Pro Boxer

To you, nowhere gives you the sense of home more than the square circle. Between the scent of vaseline and copper, you feel ready to fight. But, despite your origins in the ring, you are ready to spend your days outside of the stage to revel in adventure, and that means taking the ring with you into the wider world. Strapping cloth around your hands, donning boxing gloves, or even brass knuckles, you're ready to throttle the lights out of some eyes.

You bring your illustrious skills to your adventure, firing rapid jabs, launching cannon-force straights, hucking iron hooks, and rising to any occasion with an uppercut to split the heavens. You weave through your foe's attacks, use footwork to dance around the battleground, clinch to avoid attacks, and feint to get the upper hand. Not even mentioning your deadly techniques, as well as your indomitable willpower, you are truly a powerful pugilist.

Boxing-Style

When you choose this archetype at 3rd Level, you gain proficiency in unarmed strikes, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 Bludgeoning Damage. If you are equipped with a weapon that specifically is used for punching, such as a Knuckleduster, your armed attacks are still considered unarmed strikes. Also, the Fighter's Fighting Styles are adapted slightly to incorporate your unique fighting abilities:

• Defense: While not wearing armor, you gain +1 AC.
• Dueling: While equipped with a weapon like Boxing Gloves or a Knuckleduster, your damage rolls are increased by +2.
• Two-Weapon Fighting: For the purposes of this feat only, you may count your unarmed strikes as weapon attacks.

Additionally, you may select one of the following four boxing-styles:

• Slugger: You focus purely on offense, putting your body and soul behind your steely punches. Increase your unarmed strikes damage die to 1d8, you may use the Reckless Attack feature, and you can add your Athletics (STR) as the modifier for your unarmed strikes.
• Out-Boxer: You keep your distance with your target, keeping out of reach and punishing mistakes they make. Your unarmed strikes have the Reach property, as well as the Finesse property, and you cannot be Opportunity Attacked by moving out of an enemy creature's attack range.
• Peek-A-Boo: You boast a defensive style that makes use of accurate punches and striking when the target least expects it. Your unarmed strikes gain +1 to Hit, you gain +1 to AC, and you can use a reaction to perform a Parry, which allows you to make an unarmed strike against an enemy if they fail to hit you with a Melee Attack.
• Dirty Boxing: Despite your love for boxing, you'll do what you have to in order to win, even if that involves cheating. Once per Long Rest, you can apply your unarmed strike damage dice to an improvised weapon, you gain Advantage in Deception Checks in combat, and you gain Proficiency in Deception, and you can add your Deception (CHA) as the modifier for your unarmed strikes.

Once you have selected a boxing-style, you cannot change it.

Boxing Basics

Additionally at 3rd Level, you incorporate your mastery of the basics into your boxing-style. Choose two of the four punches:

• Jab: You boast a swift left jab, capable of slicing the wind itself. You may make an unarmed strike as a Bonus Action, but your damage die is reduced to 1d4. You may use this technique equal to your Fighter Level divided by 2 times, rounded down to a minimum of 1 use. All uses are restored on a Long Rest.
• Straight: Your right straight is insanely powerful, capable of downing giants if you so wished. You may upgrade your next unarmed strike into a right straight, which deals 2d8 Bludgeoning Damage. You may only use this punch as an Action, and you may use this technique equal to your Fighter Level divided by 5 times, rounded down to a minimum of 1 use. All uses are restored on a Long Rest.
• Hook: A hook is instrumental in swinging around your opponent's guard, as well as hitting susceptible areas like the liver. You may upgrade your next unarmed strike into a sweeping hook, which gains an additional +2 to Hit. You may only use this punch as an Action, and you may use this technique equal to your Fighter Level divided by 2 times, rounded down to a minimum of 1 use. All uses are restored on a Long Rest.
• Uppercut: Uppercuts are integral for breaking through guards and delivering a stunning blow to the head. You may upgrade your next unarmed strike into an uppercut, which strikes the foe's chin on a successful hit. When hit, the target creature must make a CON Saving Throw vs. your STR Saving Throw, and upon failing, the target creature is knocked Prone. If the target creature rolls a Critical Failure or if you roll a Critical Success, the target is Stunned for their next turn, shaking off the stun at the start of their next following turn. You may only use this punch as an action, and you may use this technique once per Long Rest.

You implement an additional technique again at 10th Level, and once more at 18th Level.

