The Everyman's Guide to Taking Up Arms: A Guide to Fighters

[Willie the Duck]

I'm not looking forward to the new UA becoming canon, mostly because it'll be a lot of work on my end.
In terms of Medium Armor Master, I wouldn't rate it as teal. I can see an argument for it being blue, but everyone can make use of +1 AC and the removal of a Stealth penalty, so it's not what I would call situational.

Literally the only people for whom that is the case are those traits (+1 AC and removal or stealth penalty) are those who have a 16 Dex, are already wearing medium armor, and would rather pick this one feat rather than do something like keep going for Dex 20. Guy with 15- Dex and wearing a breastplate (because they already value stealth)? Now can switch to halfplate for +1 AC without losing stealth. Guy with 15- Dex and in halfplate and eating the stealth disadvantage? Just gets removal of stealth disad. Person who instead power-adds to 20 Dex? One AC compared to studded, same stealth chances. It's your guide, you do what you want, but for me that makes a Blue ranking get a second glance. And mind you I say that as someone who loves the Medium Armor Master feat (I just recognize it as a niche I happen to like).

[Nidgit]

There are a few skill proficiencies that are purple but should probably be teal.

You're definitely underrating Battlemaster, which is a top-tier choice of subclass. Specifically, Commander's Strike and Distracting Strike should both be rated blue. Fighters get a lot of attacks but each hit isn't particularly powerful. Instead, if you've got a Paladin, a Barbarian, or especially a Rogue ally, giving them an additional attack or better odds of a crit can be huge. You can basically double your Rogue's damage output for a turn, for instance.

Beyond that, Battlemasters are nicely versatile and are one of the best Archer options in 5e. They're definitely green.

[Yunru]

Specifically, Commander's Strike and Distracting Strike should both be rated blue. Fighters get a lot of attacks but each hit isn't particularly powerful. Instead, if you've got a Paladin, a Barbarian, or especially a Rogue ally, giving them an additional attack or better odds of a crit can be huge. You can basically double your Rogue's damage output for a turn, for instance.

That's the definition of situational (considering Commander's Strike is hot garbage without a Rogue and only okay with a Paladin), and situational is teal.

Edit: Speaking of hot garbage, Grappler is rated far too high. The only useful feature is grappled creatures grant you advantage, something easily replicated at the cost of an attack by proning them.

[Ortho]

Not everyone. The only people who even can get all those benefits are 15 DEX fighters who don’t plan on just wearing light armor. STR fighters will get Plate for the same AC with no feat investment and no need to put a 15 that could have gone in CON into DEX, DEX fighters will get one less AC and every other benefit from the fear by just wearing studded leather.

A stealth-focused STR fighter is a niche build, and even then this feat will only serve you better than plate in certain situations.

Literally the only people for whom that is the case are those traits (+1 AC and removal or stealth penalty) are those who have a 16 Dex, are already wearing medium armor, and would rather pick this one feat rather than do something like keep going for Dex 20. Guy with 15- Dex and wearing a breastplate (because they already value stealth)? Now can switch to halfplate for +1 AC without losing stealth. Guy with 15- Dex and in halfplate and eating the stealth disadvantage? Just gets removal of stealth disad. Person who instead power-adds to 20 Dex? One AC compared to studded, same stealth chances. It's your guide, you do what you want, but for me that makes a Blue ranking get a second glance. And mind you I say that as someone who loves the Medium Armor Master feat (I just recognize it as a niche I happen to like).

Given these possibilities, which I concede are circumstantial but not all that unlikely, I suggest a teal rating for the spell. When used for the correct character build, it provides something of substantial value that can't be easily replicated.

Well argued, all three of you. I've changed both ratings.

Good guide, but i feel like you are overrating Champion. They really are pretty crappy.

Don't confuse unexciting with inefficient. A bunch of passive boosts may not be as glamorous as a Battle Master's Maneuvers or an Eldritch Knight's spells, but the Champion's just as hard-hitting as they are.

