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CreditsProduct Lead: Benjamin HuffmanSterling Vermin Adventuring Co.Writing & Game Design: Benjamin HuffmanEditing: Alan TuckerLayout & Graphic Design: Nathanaël RouxCover Illustrator: Fil CieplakInterior Illustrators: Samantha Darcy, Nathanaël Roux, FilCieplak, Jonathan Reincke, Jonathan Simard, and spelljamer.ContentsPugilist3Class Features.4Fight Clubs.6Arena Royale.6Bloodhound Bruisers. 7Dog & Hound. 7Piss & Vinegar.8The Squared Circle.9The Sweet Science.9Pugilist & Multiclassing.9Equipment. 10Weapons. 10Magic Items. 10Nonplayer Characters. 13ON THE COVERHere the good detective Hearth Stoneturner,illustrated by Fil Cieplak, prowls the backalleys of Styrnia tracking a killer on theloose, ready for a brawl when he catches upto his quarry.DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, MonsterManual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respectivelogos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenessesare property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express writtenpermission of Wizards of the Coast. 2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. Thiswork contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission underthe Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.All other original material in this work is copyright 2016-2018 by Benjamin Huffman and Ross Leiser and published under theCommunity Content Agreement for Dungeon Master’s Guild. 2
PugilistArrows rain down around her as she runs towards thehobgoblins. Desperate to close the distance, the half-orcfights through the sting of a dozen cuts to reach her foes.The pain only makes her stronger. As she descends onthe snarling pack she swings wildly, knocking severalhobgoblins off their feet and sending the rest scatteringbefore her.The human braces himself for the impact as theorc rushes him. Then the monster makes a mistake,telegraphing its next move, and that’s all the opening thehuman needs. He ducks beneath the orc’s wide swing thenraises both hands high above his head and brings themdown on the orc’s back, forcing the brute to the ground.The dwarf smiles broadly and chuckles as the pettynoble raises his hand to strike him for the impudentremark. Quick as a flash, the dwarf shatters the bottlein his hand against the bar and brandishes it before thenoble. The young dandy flinches, stumbles backward,and runs away as the dwarf turns back to the bar toorder another round.Wherever they come from, pugilists live a rough andtumble life that leaves them full of determination andreckless, either from overconfidence or desperation. Ina fight they can channel this strength of character to digdeep and fight off foes with greater strength of numbers,arms, or armor than anyone else would think possible.Swagger for DaysPugilists unconsciously tap into their own inner strengthin the form of moxie. This is not an esoteric or mysticalenergy that flows through the multiverse, but the resultof determination forged over a lifetime of hardship witha never-say-die attitude. You can teach someone howto fight but you could never teach someone how to bea pugilist. The secret of mastering moxie doesn’t comefrom disciplined study or rigorous training, it comesfrom years of wanting and needing.Life on the StreetEvery city in the worlds of D&D has its back alleys, itsunderground fighting rackets, its ghettos. The pugilistswho live in these places don’t have time to consider thelofty ideals of philosophy or ponder the mysteries of theuniverse. The pugilists, growing up on the wrong side ofthe tracks, spend all their time chasing down their nextmeal or, if they’re fortunate enough to have that, theirnext drink, bedfellow, or flophouse.Classes Pugilist3
The BonusFisticuffs Points Features 21d6— Fisticuffs, Iron Chin 21d62 Moxie, Street Smart 21d62 Bloodied butUnbowed, Fight Club 21d63 Ability ScoreImprovement, DigDeep 31d83 Extra Attack,Haymaker 31d84 Fight Club feature,Moxie-Fueled Fists 31d84 Fancy Footwork,Shake It Off 31d85 Ability ScoreImprovement 41d85 Down but Not Out 41d86 School of HardKnocks 41d106 Fight Club feature 41d107 Ability ScoreImprovement 51d107 Rabble Rouser 51d108 Unbreakable 51d108 Herculean 51d109 Ability ScoreImprovement 61d129 Fight Club feature 61d1210 Fighting Spirit 61d1210 Ability ScoreImprovement 61d1212 Peak PhysicalConditionmeet? Were you forgotten and ignored by your family?Were you an outsider in your community who had toconstantly struggle against the ignorant stereotypes thepeople there had of you? The most important elementof the pugilist is that they are driven. Once you havedecided what events made you into the pugilist you aretoday, decide how that may shape the actions you take inthe future.Quick BuildYou can make a pugilist quickly by following thesesuggestions. First, make Strength your highest abilityscore, followed by Constitution. Second, choose thecriminal or urchin background.Class FeaturesAs a pugilist, you gain the following class features.Hit PointsFor pugilists, becoming an adventurer might be theonly way out of whatever miserable situation they’vebeen stuck in since infancy. For others, getting lost outin the world is an escape from the tangled web of debt orenemies they’ve piled up. Other pugilists fight becauseit’s the only thing they know how to do. Whatever thereason for their adventuring, pugilists are as excited bythe prospect of throwing punches as they are spendingevery last gold coin they earn.Creating a PugilistAs you build your pugilist, consider how you came tobe a bare knuckle brawler. Did you learn to fight todefend yourself? Was scraping the natural result of yournose for trouble? Or did you learn to fight as a way ofintimidating and controlling others? Were you fightingfor the entertainment, or did you fight because you hadto? Did you try to become a more traditional martialartist but just couldn’t hack it? Pugilists are a rowdybunch that like to brag about how they learned to fight,so you better have a good story to tell.What events in your life gave you the sheerdetermination and will that pugilists call on? Did youspend every day hustling on the street to make endsClasses Pugilist4Hit Dice: 1d8 per pugilist levelHit Points at 1st Level: 8 your Constitution modifierHit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) yourConstitution modifier per pugilist level after 1stProficienciesArmor: Light armorWeapons: Simple weapons, improvised weapons, whip,hand crossbowTools: Your choice of one artisan’s tools, gaming set, orthieves’ toolsSaving Throws: Strength, ConstitutionSkills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Athletics,Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Sleight of Hand,and Stealth.EquipmentYou start with the following equipment in addition to theequipment 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
