How can I make a Dex-based one-handed duelist fighter build? [closed]

Question

I am currently about to start a campaign in D&D 5e. We are playing Descent into Avernus and my party needs a tank. I settled on fighter as my top choice for a variety of reasons.

Stat generation: DM is fine with Standard Array or Point Buy.

Build Objective

I want to build my fighter based on the concept of a dashing swordsman who uses finesse and swordplay to overcome his foes rather than simply brute force. He's very swashbuckler-flavored, however my party needed a tank so I am going fighter. Having the other hand empty is so my character can interact with the environment (e.g. swing off a chandelier).

Combat Role:

His role is meant to allow him to get in front of the party using insults, antics, and his rapier to grab enemy's attention while the party takes them out. Using free actions to make hilarious taunts while attacking and putting pressure on the enemy.

I want to build a Dexterity-based melee fighter focused on one-handed rapiers, without shields. Because in many ways this is the preferred fighting style of the archetypical swashbuckler. Its also not very often chosen by players as it is not considered optimal and has too many compromises for their liking.

How can I achieve this build without compromising too much on defense and striking power compared to other fighter builds?

Answer 1

Battle Master Maneuvers

At third level, the Battle Master fighter archetype gains access to a ton of maneuvers that allow you to flavor your style of fighting just about any way you want. Of particular interest to you may be:

• Goading Attack: This is exactly what you describe as "grabbing the enemy's attention." If the goading attack succeeds, the enemy is heavily motivated to attack you specifically.
• Trip Attack: Using antics to knock people over, giving your side the strategic advantage.
• Riposte: Very much within the flavor of rapier-wielding swashbuckler.

Whether or not these are the most optimal choices, I suspect Battle Master is your best shot at achieving the aesthetics you want as a fighter.

Your archetype won't come on line until level 3. Your first two levels will lack any mechanical means of using anything other than talking/taunting by simply using "talk as a free action" to annoy your opponents.

Answer 2

Human(variant) with Sentinel or Martial Adept Feat; Battle Master

One of the challenges with your builds multiple goals is the use of taunting as a mechanical means of influencing your enemies. You can't get that until level 3 with a Fighter unless you take the Martial Adept feat at level 1. (Variant Human Option, PHB). You also can't "tank" if you don't prioritize for AC. You can do a few things that will make enemies focus on you, and that allow you to lock down or attempt to control your enemies. If you want to tank, you are playing a controller style more than a damage taking/reducing role due to your dex based, no shield, approach.

You can talk trash to them at any time, since talking during your turn does not harm your action economy.

Level 1: Sentinal Feat + Defense Fighting Style. Your Dex should be 16, your Constitution 16. (there go your two +1's for vHuman).
Work your other stats to taste. You need all of the HP that you can get given your goals.

OR

Level 1 (short term gain, long term cost): Martial Adept feat + Defense Fighting Style
Your battlefield control from Sentinel is traded off for the trash talking control abilities using the Martial Adept feat and selecting Goading attack (and one other) right of the bat. Something like Parry or Menacing Attack (frightened enemies, that's a good thing) might fit your theme pretty well.

1. You learn two maneuvers of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype in the fighter class. (PHB, ch 6).

A constraint of this approach is that for these two maneuvers, your supremacy dice remain d6, whereas for all others they go up as your level in Battle Master go up.

• @Falconer suggeted the Defensive duelist feat at level 1, which has some advantages in the early going. It also adheres to your theme of using your rapier to make you "more tanky." Your reaction is used to add +2 to your AC(for one attack during your turn), but it does not offer the controlling / taunting feautres that Sentinel or Martial Adept would offer. If you are willing to wait to level three to get taunty stuff via battle master, defensive duelist makes your defense (for one attack) stronger per turn at no cost in resources, but once you get reaction based resources as Battle Master, now your benefits may trip over each other. You need to decide what's more important during the early going, controlling, taunting, or a bit more AC early on. You have to make a choice; can't have it all coming out of the gate. It's a case of 'pay me now or pay me later' (At level 5, the AC bonus is +3; at 9, +4; at 13, +5)

Defense fighting style. +1 AC.
With Studded leather, Defense Fighting Style, and +3 for Dex, your AC is 16, and will be for a while. Based on your constraints, that's the best you can do.

Optional: Straying slightly from your desired look, you can pick up a breastplate when you can afford it; your AC will be 17. You can wear your a tabard over it; check out Renaissance paintings, loads of rapier wielding and breastplate wearing dandies. See also the PHB illustration of a Noble: wears a breastplate. Or, to stay thematic, stick with the studded leather. Your choice. At level 4 with your first ASI into dexterity, studded leather + dex and breastplate are a wash. At level 6 with a Dex of 20, Studded Leather + dex is AC 18.

