Weaponmaster or original fighter (O-fighter) is the subclass of fighter introduced in the Player's Handbook. Weaponmasters are pure defenders.^{[PH:75][Dr398:CCW1]}

The "Class Compendium: Weaponmaster" article in Dragon #398 redefined the original fighter class as the weaponmaster subclass, and in the process, made a few changes. Consequently, Wizards of the Coast made the article available to download without a subscription, as an update to the original fighter class.^[Dr398:CCW1]

The other fighter subclasses are knight and slayer.

Class Traits

• Role: Defender. You are very tough and have the exceptional ability to contain enemies in melee.
• Power Source: Martial. You have become a master of combat through endless hours of practice, determination, and your own sheer physical toughness.
• Key Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution
• Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide, chainmail, scale; light shield, heavy shield
• Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged
• Bonus to Defense : +2 Fortitude
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 15 + Constitution score
  • Hit Points per Level Gained: 6
  • Healing Surges per Day: 9 + Constitution modifier
• Build Options: Great weapon fighter^[PH:76], Guardian fighter^[PH:76], Battlerager fighter^[MP:6], Tempest fighter^[MP:6], Brawling fighter^[MP2:6], Arena Fighter^[DSCS:86].

Fighter overview

Characteristics: You are extremely tough, with a great Armor Class and lots of hit points. You have extraordinary resilience against physical attack. You don’t have much ability to fight at range, but you excel in melee combat. You have special abilities that make it dangerous for enemies to ignore you, so you can contain foes and keep them away from your friends.

Religion: Fighters naturally favor deities of war, combat, adventure, or valor. Bahamut and Kord are popular, as is Avandra. Many unaligned or evil fighters pay homage to Bane, the god of war.

Races: Fighters come from all races. Dragonborn, dwarves, and humans are the most common fighters.

Class Features

• Combat Challenge
• Combat Superiority or Combat Agility
• Fighter Talents: Fighter Weapon Talent, Battlerager Vigor, Tempest Technique, Brawler Style, or Arena Training.

Skills

From the class skills list below, choose three trained skills at 1st level.

• Athletics (Str)
• Endurance (Con)
• Heal (Wis)
• Intimidate (Cha)
• Streetwise (Cha)

Combat Challenge

In combat, it's dangerous to ignore a fighter. Every time you attack an enemy, whether the attack hits or misses, you can choose to mark that target.

• The mark lasts until the end of your next turn.
• While a target is marked, it takes a −2 penalty to attack rolls for any attack that doesn’t include you as a target.
• A creature can be subject to only one mark at a time. A new mark supersedes a mark that was already in place.
• When a marked enemy is adjacent to the fighter who marked it, and shifts or makes an attack that does not include the fighter who marked it as a target, the fighter who marked it can make a melee basic attack against it as an immediate interrupt action.^{[U :6/2008]}
• Note: The basic attack granted by Combat Challenge is not an opportunity attack. The PHB contains some errors (such as the Potent Challenge feat's summary wording on page 197) which mix the two up and create confusion, but WOTC has confirmed that Combat Challenge is not an opportunity attack.

Combat Superiority

Fighters are especially vicious with opportunity attacks.

• You gain a bonus to opportunity attacks equal to your Wisdom modifier.
• An enemy struck by your opportunity attack stops moving, if a move provoked the attack. If it still has actions remaining, it can use them to resume moving.

Combat Agility

Fighters who select the Combat Agility class feature instead of Combat Superiority gain combat agility as an at-will power which can be used in place of an opportunity attack.^[MP2:6]

Fighter Talents

Fighters can have one of the following talents.

Fighter Weapon Talent

A fighter who selects the Fighter Weapon Talent class feature chooses either one-handed or two-handed weapons. The fighter gains a +1 bonus to weapon attack rolls with the chosen type of weapon.^{[PH:76][Dr398:CCW5]}

A human fighter with this class feature can take the Versatile Talent feat to gain this class feature's benefits for both one-handed and two-handed weapons.^[MP2:140]

Battlerager Vigor

A fighter who selects the Battlerager Vigor class feature instead of Fighter Weapon Talent gains temporary hit points after each time an enemy hits the fighter with a melee or close attack. When the fighter gains temporary hit points by hitting with an invigorating attack, those temporary hit points stack with any existing temporary hit points. While wearing light armor or chainmail and having any temporary hit points, the fighter gains a +1 bonus to damage rolls with melee or close weapon attacks, or a +2 bonus to damage rolls if using an axe, hammer, mace, or pick.^[MP:6]

Tempest Technique

A fighter who selects the Tempest Technique class feature instead of Fighter Weapon Talent gains Two-Weapon Defense as a bonus feat, regardless of prerequisites. While wielding two melee weapons, the fighter gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls with off-hand property weapons. While wearing light armor or chainmail and wielding two weapons, the fighter gains a +1 bonus to damage rolls with melee or close weapon attacks, or a +2 bonus to damage rolls if using an off-hand property weapon.^[MP:7]

Brawler Style

A fighter who selects the Brawler Style class feature instead of Fighter Weapon Talent gains a +2 proficiency bonus to unarmed attacks, unless attacking with a spiked gauntlet. The fighter receives a +2 bonus to grab attacks, and a +2 bonus to attacks to move a grabbed creature. While wielding a weapon in the primary hand and having the off hand free, the fighter gains a +1 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Fortitude.^[MP2:6]

Arena Training

Arena training allows you to treat all weapons which you are not proficient as improvised weapons. You ten get a +2 proficiency bonus to attack with improvised weapons. Your attacks with one-handed improvised weapons deal 1d8 damage, and two-handed improvised weapons deal 1d10 damage. ^[DSCS:86]

When not wearing heavy armor, you get a +1 bonus to AC. This bonus increases to +2 at level 11, and +3 at level 21.

You select two weapons as arena weapons. You gain proficiency with these weapons. Any of your feats that grant feat bonuses to attack rolls or damage rolls with one of your arena weapons apply to your other arena weapon as well.