Pugilist FAQ

What is a Pugilist in D&D?

The Pugilist version used by D&D Portal is a Strength- and Constitution-focused d8 martial class built around Fisticuffs, Iron Chin, Moxie, improvised or pugilist weapons, and a never-stay-down style of fighting. It gains Moxie at 2nd level, Bloodied but Unbowed and a Fight Club at 3rd level, Extra Attack and Haymaker at 5th level, and increasingly strong durability features at higher levels. This is not the later d10 Pugilist (2024) version.

The Pugilist is a streetfighter-style martial class built around toughness, dirty boxing, improvised technique, and sheer refusal to stay down. The Pugilist documented here is the older d8 version built around Fisticuffs, Moxie, and Fight Clubs. That version must be treated as its own ruleset and not merged with the later D&D Beyond Pugilist Class (2024).

Core class profile

This Pugilist version uses a d8 Hit Die.

Its saving throw proficiencies are Strength and Constitution.

The class is proficient with light armor, simple weapons, improvised weapons, whips, and hand crossbows, with additional rules defining which weapons qualify as pugilist weapons.

A conventional Pugilist build prioritizes Strength first and Constitution second.

Fisticuffs

Fisticuffs is the 1st-level combat foundation.

It creates the Pugilist's scaling unarmed-damage die and defines how unarmed strikes and pugilist weapons interact with the class.

The Fisticuffs die improves over the class progression, eventually reaching d12.

The feature also supports bonus-action unarmed offense or grappling after an appropriate Attack action.

This means the Pugilist has a reliable close-range combat routine before spending Moxie.

Iron Chin

Iron Chin changes the defensive ability dependency.

While wearing light armor or no armor and not using a shield, the Pugilist can use Constitution instead of Dexterity to determine Armor Class under the feature's rule.

That makes Constitution unusually efficient: it increases hit points and can also improve Armor Class.

Moxie

At 2nd level, the Pugilist gains Moxie Points.

Moxie represents determination, swagger, and the ability to push through pain rather than a mystical energy source.

All expended Moxie returns after a short or long rest.

The class initially learns three important Moxie abilities:

  • **Brace Up**, which converts Moxie into temporary hit points;
  • **The Old One-Two**, which adds bonus-action unarmed strikes;
  • **Stick and Move**, which supports mobility and shoving.

Fight Clubs and later class features add more ways to spend or interact with Moxie.

Bloodied but Unbowed

At 3rd level, Bloodied but Unbowed rewards the Pugilist for surviving heavy damage.

When the feature's hit-point threshold is reached, the Pugilist can gain temporary hit points and recover expended Moxie, subject to its rest restriction.

This creates a distinctive combat rhythm: getting badly hurt can trigger a second wind of resources instead of only pushing the character toward defeat.

Fight Club

Also at 3rd level, the Pugilist chooses a Fight Club.

The six Fight Clubs in this Pugilist version are:

  • Arena Royale;
  • Bloodhound Bruisers;
  • Dog & Hound;
  • Piss & Vinegar;
  • The Squared Circle;
  • The Sweet Science.

Fight Club features arrive at 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Extra Attack and Haymaker

At 5th level, the Pugilist gains Extra Attack.

Haymaker creates a deliberate accuracy-versus-damage tradeoff: the Pugilist can accept disadvantage on the relevant attacks for the turn in exchange for using maximum damage results instead of rolling the normal damage dice under the feature.

The feature is strongest when another source of accuracy or advantage makes the risk manageable.

High-level resilience

The class later gains features including Moxie-Fueled Fists, Fancy Footwork, Shake It Off, Down But Not Out, School of Hard Knocks, Rabble Rouser, Unbreakable, Herculean, Fighting Spirit, and Peak Physical Condition.

These reinforce the same identity: the Pugilist is hard to disable, difficult to keep down, and increasingly reliable in brutal close combat.

Party role

A Pugilist can function as:

  • close-range striker;
  • grappler;
  • durable skirmisher;
  • temporary-hit-point bruiser;
  • urban investigator;
  • companion fighter;
  • showman;
  • dirty-trick controller.

The Fight Club determines which role becomes dominant.

In short

This Pugilist is a d8 Strength/Constitution martial class with Moxie and Fight Clubs.

Its gameplay is about using toughness as an active resource: absorb punishment, regain momentum, and turn short-rest Moxie into offense, defense, or movement.