barbarian/fighter multi-class.

[SMac8988]

So I am working in a character for an up coming game, we are running a point buy system, not sure how much yet, and are allowed any if the current wizard posted material.

My idea so far is I was to play a minotaur, mainly for the flavor and pushing people can be fun, and my plan is to possibly mix barbarian and fighter. Just trying you figure it the best level spread.

My thought is use int and cha as dump stats, my girlfriend is playing a paladin so she can manage that stuff, and max str and con the best I can. Then go 6 levels fighter, champion, and 14 barbarian, totem. Using a great sword.

I feel my damage would be really good, and I could hopefully keep up with the group. This will be my first attempt multi classing in 5e, so advice please!!!

[JellyPooga]

There's really not much to be said for taking 6 levels of Fighter on top of Barbarian. You'll want either 7 for Remarkable Athlete or dial it all the way back to 3 for Improved Crit. I'd definitely go with the latter. Yes, you lose out on an ASI/Feat by not taking that 4th level, but you're gaining Indomitable Might (in the long run), which is a truly awesome Class Feature.

I'd be tempted to take Fighter at 1st level, for the Heavy Armour proficiency. The alternative is the extra HP Barbarian grants for getting MaxHP at 1st. Other than that, there's not much (if anything) in it.

Another dip you might want to consider (although it will slow your ASI/Feat acquisition even further) is Rogue. Expertise in Athletics plus Rage makes you a tripping/grappling machine. Cunning Action is also an extraordinary Class Feature.

Totem Barbarian is a solid choice. The only advice I'd give is not to jump immediately for Bear Totem at 3rd level. It's a solid choice, yes, but don't discount the other options. After all, a great majority of the damage you take over the course of your career will be B/S/P weapon damage which all Barbarians resist anyway. If you're playing alongside a Paladin, she'll love you forever if you take Wolf Totem, for instance; landing a Smite is predicated on landing a hit in the first place and you'll be helping her do just that.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

There's really not much to be said for taking 6 levels of Fighter on top of Barbarian. You'll want either 7 for Remarkable Athlete or dial it all the way back to 3 for Improved Crit. I'd definitely go with the latter. Yes, you lose out on an ASI/Feat by not taking that 4th level, but you're gaining Indomitable Might (in the long run), which is a truly awesome Class Feature.

I'd be tempted to take Fighter at 1st level, for the Heavy Armour proficiency. The alternative is the extra HP Barbarian grants for getting MaxHP at 1st. Other than that, there's not much (if anything) in it.

Another dip you might want to consider (although it will slow your ASI/Feat acquisition even further) is Rogue. Expertise in Athletics plus Rage makes you a tripping/grappling machine. Cunning Action is also an extraordinary Class Feature.

Totem Barbarian is a solid choice. The only advice I'd give is not to jump immediately for Bear Totem at 3rd level. It's a solid choice, yes, but don't discount the other options. After all, a great majority of the damage you take over the course of your career will be B/S/P weapon damage which all Barbarians resist anyway. If you're playing alongside a Paladin, she'll love you forever if you take Wolf Totem, for instance; landing a Smite is predicated on landing a hit in the first place and you'll be helping her do just that.

7 levels is not worth remarkable athlete, that feature is down right over priced.

Barbarians don't want to wear heavy armor, it messes with their features. Just go barbarian at first level as you get everything you need and can use.

[SMac8988]

My idea for 6 was the two feats, since I would be missing one if I swap at 3 till level 7, and second attack till 8. They way I get my feats and attack, but still get the crit range, and all my big barb skills

[ruy343]

Fighters are good for quick dips, and as a Barbarian, it fits really well.

However, it's helpful to point out that fighters are built to run off of short rests (Second wind grants hit points every short rest, and action surge recharges that way too), while Barbarian runs on daily abilities (rage). The more you put into fighter, the better you'll perform on a short-rest/consistent basis, since going farther into fighter makes your second wind better, but it means that you lose out on extra daily rages, and the extra earlier rage damage. Additionally, Fighter 5 is essentially going to be a dead level for you, since you're only getting an extra attack that you could have obtained later. If you kept going to fighter 11, you'd get a third attack, which would be fun, but your campaign probably won't last that long...

