Dex Barb Question

[Scathain]

I know that Dexterity based barbs are largely regarded as sub-optimal in the damage department, but have fun toys with a higher AC, initiative, dex saves, flavor etc.

My question is quick: if you HAD to play a dex barb, what subclass jumps out as being the most useful given the strengths/weaknesses of the class?

[8wGremlin]

Do you have access to Unearthed Arcana (UA) articles?

[Scathain]

Do you have access to Unearthed Arcana (UA) articles?

Absolutely. In fact, I was hoping to hear more discourse on what they have to offer than the PHB subclasses, but I won't discriminate.

[mephnick]

If I had to I'd completely dump CON and play a glass cannon zealot, get killed every combat and come back to life for free (assuming I had someone with revivify in the party).

*This may not be a great idea

[Chugger]

An interesting Barb route is to be HuVar and take the shield feat, the one that lets you shove or push prone your target. If you're raging you have advantage on Str checks, and there are various ways to put disadvantages on targets for str checks, too - like a lock in the party's hex spell - other ways.

Okay, after raging, you open your turn with your shove and try to knock the target prone, then attack with a rapier if you're going dex - or a one hand ax or something if str. Either could work.

A 16 dex/ 16 con = AC 18 w/ shield, which is very good. You can have a 14 str and 8 int and 8 cha (10 wis for perception). That's with the point system of char creation. The 14 str is enough to knock down with advantage usually (and with your proficiency) - (also I'm blanking on an easy way to put a disad on the target's str check... bah I think there's one - someone help me pls). If you make a dex attack w/ rapier you get +5 to hit at low lvls but only do +3 dam. Using a str weap one-handed is only a +4 to hit but a +5 to dam - something to think about.

If someone is a good meleer and is _ahead_ of this barb in the initiative order, they need to take a ready action and attack your target after you've knocked it down or not, after you've made your try. If the creature's turn is right after yours, I believe the readied action of the party meleer (who is going before both of you) would occur before the creature's - and this meleer would get advantage hitting the prone target.

The problem with this approach is that ranged casters and archer-types have disad. on w/e you knock down. They'd have to time their attacks until it stood or something. And you can't knock prone things that are what, 2 sizes bigger?

[Scathain]

If I had to I'd completely dump CON and play a glass cannon zealot, get killed every combat and come back to life for free (assuming I had someone with revivify in the party).

*This may not be a great idea

LOL that would be pretty funny.

But in all seriousness, I could see comboing Scourge Aasimar + Zealot with a dex barb.
Since you're free to focus on dex and con, you can soak up quite a bit more. You have less DPR than strength, of course, but all you have to do is stand next to the enemy to see the results.

[DarkKnightJin]

LOL that would be pretty funny.

But in all seriousness, I could see comboing Scourge Aasimar + Zealot with a dex barb.
Since you're free to focus on dex and con, you can soak up quite a bit more. You have less DPR than strength, of course, but all you have to do is stand next to the enemy to see the results.

I have an Aasimar Zealot planned. Undecided on subrace for the moment, though I'm leaning toward Scourge or Fallen for the +1 they give.

Could RP it as someone that was literally born of the gods to fight. What reason would a god have for this? Probably boredom and/or giggles.

[GorogIrongut]

If I were you, I would:
a. Not drop Constitution. It adds to your unarmoured defence, hp, etc.
b. You get a lot of good stuff from the first 2 levels of barbarian. Unless you see a very strong reason, taking it past there... however counterintuitive, just isn't worth it (atleast it wasn't the time I did it).
c. Deep Stalker Ranger = Epic levels of Awesome when combined with Barbarian. Atleast get 7 levels in this for the Wisdom Proficiency Saves. 8 is preferable for Fleet of foot and another ASI. I wouldn't take it past level 11.
d. Take your final 10 levels in Druid (shapechanging and more magic) or Arcane Trickster (skill monkey + sneak attack + bonus action goodness + slight magic use to add to your half casting ranger).
e. Be a Mountain Dwarf. The +2 to Str/Con are too helpful for your purposes. Put your highest stat in Dex/Con > Str > Wis > Int/Cha

In the case of the character that I made, he was the ultimate hunter. He tracked his targets down and killed them. Then consuming them ritualistically to take upon himself their strength. I even gave him the feat Gourmand so he was a barbaric 'foodie'. I went the route of druid so I could get shape changing as a way of explaining that my character was taking upon himself those animalistic tendencies.

