Brawlers focus their training and study not on swordplay and battle tactics, but on the skills needed to turn a punch or kick into a brutal strike. Some Brawlers thrive in tavern scuffles wielding ordinary objects with the deadliness of an assassin’s knife and others specialise at getting up close and aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty.

 

Level 3: Unarmed Expert

You can make one Unarmed Strike as a Bonus Action. You can roll 1d6 plus your Strength modifier in place of the normal damage of your Unarmed Strike. If you aren’t holding any weapons or a Shield and not wearing Medium or Heavy armour, when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.

Level 3: Brawling Style

Choose one of your brawling styles. This will determine the subclass features you will unlock.

Dirty fighting style: 

You are proficient with Improvised Weapons. Whenever you attack with an Improvised Weapon, you can give it one of the following Mastery properties for that attack, depending on the damage type: 

• Bludgeoning: Push or Topple
• Piercing: Sap or Vex
• Slashing: Cleave or Slow

 

Wrestling style:

When you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can use both the Damage, and the Grapple or Shove option. 

Level 7: Improved Brawling Style

Dirty fighting style: 

At the start of your turn, you can use one of the following options against any creature within 10 feet of you:

• Distract: The target must succeed on an Insight check or the next Attack Roll against the creature has Advantage or the creature has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes. The DC for the check equals 8 plus your Performance modifier.
• Sand throw: The target must succeed on a Perception check or the creature is Blinded until the end of its next turn. The DC for the check equals 8 plus your Sleight of Hand modifier.

 

Wrestling style - gain the following benefits: 

• At the start of your turn, you can deal 1d6 plus your Strength modifier of Bludgeoning damage to one creature Grappled by you.

• You have Advantage on attack rolls against a creature Grappled by you.

• When you use the Shove option of an Unarmed Strike, you can both push the target and cause the target to have the Prone condition.

• When you push a creature by using the Shove option, you push the creature by an additional 5 feet plus a number of feet equal to your Strength score.

Level 10: Unarmed Specialist

Your Unarmed Strikes improve to a d8. If you aren’t holding any weapons or a Shield and not wearing Medium or Heavy armour, when you make the attack roll, the d8 becomes a d10.

Level 15: Refined Brawling Style

Dirty fighting style:

You deal 1d8 extra damage to the first target you hit on your turn with an Unarmed Strike. In addition, you can use one of the following options:

• Eye poke: The target must succeed on Dexterity saving throw or you cause it to have the Blinded condition for 1 minute. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 plus your Dexterity modifier and your Proficiency Bonus.
• Ear clap: The target must succeed on Constitution saving throw or you cause it to drop all items it is holding and to have the Deafened condition for 1 minute. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 plus your Strength modifier and your Proficiency Bonus.
• Skull clash: You and the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or you cause it to have the Stunned condition until the start of your next turn. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 plus your Strength modifier and your Proficiency Bonus.

Whenever you hit a creature with an Improvised Weapon, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to the damage roll and the damage. In addition, whenever you attack with an Improvised Weapon, you can use both Mastery properties from Dirty fighting style, instead of one.

 

Wrestling style - gain the following benefits:

• When you cause a creature to have the Prone condition by using the Shove option, you can also cause creature to have the Stunned condition until the start of its turn.

• A creature Grappled by you automatically fails the saving throw of a Shove action you make against it.

If you are not holding weapons or a shield and not wearing Medium or Heavy armor, gain the following benefit.

• When both you and a single creature Grappled by you are Prone: The creature has Disadvantage on the saving throw to escape and on Attack Rolls against you. In addition, you gain half-cover if the creature is one size smaller than you or three-quarter cover if the creature is the same size as you or total cover if the creature is one size bigger than you. Any Attack Rolls made against you that fail hits the creature Grappled by you.

Level 18: Unarmed Master

Your Unarmed Strikes improve to a d10. If you aren’t holding any weapons or a Shield and not wearing Medium or Heavy armour, when you make the attack roll, the d10 becomes a d12.