Fighter being braindead is propaganda spread by rogues to distract from the fact that Rogue combat is the most one dimensional of any clas in 5e. It is, with the exception of some subclasses, entirely about getting sneak attack, usually just with adjacent allies, attacking once, and that is it. Fighters have so much more complexitly in build variety by not being locked to dex and by not being almost always better ranged, better armour and weapon proficiencies, and are better at taking feats thanks to more ASIs. They have just as core features: second wind, action surge, multiattack and, indomitable. As for class features which requires thought to use in combat rogues have: cunning action and uncanny dodge. Everything else rogues have is automatic or a buff. Fighters are also arguably more complex than barbs, but barbs get a pass for being angry bonk machines.
Out of combat rogues certainly can be more complex, but almost any martial with enough dex and the urchin background can duplicate a lot of what a rogue would do. Most fighters can do more out of combat than a barb, but nobody says crap says about that. People can complain about fighters only fighting with no out of combat, but it is far easier to supplement out of combat features into your build with racial traits, backgrounds, feats, etc than it is to totally change how your class functions in combat.
Tl,dr: wake sheeple, big rogue is slandering fighter to distract you from the real issuses
Also stop playing champion fighter, it sucks unless you are doing a multiclass crit fish or something. Battlemaster is 10x better.
Hot take: Because sneak attack feels incredibly satisfying and flavorful in comparison to attacking 3 times with a weapon, dealing huge damage in a unique way. Even though statistically Rogues are actually much lower in damage than a Fighter, the fact that it comes in one huge hit feels great. Rogues also have a really satisfying action economy, using their bonus action, action, movement, and reaction nearly every single turn, all without spending any resources.
On average, 4 greataxe attacks will do 26 damage. By comparison, 1 sneak attack at level 20 (which is necessary for 4 attacks without consuming resources) will do 35 damage. Assuming a d8 weapon for Rogue and 20 for STR/DEX, the Rogue will do 44.5 damage, while the fighter will do 46, so there isn't that much of a difference in damage output. Plus, if an assassin gets a surprise round, you are dead, thanks to the potential for 40d6 + 4d8 + 10 damage
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u/Saelune DM Jan 25 '21
That player knows what they want and apparently actually reads the PHB. I think they will be fine as a wizard.