Lock Down part 1

SENTINEL feat

1. When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the creature’s speed becomes 0 for the rest of the turn.
2. Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.
3. When a creature within 5 feet of you makes an attack against a target other than you (and that target doesn’t have this feat), you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the attacking creature. (PHB, Feats, Chapter 6).

Item 1 stops a creature from moving, item 2 makes them pay a penalty for moving away from you, item 3 makes them pay a penalty for attacking someone other than you. And you can talk trash the whole time.

Lock Down, part 2: choose Battlemaster at level 3.

As the other answers note, here is where your trash talking has mechanical back up. I'd agree with T.J.L's suggestion of Cavalier, but the features come on-line a bit late. If you are willing to wait, then Cavalier has some nice class features; Battle Master Maneuvers are limited per short rest/long rest regeneration.

Goading Attack: Get the enemy's focus on you
Parry: Reduce damage opportunities for enemies.
Maneuvering Attack: Get your allies out of the way.

The synergy with Sentinel with a lot of these maneuvers gives your Fighter the feel of a Controller.

Other maneuvers can be chosen to either protect you allies, boost AC or make your opponents ability to maneuver difficult, but those three would be your bread and butter.

ASI:
At level 4, boost your Dex to 18.
At level 6, Boost your Dex to 20.
At level 8 ASI or Feat to taste. (Consider Alert, see below)
At level 10 Dueling Fighting Style. (Thematic)
At level 12 ASI or Feat to taste. (At this point, you are approaching the end of this published adventure.

For more tankiness: consider Defensive Duelist Feat at level 6 or 8.

This feat may compete with your Maneuvers for using your reaction spot - which makes it a tricky choice - but adding your proficiency to your AC as a reaction can increase your front line tankiness. Going from 16 to 19 AC can save some damage from ever happening. At level 9 that AC bonus goes up to 4. The problem with this feat is that if you are subject to multiple attacks in a round, it only works against one attack. As you go higher in level, a lot of enemies have multi attack, or mooks who try to swarm you.

Why the Alert feat helps this concept in mid to late game

Under the idea that 'the best defense is a good offense', and your stated goals ...

1. You add 5 to your initiative score. You already have a nice initiative score with your 20 Dexterity. You going first more often helps you set the table for a melee combat. You want to be in the enemy's face early and often.
2. Your PC can't be surprised. This, tied to your higher initiative, gives you more opportunities to 'get in the face' of your enemies early in the fight.
3. Enemies who are hidden or invisible do not get advantage when attacking you.
   This is an inverse tankiness deal: advantage on attacks against you (who are trying to draw attacks) from hidden or invisible creatures is a practical 3-5 increase in the attack roll against you, or a net reduction of your AC of 3-5 for that attack. Preventing that helps you be "tanky" somewhat.

For one of your ASIs, you may want to boost your Wisdom Score, or better yet get Resilient / Wisdom (proficiency bonus added to your wisdom save is a great idea) as you get deeper into the plane and the fear / other Wisdom save powers of your enemies put your freedom of action at risk. Fiends have a variety of powers that put your Wisdom saves to the test.

Your character's build goals are, quite frankly, in conflict with optimization for either damage or tankiness, but they do look to be optimized for fun.

Lay on, MacDuff!

Suggested path to achieve your goal:
27 Point Buy. S 12 D 15 C 15 I 8 W 11 Ch 10 ... vHuman ... (2 +1s)
Background: Sailor (Swashbuckler Theme)
Skills: (Br) Athletics, Perception; (F) Intimidation; Animal Handling; (Feat): Acrobatics (Swashbuckler theme)
At level 1; S 12 D 16 C 16 I 8 W 11 Ch 10
Feat Sentinel
At Level 3; Battle Master (See Maneuvers above)
At level 4: S 12 D 18 C 16 I 8 W 11 Ch 10
At Level 6: S 12 D 20 C 16 I 8 W 11 Ch 10
Most of your build is done at this point, since Battle Master maneuvers are where you get taunt / control powers.
At Level 8: S 12 D 20 C 16 I 8 W 11 Ch 10
Feat Alert. (Or Wisdom, Resilient) You will have learned some things during play with your group that will inform your feat selection here; boosing Wisdom saves may be the better idea if your support casters can't buff your Wisdom saves)
At Level 10: Duelling Fighting Style (Thematic)
At Level 12: S 12 D 20 C 16 I 8 W 12 Ch 10
Resilient, Wisdom, Feat (Or Alert at this point if Res Wis was taken at 8)
While Tough is an appealing feat to make you more tanky, IMO Alert will help you get hit less often.

What do I do with my other hand?

Hold a torch or a bullseye lantern, or a thing that your cleric cast the Light Cantrip on. You don't have darkvision.