Dug up the aforementioned post:

Noted. I'll change the description.

There are a few skill proficiencies that are purple but should probably be teal.

So that's where they were hiding! Thanks.

You're definitely underrating Battlemaster, which is a top-tier choice of subclass. Specifically, Commander's Strike and Distracting Strike should both be rated blue.

I already covered this in a previous post, but I'll reiterate. They're teal, because they rely on your party composition: a factor that's outside of your control.

Grappler is rated far too high.

Can't really get any lower than teal. It's good for a specific build, and not very good outside of that.

[ZorroGames]

Nice work! I appreciate both your flexibility and standing by those evaluations you think are solid.

[Potato_Priest]

Can't really get any lower than teal. It's good for a specific build, and not very good outside of that.

What build is it good for? I love building grapplers, and I have never taken it since the days when I was a noob and didn't know better.

The grappler feat does not help you actually grapple, and the second bullet point (the option to restrain) is usually worse than the default option to shove a grappled target prone, since it restrains you as well and costs a full action rather than just one attack. Thus, the only actual advantage the feat grants is advantage on attacks against grappled targets.

Therefore, the feat is only even potentially good for a build that is a) going to grapple frequently, and b) wielding a sufficiently high damage one handed weapon (or with a sufficiently low chance to hit) that advantage on attacks is a significant boon.

From what I can tell, the best-case scenario is you're a champion grappler (extra crit chance benefits from advantage) fighter wielding a longsword (or better yet a frostbrand/other weapon with extra damage dice) in one hand, and you have already maxxed strength and taken tavern brawler (grappling as a bonus action>advantage on attacks against grappled creatures, even in this situation). Further, you have a very ranged attack-heavy party with whom restraining targets is more useful than knocking them prone. This is a very rare scenario.

Thus, while continuing to rate it as teal isn't incorrect per se, the description of the feat in the guide should warn people that 98% of the time it's a trap, and grapplers should consider tavern brawler, an ASI in strength or Prodigy(Expertise in Athletics) instead.

[Xihirli]

What are your ratings for the Mordenkainen's tieflings?

[Jerrykhor]

Don't confuse unexciting with inefficient. A bunch of passive boosts may not be as glamorous as a Battle Master's Maneuvers or an Eldritch Knight's spells, but the Champion's just as hard-hitting as they are.

Champion is straight up weaker, its been proven by math. I personally would love passive boosts if they are good, especially crit builds. But 5% extra chance to crit does not mean you are hitting harder than anyone else. Remarkable Athlete is also garbage.

[MaxWilson]

Champion is straight up weaker, its been proven by math. I personally would love passive boosts if they are good, especially crit builds. But 5% extra chance to crit does not mean you are hitting harder than anyone else. Remarkable Athlete is also garbage.

You're not wrong. If the Champion's expanded crit range at 3rd level were 16-20, it would probably still be slightly weaker than Battlemaster or Eldritch Knight but it would at least be competitive. 19-20 is a joke. 95% of the time it's irrelevant.

[Dork_Forge]

Thank you! I keep forgetting that Bladesinger is a thing, tucked away in a desolate corner of SCAG. I'll update Inspiring Leader, but I think Healer should stay where it is. Just because a Fighter's the best choice for the feat doesn't make it a good pick.
I rated Tough black because an ASI already gets you half the HP of Tough and a bonus to CON saves. I don't think Tough a bad feat to take - hence the black rating - but I do think that boosting your CON score takes priority.
For Monks, I'm a little curious as to why you'd want Unarmored Defense when you already have proficiency in all armors.

on Healer: No but the feat itself is very good: great scaled healing and as long as you have healer kit uses you can bring someone back up. Considering the low cost multi use nature of Healer's kits to begin with, that's pretty sweet.

on Tough: I guess I don't understand the emphasis on Con saves, you already have prof and will likely have a +3 (later Indomitable). Tough will also stack on top once you've maxed out Con (with 7 ASI's and motivation to take a race that provides Con not a particularly high level expectation).

on Monk: It's mostly about theming, personally I don't like characters that wear armor and try to avoid it where possible but a one level dip also gives you a BA attack and options for if the party gets captured UD also provides potential for greater than plate AC if you weren't inclined to take a shield anyway). Either way I just think red is a bit harsh for a still martial character that still adds things onto character.