Evasion

Starting at 7th Level, you implement more effective evasive techniques in your boxing-style. You gain +1 to AC, and choose one of the following techniques:

• Guard: When a creature makes a Melee Attack against you, you may use a reaction to contest the attacking creature's Attack Roll with an Athletics Check (STR/CON). If you succeed, you are hit, but reduce the damage you would take by half.
• Feint: When you make an unarmed strike on an enemy creature, but they or an ally of theirs would use a reaction to affect the outcome of your attack, you may immediately cancel the unarmed strike and the enemy creature's at the cost of not taking a reaction until after your next turn. Then, you may choose to make a new unarmed strike, but you cannot be targeted by the former reaction.
• Swayback: When a creature makes a Melee Attack against you, you may use a reaction to contest the attacking creature's Attack Roll with an Acrobatics Check (DEX). If you succeed, you avoid the attack completely and move 5ft. away from the attacking creature without provoking an Opportunity Attack.
• Clinch: When you make a Grappling Action and successfully Grapple the target creature, you hold them in a way that makes it impossible for either of you to hit each other. Additionally, while clinching, your Speed is reduced to 0, you share the same position as the target creature which will make attacks against you also hit the Grappled creature and vice versa, you can add your STR Modifier to your AC, and the only Action you can take is to release the creature you've Grappled. The target creature can still attempt to break out of the Grapple.

You may learn an additional technique at 15th Level.

Footwork

Starting at 7th Level, your footwork improves ever further, giving you an ease of movement you have not felt before. While unarmored, your DEX modifier, in relation to AC only, is doubled, you may take the Dash Action as a Bonus Action, and you become immune to effects that would reduce your Speed, except from difficult terrain or self-targeting/self-inflicted effects.

Cross-Counter

Starting at 10th Level, you invent a debilitating punch, one that can easily use the foe's own power against them. If an enemy creature performs a Melee Attack on you, you can use a reaction to guarantee it hits. In exchange, you lean in and deliver a blow to their face as they attack you, their momentum working against them as they effectively double the power of your own punch. Roll a CON Saving Throw vs. the target creature's STR, and on a success, you deal double the damage you take to the target creature and end their turn. On a failure, you miss your counter and take guaranteed damage. If the target creature manages to roll a Critical Hit, then you only deal the same damage you take to the target. You may use this once per Long Rest.

Deadly Techniques

Starting at 15th Level, you begin crafting more and more dangerous techniques. From the following list, choose one to learn:

• Corkscrew Punch: You pull your punch far back and release a lethal punch with a lot of force stored in its twisting motion. Once per Long Rest, you may make your next unarmed strike deal 4d8 Bludgeoning Damage and is guaranteed to knock the target creature Prone. Additionally, this unarmed strike pierces damage mitigation effects and ignores Bludgeoning Resistance/Immunity. You may only use this punch as an Action.
• Vicious Rush: With extreme prejudice, you let loose a series of violent blows. Once per Long Rest, you may perform a Multi-Attack of 4 attacks, but each attack must be a Jab, Straight, Hook, or Uppercut and you cannot chain two of the same punch one after the other. (i.e., you cannot perform 4 Straights, or 2 Jabs then 2 Straights, but you can do a Jab then Straight then Hook then Straight)
• No Guard Stance: You see the benefit of lowering any guard you have against the enemy, as you can more easily bait out specific reactions from them. If you do not perform the Attack Action on your turn, you enter a No Guard Stance until your next turn, where you suffer a -2 to AC and automatically fail Saving Throws. However, you gain Bludgeoning/Slashing/Piercing Resistance, you are allowed to take as many reactions as you'd like during this time, and your reactions will automatically succeed.
• Elbow Bash: By following through in a dirty-manner, your elbows can become a secondary punch. Once per Long Rest, you may designate a turn at the start of that turn. For the entire turn, every successful unarmed strike is duplicated, making one successful hit deal two unarmed strikes-worth of damage.

Once you learn one, you cannot learn another or switch techniques.

Pure White Ashes

At 18th Level, you feel the true essence of a brawler flow through you, and when you are out in the square circle you combust like a beautiful flame, burning so hot that all you leave behind are pure white ashes. If, during a combat encounter, your Hit Points are reduced to 0 and you would fail your Death Saving Throws or would die by other means, you may choose to Stabilize yourself and gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Max Hit Points. You cannot recover Hit Points or gain new Temporary Hit Points in this state, and until your Temporary Hit Points are reduced to 0 or until the combat encounter ends, you may will yourself to keep fighting. Once either occur, you die as if you just rolled your last Death Saving Throw.