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Swords and steel are unnecessary for a tavern brawler, the type of character who can cause destruction and mayhem with anything they please. The tavern brawler is adept at using brute force and whatever they have at their disposal to inflict wounds and establish their presence.
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While the feat is not an optimal choice if your goal is to inflict massive numbers of damage, it is flavorful and will lead to fun moments. The tavern is a quintessentialDungeons & Dragonssetting, and as such the tavern brawler fits right in. You’ll be good in a scrap and always ready to throw down.
Tavern Brawler Overview
The tavern brawler’s main capability is their versatility. Even without weapons, they are capable of putting up a fight. This provides many options. The tavern brawler can fight almost anywhere, even if their weapons have been confiscated or themselves disarmed. They have a fight in them that never relents, and as such, are always a threat.
Yet making a tavern brawler is not cut and dry.There are pitfalls that can plague some players and a specific playstyle is needed to get the most out of your character.Creating a tavern brawler is rewarding and can be very satisfying if you make one that complements what you want to do.
In general,the tavern brawler is centered around unarmed or improvised weapon fighting, with lots of grappling.You will want a high Strength and Constitution.
Best Species For A Tavern Brawler
Many species are capable of making a formidable tavern brawler, especially if your table usesflexible ability score increases. If it does not,consider a species with a bonus to Strength and Constitution, the two most valuable ability scores for a tavern brawler.
Though it can add flavor, it is not necessary to choose a race with a bonus to unarmed attack damage, as the tavern brawler feat already grants an increase.
Some recommended species are:
Bugbear
Choosing a bugbear for your tavern brawler’s species not only gives you a helpful +2 to strength, butits Long-Limbed feature allows you to keep your opponents an arm’s length away, and Surprise Attack gives you more potency in combat.
Custom Lineage
Custom lineage is a fantastic option for your character. It grants afree feat at character creation, allowing you to get the tavern brawler feat as early as possible,and it hasflexible ability score increases that you can put into Strength and Constitution.Choosing proficiency inAthletics is a good idea as it will aid you in grappling.
Dwarf (Mountain)
The mountain dwarf is here primarily for the fact that itgrants a +2 to Strength and a +2 to Constitution.It does not offer anything else that is particularly beneficial to a tavern brawler, but the bonuses are, themselves, plenty.
Goliath
The goliath checks many boxes for a tavern brawler,giving a bonus to Strength and Constitution, and proficiency in Athletics.Something invaluable for the grappling that a tavern brawler demands.
Half-Orc
Besides thebonus to Strength and Constitution, the half-orc also offersRelentless Endurance,allowing you to keep your character in the fight for longer, and better critical damage from Savage Attacks.
Human (Variant)
Essentially the same as choosing custom lineage, choosing the variant human checks all the boxes you need from your species.You can choose the tavern brawler feat, give yourself a boost to Strength and Constitution, and get proficiency in Athletics.
Take The Feat
Naturally, the tavern brawler would be incomplete without its namesake. Thetavern brawler featgrants proficiency inimprovised weapons, increasesunarmed attack damage to 1d4, makesgrappling more accessible, and provides an ability score increase.
The ability score increase given to you by this feat allows you toincrease either Strength orConstitution. While both are good choices, going with Strength allows you to give amuch-needed increase to your unarmed damage.
Choosing Strength alsogives you the upper hand whengrappling, something the tavern brawler feat allows you to do as a bonus action, provided you hit your target with an unarmed or improvised weapon attack earlier in your turn.
Compatible Classes
Though it may seem natural due to their martial art mastery and lack of weaponry,monks do not pair well with the tavern brawler feat.Monks already rely heavily on Dexterity and other ability scores, so an investment into Strength isn’t worth it. The monk’s martial arts feature, the feature that they are centered around, also diminishes the need for this feat, as monks will already deal 1d4 unarmed strike damage, or higher depending on your level, without much other synergy.
Your best class option when making a tavern brawler is a barbarian or a fighter.These two classes already have an investment in strength, the survivability to last without a weapon, and the options to enhance the feat.
Barbarians are one of the tankiest classes andhave advantage on strength checks when raging, meaning advantage on grappling checks too.Fighters can benefit greatly from theunarmed fighting style, which allows them to have anunarmed damage die of up to1d8and the ability to deal anextra 1d4 damage against an opponent you are grappling.
For subclasses, therune knight fighterhas key abilities that can help a tavern brawler significantly. Thegiant might feature increases damage with unarmed attacks and makes grappling easier. The beast barbarian also has features that help with unarmed attackswhile giving completely new unarmed attacks of its own.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Best Species For A Fighter Character
Fists Or Improvised Weaponry?
An improvised weapon will deal the same amount of damage as the weapon it parallels the most.However, if the improvised weapon does not have a parallel, it will simply deal 1d4 damage. Keep this in mind when choosing what you would like to fight with.
If you are choosing afighter with the unarmed fighting style, fists are a good option as,if you are not wielding another weapon or a shield,they will deal a base of 1d8 damage. Yet if you are playing a barbarian, an improvised weapon may be better.It allows versatility, as you can swap between different weapons and even throw some without worrying about retrieval. It also gives you a higher base damage.
Building Around The Feat
If you want to fully delve into the Tavern Brawler archetype, there are many ways you can complement the playstyle.
Take proficiency inathletics
If you do not have it already, Take proficiency inathleticsis a vital skill, as it will makegrapplingmuch easier.
Take thefighting initiate feat
If you want the benefits of theunarmed fighting stylewithout being a fighter, this feat will give it to you.
Take thecrusher feat
Thecrusher feat works with unarmed strikes and allows you to move enemies into opportune spotsfor your party.
Take thegrappler feat
This feat makes you all themore adept at grappling, allowing you to pin targets, and increases your chance at hitting whoever you’re grappling
Get theEldritch Claw Tattoo
The Eldritch Claw Tattoo empowers your unarmed strike, making themmagical weaponsand giving them the ability to deal damage at range.