I used my rages in the deadly battles where I had to hold. I focused half of my magic on rituals and out of combat spells to make myself more of a skill monkey. That said, I did keep some of my magic focused on combat for those times when I wasn't going to rage. 2 levels in Barb were more about getting me Unarmoured Defense/Reckless/Danger Sense than it was about getting access to Rage. Rage was just situationally epic. I also like the 2d12 hp.

My druid side didn't have to worry about metal armour as I used the barbarian's unarmoured defense. I got some nice combat perks from the deep stalker ranger that allowed me to pick when and where I was going to fight... and to hit friggin hard.

I almost always went first due to focusing on dex and having the revised ranger give me advantage. The Deep stalker meant I had +10 movement and an extra attack. I would inevitably use Reckless on all my attacks regardless of raging (unless attacking something that had yet to act because Ranger already gives me advantage). I hit often and hit hard. I had my DM tweak a great sword into a massive Meat Cleaver again to continue the culinary/butcher theme farther.

Ranger gave me a fighting style, and because my dex was the same as my strength (gotta love Mtn Dwarf), I didn't go for Versatile Weapon Master. Instead I took the Mariner fighting style (+1 AC as long as I had no armour or shield, swimming climb speed as per my normal movement).

I was essentially able to move all around the field despite being a dwarf. I fought in hand to hand when needed. I used missile weapons when needed and I got to be magic oriented when necessary. My 19 AC and ridiculous HP meant that I could survive most attacks (raging when I really needed to take the hits).

[Scathain]

If I were you, I would:
a. Not drop Constitution. It adds to your unarmoured defence, hp, etc.
b. You get a lot of good stuff from the first 2 levels of barbarian. Unless you see a very strong reason, taking it past there... however counterintuitive, just isn't worth it (atleast it wasn't the time I did it).
c. Deep Stalker Ranger = Epic levels of Awesome when combined with Barbarian. Atleast get 7 levels in this for the Wisdom Proficiency Saves. 8 is preferable for Fleet of foot and another ASI. I wouldn't take it past level 11.
d. Take your final 10 levels in Druid (shapechanging and more magic) or Arcane Trickster (skill monkey + sneak attack + bonus action goodness + slight magic use to add to your half casting ranger).
e. Be a Mountain Dwarf. The +2 to Str/Con are too helpful for your purposes. Put your highest stat in Dex/Con > Str > Wis > Int/Cha

In the case of the character that I made, he was the ultimate hunter. He tracked his targets down and killed them. Then consuming them ritualistically to take upon himself their strength. I even gave him the feat Gourmand so he was a barbaric 'foodie'. I went the route of druid so I could get shape changing as a way of explaining that my character was taking upon himself those animalistic tendencies.

I used my rages in the deadly battles where I had to hold. I focused half of my magic on rituals and out of combat spells to make myself more of a skill monkey. That said, I did keep some of my magic focused on combat for those times when I wasn't going to rage. 2 levels in Barb were more about getting me Unarmoured Defense/Reckless/Danger Sense than it was about getting access to Rage. Rage was just situationally epic. I also like the 2d12 hp.

My druid side didn't have to worry about metal armour as I used the barbarian's unarmoured defense. I got some nice combat perks from the deep stalker ranger that allowed me to pick when and where I was going to fight... and to hit friggin hard.