However, assuming that you intend to play a low-level campaign, you could adopt a feat-less build with the available materials here: Be a sword (or battleaxe) and board barbarian, and then grab the dueling fighting style from the fighter, boosting your damage by 2 for every attack. With an average starting character's strength (16, a +3 bonus), you'll be able, at level 2, to deal 1d8+7 per hit while raging (d8+str+dueling+rage bonus). That's a hefty, consistent hit at early levels. On top of that, you can add the shield to your AC, giving you a respectable 16-17 AC, making you a tank extraordinaire. This build isn't as crazy as some out there, but it doesn't rely on feats, so you don't have to take dead levels in fighter (beyond the level 1 dueling fighting style). At this point, you could progress along barbarian for your totem (your choice; I won't tell you what to do) or you could take some more fighter to get a level 3 ability in a fighter archetype (champion is a good choice, since you likely won't want too much more from fighter). This build frees up your ASIs at mid-levels for your stats, which barbarians need desperately, since they want a maxed-out Strength, Dexterity, AND Constitution.

However, if you want feats, shield master would be an excellent choice since it could essentially replace the wolf totem ability...

[SMac8988]

My idea for the dip was to get Action Surge, Second Wind, and the Crit Bonus. The reason for the increase for 3 to 6 level dip is due to wanting to pick up the feat/stat bump at 4 and 6 from fighter. From there going barb the rest of the way.

My character will take the great weapon/two handed weapon style, for the damage bump with a maul or greatsword. From there I would like to take the great weapon and charger feat then the rest into stats, focusing Con and Str first followed by Dex.

From Barb I am leaning more towards the Bear Totem path, that way I can take a decent amount of punishment and not be overly concerned + the second wind heal will be really nice with the damage reduction.

And with the Minotaur as a race I could follow up my attacks with a shove as a bonus action, and if I ever lose my weapon I can just ram people with my head. I figure the Charger feat is kinda needed with the race.... Lol

Figured with this build I could still compete with the damage output of a pure build of barb or fighters, and still have a somewhat unique character design than anyone else in my group if they dive into one of those classes. I only know of the one other character as a ranged paladin, DM is allowing smite to ONLY be at ranged for her and not melee.

Like I said I am not 100% with this, battle master can also be viable choice for me but I don't know anything really about them. So ya....

[SpawnOfMorbo]

My idea for the dip was to get Action Surge, Second Wind, and the Crit Bonus. The reason for the increase for 3 to 6 level dip is due to wanting to pick up the feat/stat bump at 4 and 6 from fighter. From there going barb the rest of the way.

My character will take the great weapon/two handed weapon style, for the damage bump with a maul or greatsword. From there I would like to take the great weapon and charger feat then the rest into stats, focusing Con and Str first followed by Dex.

From Barb I am leaning more towards the Bear Totem path, that way I can take a decent amount of punishment and not be overly concerned + the second wind heal will be really nice with the damage reduction.

And with the Minotaur as a race I could follow up my attacks with a shove as a bonus action, and if I ever lose my weapon I can just ram people with my head. I figure the Charger feat is kinda needed with the race.... Lol

Figured with this build I could still compete with the damage output of a pure build of barb or fighters, and still have a somewhat unique character design than anyone else in my group if they dive into one of those classes. I only know of the one other character as a ranged paladin, DM is allowing smite to ONLY be at ranged for her and not melee.

Like I said I am not 100% with this, battle master can also be viable choice for me but I don't know anything really about them. So ya....

Bear totem gives you resistance but wolf totem makes things die faster.

So it's a trade off, either way you don't lose as much HP as you typically might.

[SMac8988]

I may wolf if I have other melee, but feel my group will be casters....

[Klorox]

IMHO, you want to maximize your effectiveness when you create a character. Maybe not all the time, but people asking questions like yours on a message board do.

Here's my advice: choose which class you want more of. Do you want slightly more hit points? Choose for more barbarian levels. Do you want more options (ASI) and attacks per round (eventually)? Choose fighter.

