Having a fighter in any party can be an asset during a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. They often pack a punch, and reliably deliver damage during combat, aiding spell-casters and other classes with protection and brute force. However, human fighters are often considered a bland D&D character to play. With no magical background, no interesting race attributes, and battle strategy limited to what they can hit, human fighters seem like a class geared only towards those attempting to learn the basics of D&D's combat. However, Human fighters can be crafted into unique, interesting characters with a mixture of a strong Martial Archetype and solid backstory.
Much of a fighter's personality is linked to where they learned to fight, and what drives them to keep getting better. It is tempting to saddle a human fighter with a tragic backstory, fueling their combat with a need for vengeance. Giving them the desire to be a knight to protect a romantic interest might seem like a powerful, Arthurian-inspired character choice. However, these D&D character backstories are often overdone and lack a unique flavor for the character.
When looking at the different Martial Archetypes provided on Dndbeyond, players will find suggested backstory ideas. While these can be helpful in certain situations, they can actually be limiting when creating a human fighter in Dungeons & Dragons. Players could consider purposefully writing a backstory that goes against these recommended ideas, changing up what might be expected when the party meets the character for the first time. Instead of coming from wealth, the character could have grown up middle-class and entirely average. Instead of fighting for vengeance because they were bullied as a child, maybe they are driven by the desire to find the most beautiful form of combat.
D&D Human Fighter Builds: The Graceful Champion
The Champion Archetype for a D&D fighter focuses on intense, physical power. Characters who follow this D&D Martial Archetype spend their time honing their physical abilities to deadly perfection. Intense training and physical stamina are key factors for this build, with a focus on self-discipline. These traits could be used to create a character obsessed with becoming a perfect swordsman to join the military or to avenge a fallen family member. However, there is another backstory that could be considered.
A Champion fighter in Dungeons & Dragons could start out as a dancer, spending their time building their physical condition, control, and movement. One day, the young dancer sees warriors training and realizes the movements of combat are similar to the dances they have been practicing their entire life. The Champion then dedicates their life to harmonizing the beauty of competitive combat with the grace and dignity of dance. This D&D backstory goes well with the Level 7 bonus Champion fighters receive, where they can add half their proficiency bonus to ability checks like Dexterity and Constitution. The character could also get along well with bards, and have a deep appreciation for music and a social atmosphere, dispelling the stereotype of the anti-social fighter.
D&D Human Fighter Builds: The Casual Cavalier
The Cavalier Archetype in D&D is a mounted fighter. Normally they are said to be born to high-class families with a noble drive to protect innocents and seek out adventure. While there are plenty of interesting D&D backgrounds to write using noble birth and class as an explanation for the character's early access to combat training, there are a few other options that could provide unique alternatives.
A Cavalier fighter in Dungeons & Dragons could end up in the saddle by accident. It could be that their father is the trainer for all the young horsemen of a small town. Instead of noble birth, they have a modest upbringing. However, they are raised in the saddle and learn to spar with other young riders as they grow up. It could be they end up sucked into an adventure when a routine journey to a larger nearby kingdom goes amiss. They could often be mistaken for a Cavalier noble, and put in situations that become comically awkward in large social settings, offering the opportunity for hijinks and comical misunderstandings.
D&D Human Fighter Builds: Professor Battle Master
The Battle Master Archetype focuses on combat skills passed down over many generations. These Dungeons & Dragons characters likely use skills invented by their ancestors that are painstakingly learned in a classroom setting. A Battle Master fighter in D&D may draw to mind a sagely, skilled warrior with a silver beard and serious demeanor, or a wizened military fighter who has seen many dark, grueling battles.
However, there is another option for those wanting to get away from the darker D&D backgrounds of many fighter builds. The Battle Master Archetype is the perfect opportunity to craft a sword-smart professor. Because Dungeons & Dragons' Battle Masters view combat as a full education, it could be that the player's character is a young professor of combat history. While they understand every move, tactic, and theory like the back of their hand, it could be these skills have been passed down and learned during a time of peace, so they have no actual combat skills outside of the practice done while learning, and then subsequently, teaching.
Somehow the professor gets mistaken with a powerful, skilled warrior and is pulled into an adventure only to have to learn how to apply all they know about these unique combat styles to actual, hostile situations. This is a particularly nice background for those Dungeons & Dragons players who want to embody an older, knowledgeable character but still have the chance to grow and learn.
Crafting interesting backgrounds can be as simple as staying away from heroic origins, and focusing on ideas that are more ordinary. Some of the best Dungeons & Dragons characters come from completely normal backgrounds. Because they haven't been heroes before or gone through any great traumas, the challenges and struggles they face during the campaign have the ability to greatly shape their views of the world and fundamentally change their outlooks. Human fighters are the perfect opportunity to craft an extraordinary hero from an ordinary person, which can make the Dungeons & Dragons journey unpredictable and exciting for everyone in the party.
Source: Dndbeyond