The Age of Barbarians: A Guide for post-Mordenkainen's Barbarians

[Protato]

Hello one and hello all, this is my first attempt at making a class guide. When going through the otherwise good guide "I'll NEVER Die! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389546-I-ll-NEVER-Die!-(A-Guide-to-the-5E-Barbarian))", I noticed it was a bit outdated, being several years old and only really talking about PHB options. Well, this guide seeks to change that, with a mix of newer content and my own subjective ratings for abilities! With that, I hope you enjoy and find this guide helpful.

The Barbarian in 5e is THE tank class, even more than a Fighter. Fighters, Rangers, and Paladins have a good hit die of 1d10, but the Barbarian has a HD of 1d12. That doesn't SEEM like a big difference but when playing, you'll notice your HP stays ahead of the curve versus other martials. Of course, Barbarians aren't perfect. Unlike Fighters, they don't get a ton of ASIs and unlike Rangers and Paladins they don't get spellcasting. They also, in my opinion, have relatively weak subclasses, or at least a few that are "better" in some way. Skills are also a sore spot for you. Add to all this, you're quite MAD (Multiple Attribute Dependent) if you want good Strength and Unarmored Defense. However, with that said, their tankiness manages to make the whole class worthwhile, and plus, it's just fun to be a big angry wall of muscle.

Overall, pros and cons of Barbarism.

Pros
If you want to facetank all day and shrug off the times they DO hit you
If you want to be amazing at grappling
If you want to play something fairly simple but decide a Fighter isn't for you

Cons
If you want to be good at social situations (you CAN RP and build them to be good at them but the base Barbarian isn't built for it at all)
If you want to focus on utility or skill use
If you want to play someone with spellcasting

Overall, Barbarians are a lot of fun and can be really good at what they do, but they're generally only good at breaking people in half.

And now, color coding for the rest of the guide.
Blue: This is very important to you, and is probably a central function of how a Barbarian operates.
Green: A good option overall.
Black: A pretty "baseline" option, might be situational or there might be something better but its not bad in all honesty.
Red: A "bad" choice, although ultimately, it's your character.

[Protato]

https://images.8tracks.com/cover/i/000/144/540/16Gatsu-Guts-Berserk-Manga-7696.jpg?rect=0,33,733,733&q=98&fm=jpg&fit=max
A Barbarian. He is rather displeased with you.

Barbarian Stats, Proficiencies, Equipment, Party Role, and Class Features

You ability scores are what you're good at, and what you want to be good at, is hitting things. I'm putting numbers after the analysis of each stat, taken from the Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), meant to represent roughly what you want to have. Of course, the numbers listed are 1.Fairly low (to me) and 2.A guideline. You may roll numbers (which I tend to do at my tables), use a higher array (I tend to give my players 18 16 14 12 10 8 but that's pretty high for most tables) or use point buy but either way these scores are roughly where you'd want your numbers to go.

Strength: This is your best stat hands-down. Important for your attack and damage rolls, and for grappling. I'd start with 15.
Dexterity: Barbarians aren't really "made for" Dex, mostly because Rage keys off your Strength, but its important to have decent Dex for your AC since you're a frontliner. I'd have 13.
Constitution: More important on you than even other martial classes due to your high hit die. You also get to use it for your AC. I would get 14.
Intelligence: Your dump stat. You learned a lot about hitting people, not about history or math. I'd put the 8 here.
Wisdom: Good because perception, but your class features don't use it. Nice to have, but don't be afraid to dump if needed. 12 would go here.
Charisma: You're a smelly mound of man-meat, leave it to the Bard. Leave it at 10.

Dexterity-based Barbarians switch Strength and Dexterity.


1d12 Hit Die: Barbarians, as stated above, have the best hit die in all of 5e.
Con and Strength Saves: Both are good, especially Con, because it helps with things like resist disease, forgo sleep, or hold your breath. Strength is rare but is important when it comes up.
Armor: You get Light, Medium, and Shields. Not bad but kind of redundant with the Unarmored Defense.
Weapons: All of them.
Tools: None, but why would you need them? You're a Barbarian!
Class Skills: Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, Survival.