Whatever you do, don't go above level 4 in your "lesser" class. Multiple attacks per round do not work together. Level 5 in either class is a huge jump in power. Choose one to advance past level 4 in.

Personally, I started playing a half orc barbarian, got him to level 5 and then added fighter 3 for champion. I went a different path and then added rogue. But I was going for dual wielding rapiers (using my strength) and getting sneak attack damage every round by using reckless attack.

Reckless attack + improved critical + half orc = win.

Ignore my sidetracking with rogue. If you want a crit-fishing melee warrior, you should got barb 3/champion X. JMO.

[SMac8988]

IMHO, you want to maximize your effectiveness when you create a character. Maybe not all the time, but people asking questions like yours on a message board do.

Here's my advice: choose which class you want more of. Do you want slightly more hit points? Choose for more barbarian levels. Do you want more options (ASI) and attacks per round (eventually)? Choose fighter.

Whatever you do, don't go above level 4 in your "lesser" class. Multiple attacks per round do not work together. Level 5 in either class is a huge jump in power. Choose one to advance past level 4 in.

Personally, I started playing a half orc barbarian, got him to level 5 and then added fighter 3 for champion. I went a different path and then added rogue. But I was going for dual wielding rapiers (using my strength) and getting sneak attack damage every round by using reckless attack.

Reckless attack + improved critical + half orc = win.

Ignore my sidetracking with rogue. If you want a crit-fishing melee warrior, you should got barb 3/champion X. JMO.

I was planning basically that. Felt the crit bonus would be really nice possible damage bump. And the great weapon style could increase the damage on a maul or greatsword significantly. My biggest reason for going past was to get the ASI I would be missing by doing the 3 levels in something else.

So your suggestion would be get Barb to 5 ASAP, for the extra attack, then switch to 3 levels in fighter, then back to barb to make sure I don't miss anything as a barb. So the two ASI from fighter isn't worth the minor damage to my barb class? Cause I know I want like 2 good feats, and I need 3 stats maxed; on average.

Or honestly should I just go pure one or the other? Like am I getting much of substance from doing the dip?

[Klorox]

I was planning basically that. Felt the crit bonus would be really nice possible damage bump. And the great weapon style could increase the damage on a maul or greatsword significantly. My biggest reason for going past was to get the ASI I would be missing by doing the 3 levels in something else.

So your suggestion would be get Barb to 5 ASAP, for the extra attack, then switch to 3 levels in fighter, then back to barb to make sure I don't miss anything as a barb. So the two ASI from fighter isn't worth the minor damage to my barb class? Cause I know I want like 2 good feats, and I need 3 stats maxed; on average.

Or honestly should I just go pure one or the other? Like am I getting much of substance from doing the dip?

If you're using a half orc, 3 levels of champion is worth it.

If your game is going to a high level, I think the champion bonuses (3rd attack at level 11) outweighs the bonuses you get as a barbarian.

Just don't go to 5 in both classes and you'll be golden Ponyboy.


My point is: the half orc bonus is nice by itself. You just won't see it often.

It's when you start using reckless attack and improved critical, they start showing up a lot more often. And when that happens, enemies don't last long.

[Sigreid]

I think you will eventually be unhappy that you chose to multi class the two rather than focusing on one or the other. I simply don't think either provides the other enough of a boost at what they both do to make it worth what you give up in the other.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

I think you will eventually be unhappy that you chose to multi class the two rather than focusing on one or the other. I simply don't think either provides the other enough of a boost at what they both do to make it worth what you give up in the other.

Because of how the barbarian and half orc gains extra crit dice, fighter 3 (champion) is definitely worth it, if you want to maximize your damage.

However, I agree, it isn't really worth it. Damage is so easy to come by that focusing a build on doing damage seems a bit... Redundant.

So Wolf Totem says "melee attack rolls" it doesn't say weapon melee attack rolls or anything like that.

So if your caster has a spell that is a melee attack, such as Inflict Wounds or Spiritual Weapon, they would get advantage on the attack.

So check what type of spells they will be using. Writing with those spells can be fun, 3d10 isn't bad out of a first level slot and 6d10 out of a first level slot is straight up nice.