FisticuffsBloodied But UnbowedAt 1st level, your years of fighting in back alleys andtaverns have given you mastery over combat styles that useunarmed strikes and pugilist weapons, which are simplemelee weapons without the two-handed property, whips,and improvised weapons. You may not use the finesseproperty of a weapon while using it as a pugilist weapon.You gain the following benefits while you are unarmedor using only pugilist weapons and you are wearing lightor no armor and not using a shield:Starting at 3rd level, when you take damage thatreduces you to half your maximum hit points or less, youcan use your reaction to gain temporary hit points equalto your pugilist level your Constitution modifier andyou regain all expended moxie points. You cannot usethis feature again until you finish a short or long rest. You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage ofyour unarmed strike or pugilist weapon. This diechanges as you gain pugilist levels, as shown in theFisticuffs column on the Pugilist table. When you use the Attack action with an unarmedstrike or a pugilist weapon on your turn, you can makeone unarmed strike or grapple as a bonus action.Iron ChinFight ClubStarting at 3rd level, you choose a fight club that bestexemplifies your style: Arena Royale, BloodhoundBruisers, Dog & Hound, Piss & Vinegar, the SquaredCircle, or the Sweet Science, all detailed at the end ofthe class description. Your fight club grants you featuresat 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.Ability Score ImprovementBeginning at 1st level, you can use Constitution insteadof Dexterity to determine your armor class when you arewearing light or no armor and are not using a shield.When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th,and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of yourchoice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores ofyour choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an abilityscore above 20 using this feature.MoxieDig DeepStarting at 2nd level, your experience laying thebeatdown on others has given you a moxie youcan channel in the midst of battle. This swagger isrepresented by a number of moxie points. Your pugilistlevel determines the maximum number of points youhave, as shown in the Moxie Points column of thePugilist table.You can spend these points to fuel various moxiefeatures. You start knowing three such features: BraceUp, The Old One-Two, and Stick and Move. You learnmore moxie features as you gain levels in this class. Youregain all expended moxie points when you complete ashort or long rest.Starting at 4th level, you discover a strength insideyou that can’t be broken. As a bonus action, you gainresistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashingdamage for one minute. At the end of that minute yougain a level of exhaustion.Brace UpYou can use a bonus action and spend 1 moxie point tobrace for attacks. Roll your fisticuffs die your pugilistlevel your Constitution modifier and gain that manytemporary hit points.The Old One-TwoImmediately after you take the Attack action on yourturn, you can spend 1 moxie point to make two unarmedstrikes as a bonus action.Stick and MoveYou can use a bonus action and expend 1 moxie point tomake a shove attack or take the Dash action.Street SmartBeginning at 2nd level, carousing, shadowboxing, andsparring all count as light activity for the purposes ofresting for you. Additionally, once you have caroused ina settlement for 8 hours or more, you know all publiclocations in the city as if you were born and raised thereand you cannot be lost by non-magical means whilewithin the city.Extra AttackBeginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead ofonce, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.HaymakerStarting at 5th level, before you make an attack roll withan unarmed strike or pugilist melee weapon attack thatdoes not already have disadvantage, you can declare youare swinging wild haymakers. You make all attack rollsuntil the end of this turn with disadvantage and whenyou deal damage you do not roll, but use the maximumdie result instead.Moxie-Fueled FistsStarting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count asmagical for the purpose of overcoming resistance andimmunity to non-magical attacks and damage.Fancy FootworkAt 7th level, you gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws.Shake It OffStarting at 7th level, you can use your action toend one effect on yourself that is causing you to becharmed or frightened.Down But Not OutAt 9th level, when you use your Bloodied But Unbowedfeature you can choose to also use this feature. If youClasses Pugilist5
do, you add your proficiency bonus to your damagewith unarmed attacks and pugilist weapons for thenext minute. You can use this feature again after youcomplete a long rest.theatrics of a fight as they do its outcome. Pugilists inthis fight club also care deeply about their reputationand work to build up local and regional legends abouttheir performing personas.School of Hard KnocksBonus ProficiencyBy 10th level, you’ve graduated top of the class at theschool of hard knocks and you took most of them on thehead. You have resistance to psychic damage and gainadvantage on saving throws against effects that wouldmake you stunned or unconscious.Rabble RouserStarting at 13th level, word of your exploits travels quicklyin cities and other settlements. Once you have taken along rest by carousing in a settlement, you gain advantageon all Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Intimidation)rolls made against the people who live there.UnbreakableStarting at 14th level, you gain advantage on Strength,
Fight Club Starting at 3rd level, you choose a fight club that best exemplifies your style: Arena Royale, Bloodhound Bruisers, Dog & Hound, 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 .