I would take Athletics (probably your most useful skill) and something else. Perception is good on most anyone but you're not as likely to be outstanding as the Druid or Cleric, or the Rogue with their Expertise. Intimidation is nice to have, and even if you're not mainly social, it's flavorful and you just might get mileage out of it. As is mentioned on this page, a variant rule in the Player's Handbook allows you to use Strength modifiers instead of Charisma for Intimidation checks. The skill is much better on you if that's allowed. Survival and Nature are fairly similar, but I've seen DMs rule that Nature can sometimes be used to learn more about creatures and Survival is mostly used for tracking and finding food. Animal Handling can be used to get pets (if the DM allows it, that is, yours may not but mine usually do, and I tend to in my games) and calm wild beasts. Overall, I recommend Athletics and then something flavorful. Don't forget, backgrounds get you more skills, as do certain races and most DMs allow for custom backgrounds.

Basic Equipment
Maul, Greatsword, and Greataxe are all good items for you. Greataxes are better than Mauls and Greatswords for critical hits but have lower minimum damage. I'd use a Maul/Greatsword until you get Brutal Critical, but you're not gimping yourself too much in any case so go with what's cooler to you. I'm partial to mauls myself. Throwing Weapons, especially Javelins, are the best ranged options for you, but make no mistake, you're a frontliner. Darts aren't to be underestimated as a low-cost means of doing ranged damage. Their range is awful and the damage is low, but they're extremely cheap and can be bought in bulk. The other option that might be good for a Barbarian's main weapon is a Longsword, Battleaxe, or Warhammer and a Shield. If you have good Con and Dex, plus a Shield, you'll have pretty high AC and a decent attack. If you have good Dex and Con, you won't be needing armor. Of course, if you do want armor, get Half-Plate as soon as you can, or a Breastplate if you care about stealth. If using a reach/polearm build I'd take a Glaive/Halberd. If you're a Dexterity Barbarian, I'd take a Rapier (two with Dual Wielder) and shield (if you don't have Dual Wielder, or two Shortswords or Scimitars (if you don't take Dual Wielder but want to use two weapons). I'd also take a Longbow for ranged damage. Just know that, unless your DM houserules it, you won't have Rage bonus damage. It's still good on you because resistance. Medium Armor is a good choice if your stats are lower, and either a Chain Shirt or Scale Armor are good early-game options. Breastplates and Half-Plate armor are better options later on.

Class Features
Unarmored Defense: From first level until the very end of you Barbaric career, you can forgo armor and isntead get an AC equal to 10 + Dex mod + Con mod. Not half bad, as long as your stats are decent. If not, then don't be afraid to put on Medium Armor.

Rage: This is the reason you became a Barbarian instead of a prancing Paladin or a foppish Fighter. You get advantage on Strength checks and saves, resist physical damage, and get a damage boost! You can't use spells, maintain concentration, or wear heavy armor, but why would you need any of that? Your whole point is to break people in half with a hammer, and you're unparalleled at that!

Reckless Attack: Gain advantage, but enemies get advantage on you. Not that big a deal though, because you can just sit there and take the hit with your Rage resistance. Since it requires Strength attacks to work though, this means unless your DM allows it to work with Dexterity attacks, this is pretty worthless on a Dexterity Barbarian.

Dangersense: Advantage on Dexterity saves, so that means you more-or-less have three saves. At level 2. With no feat. If you're a Dexterity Barbarian it works with you even better.

ASI: Standard amount as most other classes. Its only Green because you have the standard amount.

Extra Attack: You get just one sadly, but hey, another chance to do more damage. Only reason its not better is cause you don't get more.

Fast Movement: Always-on ribbon power, although it can be a pretty useful one. Might help you catch up if you were outside a room while your party investigated or something.

Feral Instinct: Advantage on initiative! Also can't be surprised on initiative but you HAVE to pop Rage first. Still, advantage on initiative!

Brutal Critical: More damage! Not too likely to land though, lowering the rating.

Relentless Rage: A chance to not die when you otherwise might. You don't wanna be in this situation but its good to have. Would be better if the DC didn't go up as it was used.

Persistent Rage: I'd have made this a standard Rage feature, but every class needs its ribbons.