[SMac8988]

Because of how the barbarian and half orc gains extra crit dice, fighter 3 (champion) is definitely worth it, if you want to maximize your damage.

However, I agree, it isn't really worth it. Damage is so easy to come by that focusing a build on doing damage seems a bit... Redundant.

So Wolf Totem says "melee attack rolls" it doesn't say weapon melee attack rolls or anything like that.

So if your caster has a spell that is a melee attack, such as Inflict Wounds or Spiritual Weapon, they would get advantage on the attack.

So check what type of spells they will be using. Writing with those spells can be fun, 3d10 isn't bad out of a first level slot and 6d10 out of a first level slot is straight up nice.

I may jus go pure barb. I am gonna do the Minotaur, simply for flavor. My DM says this will not be a high optimized game, and fun play styles will last just fine. Honestly, this was just going to be my test for multi-classing in this edition, since its not a high level difficulty game, and just to see how it played out. Hell, outside of myself, none of the other players have more than lets say 6 months experience.

from what I am seeing though most people lean away from muti=classing these two like this. and if I do its not advised to even start till level 6.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

I may jus go pure barb. I am gonna do the Minotaur, simply for flavor. My DM says this will not be a high optimized game, and fun play styles will last just fine. Honestly, this was just going to be my test for multi-classing in this edition, since its not a high level difficulty game, and just to see how it played out. Hell, outside of myself, none of the other players have more than lets say 6 months experience.

from what I am seeing though most people lean away from muti=classing these two like this. and if I do its not advised to even start till level 6.

Well, from what I've seen, it isn't that people lean away from multiclassing.

They just lean away from it when it is two classes that do the same thing and give you the same result.

If you are essentially getting the same result of you took one or the other class straight, then what's the point of MC?

[SMac8988]

Well, from what I've seen, it isn't that people lean away from multiclassing.

They just lean away from it when it is two classes that do the same thing and give you the same result.

If you are essentially getting the same result of you took one or the other class straight, then what's the point of MC?

I guess that is a really good point.... what about using the other fighter class with the battle abilities? I dont know how that mixs with barbarian though....

[SpawnOfMorbo]

I guess that is a really good point.... what about using the other fighter class with the battle abilities? I dont know how that mixs with barbarian though....

It mixes well, but you still aren't really getting anything out of it.

The battle master maneuvers typically give you a route to dealing more damage or mitigating damage in some way. The barbarian does this already.

Now, with that said, there is one Battle Master maneuver that is absolutely awesome. Menacing Strike is fantastic. However, typically as a Barbarian you want enemies to stick near you and that feature makes them not want to stick near you.

There is another Battle Master maneuver that works well with the barbarian. Goading Attack. You can set up the barbarian to give the enemy advantage to hit you (reckless attack) and disadvantage to hit others (goading) which means that they have no reason to ever NOT attack you (which is what you want).

But, you may as well just play a fighter at that point and fluffing armor as no armor.

If Multiclassing works for your theme or makes you haooy, go for it, but generally picking two of the same (really, they are the same class, just different fluff) doesn't give you much on the other side.

I made a rogue/barbarian that doesn't focus on damage (though can do some). The rogue gave me options that as a Barbarian I would never get. Expertise, Cunning Action, Evasion, and Spell Casting. I sneak in while invisible, climb a creature, rage, and then as a wolf totem I give all my allies advantage.

The Barbarian have my rogue options that he couldn't get alone. Wolf Totem, advantage on strength checks (though to be fair I have expertise), reckless attack, and other features.

Which this might be my favorite barbarian MC. I have to set it up to work at low, mid, and high levels (well, I got the high level part). But the point is that not only do they synergize quite well, but both sides added together gives me something either side couldn't alone (more or less, still working on it :p).

[SMac8988]

I know it is kinda random, but what about 6 levels in war cleric, then 14 totem barb? Gives me a bit of new stuff but does maintain the front line fighter i was going for?

[PoeticDwarf]

So I am working in a character for an up coming game, we are running a point buy system, not sure how much yet, and are allowed any if the current wizard posted material.

