Rules edition: This build pairs the 2014 Fighter with the legacy Black Dragonborn from the 2014 Player’s Handbook. The 2024 Dragonborn and Fighter use revised rules. Tasha’s optional Customizing Your Origin rule can reassign the legacy ability increases if your DM permits it.
Build around the Fighter’s role
The 2014 Dragonborn increases Strength by 2 and Charisma by 1. Black ancestry grants acid resistance and an acid breath weapon. Strength is a natural choice for a weapon-focused Fighter; Constitution supports hit points, and Dexterity helps with initiative and common saves. If you prefer a finesse or ranged weapon build, the legacy ability increases do not boost Dexterity, though Tasha’s optional rule can change them with DM approval.
Choose equipment to match your plan. Heavy armor and a shield support a durable front line; a two-handed weapon trades defense for damage; a bow gives you reliable range. The 2014 Fighter’s Fighting Style arrives at level 1, Second Wind at level 1, Action Surge at level 2, and Martial Archetype at level 3. Extra Attack arrives at Fighter level 5. These class features, not the breath weapon, form the core of your turn-by-turn role.
Use the breath weapon at the right moment
The 2014 Black Dragonborn breath weapon is a 5-by-30-foot line of acid. Creatures in the area make a Dexterity saving throw against a DC of 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. The damage starts at 2d6 and increases at character levels 6, 11, and 16. You can use the breath weapon once, then regain it after a short or long rest. The trait does not grant intimidation proficiency, darkvision, or automatic control over creatures in the line.
Exhaling uses your action. At Fighter level 5, that means giving up the Attack action and its two attacks for that turn. Action Surge can give you another action, so you might use the breath weapon and then take an Attack action, but that spends a limited class resource. Check who is in the line: the breath weapon deals area damage, not a condition, and it can catch allies as well as enemies.
Acid resistance reduces acid damage you take; it does not protect you from other damage types. Use it when the threat fits, but do not build a defense plan around facing acid every day.
Choose a Fighter archetype
Your Martial Archetype arrives at Fighter level 3. Champion keeps the subclass simple and improves critical-hit opportunities. Battle Master adds maneuvers for tactical options. Eldritch Knight brings spellcasting and uses Intelligence for its spells. Rune Knight from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything adds runes and a larger combat presence. Choose a style that fits the campaign and the character; Black Dragonborn ancestry does not require an aggressive or fear-based subclass.
Feats and advancement
The 2014 Fighter gains an Ability Score Improvement at levels 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, and 19. Strength builds can raise Strength; Dexterity builds can raise Dexterity; Constitution is useful if survivability or concentration matters to the character. Feats are optional. Select one for a specific benefit that fits your weapon, armor, and campaign rather than taking a damage feat automatically.
Play beyond the damage roll
Use the acid breath when its line can reach multiple targets without catching allies, and rely on weapons when a single attack or Extra Attack is more valuable. Outside combat, think about how the character learned to fight, what they protect, and how Black Dragonborn traits fit the campaign’s setting. The rules do not assign a personality or alignment to the character’s ancestry.