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Answer 3

You can't without compromises.

DEX-based single handed rapier does indeed lower both striking power (no bonus action attack, no access to -5 to hit/+10 to damage feats) and defense (AC in the 15-18 range is quite low for a tank), when compared to other fighter builds.

Defining priorities between damage, defense and "tricks" should help you make a choice. As those priorities are not yet defined, (e.g : both Defense and Duelist fighting styles match your description), I'll just list a few ideas - feel free to mix and match as you like!

Option 1 : Feral Tiefling Eldritch Knight.

A Feral Tiefling gains access to vicious mockery when choosing the Devil's tongue variant. Though far from optimal (and probably unnecessary), it does match your intent. The Eldritch Knight's War Magic level 7 feature means you won't entirely waste your turn when you use it, and it also gets many good options for defense (shield, absorb elements), offense (shadow blade) and some tricks ( booming blade).

I'd suggest aiming for 17 DEX, 14 CON and 14 CHA at creation, and picking Resilient(Dex) at level 4, and +2 DEX at level 6. Dexterity is mandatory to improve both offense and AC, and the dexterity saving throw proficiency looks both useful for tanking, and consistent with your intended style.

After that, pick whatever feat best suits you :

• Sentinel is indeed a great option for tank characters.
• War Caster helps for concentration, attacks of opportunity, and even lets you cast V,S spells with your second hand full.
• Mobile grants you hit-and-run tactics through booming blade.

Option 2 : Variant Human, STR-based Battle Master.

Battle Master is the obvious choice for your intended swashbuckler style - but you don't have to use DEX. Using a Rapier always implies some clever swordplay - which is represented in game by your martial weapons proficiency, more than the ability score you use to solve attacks. Using strength instead has a few benefits, if you are ready to go that way :

• Better defense through heavy armor, without the need to spend yout ASIs to improve it.
• Opens grappling techniques to be used with your free hand, which does fit very well your intended swashbuckler style.

Pick the prodigy feat at level 1 for expertise in Athletics, and enjoy the infamous grapple+shove prone, use a grappled opponent as cover, or push them through windows.

You'll keep the choice between ASIs (to improve offense) and feats at levels 4 and 6, which may grant you even more tricks :

• Sentinel, again.
• Aberrant Dragonmark mostly for shield once per short rest - the cantrip and +1 CON don't hurt, either.
• Martial Adept if you want more maneuvers.

Option 3 : why not a variant human Kensei Monk?

Okay - you're not a fighter, you are low on HP, and you won't have access to rapiers before level 3. But consider the benefits :

Tankiness : up to 20+2 unarmored AC, that stacks with defensive duelist. 1 Ki gets you a bonus action dodge, which makes you REALLY hard to hit considering your already high AC. Deflect missile, Evasion, Stillness of mind, purity of body, are all icing on the cake.

Offense : Using bonus actions for offense, you'll make more attacks than the average fighter at most levels. Stunning strike will help you and the party, and the Kensei Weapon features may give you a small damage boost when you need it the most.

Style : Using your rapier to parry attacks while distributing unarmed strikes does look like a proper bragging swashbuckler behaviour to me. You don't have to act like a martial artist cliché because you chose the monk class.

Be aware that the high AC, low HP style may be frustrating if your DM has many lucky rolls - but it can be another illustration of the "clever swordsplay over brute force" approach. Dodging without armor is indeed rewarding... as long as you don't get hit.

The other downside is that there won't be much room for feats, using that class. You'll need the high DEX and WIS to pump your AC, and it will require at least 4 ASIs. Choose your variant human feat wisely, as you won't get another one :

• Sentinel is still a strong choice.
• Martial Adept gets you some useful tricks.
• Prodigy for grappling, if you don't dump Strength.
• Defensive Duelist can shine once your proficiency bonus is high enough.

Answer 4

If you want to play a Fighter, consider Battle Master

Your goals are in mechanical competition with each other: tank and dextrous / swashbuckling fighter. Since you choose to eschew a shield, AC is going to be a problem for you

If you want to be the party tank, you'll need to be able to take a lot of hits. A common choice would therefore be to carry a shield, for the +2 AC. Unfortunately, with only one hand that option is out.

For this reason I'd advise you seriously consider going with heavy armour, for the early game AC boost. Unless you have crazy stats that'll mean being Str based rather than Dex based. That might not fit your aesthetic perfectly, but I think it's a sensible compromise. You can still wield your rapier with Strength - finesse weapons can use either.

You can boost your AC a bit by taking the Defense Fighting Style for +1 AC. 'Dueling' and 'Protection' might feel like better fits aesthetically but Deuling won't help you tank at all, and Protection requires a shield, so Defense is the clear way forward.