Indomitable Might: Take your Strength score on a Strength roll if you roll less than your Strength. In other words, never fail a grapple check ever again. If you're a Dexterity Barbarian with low Strength this is a lot worse, but still nice to have.

Primal Champion: An excellent capstone! You can have up to 24 on Strength with no magic items! If you think you might get to Level 20, I wouldn't multiclass JUST for this. Constitution going up and making your saves and health higher is just gravy. Even Dexterity Barbarians benefit from this.

Magic Items

A note on Magic Items from people coming from other editions: 5e doesn't have the "magic mart" as an assumed mechanic anymore. Not to say no one's used it but its not the way the game is "meant to be played" as it were. Even so, I felt making a list of magic items that could help Barbarians out might be prudent. Also worth noting, every character only has three attunement slots.

+ Weapons: Probably the most common and easiest to stat magic items/weapons. They can go from Uncommon (+1) to Very Rare (+3).
+ Armor and Shields: They work similarly to the Weapons but go from +1 (Rare) to +3 (Legendary).
Bracers of Defense: Needs attunement and is rare. Then again, +2 AC.
Weapon of Warning and Sentinel Shield: Nice to have, and they can keep you from using Feral Instinct and using Rage when you don't want. They WoW needs attunement though, so it's rated a bit lower.
Sun Blade: A powerful option for most characters, really. I'd give it to someone else first but on you they aren't half bad, extending vision and being really quite good versus Undead, a common enemy type. Plus, Fantasy Lightsaber.
Hammer of Thunderbolts: I'm rating it as if you have the Belt of Giant Strength and Gauntlets of Ogre Power to use or if the requirement is waived. If so, then this is fantastic. Just be Thor!
Javelin of Lightning: They can be used up and you may not be able to make/buy/find them in bulk but otherwise they're good ranged options, DC is a mite low though.
Adamantine Armor: Doesn't give a + but is otherwise solid.
Stat raising items: If you have naturally good stats or plan to bump them to the number the item gives, you won't need it. If the stat is low, you do. The biggest caveat is, of course, don't be greedy. Your Wizard needs that Headband of Intellect way more than you ever would, buster. These items all need attunement.
Cloak of Protection: A good pick for any build. It's good on you because you lack heavy armor, and on some builds, may be unarmored.

Epic Boons

These tend to be rare because of how late they show up in games but if you do get there, start at a high level, or were allowed to receive one early, then here's a few options to give yourself, or if you're reading this as a DM then what you could give your team Barbarian.

Boon of Combat Prowess: You missed? No you didn't.

Boon of Fortitude: 40+ to HP on a tank is good.

Boon of Invincibility: "W-what? That attack didn't even phase him!!". And then you go Super Saiyan.

Boon of Recovery: You aren't dying anymore.

Boon of Speed: Move up to enemies faster, and while Disengaging isn't something most raging Barbarians will do, is not a bad bonus. Dashing, though, especially with the bonus 10ft. of speed, is very good, especially on such an aggressive character.

Party Role

Barbarians serve a few roles in most DnD parties, and as you an guess, you probably aren't going to be the idea guy. I'll divide the roles into Heavy Hitter (single-target damage), Meat Shield (taking hits), Utility (doing things out of combat to help explore or solve puzzles), Face (being good at social encounters), Healing (recovering from damage), Nuking (multi-target damage), Control and Debuffs (being able to disable enemies before they die/go down), and Buffing (giving a temporary increase to a character)

Heavy Hitter: Barbarians are very good at hurting a single target. They get two attacks, like most other 5e martial classes, and with the Rage bonus damage and Brutal Critical, plus Reckless Attack for greater accuracy, you're likely to be very good at hurting individual enemies.

Meat Shield: You're also likely to have high HP due to having a good hit die, and Rage resistances makes you unlikely to die from most melee attacks. Bear Totem increases your ability to tank hits even more. Medium Armor isn't quite as nice as Heavy, and Unarmored Defense depends on having good scores, but overall, your AC should be around a Monk's, which isn't bad.

Utility: Outside of what I've heard been called "meleemancy", you're not likely to have much out of combat utility. Meleemancy is still good though, but DM dependent.''

Minionmancy: You have none.

