D&D Beyond is getting a whole new class in early February, with the introduction of partnered content bringing a much-loved homebrew D&D class to the platform. That is the Pugilist by Benjamin Huffman, a melee focused character option that speaks with their fists.
Right now, the Pugilist can be found on DM’s Guild, where it’s split between a couple of different products. A free preview PDF contains the base class, but the full design including seven subclasses or ‘fight clubs’ costs $10. There are also four more of these fight clubs found in The Ultimate Adventurer’s Handbook; we’ll have to wait and see if these make it into the D&D Beyond version.
Focused on unarmed combat, and using a bank of ‘moxie points’ to power flashy abilities, the Pugilist has some similarities with the D&D Monk, but rather than Naruto-running around all speedy-like, the Pugilist can take a hit and dish out damage in equal amounts.
A strength-focused, street-fighting brawler has always been a popular archetype in Dungeons and Dragons, and it’s a fantasy that the current Monk doesn’t quite deliver. Wizards of the Coast tried to fill the gap itself when it created a ‘brawler’ subclass for the D&D Fighter, but this proved unpopular in playtesting and didn’t make the final cut of the Player’s Handbook.
The Pugilist was revealed as Wizards unveiled its full release schedule of partnered content coming to the platform in Q1 2026. It’s pretty stacked, between January 27 and late March, the platform will release a book of one shots, a book of magic items, an extended setting guide for Eberron, and a monster hunter-inspired bestiary about taking down big boss baddies.
If you’ve somehow already exhausted all the content on D&D Beyond, this will keep you busy for the next few months. Now, if Wizards of the Coast could just tell us what it will be making this year, that’d be great!
Are you excited for this addition? Let us know over on the Wargamer Discord.