My idea so far is I was to play a minotaur, mainly for the flavor and pushing people can be fun, and my plan is to possibly mix barbarian and fighter. Just trying you figure it the best level spread.

My thought is use int and cha as dump stats, my girlfriend is playing a paladin so she can manage that stuff, and max str and con the best I can. Then go 6 levels fighter, champion, and 14 barbarian, totem. Using a great sword.

I feel my damage would be really good, and I could hopefully keep up with the group. This will be my first attempt multi classing in 5e, so advice please!!!

It doesn't give much. If you go fighter/barbarian you don't want to dip (except if you don't go high level). Multiclassing for this build is a pretty bad idea. Only 11 champion or battlemaster / 9 totem could I see working to be fair.

Cleric adds even less, no extra in combat options, spells and rage don't work. No divine strike yet. If you want another multiclass go monk (see my older thread) or you could go 11 paladin instead of 11 fighter.

[SMac8988]

Hmmmm. I see then. Guess full barb it is sadly

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Hmmmm. I see then. Guess full barb it is sadly

If you WANT to multiclass then it is worth it.

It may not be most optimal but you don't need to be fully optimized.


Edit

Barbarian/Cleric is an amazing combo.

Barbarian with reckless attack, GWM, and spiritual weapon? Nice.

Spiritual Weapon isn't a concentration spell. Once you cast it, it stays around for a while, you just have to direct it.

Cast your spell the first round and then attack. Second round looks like...

2d12+10+10+(Rage Bonus * 2) (action)
1d8 + Wis (3-5) (bonus action) (force)

Plus, if you want to go another route, you can take Beserker and heal yourself :p

There are many other ways to use the barbarian/cleric, it is a really awesome MC.

But you need to invest more into cleric than 6 levels.

Barbarian 8/Cleric 12 is my favorite

Though I wouldn't go war, I would just go Paladin if that was the case.

[SMac8988]

If you WANT to multiclass then it is worth it.

It may not be most optimal but you don't need to be fully optimized.

Lol i just want to make sure i have something pretty strong since the rest of my group is new. Figure i would let them take the roleplay side amd i could enjoy chopping things up

[SMac8988]

I thought that it could be different and fun. Just let my guy fight for his god, and eventually give into the fury if combay

[SpawnOfMorbo]

I thought that it could be different and fun. Just let my guy fight for his god, and eventually give into the fury if combay

Barbarian 3/Paladin X ?

[SMac8988]

Barbarian 3/Paladin X ?

With cleric. We have a pali already

[JellyPooga]

If you WANT to multiclass then it is worth it.

Multiclassing is key to some of the most specialist builds and can definitely pay off.

Don't be snared by the false "requirement" of getting those ASI's/Feats though; often you're better served by the Class Features you'll pick up by multiclassing out after 3rd or 6th, than "sticking it out" to 4th or 8th for that Feat. Here's the ones involving Barbarian that are worth trying (IMO, of course);

- No one tanks quite like a Barbarian/Moon Druid.
- For pure Athleticism (trip/grapple), Barbarian/Rogue is your guy.
- Crit fishing with Barbarian/Champion Fighter is fun. Add Rogue or Paladin to really capitalise on those Crits.

Be wary of "20 level builds", though. Few games run so long and if you're picking up chaff for a later pay-off that never comes then you're stuck with the underwhelming and disappointing chaff. It's important, when multiclassing, to know the parameters and plan ahead. Don't be afraid to delay that Extra Attack or ASI or spell slot in favour of a quick pick-up-dip that gets your build working.

[SMac8988]

Multiclassing is key to some of the most specialist builds and can definitely pay off.

Don't be snared by the false "requirement" of getting those ASI's/Feats though; often you're better served by the Class Features you'll pick up by multiclassing out after 3rd or 6th, than "sticking it out" to 4th or 8th for that Feat. Here's the ones involving Barbarian that are worth trying (IMO, of course);

- No one tanks quite like a Barbarian/Moon Druid.
- For pure Athleticism (trip/grapple), Barbarian/Rogue is your guy.
- Crit fishing with Barbarian/Champion Fighter is fun. Add Rogue or Paladin to really capitalise on those Crits.