Face: You can Intimidate people (ideally with Strength), making you a good backup face. The Bard botched his Persuade roll? Well, you can try to persuade with your bulging pecs. You're not likely to be ideal at this though, hence being a backup face and not generally a main face, and if your DM disallows Strength as with Intimidate then you're still lackluster.

Healing: Barbarians lack healing for themselves or others, focusing on not taking a ton of damage or being able to get up from death rather than mitigation.

Nuking: You're bad at this, probably one of the worst, in all honesty. Leave it to the Wizard to shoot Fireballs.

Control/Debuff: Grappling lets you be pretty good at this, actually.

Buffing: Rage is a great self-buff that gets better with subclasses. Outside of that, you're not very good at it.

Barbarian Tactics

Barbarians excel at hitting things with weapons but otherwise, there's things you can do. Grappling is a pretty powerful tool in your arsenal, and is easy to overlook. Otherwise, try "meleemancy"! Breaking down doors (or walls!) with hammers, throwing things at people, including other people, and shoving people into or out of harm's reach is a lot of fun and is quite effective too...if the DM allows it. Some might not like it much, you circumventing their locked door puzzle but smashing it into chips, so I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't always work. Ask the DM about her stance on that sort if you're not sure if it's allowed.

[Protato]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ckk9stcUUAAAvCj.jpg
A human Barbarian, staring their opponent down.


Races, with PHB and supplements.

Your choice of race is very important to both your numbers and potentially RP experience. Please note that races that begin with flight are not allowed in Adventurer's League, and may not be allowed by your DM.

Dragonborn: +2 Strength, element resistance, and nothing else that's good on you really.

Dwarf: You get extra Constitution, a tool, darkvision, and advantage on checks to examine stone. You can go Mountain for +2 Strength, Hill +1 Wis and extra HP, or Duergar from Mordenkainen's Tome for +1 Strength, magic, improved darkvision, but at disadvantage on doing things when the sun is out. They also get a reprint in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes but I didn't see any real changes in them.

Elves: Bonus to Dex for your AC, and the rest isn't that good for you. High Elves get a cantrip (that you can't use while raging), Wood Elves get nothing that helps you much. Drow get magic that's not all that useful to you, and nothing else they have is very good for you either. However, if you're a Dexterity Barbarian (which the rest of the Elf section will be assuming), or have good Strength/Con and you want more AC, elves become much better. Wood Elves are probably the best option, as it gives a +1 to Wisdom in addition to the base Elf Dexterity. Gives you a good chance to get another +1 if the number was odd, or a chance to get Resilient Wisdom. Mark of Shadows from Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron gets you Charisma, an instrument and Performance, a buff to both Performance and Stealth, and Minor Illusion. I'd pass.

MToF Elf Subraces: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes adds even MORE elves. Eladrin get a bonus action teleport and +1 Charisma, and they also get sub-subraces. Autumn get a charm, not too good on you. Winter gets fear, a bit better but nothing to write home about. Spring is actually pretty good, letting you teleport an ally out of harm's way, could be useful on an Ancestral Guardian especially. Lastly, Summer gets you the ability to damage everyone for a little fire damage when you teleport up to them. Spring and Summer are the best bets for you here. Sea Elves gain Constitution, which is nice, you get a swim speed and underwater breathing, plus some neat utility/ribbons. Not half bad on a Dexterity Barbarian! Shadar-Kai are arguably even for you with their Constitution, always-on necrotic resistance, AND a teleport that grants even MORE resistance, even if for one round only. Geez.

Gnome: +2 Int. Forest Gnomes get get +1 Dex, and Rock Gnomes get some Con. Nothing else that's very good on you. Deep Gnomes are like Drow and they can good, but not for you. They get a reprint in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.

Half-Elf: Charisma +2 isn't very good on you, but other numbers of your choice get increased too, and proficiencies or another elf feature like a cantrip. This plus ribbons. Not too shabby. Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron gets you the option of either going Mark of the Storm or the Mark of Detection. Storm replaces the abilities with Dexterity (okay) and Charisma (meh), has a swim speed, a buff to vehicle repair/use, some magic, and lightning resistance. Damage resist is good but the rest is kind of a waste on you. Detection instead gets you Intelligence and Charisma (BOTH meh), better knowledge skills, and some knowledge spells. Neither are good on you.