I almost always went first due to focusing on dex and having the revised ranger give me advantage. The Deep stalker meant I had +10 movement and an extra attack. I would inevitably use Reckless on all my attacks regardless of raging (unless attacking something that had yet to act because Ranger already gives me advantage). I hit often and hit hard. I had my DM tweak a great sword into a massive Meat Cleaver again to continue the culinary/butcher theme farther.

Ranger gave me a fighting style, and because my dex was the same as my strength (gotta love Mtn Dwarf), I didn't go for Versatile Weapon Master. Instead I took the Mariner fighting style (+1 AC as long as I had no armour or shield, swimming climb speed as per my normal movement).

I was essentially able to move all around the field despite being a dwarf. I fought in hand to hand when needed. I used missile weapons when needed and I got to be magic oriented when necessary. My 19 AC and ridiculous HP meant that I could survive most attacks (raging when I really needed to take the hits).

I like the idea of comboing with revised ranger for fighting style, utility spells and the like. There's some overlap with advantage on initiative, but the build you mentioned is more dip than barb, so that makes sense. Not that I don't like it!

Had another idea while waiting to make an appointment at GeekSquad (fml), play a goblin and possibly MC one level into rogue. The stats are perfect for a Dex Barb, and pseudo Cunning Action means you don't need to delay much for roguish funtimes. Go 14 15 15 8 10 8, pick up resilient dexterity level four for one of the best dexterity saving throws in the game. Subclass...bear? I mean, with advantage and proficiency in dex saves, and a maxed stat, fireballs and lightning bolts are already easy mode, taking half damage from all Elemental damage just adds to that. I'd pick tiger at the next tier for extra skills.

If the game doesn't go to 20, go rogue and grab expertise in acrobatics and whatever else(stealth?). Jump on top every enemy you can for advantage, Fury of the Small + Sneak Attack to make up for lower-par DPR.
If the game does go to 20, stick barbarian. You'll deal less damage, and your acrobatics checks aren't ungodly, but at level 20 we're rocking at least 18 Strength, 20 Dexterity, 24 Constitution. With a shield, that's AC 24.

AND you still have an ASI left over. Either pump strength to have an even 20 (at this point just switch back over to strength for rage damage, its serviceable with 18 as well) or grab shield master for even BETTER dex saves and bash, OR pickup crossbow expert/sharpshooter if you want to take advantage of your ranged capabilities.

[GorogIrongut]

I like the idea of comboing with revised ranger for fighting style, utility spells and the like. There's some overlap with advantage on initiative, but the build you mentioned is more dip than barb, so that makes sense. Not that I don't like it!

My post really was an answer to your question of what Barbarian Path to go down... It really was. My answering being that for a dex barbarian, it's not worth going past level 2 because none of the paths give you a significant amount when compared with the fruits of multi classing. Those first 2 levels give you:
proficiency in Con/Str
Reckless (i.e. the ability to always have advantage which is huge)
Danger Sense which equates to advantage on a lot of Dex saving throws
And a good Unarmoured Defense, so you can go walking around without clanking like a rusty kitchen

d12 hp
Rage of course helps but that's situational. Like when my character, at level 8, came across a Young Adult White Dragon who couldn't fly away. Insert Rage and Deep Stalker goodness and my character actually beat the dragon one on one (with 5hp to spare). In less intense combats, rage will be less useful.

But all of those things above are more than sufficient just by themselves. Going Bear Totem just doesn't net me that much when compared to all the other potential options available from Fighter/Rogue/Ranger/Druid/Artificer/Etc.

[Scathain]

My post really was an answer to your question of what Barbarian Path to go down... It really was. My answering being that for a dex barbarian, it's not worth going past level 2 because none of the paths give you a significant amount when compared with the fruits of multi classing. Those first 2 levels give you:
proficiency in Con/Str
Reckless (i.e. the ability to always have advantage which is huge)
Danger Sense which equates to advantage on a lot of Dex saving throws
And a good Unarmoured Defense, so you can go walking around without clanking like a rusty kitchen

d12 hp
Rage of course helps but that's situational. Like when my character, at level 8, came across a Young Adult White Dragon who couldn't fly away. Insert Rage and Deep Stalker goodness and my character actually beat the dragon one on one (with 5hp to spare). In less intense combats, rage will be less useful.

