"The Pugilist: A Streetfighting Class with Swagger to Spare" by Benjamin Huffman, DMsGuild

Pugilist

Pugilists unconsciously tap into their own inner strength in the form of moxie. This is not an esoteric or mystical energy that flows through the multiverse, but the result of determination forged over a lifetime of hardship with a never-say-die attitude. You can teach someone how to fight but you could never teach someone how to be a pugilist. The secret of mastering moxie doesn’t come from disciplined study or rigorous training, it comes from years of wanting and needing.


hit dice: 1d8
hit points at 1st level: 8 + your Con mod
hit points at higher levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Con modifier per Pugilist level after the 1st
armor proficiencies: Light armor
weapon proficiencies: Simple weapons, Improvised weapons, whip, hand crossbow
tools: Your choice of one artisan’s tools, gaming set, or thieves’ tools
saving throws: Strength, Constitution
skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

starting equipment:

You start with the following equipment in addition to the equipment gained by your background:


• (a) leather armor or (b) any simple weapon


• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack


• (a) a set of artisan’s tools (b) a gaming set or (c) thieves’ tools





class features:

Fisticuffs

At 1st level, your years of fighting in back alleys and taverns have given you mastery over combat styles that use unarmed strikes and pugilist weapons, which are simple melee weapons without the two-handed property, whips, and improvised weapons.

You can’t use the finesse property of a weapon while using it as a pugilist weapon. You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or using only pugilist weapons and you are wearing light or no armor and not using a shield:

• You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or pugilist weapon. This die changes as you gain pugilist levels, as shown in the Fisticuffs column on the Pugilist table.

• When you use the Attack action on your turn and make only unarmed strikes, attacks with pugilist weapons, shoves, or grapples, you can use a bonus action to make one grapple or unarmed strike.

Iron Chin

Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing light or no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 12 + your Constitution modifier.

Moxie

Starting at 2nd level, your experience laying the beatdown on others has given you a moxie you can channel in the midst of battle. This swagger is represented by a number of moxie points. Your pugilist level determines the maximum number of points you have, as shown in the Moxie Points column of the Pugilist table.

You can spend these points to fuel various moxie features. You start knowing three such features: Brace Up, The Old One-Two, and Stick and Move. You learn more moxie features as you gain levels in this class. You regain all expended moxie points when you finish a short or long rest.

  • Brace Up

You can use a bonus action and spend 1 moxie point to brace for attacks. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to a roll of your fisticuffs die + your pugilist level + your Constitution modifier. You lose any remaining temporary hit points gained in this way after 1 minute.

  • The Old One-Two

Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 moxie point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

  • Stick and Move

You can use a bonus action and expend 1 moxie point to attempt to shove a creature or take the Dash action.

Street Smart

Beginning at 2nd level, carousing, shadowboxing, and sparring all count as light activity for the purposes of resting for you. Additionally, once you have caroused in a settlement for 8 hours or more, you know all public locations in the city as if you were born and raised there and you cannot be lost by nonmagical means while within the city.

Bloodied but Unbowed

Starting at 3rd level, when you take damage that reduces you to half your maximum hit points or less, you can use your reaction to gain temporary hit points equal to three times your pugilist level and regain all your expended moxie points. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Fight Club

Starting at 3rd level, you choose a fight club that best exemplifies your style: Arena Royale, Bloodhound Bruisers, Dog & Hound, Hand of Dread, Piss & Vinegar, the Squared Circle, or the Sweet Science, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your fight club grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Dig Deep

Starting at 4th level, you discover a strength inside you that can’t be broken. As a bonus action, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for one minute. At the end of that minute, you gain a level of exhaustion.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Haymaker

Starting at 5th level, when you make an attack, you can declare you are swinging a wild haymaker. When you do, you have disadvantage on the attack roll and, if you hit with a pugilist weapon or unarmed strike, you deal the maximum result of your weapon’s damage die instead of rolling.

Moxie-Fueled Fists

Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

Fancy Footwork

At 7th level, you gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws.

Shake It Off

Starting at 7th level, you can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.

Down but Not Out

Starting at 9th level, when you use your Bloodied But Unbowed feature, you can choose to also use this feature. If you do, you add your proficiency bonus to the damage of your unarmed strikes and pugilist weapons for the next minute. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

School of Hard Knocks

By 10th level, you’ve graduated top of the class at the school of hard knocks and you took most of them on the head. You have resistance to psychic damage and have advantage on saving throws against effects that would make you stunned or unconscious.

Rabble Rouser

Starting at 13th level, word of your exploits travels quickly in cities and other settlements. Once you have taken a long rest in a settlement during which time you spend at least two hours carousing, you gain advantage on all Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Intimidation) rolls made against the people who live there.

Unbreakable

Starting at 14th level, you gain advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws. Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 moxie point to reroll it and take the second result.

Herculean

Starting at 15th level, your carrying capacity is doubled, and when you deal damage with a melee weapon or unarmed strike to an inanimate object, that damage is doubled. Your standing jump distance is the same as your running start jump distance.

Fighting Spirit

Starting at 18th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can channel your fighting spirit. When you do, you regain half of your maximum hit points, half of your maximum moxie points, and do not suffer the effects of any levels of exhaustion you have for the next 10 minutes. At the end of those 10 minutes, you gain a level of exhaustion.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Peak Physical Condition

At 20th level, your Strength and Constitution ability scores increase by 2, to a maximum of 22. Additionally, when you take a long rest, you recover 2 levels of exhaustion instead of 1 and you regain all your expended Hit Dice instead of only half.



Level

Proficiency Bonus (PB)FisticuffsMoxie PointsFeatures

1st

+21d6-Fisticuffs, Iron Chin

2nd

+21d62Moxie, Street Smart

3rd

+21d62Bloodied but Unbowed, Fight Club

4th

+21d63Ability Score Improvement, Dig Deep

5th

+31d83Extra Attack, Haymaker

6th

+31d84Fight Club feature, Moxie-Fueled Fists

7th

+31d84Fancy Footwork, Shake it Off

8th

+31d85Ability Score Improvement

9th

+41d85Down but Not Out

10th

+41d86School of Hard Knocks

11th

+41d106Fight Club feature

12th

+41d107Ability Score Improvement

13th

+51d107Rabble Rouser

14th

+51d108Unbreakable

15th

+51d108Herculean

16th

+51d109Ability Score Improvement

17th

+61d129Fight Club feature

18th

+61d1210Fighting Spirit

19th

+61d1210Ability Score Improvement

20th

+61d1212Peak Physical Condition


Created by

BabyAteMyDingo.

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