Half-Orc: Strength, Con, Intimidation, and some watered-down Barbarian powers? Yes please! it seems like they're kind of "built" to be the Barbarian race in the PHB. Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron has the Mark of Finding. Replace your scores with Strength and Wisdom, plus an extra +1 to put where you please. You're better at finding/tracking things (duh). it's not bad but I'd stick with the standard.

Human: +1 to all stats isn't too bad. Better if you have a lot of odd scores. Variant Human get a feat at Level 1, which is very good. Wayfinder's Guide has more options that replace standard or Variant human features. Mark of Finding has Dexterity and Wisdom, both of which are nice on most characters. You get better at tracking things and get Wisdom and Dexterity, along with Darkvision. Not an awful pick but Strength is usually best for Barbarians and your mental scores are likely low anyhow. Mark of Handling is similar but better at getting along with animals rather than tracking. Talking to monsters is neat though. Mark of Making can grant you a +1 to someone's weapon or AC, and you get a cantrip that you can swap between long rests. It may or may not work with Rage, so I'd ask the DM. Really, it'd be green if it didn't grant Dexterity and your dump stat, Intelligence. Mark of Passage grants +2 Dexterity and +1 to anything else you like. You move faster, you can teleport, and you can ignore difficult terrain while dashing. In other words, really good on you, and pretty much anyone else to boot. Lastly, Mark of Sentinel grants Strength, and you can better protect allies. Flavorful and effective, especially if you're an Ancestral Guardian.

Halfling: Dex, Luck, and subraces, with Stout giving you a bit more Con. Plus, you're a little tiny Hobbit screaming at someone and shoving them to the ground. Lightfoots aren't all that stellar on a Barbarian sadly, as Charisma is wasted and Barbarians aren't known for being sneaky. Wayfinder's has the Marks of Healing and of Hospitality. Healing lets you be better at Medicine and gives you some Wisdom, and some magical healing. Not awful but I'd still not have it be my first pick. Hospitality gets social magic, and cooking, along with a bit of Charisma. I don't think that suits you well.

Tiefling: Abyssal, Feral and Winged might be okay on you, because they give either Con or Dex, and Winged gives flight speed. If your DM allows flight speed as a racial feat, then they're probably allowing Aaracokra, which are better for you. In Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, you get a few new options. Baalzebul Tieflings increase two dump stats, as does Mammon. Fierna's not all that good on you either, because while Wisdom is okay on you, it's not a required score for very much in most Barbarians. Glasya's and Dispater's Dexterity, Zariel's Strength, and Levistus' Constitution could be okay enough.

Elemental Evil Player's Companion Races/Tortle Package/Mordenkainen's Tome of Toes

These three supplemental books are unrelated, but since EEPC, Tortle Package, and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes offer so few options (MToF offers a lot of subraces but only one new race), why not combine them here? Aarakocra and Genasi are from EEPC, Gith is from Mordenkainen's, and Tortle is from Tortle Package.

Aarakocra: Flight speed is good, as is Dexterity, and you get an unarmed strike bonus. Pretty solid even if it doesn't grant Strength, and is really good if you use Dexterity.

Genasi: Constitution? Nice! The main draw is the subraces. Earth is probably your best bet, with movement through difficult terrain and +1 Strength, nice on a bullrushing melee attacker. Air gives Dex and limited levitation, and is a solid pick on Dexterity Barbarians.Fire gives you fire resistence but the spells and Intelligence boost aren't that good. Water is a bit better, giving Wisdom, but isn't better by much.

Gith: From Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. All Gith get Intelligence (bad on you) but there's subraces. Githyanki get +2 Strength, a tool, and the Jump and Misty Step spells. I actually rated the race green because Jump takes no Concentration and is actually good to cast pre-fight, and even if you can't Rage and use it, Misty Step can help you get away if you run out of rages. Githzerai meanwhile get Wisdom (not awful but a little yucky versus Strength), advantage on charm and fright saves, and the Shield and detect Thoughts spell. Shield is really good, but the rest of the subclass pales in comparison for Barbarians versus the benefits of Githyanki.