Be wary of "20 level builds", though. Few games run so long and if you're picking up chaff for a later pay-off that never comes then you're stuck with the underwhelming and disappointing chaff. It's important, when multiclassing, to know the parameters and plan ahead. Don't be afraid to delay that Extra Attack or ASI or spell slot in favour of a quick pick-up-dip that gets your build working.

The crit fish is what i was going for, but i could see the issue with it as well. Could see a wolf totem/pali being decent due to auras and all the wolf pack advantages. Hmm

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Yeah there are optimized Multiclassing out there, usually between classes that both bring something new to the table (like druid/barb).

But no matter what, if you have a theme in mind or a specific character, it will always be worth it to MC in order to have fun.

Also, I wouldn't worry to much about having the same classes, if you play differently then you could have a group of all Paladins and you won't step in each other's toes.

[SMac8988]

Very true. I was looking over battle master, and i feel that could mix, with 3 levels, well with barb.

[wolfenstein]

I'm currently playing a crit fisher half orc barbarian 7 fighter 4. I've got to say it's quite fun and while it may not be optimal it suits my character and party. I went barbarian (wolf) to 5 and fighter (champion). Reckless attack with improved critical is for the win. I've got a Paladin beside me with sentinel and a monk on the other side. I find I crit quite often with devastating effect. Rerolling ones and twos is very nice if you're going the great weapon route.

[SMac8988]

I'm currently playing a crit fisher half orc barbarian 7 fighter 4. I've got to say it's quite fun and while it may not be optimal it suits my character and party. I went barbarian (wolf) to 5 and fighter (champion). Reckless attack with improved critical is for the win. I've got a Paladin beside me with sentinel and a monk on the other side. I find I crit quite often with devastating effect. Rerolling ones and twos is very nice if you're going the great weapon route.



I was actually thinking this same build. Cept, bear instead of wolf unless I change my mind. My paladin will be at a distance, dm approved smite at only range, so she will be using a bow. As of now ill be it in the front line, so I need the tankiness from the bear. And the minor self heal will be nice.

[Sigreid]

Well, from what I've seen, it isn't that people lean away from multiclassing.

They just lean away from it when it is two classes that do the same thing and give you the same result.

If you are essentially getting the same result of you took one or the other class straight, then what's the point of MC?

Well said, that is what I was trying to get at.

[Sigreid]

I was actually thinking this same build. Cept, bear instead of wolf unless I change my mind. My paladin will be at a distance, dm approved smite at only range, so she will be using a bow. As of now ill be it in the front line, so I need the tankiness from the bear. And the minor self heal will be nice.

Just for rollplay maybe you should consider asking your GMif you can be bull totem. Use the bear abilities, just go for a bullish theme.

[SMac8988]

Just for rollplay maybe you should consider asking your GMif you can be bull totem. Use the bear abilities, just go for a bullish theme.

Lol that would be cool. He would most likely approve it.

How does everyone feel about the battle master subclass?

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Lol that would be cool. He would most likely approve it.

How does everyone feel about the battle master subclass?

Bovine Totem sounds great.

Goading, Menacing, Riposte, and Precision would be great for you. Precision of you are taking GWM, with advantage AND precision you negate all of the penalty.

Advantage is worth +3.333 whatever and Precision is worth +4.5 on average (they start out as d8's?).

I'm not the fan of the fighter class, or the BM, but as a DIP it ain't so bad. 3 levels max though, 4 if you +need+ the feat.

[SMac8988]

Bovine Totem sounds great.

Goading, Menacing, Riposte, and Precision would be great for you. Precision of you are taking GWM, with advantage AND precision you negate all of the penalty.

Advantage is worth +3.333 whatever and Precision is worth +4.5 on average (they start out as d8's?).

I'm not the fan of the fighter class, or the BM, but as a DIP it ain't so bad. 3 levels max though, 4 if you +need+ the feat.