Battle Master can add all of the flavour

Battle masters get to choose from lots of great maneuvers, like:

• Goading Attack - Goad enemies into attacking, rather than your companions
• Maneuvering Attack - Help your companions get safely out of melee range

• Parry - Feels 'swashbucklery' and will help you take big hits

  There are other flavourful options for outfoxing your opponenents such as Evasive Footwork, Disarming attack, Riposte, Trip attack etc.

Answer 5

Cavalier

If you're looking to use martial abilities to protect others, and you want the character to be pure fighter, the closest you're going to get is Cavalier. It's worth pointing out many of these abilities become even better with a different choice of weapons (specifically, polearms) and some of them are useless when unmounted. Within the restrictions you've indicated (single weapon, tanky), I think it's a good choice.

It was suggested by KorvinStarmast that if the character is going to be Human, you can use Variant Human and start with the Martial Adept feat. That will give you a small selection (two) of the tricks available to a Battlemaster, and you'd get them from level one. I personally recommend patience, as plenty of builds take a bit of time to "come online" and distinguish themselves, but it is an option.

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You'll still want to give the character some Strength to make use of the bonus attack function of Unwavering Mark (Strength controls the number of times you can use it), but the disadvantage granting feature functions regardless of the character's Strength.

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At 7th, the character will get Warding Maneuver. The character uses a reaction to increase the AC of a nearby ally. Keep reading though, because people seem to gloss over the last line:

If the attack still hits, the target has resistance against the attack's damage.

This means it can be used to mitigate the impact of critical hits.

The number uses is driven by Constitution, not Strength, so you can stack up here and meet your goals of being tank.

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At Level 10, the character gets Hold the Line, which is like Sentinel on steroids. It works on targets that try to move around within the characters reach (not just when they enter it).

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The level 15 ability is nice, but the real gem is level 18's Vigilant Defender. The character gains the ability to make an attack of opportunity on each turn. That means Hold the Line can trigger more than once in a round.

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On Sentinel and Cavalier

It may look like Sentinel would be a good feat to take in conjunction with Cavalier, and early on (before the subclass features become available), it might be.

However, it does three things and they don't all mesh well with Cavalier:

When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the creature's speed becomes 0 for the rest of the turn.

At level 10, this becomes completely redundant with Hold the Line:

Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach, and if you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn.

The second bullet point works just fine, and does have good synergy with other Cavalier features, but it's also only one of three things the feat does. The character is basically spending a feat to force most characters (except Rogue-likes) to use up an action to get past. Is it worth it? I don't think so, but you can make up your own mind.

Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.

The third point uses up your reaction, preventing use of Warding Maneuver - it forces the player to make a choice between offense and defense. It has some synergy with Unwavering Mark by allowing you to mark an extra target off your turn, but really, Cavaliers should be spreading their attacks around to maximize marks, so its a weak synergy.

When a creature within 5 feet of you makes an attack against a target other than you (and that target doesn't have this feat), you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the attacking creature.

Answer 6

Eldritch Knight with Booming Blade

You could make a dexterity-focused Eldritch Knight and take the Booming Blade cantrip. This allows you to go up to somebody and tag them, forcing them to stay put or take a lot of sonic damage.

If you mix in Warcaster, you can also cast Booming Blade as an opportunity attack, further locking down enemies near you. Few enemies will want to walk if they're already tagged with Booming Blade, and are then going to eat another one if they provoke an opportunity attack.

Talking is a free action: taunt them about the smell of their father and what specific kind of rodent their mother is - or whatever else - and it should work.

With Mage Armor, you can get 18 AC (unarmored by level 6 using two Dex ASIs) without a shield; your AC is not that much worse than a traditional plate armor + shield build. In addition, you have access to Shield and Absorb Elements spells, which further help make you tanky. This has the added benefit of being able to wear 'swashbuckler' (no armor) clothing.

If you're okay with moving away from Fighter - Ancestral Guardian Barbarian

I've made an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian before with a crossbow - a witch hunter. You and the DM may need to reskin the rage mechanic, and you won't benefit from their extra damage if you're using finesse based rapiers, but you could make a pretty decent tank. Damage resistance is a good thing.

Re-skin the spirits for this sub class: make them some sort of honor or insult-based ordeal. Something like the guy you've just poked with your rapier is so thoroughly offended that he takes disadvantage attacking anybody else, and if he does do so, they have resistance because his heart just isn't in it; he wants you dead instead. Work with your DM on the details.

You could get 20 AC without a shield using a Barbarian, but this takes a few levels and all of your ASI up to level 16. (Unless you come across bracers of defense). This approach has the added benefit of being able to wear 'swashbuckler' (no armor) clothing.