Summary

• Second Wind is now more versatile and strategically relevant for Fighters in the 2024 Player's Handbook.
• Fighters can now use Second Wind more frequently and for different purposes, such as enhancing ability checks.
• The revamped Second Wind feature aligns with D&D's emphasis on Fighters as strategic tacticians in combat.

The Fighter is one of the most iconic classes in overhauling many of DnD's finer details. Ideally, the changes should make the game more fun to play, and Fighters certainly feel like they're receiving some new opportunities.

As the most fundamentally well-rounded option for a DnD martial class, Fighters are generally good at anything involving a basic weapon and a battlefield. This proficiency is assisted by the ability to take plenty of extra attacks and a bonus provided to a Fighter's chosen fighting style, making it easy to deal a lot of damage quickly. Fighters also have some survivability features, and a big one is Second Wind, which has traditionally allowed them to regain some hit points as a bonus action.

Second Wind Is Way Better In The New Player's Handbook

Fighters Can Use The Feature More Often

The basic function of Second Wind as a health restoration option hasn't changed in the 2024 Player's Handbook, but the feature is capable of a lot more than that now, thanks both to buffs and new ways to apply it. The simplest buff lies in the frequency of use, with more Second Wind slots to make it a lot easier to deploy. While a single use of Second Wind was allotted between short or long rests in the 2014 Player's Handbook, the new rules provide two uses out of the gate, recharging one upon a short rest and both upon a long rest.

Second Wind also s a Fighter's progression arc in DnD now, with a couple of levels unlocking more uses of the feature. At level four, three uses of Second Wind are offered per long rest, and level ten bumps things up again to four uses. Levels 11-20 don't add any further improvements in this regard, but Fighters do have other improvements to look forward to at higher levels.

Changes to Second Wind were first tested through DnD's Unearthed Arcana process, but the version of the feature discussed here represents the final 2024 Player's Handbook implementation.

D&D Is Adding Strategic Second Wind Options

It's Not Just A Recovery Feature Anymore

A big emphasis in the DnD 2024 Player's Handbook Fighter changes is the idea that Fighters are good battlefield tacticians, and the other changes to Second Wind reflect this concept. At level two, the Tactical Mind feature allows Second Wind to be used after failing an ability check. A Fighter can expend a use of Second Wind and add the roll to the failed ability check. If the result still isn't a success, Second Wind won't be expended, so there's little reason not to try it on an important roll.

At fifth level, Tactical Shift is added to the equation, which turns Second Wind into a mobility feature as well. A Fighter can use Second Wind to move up to half their speed without provoking opportunity attacks, making it a lot easier for a Fighter to dance around the battlefield without taking a flurry of hits in response. It's a similar concept to the boost in maneuverability that the Ranger spell zephyr strike offers, but at a lower cost and with reduced rewards.

The overall effect of the Second Wind changes reposition it from a fairly minor but reasonably useful accessory feature to a major part of the Fighter experience. It's certainly not the only aspect of the Fighter toolkit to get an adjustment, but it does feel like it has some of the most far-reaching effects. Using it for ability checks also gives them more to do off the battlefield, as Fighters don't always have a ton in the way of class features for roleplay and other situations.

The idea of Fighters as tacticians in the 2024 Player's Handbook is further emphasized by changes to Fighter subclasses in DnD and more, with new concepts like a Know Your Enemy rework serving to give them more relevant strategic options. Of course, it's still possible to play Fighter by simply running in and whacking things with a sword, and the changes shouldn't do anything to hurt that experience. Wasting the new opportunities provided by Second Wind would be a shame, however, as it's a pretty big boost to what Fighters can do in Dungeons & Dragons.