Tortle: Strength is good, wisdom is okay. Unarmed damage is good but the defense could probably be equaled or outmatched by Unarmored Defense from the class. If you got bad rolls or are using a weak array/point buy, the Tortle is a bit better.

Plane Shift Races

Aether-Born: Charisma? Not so good. Two extra scores by one? Good! Damage resistance and Intimidation are good, and Darkvision can come in handy.

Aven: Dexterity is good for such builds, and flight is always good. Iblis get Intelligence bonuses, and Hawks get Wisdom buffs. Dominaria has a variant with Dexterity, Wisdom, and the Hawk racial trait.

Dwarf: Constitution and Wisdom are nice, and so's poison resist, darkvision, HP, tools, and examination.

Elf (Kaladesh): Dexterity is pretty good and Wisdom is okay. Bistahar and Tirahar have more speed and stealth, and Vadahar have a Druid cantrip. Not the best picks, but not the worst either..

Elf (Zendikar): Wisdom is meh for you and the rest is pretty standard Elf. Tajuru have Charisma and skills. Juraga have better speed and Dexterity. Mul Daya have better darkvision and Strength, but they also have spells and sunlight sensitivity.

Goblin: Darkvision, basically. But they have subraces. Grotag has good defense and Constitution along with Animal Handling, Ixalan has Dexterty and climbing, not a bad pick for Dexterity builds. Lavastep is similar to Grotag but has better stealth instead of the skill, and Tuktuk is yet another defensive Goblin subrace but has Thieves' Tools.

Human: Gavony is same as regular, every stat goes up by 1. Kessig has Dexterity and Wisdom along with some potent movement buffs, and is a great pick for Rogue/Barbarian multiclass builds. Nephalia gets mental scores and tools or skills, so I'd pass. Stensia have Strength and Constitution, more HP, and Intimidation, all of which suit you well. Keldon are similar.

Khenra: Dexterity and Strength are both good, and so is walking speed. While I know nothing of MtG lore, the Twins ability looks flavorful and useful. I'd consider this at any rate.

Kor: Get two martial skills, climbing speed, luck manipulation, advantage on being frightened, and Dexterity and Wisdom. Pretty nice on a Dexterity build.

Minotaur: This is good for pretty similar reasons the UA versions. Strength and Constitution are both good, Intimidation is good. More damage, more tankiness, and an unarmed weapon? Good, good, and good.

Merfolk: Charisma? Not so good. Swimming/amphibious? Can be good. Subraces? Let's see. Blue gets magic, Intelligence, and knowledge. Pass. Cosi Creed? Similar. So are Emeria, Ula, and Green. None of these are very good on you.

Naga: Intelligence ain't so hot, but Constitution sure is. Minor speed boost is alright, and your natural weapon is good, as is your poison resistances. Not a bad pick, but the Intelligence goes to waste, most likely.

Orc: Literally the PHB Half-orc. In other words, very good.

Siren: Flight is nice. Friends (the spell) isn't so nice. Charisma doesn't look that hot either.

Vampire: Necrotic resist is a good way to start off and blood thirst is alright. Zendikar Vampires have mental scores. Ixalan has somewhat better mental scores, you get better speed and saves when you drink blood, and you can fly through the air by turning your legs into a black cloud for a while. Ixalan wins for Barbarians, hands-down.

Vedalken: Mental scores and lore are wasted on you, but saving throw resistance is not.

Volo's Guide to Monster's Races

Aasamir: Charisma and spells? Not a good look on you. At least the subraces give nice bonuses, and Scourge and Fallen give good stats as well. If a Zealot, Healing Hands makes it a better pick, because you can use it with Rage Beyond Death.

Bugbear: Pretty good! Reach, stats, and a pseudo-sneak attack that can key off Strength, plus the stealth to use it. I imagine a bugbear just going around grabbing people and bear hugging them to death with his freakishly long arms.

Firbolg: Originally rated kind of low. However, a comment has made me reconsider. The +2 Wisdom is useful because of saves but its not crucial for you, but the Strength is welcome. Hidden Step's invisibility feature doesn't let you attack sadly, but you could sit in a room and ambush someone with it. Firbolg does get magic, usually not very good on you, but its mostly out of combat rather than in combat, meaning it doesn't compete with rage. The Strength boost is a bit low but still quite welcome, and the ribbons are flavorful and can be useful.

