Human Fighter Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Take the Great Weapon Fighting style at level 1 to reroll 1s and 2s on your heavy weapon damage dice. Use your Versatile trait to take the Tough Origin feat immediately. For your subclass at level 3, lock in Battle Master. Precision Attack is absolutely mandatory to offset heavy hit penalties, while Trip Attack generates your own advantage. At level 4, take the Great Weapon Master feat to capitalize on your Battle Master maneuvers.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings Extra Attack, bumping your baseline melee DPR. At level 6, use your bonus Fighter ASI to bump Strength by +2, bringing it to 17. At level 8, take Polearm Master to weaponize your bonus action and reaction. Level 9 grants Indomitable. Combine this feature with your Human Resourceful Heroic Inspiration to essentially guarantee you pass a devastating Wisdom saving throw that would otherwise take you out of the fight.

Levels 11-16

Level 11 gives you your third attack per Attack action. This is where the Fighter chassis pulls ahead of Paladins and Barbarians in raw action economy. At level 12, take the Resilient (Wisdom) feat. Your base 10 Wisdom is a massive liability in Tier 3 play against charms and fears. Level 14 gives you another Fighter ASI; cap your Strength at 20. Level 16 is your flex spot—take Sentinel to lock down enemies who trigger your Polearm Master opportunity attacks.

Levels 17-20

Level 17 grants your second Action Surge. You now have the burst potential to drop six attacks in a single turn. Level 20 caps the build with your fourth attack per action. Use your Battle Master maneuvers on every hit during an Action Surge turn to stack d12 Superiority Dice damage on top of your base weapon damage. At this tier, you operate as a physical lawnmower.

Tough (Origin Feat)

Take this at level 1 via the Human Versatile trait. Gaining two extra hit points per level turns your 39 HP at level 5 into 49 HP, effectively buying you the durability of a 16 Constitution score while you leave your actual stat at 13.

Great Weapon Master

Take this at level 4. The flat damage bonus on heavy weapon attacks is non-negotiable for a Fighter acting as a Striker. Use your Battle Master Precision Attack maneuver to ensure these heavy swings actually connect.

Polearm Master

Take this at level 8. A d4 bonus action attack adds your Strength modifier and GWM bonuses, drastically increasing your DPR. It also weaponizes your reaction whenever an enemy enters your reach.

Resilient (Wisdom)

Take this at level 12. As a Fighter with a base 10 Wisdom score, failing a DC 17 Wisdom save against a Vampire's charm means you will spend the encounter attacking your own casters. This feat is mandatory to stay in the fight.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Start with Chain Mail and a mundane Halberd. Purchase a Bullseye Lantern immediately to offset your lack of Human Darkvision, allowing you to actually see your targets in underground encounters.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Upgrade to Plate Armor as soon as you have 1,500 gp. Seek out a +1 Halberd to bypass non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing resistance. Prioritize acquiring Goggles of Night to permanently solve your Darkvision problem.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Hunt down a Belt of Fire Giant Strength. This sets your Strength score to 25, drastically improving your to-hit modifier and allowing you to swap your Level 14 Fighter ASI to a different feat, like Alert, if you acquire this belt early.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

Acquire a Blood Fury Tattoo. Adding 4d6 necrotic damage to your four base Fighter attacks per turn scales your DPR into the stratosphere and provides massive self-healing on critical strikes.

As a Striker, your role is to output consistent, heavy physical damage while absorbing frontline aggression with your d10 hit die and Tough feat. You need party members who can compensate for your lack of magical utility and poor innate senses.

A Wolf Totem Barbarian is your best friend. They grant you advantage on all melee attack rolls while you stand next to them. This completely negates the accuracy penalty of Great Weapon Master, freeing up your Battle Master Superiority dice for pure damage maneuvers like Menacing Attack instead of relying on Precision Attack.

A Twilight Domain Cleric is the perfect support for a Human Fighter. They provide the 300-foot shared Darkvision you desperately lack, entirely covering your species' biggest weakness. Furthermore, their Twilight Sanctuary temporary hit points stack incredibly well with your high AC and Tough feat, making you an unkillable juggernaut.

Barbarian 2 Dip

Taking two levels of Barbarian grants Reckless Attack. Gaining at-will advantage synergizes perfectly with your multiple Fighter attacks and Great Weapon Master. You also gain Rage, which halves incoming physical damage, essentially doubling the value of your Tough feat HP.

Peace Domain Cleric 1 Dip

A single level of Peace Cleric gives you Emboldening Bond, adding a 1d4 to attack rolls. Combined with the Battle Master's Precision Attack maneuver, you will almost never miss a Great Weapon Master swing, even against high-AC targets.

• Hoarding Heroic Inspiration: The Resourceful trait restores this on a Long Rest. Burn it on your first missed Great Weapon Master swing of the day. Do not save it for a 'perfect' moment that never comes.
• Ignoring Wisdom Saves: Your base 10 Wisdom is a death sentence in Tier 3. Delaying the Resilient (Wisdom) feat past level 12 guarantees you will be crowd-controlled out of major boss fights.
• Fighting in the Dark: Humans lack Darkvision. Swinging at disadvantage halves your DPR and prevents opportunity attacks. Always carry a lantern or demand the Light cantrip from a caster.
• Wasting the Versatile Feat: Taking Savage Attacker instead of Tough or Alert at level 1 wastes your best species feature on a mathematically inferior damage boost.