But all of those things above are more than sufficient just by themselves. Going Bear Totem just doesn't net me that much when compared to all the other potential options available from Fighter/Rogue/Ranger/Druid/Artificer/Etc.

If my response implied I was anything less than pleased by your suggestion, I apologize. Ranger is absolutely a valid choice for a Dex Barb, especially with Favored Enemy shoring up your damage.
I still think Dex Barb has some merits as a main class, but your suggestions definitely make it more viable.

[MeeposFire]

My post really was an answer to your question of what Barbarian Path to go down... It really was. My answering being that for a dex barbarian, it's not worth going past level 2 because none of the paths give you a significant amount when compared with the fruits of multi classing. Those first 2 levels give you:
proficiency in Con/Str
Reckless (i.e. the ability to always have advantage which is huge)
Danger Sense which equates to advantage on a lot of Dex saving throws
And a good Unarmoured Defense, so you can go walking around without clanking like a rusty kitchen

d12 hp
Rage of course helps but that's situational. Like when my character, at level 8, came across a Young Adult White Dragon who couldn't fly away. Insert Rage and Deep Stalker goodness and my character actually beat the dragon one on one (with 5hp to spare). In less intense combats, rage will be less useful.

But all of those things above are more than sufficient just by themselves. Going Bear Totem just doesn't net me that much when compared to all the other potential options available from Fighter/Rogue/Ranger/Druid/Artificer/Etc.

Assuming you are talking about the standard idea of a dex barb (attacking with dex/high con/non-attack level strength) then remember reckless does NOT work with attacks made with dex so level 2 is no good either.

[Easy_Lee]

If you have UA and want a dexterity barbarian, I would try this: Elf Fighter (Champion) / Barbarian with Elven Accuracy.
- Whenever you have advantage with an attack roll, you can reroll one of the die once
- With reckless attack, every attack has advantage
- With champion, you get twice as many crits and can action surge

Keep your eye out for vorpal weapons and you're good to go.

My build recommendation: fighter 6 / Barbarian 2 in that order, then continue with either, your choice, working toward fighter 11 / Barbarian 9. With point buy, you can start with 17 dexterity on an elf, raise it to 18 at 4 with EA, then to 20 at level 6. TWF may be your best bet for DPR on this build, since you won't be pushing people prone with shield master if you don't raise strength.

[GorogIrongut]

If my response implied I was anything less than pleased by your suggestion, I apologize. Ranger is absolutely a valid choice for a Dex Barb, especially with Favored Enemy shoring up your damage.
I still think Dex Barb has some merits as a main class, but your suggestions definitely make it more viable.

Nope. I was justifying my long winded post that didn't give you the direct answer that you were looking for.

And Meepos, you are correct about Reckless. It's probably the biggest hamper of making a Dex Barb. My approach isn't to try and max one to the detriment of the other but to even them out around a 16. So you can choose when to use whichever you want.

[GlenSmash!]

If you have UA and want a dexterity barbarian, I would try this: Elf Fighter (Champion) / Barbarian with Elven Accuracy.
- Whenever you have advantage with an attack roll, you can reroll one of the die once
- With reckless attack, every attack has advantage
- With champion, you get twice as many crits and can action surge

Keep your eye out for vorpal weapons and you're good to go.

My build recommendation: fighter 6 / Barbarian 2 in that order, then continue with either, your choice, working toward fighter 11 / Barbarian 9. With point buy, you can start with 17 dexterity on an elf, raise it to 18 at 4 with EA, then to 20 at level 6. TWF may be your best bet for DPR on this build, since you won't be pushing people prone with shield master if you don't raise strength.

