Fighters are skilled warriors who take pride in their skillful execution with all sorts of weapons and fighting styles, be that melee, ranged, or magical.
Those who become Fighters often want versatility coupled with practice and focus, whether that be in Dexterity, Strength, or Intelligence.
Best Races for Fighters 5e D&D
5. Centaur
Ability Score Increase – One score by 2 and a different one by 1 OR Three different scores by 1.
Age – Centaurs mature at the same age as Humans and normally live around 100 years.
Alignment – Centaurs are mainly Neutral, but some do take routes of Good or Evil.
Creature Type – Fey
Size – Medium, ranging between 6 and 7 feet tall, with their equine bodies reaching around 4 feet at their withers.
Speed – Base walking speed is 40 feet.
Racial Features – Charge, Hooves, Equine Build, and Survivor.
Languages – Speak, read, and write Sylvan and Common.
Centaurs have some great offensive features like Charge and Hooves, allowing an extra attack with your hooves or just hitting a creature with them outright.
You are also connected with nature through the Natural Affinity feature, though that’s more appropriate for a Druid than a Fighter.
4. Lizardfolk
Ability Score Increase – One score by 2 and a different one by 1 OR Three different scores by 1.
Age – Lizardfolk reach maturity at age 14, rarely living longer than 60 years.
Alignment – Lizardfolk are mainly Neutral, and their brutal natures are not due to Evil, only an animalistic instinct to survive.
Creature Type – Humanoid
Size – Medium, Lizardfolk are slightly taller and bulkier than Humans, with colorful frills that make them look even bigger.
Speed – Base walking speed of 30 feet and a swimming speed of 30.
Racial Features – Bite, Cunning Artisan, Hold Breath, Hunter’s Lore, Natural Armor, and Hungry Jaws.
Languages – Speak, read, and write, Draconic and Common.
Lizardfolk are natural Fighters, being built to kill and gaining many useful offensive options like Hungry Jaws and Bite.
Their Natural Armor also makes it less viable to use armor and build a Dexterity-based Fighter, and Nature’s Intuition is a nice way to gain two free skill proficiencies.
3. Variant Human
Ability Score Increase – Two different scores by 1.
Age – Humans mature in their late teens and live less than 100 years.
Alignment – Any
Creature Type – Humanoid
Feat (Variant) – Gain one Feat of your choice.
Size – Medium, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet, and almost any varying Human weight.
Skills (Variant) – Gain proficiency in one skill you choose.
Speed – Base walking speed of 30 feet.
Racial Features (Variant) – Depends on the Variant Human you chose.
Languages – Speak, read, and write Common and one language you choose.
Variant Humans give you one Feat of your choice as well as a skill proficiency for free, which already makes them incredibly valuable.
You can even choose a Marked Variant Human if you don’t feel like taking the Feat, as there are a lot of excellent options that will fit with what you want your Fighter to be good with.
2. Half-Orc
Ability Score Increase – Strength score by 2, and Constitution score by 1.
Age – Half-Orcs reach adulthood at age 14, aging quickly and usually not living longer than 75 years.
Alignment – Their Orc parents give them a tendency towards chaos and are not often inclined toward Good. Half-Orcs raised by Orcs are more likely to turn towards Evil.
Creature Type – Humanoid
Size – Medium, ranging from 5 to over 6 feet and weighing between 180 – 250 pounds.
Speed – Base walking speed of 30 feet.
Racial Features – Darkvision, Menacing, Relentless Endurance, and Savage Attacks.
Languages – Speak, read, and write Orc and Common.
Half-Orcs are superb Fighters, being born with a sword in their hand.
These guys have the Relentless Endurance feature that allows them to fight without being held back as much, and their Savage Attack works exceptionally well, with Fighters having a lot of attacks each turn in hopes of critting.
You even have proficiency with Intimidation if you want to go with a more Charisma-centred build.
1. Leonin
Ability Score Increase – Constitution by 2, and Strength by 1.
Age – Leonin mature and age similarly to Humans, rarely living longer than 100 years of age.
Alignment – Most Leonin lean towards Good, and those who are very prideful are Lawful Good.
Creature Type – Humanoid
Size – Medium, ranging between 6 and 7 feet.
Speed – Base walking speed of 35 feet.
Racial Features – Darkvision, Claws, Hunter’s Instincts, and Daunting Roar.
Languages – Speak, read, and write Leonin and Common.
Leonin are ferocious feline warriors with features like Claws that let you strike enemies with your clawed hands and Daunting Roar that frighten creatures that fail the save.
Hunter’s Instincts is also a nice feature that basically just gives you proficiency with a skill for free.
Honorable Mentions
Loxodon: Loxodons are like walking tanks, being a great close combat race, especially against magic or abilities that charm or frighten you because of their Loxodon Serenity. Its Trunk is also not a bad additional tool to use in certain situations.
Goliath: Goliaths are similar to Loxodons, sporting some good durability with their Mountain Born and Stone’s Endurance features.
Minotaur: Minotaurs give Fighters a lot of offensive options to use, like their Horns strike, Goring Rush (for Fighter making a lot of dashes), and Hammering Horns to get attackers off of you.
Final Thoughts
Fighters are the bulk of any fighting force, and although most aren’t highly regarded, the races on this list will definitely have enough power to change that stereotype.
With the races mentioned above, you have excessive creative freedom and heaps of interesting lore to sift through to get to your finished character.