Summary

  • Battle Masters in Dungeons & Dragons control the battlefield through tactical combat maneuvers and utilize maneuvers as their primary resources.
  • The Battle Master subclass offers a high level of customization and is often regarded as the most choice-driven Fighter subclass.
  • Different maneuvers, such as Pushing Attack and Feinting Attack, offer various advantages in combat, from positioning enemies to increasing accuracy.

As the Battle Master walks into the alley, from the shadows appear three men. The shortest of them speaks, "If you don't want any trouble, be a good girl and hand over your coin purse. And leave that sword on your hip too." Undaunted, the Battle Master draws the blade from its sheath and raises her shield. You can bet it won't end well for these ruffians. They chose the wrong victim.

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In Dungeons & Dragons, Battle Masters are the pinnacle of martial achievement. They control the battlefield through deft usage of complex combat tactics, shielding themselves and their allies while simultaneously exposing the enemy. The primary resources they use to accomplish these feats are called maneuvers. Let's see which ones you should consider.

Updated on December 4, 2024, by Alfredo Robelo: The Battle Master subclass continues to be the most picked option for fighters, giving them a much-needed complexity. With the release of the 2024 Player's Handbook, many players are looking into becoming masters of battle themselves, so we've updated this article to include even more varied maneuvers.

21 Commanding Presence & Tactical Assessment

Using Superiority Die In Social Situations

Adventurers and a Beholder Art by Scott Murphy

Best Uses

Social Encounters

Combining With Other Maneuvers

You won't always be fighting enemies in Dungeons & Dragons, even if that is where fighters mostly shine. When dealing with social scenarios, having maneuvers like Commanding Presence (adding your superiority die to Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion checks) or Tactical Assessment (adding your superiority die to History, Investigation or Insight checks) can be a far greater aid to your party than new ways of hitting creatures in the face.

Best of all, these maneuvers combine well with others, since they fill their own unique purpose. If you like using the same combat maneuver over and over during combat scenarios, then combining it with something for social encounters will prevent you from feeling like you are making a bad choice, particularly when adding more maneuvers to your repertoire.

20 Disarming Attack

Force An Enemy To Drop An Object

Rogue Escapes a Dragon Art by Billy Christian

Best Uses

Making Enemies Weaker

Catching A Key Item

Disarming Attack is a maneuver that won't always be useful, particularly when facing giant monsters that don't use weapons. But when fighting the evil paladin with the sword of absolute destruction, being able to force the villain to drop their precious weapon can certainly turn the tide of any battle.

Of course, you don't have to use it only for weapons, you can force anyone that fails the Strength saving throw into dropping what they are holding. This can mean forcing a burglar into dropping the bag of holding they just stole from you, or forcing a giant into dropping the ally they just grappled with their hands.

19 Evasive Footwork

Raise Your AC

Players Fighting a Dragon Art by Campbell White

Best Uses

Becoming A Better Tank

Evasive Footwork is ideal for moments where you need to be more defensive than aggressive. With a bonus action, you can raise your AC as the result of a superiority die, as well as take the disengage action, making you not only immune to opportunity attacks but also becoming far tankier until your next turn.

Maneuvers like this one make Battle Master fighters be good not only at dealing damage, but at controlling the battlefield and staying in the front lines as well. You could have different fighters in your party, all of them Battle Masters, but with maneuvers so different that they feel like their own distinct classes.

18 Brace

Opportunity Attack When Creatures Approach You

Mythic Odesseys of Theros via Wizards of the Coast

Best Uses

Polearm Master replacement

Flavor over other options

This is like the poor man's Polearm Master feat. It does the same thing as one of the feat's features except it doesn't require you to be wielding a weapon with reach, costs you a superiority die, and adds your superiority die to the damage.

Suffice it to say, you're better off taking Polearm Master if you want to enjoy the benefits of this maneuver. After all, a weapon with reach is going to trigger someone walking into your range a lot more often anyway. Nonetheless, this is an option for players who absolutely refuse to part with their beloved greatsword, greataxe, or other non-reach weapons.