Reckless Attack only works with Strength based attacks though.

[Easy_Lee]

Reckless Attack only works with Strength based attacks though.

Aww damn it all, you're right. Why, why WotC? Why you do this?

Have your DM hand wave it. Otherwise, don't play a Dex barbarian.

[Finieous]

Aww damn it all, you're right. Why, why WotC? Why you do this?

Have your DM hand wave it. Otherwise, don't play a Dex barbarian.

Well, yeah. Few of the "Dex Barb" builds amount to more than "some other class, usually rogue or fighter, with a dip in barbarian for a damage mitigation boost a couple times a day" anyway.

[GlenSmash!]

The biggest thing Dex barbarians lose is Reckless Attack, the second biggest thing is Rage Damage bonus. The second one doesn't matter much, but that first one is a biggie.

Still, here is how I would do it. Don't completely dump Strength, start with it at 14, and keep it there forever. +2 Strength, +Proficiency bonus with Advantage From Reckless Attack is actually pretty good at hitting things. With a Rapier you can choose whether you want to Reckless Attack with strength or not Reckless Attack and use Dexterity. Think of yourself as a switch hitter. If you grab a level of Rogue for Expertise in athletics (or use a feat from UA) that 14 will work for grapples and shoves too.

The big benefit of this is if you've invested in Con, and Dex and find a Belt of Giant Strength you would actually pull ahead of a Strength Barbarian.

For subclasses Zealots are a good one for a Dex barb. Ancestral Guardians is great if you want more of a tank character, but honestly most of the Totems would work fine for this too. I think only Elk has an ability that specifically keys off Strength.

(or you could just play a fighter with the Outlander background and call yourself a Barbarian, but you knew that already, I'm sure)

[GlenSmash!]

Aww damn it all, you're right. Why, why WotC? Why you do this?

Have your DM hand wave it. Otherwise, don't play a Dex barbarian.

Yeah it's a shame, still you're idea is a great one. A Half-Elf Strength Barb with Elven-Accuracy seems great to me.

[MeeposFire]

Nope. I was justifying my long winded post that didn't give you the direct answer that you were looking for.

And Meepos, you are correct about Reckless. It's probably the biggest hamper of making a Dex Barb. My approach isn't to try and max one to the detriment of the other but to even them out around a 16. So you can choose when to use whichever you want.

If you do have equal ability scores why would you attack with dex further having equal str really is not a "dex barb" but rather a barb with high dex (which there is nothing wrong with that if you can swing it). When somebody says "dex barb" they typically mean you are raising dex to the detriment of str since raising str/con/dex together is usually prohibitive. If you are using str to attack then you are just playing a standard barbarian.

[Scathain]

The biggest thing Dex barbarians lose is Reckless Attack, the second biggest thing is Rage Damage bonus. The second one doesn't matter much, but that first one is a biggie.

Still, here is how I would do it. Don't completely dump Strength, start with it at 14, and keep it there forever. +2 Strength, +Proficiency bonus with Advantage From Reckless Attack is actually pretty good at hitting things. With a Rapier you can choose whether you want to Reckless Attack with strength or not Reckless Attack and use Dexterity. Think of yourself as a switch hitter. If you grab a level of Rogue for Expertise in athletics (or use a feat from UA) that 14 will work for grapples and shoves too.

The big benefit of this is if you've invested in Con, and Dex and find a Belt of Giant Strength you would actually pull ahead of a Strength Barbarian.

For subclasses Zealots are a good one for a Dex barb. Ancestral Guardians is great if you want more of a tank character, but honestly most of the Totems would work fine for this too. I think only Elk has an ability that specifically keys off Strength.

(or you could just play a fighter with the Outlander background and call yourself a Barbarian, but you knew that already, I'm sure)

See, I viewed it the other way around! Advantage is easy to come by, rage damage is harder to replace. Shield master can give advantage, being small and climbing a creature can give advantage, stealth can give advantage (you have a high Dex and no armor, after all). Sure, it's not as consistent, but you also are denying the enemy that free advantage most barbs are used to.