My idea would be at most a 3, 5 levels in barb first, then 3 in fighter. Give me some more options

[JellyPooga]

My idea would be at most a 3, 5 levels in barb first, then 3 in fighter. Give me some more options

3 levels of Battlemaster Fighter is a solid addition to any melee build.

Waiting until after Barbarian 5, though? If you're going with Bear (or Bull :smallwink:) Totem and as such, don't need to get Eagle/Wolf Totem shenanigans online sooner (bearing in mind that you won't be taking much non-weapon damage at such early levels, limiting the usefulness of Bear Totem somewhat), I'd be tempted to go Barbarian 2, then multiclass to Fighter 3 before finishing off on Barbarian.

This means you won't be getting your 1st ASI/Feat until character level 7 and Extra Attack will be waiting until 8th, but...

- At Character Level 3; you'll be getting +2 to weapon damage from Fighting Style (whether you go Dueling or GWS, it works out approximately the same, if I'm not mistaken), unless you go for Two Weapon Style, in which case you're functionally getting Extra Attack two levels early (assuming you're not doing anything else with your Bonus Action). You're also getting a significant boost to your durability from Second Wind.

Compare this to Primal Path [Bear Totem]; Taking Fighter gives you significant gains, somewhat comparable to a Feat IMO, whilst taking Barbarian gets you something that's barely worth half that considering that you're already resistant to weapon damage.

- At Character Level 4; you get Action Surge. One of the single most desirable alpha-strike abilities in the game. It's better than a Feat or ASI, that's for sure, which is what a single Class character at this level is getting.

- At Character Level 5; you're missing Extra Attack compared to a single Class character, but you're gaining an effective +1d8 damage plus rider effects, 4 times per short rest. Combined with your Long Rest based Rages, this gives you a lot more flexibility over the course of the adventuring day and I don't know any other way to say it, but Battlemaster makes you feel like a badass in combat; instead of just swinging and hitting/missing (whether you're doing it multiple times or not), you're shoving people around, manipulating the battlefield and generally pulling out those "special moves" that in a computer game you normally have some kind of bar or meter that you have to fill up before using. I'd want this online as soon as reasonably possible and I'd be more than happy to delay the "optimal" choice a little to get it.

- At CL 6; now your Bear Totem comes online...around about the time when non-weapon damage is becoming a significant threat that needs addressing. Convenient, huh?

[SMac8988]

Omg that sounds awesome! What battle things would you suggest? I considered reposite, sweeping attack and mencing attack. The idea is to try and keep the "barbaric" feel even when using the battle things. So i dint want him like commanding people on the battle field and all

[maxwell_wolfen]

i would recommend a fighter 11 just to get 3 attacks. the rest on barbarian. you get only one brutal critical instead of three (if you were 20 lvl barb) in the end.
you can also choose half orc for extra critical, so champion would make super sense in that build. you have 3 attacks and a bonus one with GWM. plus totem rage with resistances.

you have the best of fighter and the best of barbarian.

[djreynolds]

I believe in concept over crunch.

But you said minotaur... that could work.

1st.. how do you kill in combat? Barbarians are not tied to weapons or styles as much as fighters are.
That is a strength, you pick up anything and kill with it. You are not tied to a style or equipment layout, that flexibility is a strength.

Just remember this, a barbarian wants to be in the thick of melee and they want to get hit, a paladin or eldritch knight with an AC is the clouds is often ignored or is dealt with by other means... but a barbarian is different because he is in a sense "hittable" and that is their power.

The enemy is drawn to them, because they think because I can hit this, like a moon druid, so then a cohort with sentinel just sits there and feasts.

That in essence, is a tank. It draws agro and allows IMO real freedom for you teammates. Sure when hit you hit hard... but you are there to get hit. The paladin is going to really reap the benefits and all the glory, you just get bloody... and love it.

So for now hold off until you get to at least 5th level, wolf or bear totem are both nice. Berserker ain't bad, but you got a paladin so you should be fine save wise.

Also some DMs allow you to switch up totems, it is in the PHB "it is unusual for an individual to have more than one totem animal spirit, though exceptions exist"

So you can grab bear at 3rd and tiger at 6th and wolf at 14, perfectly legal but you DM may say otherwise