Goblin: The stat bonuses are surprisingly okay for boosting your AC. Also, you get a mini Cunning Action and a bit of extra damage to most creatures.

Goliath: Strength and Con gives offence and defense. You also get Athletics, damage reduction, and some ribbons.

Hobgoblin: Meh. Saving Face looks flavorful and the Con is good, but the rest looks like a bit of a waste.

Kenku: Mental scores and skills you probably don't have good stats for? I'd pass.

Kobold: -2 Strength is really bad on you and offsets the Dexterity bonus. Also, you don't cower and beg! You're a Barbarian! You break spines! Even on Dexterity Barbarians, Strength can be useful, and plenty of other races give Dexterity. Outside of RP builds focused on how unlikely it is for there to be a Kobold Barbarian, I wouldn't pick this.

Lizardfolk: The Natural Armor is wasted sadly but the Con is welcome and Wisdom is nice to have. The unarmed attack is welcome, and the other features are flavorful. A solid pick if you're tired of all the Half-Orcs and Dwarves.

Orc: Regular Orcs lose Intelligence and gain Constitution and Strength. Just what you need! Aggressive is also good. However, I still feel there's a bit of lost opportunity cost here, especially versus Half-Orcs.

Tabaxi: Dexterity is nice, Charisma isn't all that needed. Feline Agility is useful at least, and you've got a climb speed and unarmed damage. Good for Dexterity builds.

Triton: Strength and Constitution are good but the rest of the features aren't that good on you.

Yuan-Ti Pureblood: Advantage on saves is good! REALLY good. But I don't feel I should rate it higher than black because it seems like all the other things would be wasted on you.

Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron Races

Changeling: Charisma? Not all that good. Intelligence is very meh so I'd put it into Dexterity. Skills and the tool are okay, and imposing disadvantage is good. It lacks Strength, but the bonuses are good so weigh your options. It's betterif you're a Dexterity build though.

Kalashtar: Wisdom and Charisma? Yucky start. Advantage on Wisdom saves once a turn is fun though, Psychic resist is rare but can shore up a Bear Totem's most glaring weakness, and the telepathy and skills are better for social characters, and you're not likely to be one. The advantage on saves and the resistance is nice, but the rest might well go to waste.

Shifter: Darkvision is nice, Dexterity is nice, and Perception is nice. Plus, subraces and a once a long rest Shifting power as a bonus action, basically giving you two super modes. Beasthide gets Constitution, athletics, and tanking. Longtooth has Strength and bonus action damage, along with Intimidation, probably your best social skill. Swiftstride has better speed, Charisma and Dexterity, a useful skill for Dexterity builds, and goes even faster when Shifting. Wildhunt has Wisdom, Survival for tracking, Wisdom check and save advantage, and you get another buff to tracking. All of these are good, but I'd pass on Wildhunt if you don't have a 16 in your main stat by the time you start.

Warforged: Your AC is absurd, and picking it might be better than your Unarmored Defense. Plus, you get Constitution, advantage and resistance to Poison, which is common, and you don't need to worry about being snuck up on as much as your allies. Oh, and did I mention subraces? Envoy gets +1 to two scores, an extra language, skill, and a tool, PLUS Expertise in a tool that's built into you. That's a LOT of versatility. Juggernaut is another obvious pick, with Strength, more carrying/lifting/dragging, and an unarmed fist attack. Finally, Skirmisher gets Dexterity, better stealth (may or may not matter in your game with how it works specifically) and better walking speed, a no-brainer Dexterity build pick. All of these are FANTASTIC. You ARE a warrior, and guess what most Warforged are built to do?

Guildmaster's Guide to Ravinica Races


Centaur: Your racial skill can be different and your charge needs more feet to use. Still, a good pick.

Loxodon: Your don't get Strength but the Constitution is still good. The AC can probably be matched or beaten easily enough however, and the Frightened/Charm resist is nice enough.

Minotaur: Charge, bonus action attack with a knockdown chance, natural weapon, good stats? Good pick.