I considered Ancestral Guardian too, and personally I think it's the best choice for a pure Dex Barb focused on tanking.

[djreynolds]

I know that Dexterity based barbs are largely regarded as sub-optimal in the damage department, but have fun toys with a higher AC, initiative, dex saves, flavor etc.

My question is quick: if you HAD to play a dex barb, what subclass jumps out as being the most useful given the strengths/weaknesses of the class?

I would grab, 1-3 of barbarian and the rest open hand monk. Use the barbarians unarmored defense instead.
Stillness of mind will cover down as you max out dex and con, yet monk will give you some oomph. Stunning fist will suck.

[Scathain]

I would grab, 1-3 of barbarian and the rest open hand monk. Use the barbarians unarmored defense instead.
Stillness of mind will cover down as you max out dex and con, yet monk will give you some oomph. Stunning fist will suck.

Ooh, monk could be fun indeed. Maybe go dwarf for Dwarven Resilience feat proccing on bonus action dodge?

[djreynolds]

Now we're cooking

[layzeedude]

Ooh, monk could be fun indeed. Maybe go dwarf for Dwarven Resilience feat proccing on bonus action dodge?

I was thinking about a level or 2 of Barbarian in my Dwarven Monk, funnily enough. Nice boost to HP.

My question would be, does the Martial Arts of the Monk allow you to swap from Strength to Dex on all the Barb's Rage stuff?

Rage: "when you make a melee weapon attack using Strength..."

Martial Arts: "You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the
attack and damage rolls o f your unarmed strikes..."

[DevilMcam]

Since you assume that you won't be optimal in term of damages, i'd try to focus the build on something else.
you defence will indeed be very good, but smartish enemys will probably attack the biggest threat in term of damage they received/expect to receive, not the hardest to hit, so shiled and rapier may not draw that much agro on you.
However with the eagle totem you could get a lot of mobility, while the wolf will help your allies.

If you plan on staying until 3 i'd go totemic.
after that you want to avoid spellcasting to an extent because it doesn't work well with the rage.
The bear feature that let you be a real tank (in term of controlling not defense) comes late at lvl 14 so you may not want to venture that deep into barbarian (because of level range for the campaign or whatever).
multiclassing into fighter could yield you good bonuses, such as action surge, fighting style and archetype.
champion could help with crit fishing if you have brutal critical from barb9, while the maneuvers could add to you mobile and versatile traits.
multiclassing into rogue is ridiculous because reckless attack let you sneak attack every turn, however it is more of a STR barb thing because you have to use STR roll for the reckless attack to kick in. (sneak attack only needs a finess weapon, you can use it with the STR roll).

[MeeposFire]

I was thinking about a level or 2 of Barbarian in my Dwarven Monk, funnily enough. Nice boost to HP.

My question would be, does the Martial Arts of the Monk allow you to swap from Strength to Dex on all the Barb's Rage stuff?

Rage: "when you make a melee weapon attack using Strength..."

Martial Arts: "You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the
attack and damage rolls o f your unarmed strikes..."

No those rage bonuses and reckless attack require that you use strength based attacks and the monk does not change that. It only allows you to make attacks using dex but does not change the barb restrictions themselves.

[Talderas]

I'm currently playing a Halfling barbarian with a pirate background who's at level 5. I use the Sea Storm Lord UA path.

One thing you need to keep in mind about barbarian is that the class breaks rules.... or rather rarely responds to a situation like every other PC. They're advantage machines and being able to get a lot of advantages to rolls depresses the value to certain stats. One of the big things barbarian loses out on for being dex based is a weapon style so no ability to get the two-handed style to add your modifier to offhand damage.