[Ortho]

Updated the guide with all the new Eberron stuff. Feel free to poke holes in my ratings here; I obviously I haven't seen any of them in play yet. Also added the Mordenkainen Tiefling variants, as I somehow overlooked those the first time around.

In terms of the Champion...ultimately it'll remain Blue. It gets enough goodies that a Black rating isn't appropriate, in my opinion.

---

What build is it good for?

I mean, you've hit the nail on the head as to why it's rated teal. Good for one specific build (grappling), not good in any others.

on Healer:

Noted. I would still consider that to be Black, though, as it doesn't directly help your Fightering.

on Tough:

At low levels, you should focus on boosting your CON score until you have a decent save, but you're right in that it's a good feat to take if your CON is high already. I'll update the description.

on Monk: ....I just think red is a bit harsh for a still martial character that still adds things onto character.

Good point. Still, a lot of the things you gain are redundant, so it'll be Teal at best.

[Yunru]

Good point. Still, a lot of the things you gain are redundant, so it'll be Teal at best.

Umm... Better-than-light to plate-and-shield-equivalent (only without requiring you use a shield) AC, an extra bonus action attack each round if melee, and a bonus action 1d4 to all Ranged attacks if Kensei, all for 3 levels (just 1 if melee focused) is teal?

[Amechra]

Ignore the bonus action attack from the Monk for a second - Monks gives you a bonus action Dodge, which is fantastic for anyone with high AC (like, say, a Fighter). If you go Kensei, the cost to use Agile Parry is proportionally smaller (and you can stack it with a shield, because why not crank your AC?).

Or, if you prefer, dipping three levels in Sun-Soul Monk gives you the option to beam spam something fierce. Is it necessarily a good choice? Probably not. But lasers.

[Ortho]

Umm... Better-than-light to plate-and-shield-equivalent (only without requiring you use a shield) AC, an extra bonus action attack each round if melee, and a bonus action 1d4 to all Ranged attacks if Kensei, all for 3 levels (just 1 if melee focused) is teal?

Ignore the bonus action attack from the Monk for a second - Monks gives you a bonus action Dodge, which is fantastic for anyone with high AC (like, say, a Fighter). If you go Kensei, the cost to use Agile Parry is proportionally smaller (and you can stack it with a shield, because why not crank your AC?).

Or, if you prefer, dipping three levels in Sun-Soul Monk gives you the option to beam spam something fierce. Is it necessarily a good choice? Probably not. But lasers.

See, this is what I get for not playing Monks. I forgot they get a bonus action Dodge. I'll update it.

I ran the numbers on Flurry of Blows, and it's only better that dual-wielding scimitars by 1.5 points of damage, on average. Once you get your Second Attack, it's worse. So I wouldn't say that's a selling point. On a similar note, Unarmored Defense isn't better than a suite of armor unless you pump WIS...which a Fighter doesn't have much of a reason to. Also, you can't use a shield or take the Defense fighting style with Unarmored Defense.

[Potato_Priest]

I mean, you've hit the nail on the head as to why it's rated teal. Good for one specific build (grappling), not good in any others.

What I was trying to get across with my analysis was that it's not a good choice good for most grapplers, only a very small subset of them.

[Yunru]

On a similar note, Unarmored Defense isn't better than a suite of armor unless you pump WIS...which a Fighter doesn't have much of a reason to. Also, you can't use a shield or take the Defense fighting style with Unarmored Defense.

You also have no reason not to pump Wisdom (although I'd argue that perception is a reason to pump it), and if you're an Archer you're not going to have a shield or Defensive fighting style anyway.

[LibraryOgre]

BUCO: Bump Under Consent of Ogre