The New 2024 Battle Master Fighter (DnD 5e Subclass Deep Dive)
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Experts in combat with a tactical mind as sharp as their blades, the Battle Master is one of the most complex and challenging of all the DnD 5e Fighter subclasses. This is due in large part to their access to a series of unique Battle Maneuvers which provided added effects to attacks. Yet since 2014, these wily warriors have yet to be tested by any significant rules changes.
That’s no longer the case, however, with the Battle Master being called back into duty in the pages of the new 2024 Player’s Handbook. In fact, the subclass has seen some noteworthy updates, including official new Battle Maneuvers, enhanced proficiency options and a new way to detect enemy weaknesses.
So just how well will the 2024 Battle Master fare in the face of these new rules of engagement? We dig into our tactical playbooks for all the details.
What’s changed in the new 2024 Battle Master Fighter Subclass?
Below are all the changes to the 2024 Battle Master Fighter in DnD 5e. For ease of reference we’ve included the level and whether the feature has changed from 2014. It’s important to note that both the old and the new version of the Battle Master still fall under the DnD 5e core rules.
| Battle Master Fighter Feature | Level | Changed from 2014? | Changes to the 2024 Battle Master Fighter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Superiority | 3 | Yes | – Officially added four new Combat Maneuvers (which first appeared in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything): Ambush, Bait and Switch, Commanding Presence and Tactical Assessment – All other elements are the same as the 2014 rules. |
| Student of War | 3 | Yes | – In the 2014 rules you only received a tool proficiency. You now gain another skill proficiency from the Fighter’s skill list. |
| Know Your Enemy | 7 | Yes | Completely redesigned. You can now detect a creature’s resistances, immunities and vulnerabilities (limited number of uses per day). |
| Improved Combat Superiority | 10 | No | N/A |
| Relentless Presence | 15 | Yes | Now allows you to use a free d8 instead of spending your regular Superiority Dice for maneuvers once a turn. |
What are the Battle Master features for 2024 DnD 5e?
Below are the full list of all the features using the new 2024 core rules. Where applicable we have called out details on the changes that have been made from the 2014 Battle Master.
Level 3: Combat Superiority
In the 2014 rules, the Combat Superiority feature granted your Fighter the ability to use a set of unique Battle Master Maneuvers, which allow you to add unique effects to your attack. This is still the case with the 2024 rules, with the exception that four new maneuvers have been added which were previously only optional in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and some maneuvers have been slightly tweaked. All other rules are exactly the same as the 2014 version.
Initially, at Level 3, learn three maneuvers, with two more available at Levels 7, 10 and 15. Notably, you can only use one maneuver per attack and each time you learn new maneuvers you can replace one of your old ones.
Maneuvers themselves are fuelled by something known as “Superiority Dice,” each of which is a d8. At Level 3 you start with four superiority dice, and you gain one additional die at Level 7 and again at Level 15. When performing a maneuver, you expend the use of one the dice and then roll it. For example, with the “Evasive Footwork” maneuver you expend one superiority die, rolling the die and adding the result to your AC. You regain all uses of any expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
Notably, some maneuvers require the target to make a saving throw to resist the effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)
One additional thing to note is that Battle Master Maneuvers can potentially be chained with the new 2024 Weapon Mastery system, which allows for some unique tactical options, but is also likely to make things more complicated for both players and DMs. So bear this in mind if you are planning on taking on this updated subclass.
Level 3: Student of War
In the 2024 rules, this feature allowed your Battle Master to gain proficiency with your choice of one type of artisan’s tools. This is still the case in the 2024 rules, however now you also get to choose another proficiency from the Fighter skill list.
This change is designed to make the Battle Master feel more well-rounded and highlight their keen intellects both and off the battlefield.
Level 7: Know Your Enemy
In the 2014 rules, this feature required you to spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with another creature outside combat. You could then choose from any two of the following characteristics and the DM would tell you if the creature was your equal, superior or inferior: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, AC, Hit Point, Total Class Levels or Fighter Class Level.
This rule has been completely redesigned for the 2024 Battle Master. Now, you automatically detect a targets Resistances, Immunities and Vulnerabilities by looking at a specific target (the 1-minute observation rule no longer applies). You do, however, have a limited number of uses based on your class which can only be replenished during a long rest.
Level 10: Improved Combat Superiority
This feature has not changed in 2024 and is exactly the same as it was in the 2014 rules. The feature turns your superiority dice from 1d8s into d10s. At 18th level, your superiority dice turn from 1d10s into d12s.
Level 15: Relentless Presence
In the 2014 Battle Master rules, when you rolled initiative and had no superiority dice remaining, you regain 1 superiority die.
In the new 2024 rules, however, it has changed. Now, once per turn you can spend one free d8 instead of spending your regular Superiority Dice for maneuvers.
Is the New 2024 Battle Master Fighter worth playing?
The Battle Master is arguably the most complicated of all the Fighter subclasses in DnD 5e, particularly compared to more beginner-friendly options like the new 2024 Champion. That being said, it’s also the most tactically diverse and combining both the new 2024 Weapon Mastery rules and a larger list of Battle Maneuvers, opens up a ton of new strategic potential in combat. In other words, if you’re looking for a challenge with your martial class, you need look no further than the new and improved Battle Master.
You can find the complete rules for the new subclass in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available for pre-order now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
Below is also a video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel, with DnD lead designer Jeremy Crawford offering a closer look at the changes made to the Battle Master in the new 2024 DnD 5e rules.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