My Halfling currently has stats of 14str, 16dex, 18con after starting with 14str, 16dex, 16con. I use three modes of attacking. Two-handed longsword, one-handed longsword+shield, and dual wielded axes. All of these weapons use strength and all of these weapons are able to get the benefit of reckless attack and rage damage. At 18 dexterity, I would only gain attack bonuses and not damage (gaining +2 damage to the attack from dexterity over strength but losing the +2 from rage) and to top it off my damage drops when dual wielding (+0 damage on main hand, -2 damage on off hand) for a +2 to the attack roll when I have reckless. Your dex modifier needs to be higher than your strength modifier by a minimum equal to the rage damage bonus and preferably one higher (14 Str -> 20 Dex).

14 strength is quite enough for a barbarian though, as long as you have reckless attack. However I can't recommend actually increasing your dexterity if you can get unarmored AC that is comparable to medium armor. Increasing constitution is just overall better for a barbarian when compared against increasing dexterity because you get advantage on dexterity saves and advantage on initiative. Gaining some extra hp, increasing your con saves, and getting +1 ac out of it just more valuable. Also, as a sea storm lord my con modifier is used for determining the DC of my rage ability.

[GlenSmash!]

See, I viewed it the other way around! Advantage is easy to come by, rage damage is harder to replace. Shield master can give advantage, being small and climbing a creature can give advantage, stealth can give advantage (you have a high Dex and no armor, after all). Sure, it's not as consistent, but you also are denying the enemy that free advantage most barbs are used to.

I considered Ancestral Guardian too, and personally I think it's the best choice for a pure Dex Barb focused on tanking.

Whoops I totally missed your response. You're totally right about denying the enemy that free advantage against you, but I think that advantage can actually be a good thing. Tank's operate best when they give incentive for their foes to attack the Tank instead of the Tank's squishier allies.

Reckless Attack has always been a great way of doing that. I mean, why else would they target that big bag of Hitpoints and Resistance unless he was leaving himself wide open.

Sentinel, Bear Totem 14, and now Ancestral Guardians abilities are other good incentives, but Reckless Attack just works all day every day at screaming "Hit Me! Ignore the guy in the robe throwing fireballs!"

[Scathain]

Whoops I totally missed your response. You're totally right about denying the enemy that free advantage against you, but I think that advantage can actually be a good thing. Tank's operate best when they give incentive for their foes to attack the Tank instead of the Tank's squishier allies.

Reckless Attack has always been a great way of doing that. I mean, why else would they target that big bag of Hitpoints and Resistance unless he was leaving himself wide open.

Sentinel, Bear Totem 14, and now Ancestral Guardians abilities are other good incentives, but Reckless Attack just works all day every day at screaming "Hit Me! Ignore the guy in the robe throwing fireballs!"

No worries, thanks nonetheless for responding! I see your point, that incentive is important in being a tank. And that Reckless is a baked-in source of that, I also agree. Thanks for pointing out some alternates though! Bear totem seems like a great choice for this build (as the case usually is, eyeroll). I'm praying, perhaps in vain, that they'll release Ancestral Guardian in Xanathar's. It's good as is, but it seems a little too overpowered right now for my tastes.

[Citan]

I know that Dexterity based barbs are largely regarded as sub-optimal in the damage department, but have fun toys with a higher AC, initiative, dex saves, flavor etc.

My question is quick: if you HAD to play a dex barb, what subclass jumps out as being the most useful given the strengths/weaknesses of the class?
Hi ;)

Well, if you want to do it for fluff and dont care for optimization, a pure Barbarian will fit well enough honestly, whatever build you make.

Now, if you want to make the most out of your character and not against significant multiclassing, by far (imo) the optimal target build would be...

