Greatsword. Take Great Weapon Master instead to capitalize on your crits via the bonus action attack.
- Forgetting Remarkable Athlete applies to Initiative: Players constantly forget that Initiative is a Dexterity check. Add half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) to your Initiative rolls starting at Level 7.
- Using Breath Weapon on a single target: At Level 5+, your Breath Weapon replaces exactly one attack. Do not use it against a single boss where a Great Weapon Master swing would do 2d6+14 damage. Save the breath for clearing mobs.
- Wielding a Longsword and Shield: The Champion subclass is entirely dependent on critical hits, which only multiply the weapon's base dice. Critting with a 1d8 Longsword adds a measly 4.5 average damage. You must use a 2d6 Greatsword or 1d12 Greataxe to make your subclass features mathematically relevant.
More Questions
Does my Breath Weapon benefit from Improved Critical?
Does Remarkable Athlete stack with Jack of All Trades?
Which Fighting Style should I take at Level 7?
How exactly does Heroic Warrior work?
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ Champion grants Improved Critical at level 3
- ♦ High hit points for frontline durability
- ♦ Strong species-class synergy enhances core abilities
- ♦ Strong melee damage output
- ♦ Good armor class and initiative
Weaknesses
- ♦ Low Wisdom — vulnerable to common saving throws
- ♦ Limited ranged and magical options without multiclassing
- ♦ No Darkvision — may need light sources in dungeons
Pro Tips
Pop Draconic Flight to bypass the enemy frontline, drop directly onto backline casters, and use Action Surge for an inescapable burst of attacks.
Always remember to add half your proficiency bonus to your Initiative rolls, thanks to the Level 7 Remarkable Athlete feature.
Hold your Action Surge until a party member grants you advantage (like Faerie Fire) to aggressively exploit your Improved Critical range.
Combine the Slasher feat with Superior Critical at Level 15 to impose disadvantage on boss monster attacks nearly every turn.
Use your Breath Weapon to replace your first attack to clear low-HP minions, then direct your remaining Extra Attacks at the primary target.
Other Fighter Subclasses for Dragonborn
Other Races for Champion Fighter
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Champion a good subclass for Dragonborn Fighter?
What makes Champion different from other Fighter subclasses?
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