17 Rally

Give Temporary Hit Points To An Ally

Cleric Art by Michael Broussard

Best Uses

Buff your party before a boss fight

Shield someone close to death

As a bonus action, Rally allows you to give temporary hit points to an ally equal to the roll on your superiority dice plus your Charisma modifier. While easily overlooked, Rally can be a great way to pad your allies hit points, making them harder to take down.

It's also possible to use this maneuver outside of combat, take a short rest to regain your maneuvers, and then go into battle with your whole party's life totals increased. Be advised though, temporary hit points will not revive a player who has already been knocked unconscious.

16 Bait And Switch

Swap Places With An Ally

Frost Giants Art by Jesper Ejsing

Best Uses

Protect a party member

Remove a party member from melee range

Buff your AC or that of an ally

The Bait and Switch Maneuver might be situational, but it is a handy ability for defense if you need to quickly switch positions with any creature, friend or foe, within five feet. The trick is that the creature has to be willing to switch places with you, so it makes more sense to use this with a friendly target.

When you roll your superiority die, the resulting number can be used as an AC bonus for you or your target. This pairs nicely with other Maneuvers like Goading Attack or Menacing Attack that also emphasize the defensive Battle Master build.

15 Pushing Attack

Send Enemies Flying

Elminster by Tyler Jacobson

Best Uses

Knock enemies into environmental hazards or traps

Knock enemies out of opportunity attack range of your allies

Pushing attack is great because it gives you some say in where your opponent strikes next by allowing you to position them. Furthermore, the superiority die you roll when using this ability is added to the damage of your attack. Its drawback is that your target must first fail a strength saving throw before you are able to push them 15 feet.

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However, there are many battlefields where a precarious ledge, pool of acid, or otherwise harmful location exists. Throwing your enemies into harm's way is not only a great tactic, but it's also a very rewarding use of game mechanics that will take the dangers your dungeon master has laid out for you and turn them against his minions.

14 Goading Attack

Force Creatures To Attack Only You

Fighter Art by Nestor Ossandon Leal

Best Uses

Protect your allies at your own expense

Stop enemies from killing downed allies

This maneuver allows you to protect your allies by offering yourself as the target of your foe's ire. The Fighter class is among the characters that are the hardest to take down, so it is often best for everyone if you are the one being attacked. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, their attacks have a disadvantage against anyone other than you until your next turn.

This maneuver functions much like the taunt action prevalent in many other games, nearly forcing the opponent to attack you instead of your allies. If the idea behind your character is to become the shield that defends your loved ones, Goading Attack is the perfect choice for you.

13 Menacing Attack

Frighten Creatures You Hit

Paladin Fighting An Umber Hulk Art by Justine Cruz

Best Uses

Frighten a powerful enemy

Prevent a melee attacker from attacking

Though it functions differently, it could be said that Menacing Attack is a strictly better goading attack. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, they suffer the Frightened condition until the end of your next turn. A creature that is frightened has Disadvantage on all attacks and ability checks and cannot willfully move closer to the source of its fear as long as that source remains in its sight.

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That being said, there are a plethora of creatures you will face in Dungeons & Dragons that have immunity to the frightened condition. In other words, Menacing Attack will not work against them. Goading Attack is more reliable even though Menacing Attack is technically better.

12 Parry

Reduce Damage Taken

Paladin Art by Michael Broussard

Best Uses

Reduce incoming damage

Save yourself from lethal damage

Parry can be used to reduce the hit points dealt by your opponent during combat. It's a defensive ability and therefore gets less attention because of the lack of drama involved, but being able to mitigate damage of any kind is a nice trick.

When you take a hit that deals damage, you can use your reaction to Parry, which means you roll your superiority die and add it to your Dexterity bonus. Subtract the result from the original amount of hit points. What Parry lacks in flair it makes up for in practicality.