Half-Orc (for added critical and great score bonus) or Gnome (for advantage against magic, plus it's super fun imo) or Half-Elf (good all-rounder).
- Barbarian 7 at least (9 for critical rush).
- Rogue 7 at least (Evasion paired with Danger Sense and high DEX is gravy. Also, if you like Shoving, definitely go up to Reliable Talent).
Options: Champion (if you go for crits) or Battlemaster (other cases) Fighter, Warlock, Ranger, Sorcerer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, depending on your taste and stats. And yes, even casters may be a good addition to a Barbarian. See below... ;)

Basic idea is...
- Always wield rapier, unarmored/light/medium armor and shield.
- Grab Shield Master feat.
- Grab Expertise in Athletics.
- Grab Bear Barbarian.
PROFIT: just as is, you are a shoving machine, and you will end an unstoppable one thanks to the stack of very effective defense mechanisms.
Added bonus of this tactic: you don't have to use Reckless Attack to be good at dealing damage, so your survivability is much much better than any other Barbarian.

You also have many things you can do to tailor your build after you are at least Barb 5 / Rogue 2...

DECENT CHA
- Bard: Mending because Barb loves his weapon, Friends that can easily be refluffed as a "friendly -kinda- intimidation", Healing Words when out of rage, Longstrider as a prebuff, Comprehend Languages because Barbs are not necessarily all illiterate, Feather Fall for emergencies, Bardic Inspiration... Go up to Lore 3 to also get Jack of All Trades and Cutting Words, along with See Invisibility for example, or Calm Emotions (pretty funny to have as Barb ^^), or Invisibility...

- Cleric: Light Cleric: additional way of defense, light cantrip, in addition to Guidance (always good), Healing Words, and buffs that can be great when out of rage. Best taken early though.

- Druid: Healing Words, Longstrider, Jump, Goodberry, AND great scouting/spying ability with Wild Shape. Great especially early.

- Fighter: covered: Champion will go nice with crit fish ability from Barb, while Battlemaster always prove useful. Plus you get Action Surge and a Fighting Style (Protection? Or Dueling).

- Monk: well, considering MADness, probably NOT a good idea. Unless you rolled good stats or managed to crank WIS enough, AND don't like the Shield Master idea. ;)

- Paladin: too much overlap in basic features, you can get Fighting Style quicker with Fighter, related spells quicker with Cleric (except smite but not worth it for you), Auras would require too much investment, plus the obvious MADness. Nothing to see here.

- Ranger: too "ranged" geared to really be worth for your build, unless Revised Ranger is an option and you don't want to get as high as Barbarian 7 (who also gets advantage on Initiative).

- Rogue: if you got decent enough CHA or prefer keeping an ASI for something else than Mobile, Swashbuckler is the right archetype. Otherwise, take Thief, and grab Healer feat somewhere along the way. You just went from unstoppable to freaking unkillable (well, not really, but you still get a powerful bonus action healing. Plus a Barb suturing himself fits the image well imo.^^).

- Sorcerer: Draconic Sorcerer 1 is all you need: if you want permanent Mage Armor and added versatility (Mending, Message, Minor Illusion, Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self etc).

- Warlock: mainly if you want great darkvision (Devil Sight), great armor (Mage Armor) or great ranged attack when no raging (Repelling Blast), along with good utility (Hex, Comprehend Languages, Armor of Agathys). Best taken early though.

- Wizard: I honestly don't think you could ever manage the required INT for that. If you did though, it may be worth going some elf just for getting Bladesinger (TWF) / Diviner or Transmuter (shield): you get many long-duration buffs to use if you wish, and otherwise can keep magic for utility outside of fights.

As for feats...
- Resilient: Wisdom should be a priority. Seriously.
- If you have the required CHA, Inspiring Leader is very nice.
- Otherwise, Healer feat should be your main choice for party contribution...
- As for yourself, Mage Slayer should be in the top choices along with Mobile and Shield Master.
(Obviously you cannot take everything, but those are really the choices you cannot go wrong with).
FYI however, while I love Defensive Duelist, it would be a trap option here: not enough bonus at low levels, and you have too much HP and defensive features at high levels to make it worth enough.