The fighter is the classic of classic Dungeons and Dragons classes. It frequently serves as an introductory class for new players and has an excellent level of flexibility thanks to its myriad of subclasses. Fighters are the typical front-liner, standing at the head of the party taking hits and dishing out massive amounts of damage to foes.
Typically, magic items given to fighters are stronger weapons and better armor in order to emphasize their natural abilities. While +3 weapons and +3 armor are perfectly valid choices for magic items for fighters, there are several others that can be used to enhance a D&D fighter’s frontline abilities in more creative ways.
Updated August 23, 2022 by Declan Lowthian: Fighters are the best at what they do, but D&D’s many magic items can go a long way to making them even better. We’ve updated this list with even more information about the best magic items for any fighter to add to their arsenal.
10 Brooch Of Shielding
Uncommon, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 156
Force damage is a type of damage in D&D that stands out amongst the rest. Few items and spells deal force damage, and even fewer creatures resist force damage. This makes force damage a powerful tool, as it will likely bypass a target’s damage resistances.
- Gain resistance to a difficult-to-counter damage type
-
Total immunity to one of
D&D’
s only instant hit spells
The Brooch of Shielding makes the wearer immunity to Magic Missile, one of the most common sources of force damage, and grants resistance to the damage type. Facing a spellcaster enemy with Magic Missile isn’t always a guarantee, but parties that know they’ll be facing that spell would be wise to give the fighter a Brooch of Shielding to ensure that the fighter will be able to tank hits no matter what.
9 Adamantine Armor
Uncommon, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 150
Critical hits can be deadly, even against a fighter. When an enemy rolls a natural 20, the odds are good things are going to take a turn in the battle. If the fighter gets hit by a particularly bad critical, it could cost the party their heaviest hitter.
- Negates the potential for surprise heavy hits
- Can be used by medium or heavy armor users
Adamantine Armor can come in any type of metal armor, and it gives the wearer immunity to critical hits. While it may seem like a minor advantage, resisting a critical hit is not only a great way to power up the fighter but is also satisfying for the player when they realize critical hits aren’t the threat they were.
8 Ring of Evasion
Rare, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 191
A lot of monsters that have area-of-effect attacks require players to make a Dexterity saving throw. Even beyond battles, many traps and other scenarios outside of dungeon-delving can require Dexterity saving throws. While some fighters will be more dexterous than others, any fighter would benefit from a Ring of Evasion.
- Shores up a common fighter defense weakness
- Lets a Strength-based fighter fend off Dexterity-based threats
The ring has three charges, and the wearer can use a charge to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw they just failed. This essentially gives whoever wears the Ring of Evasion a do-over with guaranteed success when making Dexterity saving throws, and that’s something that can be a great help to anyone, but especially a fighter.
7 Javelin Of Lightning
Uncommon, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 178
As a rule, D&D fighters tend to focus melee over ranged combat. Whether the monster is flying overhead or there’s a chasm between the fighter and their opponent, a close-quarters warrior will have a frustrating time without a decent ranged weapon. The Javelin of Lightning is a great option for those fighters looking for a ranged alternative.
- Grants a powerful ranged attack
- Can overcome resistances to mundane weapons in both melee and range
When thrown, the javelin becomes a bolt of lightning that can deal a ton of lightning damage to anything it hits. While the electric property of the javelin can only be used once a day, the javelin can be reclaimed and thrown as many times as the fighter wants and still counts as a magic weapon, giving them a good ranged backup in the event they face a foe their blade can’t reach.
6 Ring Of Protection
Rare, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 191
Fighters rely on having a high AC to deflect incoming attacks and keep the focus off their less armored allies. Standard D&D armor can only do so much though, which is where a Ring of Protection comes in.
- Overall improved defenses
- Can stack with bonuses from armor and shields
This simple magic item provides the wearer with a +1 bonus to AC while also giving them a +1 bonus to saving throws. These +1 bonuses will ensure that the fighter is not only harder to hit, but more likely to avoid more dangerous effects from spells and other AOE attacks.
5 Cloak Of Displacement
Rare, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 158
The Displacer Beast is a classic Dungeons and Dragons monster that has the ability to blur its form and give opponents disadvantage on attack rolls against it until it is finally hit or reduced to zero speed. The cloak of the same name works in much the same way, giving disadvantage to those who try to hit the wearer, at least until they finally do get hit.
- Provides a huge defensive boost to the party tank
- Stacks with other defensive magic items
Although the effect of the cloak ends when the wearer gets hit, it actually works quite well with the high AC of fighters, making sure that any monster stepping into battle will have an awful time trying to land a blow.
4 Animated Shield
Very Rare, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 151
An Animated Shield has the ability to leave the wielder’s hand and float protectively in front of them when the command word is spoken. This gives fighters the opportunity to fight with a two-handed weapon like a greatsword or pike without sacrificing their defenses.
- Lets a fighter dual wield or use a two-handed weapon while still using a shield
- Can be used with the Protection fighting style to keep allies safe
The opportunities opened up by having both hands available in combat are vast, and the Animated Shield ensures that a fighter can have their high defense while also dealing high damage. This magic item also counts as wielding a shield for any fighter abilities or feats that require one.
3 Belt Of Giant Strength
Varies, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 155
The many forms of a Belt of Giant Strength all have one unique feature to them: they allow the wearer to go beyond the 20 ability score limit that is imposed on player characters. Even the weakest of the belts can increase a character’s Strength score to 21, with the most powerful of the belts increasing Strength up to a whopping 29, granting them a titanic +9 modifier.
- Massively increases attack and damage rolls
- Helps a fighter exceed their normal limits
Fighters are one of the classes most dependent on Strength. Giving them an item that provides such massive boosts to Strength is a great way to help them keep pace with spellcaster classes that can unleash massive amounts of damage in a single turn.
2 Armor Of Invulnerability
Legendary, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 152
Armor of Invulnerability is a legendary item for good reason. When worn, it gives the wearer resistance to all nonmagical damage. In addition, the wearer can use an action to make themselves immune to nonmagical damage for 10 minutes.
- Grants extreme resistance at all times
- Can be used to gain total immunity for multiple fights in a row
While 10 minutes may not seem very long, most fights in D&D don’t last longer than a minute or two within the game despite potentially going on for an hour in real-time. 10 minutes of immunity to nonmagical damage could potentially be the length of the final fight of the campaign, ensuring the main antagonist will be frustrated by the fighter as they trade blows.
1 Vorpal Sword
Legendary, Dungeon Master’s Guide pg. 209
Another legendary item that earns its rarity, the Vorpal Sword gives its wielder a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls and it ignores resistance to slashing damage. When the sword’s wielder rolls a 20 on an attack roll made with the Vorpal Sword, they automatically decapitate their opponent, killing them instantly. The only caveats are that it fails to work on a creature with legendary actions (like a dragon), a creature that can survive without its head, or a monster that is simply too big to get beheaded by a sword.
In these instances, though, a Vorpal Sword instead deals an additional 6d8 slashing damage. If used in the wrong D&D campaign, it could lead to the main antagonist meeting an anticlimactic and unceremonious end. But when used in the right campaign with the right story around it, this sword will easily prove to be the strongest weapon in a fighter’s arsenal.