Simic Hybrid: Good ability score, good race powers!

Vedalken: Advantage on mental saves is good but the ability scores are atrocious on most Barbarians.

Unearthed Arcana/Other Races
- Ask your DM if you can use these races. None of these are available in Adventure's League organized play unless stated otherwise, and your DM may not allow them to be used.

Centaur: Honestly this is REALLY good on you. Get your team's archer or caster, or even horseback rider, and just charge straight towards the enemy while they act as a turret. You also get a decent unarmed attack with hooves, and your stat boosts are well-placed, bumping Strength by 2 and Wisdom by 1. The only real issue is grappling, I'd ask your DM about how that works.

Dungeon Master's Guide Aasimar: Wisdom and Charisma aren't so good. Resisting damage is good though. Darkvision is common but good, and spells are okay enough, even if you can't use them while Raging. I'd take Volo's Aasimar if at all possible.

UA Elf Subraces and Dungeon Master's Guide Eladrin: Avariel get flight and not much else, but flight is really good. Grugach get Strength (good!) and a Druid Cantrip (can be okay). Eladrin from the Dungeon Master's Guide are different than the one's from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. They get +1 to Intelligence and the ability to cast Misty Step. I'd use MToF Eladrin if possible.

Grung: Actually not too bad on you. Dexterity and Constitution are welcome, you get a leap, complete immunity to poison, and ribbons. Interestingly, I believe this race is considered an "Adventure League Surrogate", but as I've got limited experienced in organized play, what that means precisely is unknown to me.

Minotaur: Strength is good, and you can pump it to +2. You get a good unarmed attack with your horns and you can use them to attack after dashing. Solid pick for most Strength builds. The Centaur UA from May 2018 changes it a bit from the 2015 UA, to have 2 Strength 1 Constitution, makes its horns a bit weaker, and adds Intimidation. Still blue is you ask me.

Revenant: This varies a bit too much to rate consistently, but Constitution is welcome enough.

UA Tiefling Subraces: Constituiton is best gained elsewhere and neither the Charisma nor spells are that good on you, so I'd skip Abyssal.

Warforged: From the original Eberron UA where they first appeared. Strength and Constitution? Good. +1 AC? Good. The rest are ribbons but the main benefits are solid.

[Protato]

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7588/16815792899_ff2d36bc9c_b.jpg
A Barbarian, about to stab a grappled monster.



Feats

Actor: Not very good on you.

Athlete: Not too bad on you! Pump Strength and make it work for you, with things like gaining a climb speed and getting up from prones with less movement.

Alert: Good on anyone.

Charger: Seems situational and your actions are better used on just thwacking someone.

Crossbow Expert: Pretty good feat for Dexterity builds that use crossbows.

Defensive Duelist: Depends on if you're Dexterity Barbarian. If so, I'd strongly consider this. If not, then I'd pass.

Dual Wielder: You don't dual wield, you hit things with a Maul or Greataxe, right? No, you're a Dex Barbarian or Rogue Barbarian multiclass build? Then this becomes pretty good on you.

Durable: Regain more HP on a hit die, and pump Con. Really good!

Elemental Adept: You need spells (which you don't have)

Grappler: I'd use other feats for Grappling, but if you have those, I'd take this if you're a grapple build.

Great Weapon Fighting: Oh no, you're less likely to hit! Oh yay you have Reckless Attack! Oh yay you do more damage! Oh yay you get another attack when you kill something! On a bonus action!

Healer: Healing but not very good as you progress. Not really a good use for a feat.

Heavily Armored: Gain heavy armor! And lose Rage. If your DM lets you rage in heavy armor this is a lot better.

Heavy Armor Master: Grants some damage resistance, but you're not in heavy armor. Like with Heavily Armored, if your DM waives the heavy armor restriction on rage this is better.

Inspiring Leader: You're not a Charisma class, but if you've pumped it/have an item to boost it or something and have a free feat, why not?

Keen Mind: Intelligence stuff? On the Barbarian? Hahahahahaha!

Light Armored: You have this.

Linguist: See Keen Mind.

Lucky: Good on anyone, if you've got good stats and other feats you want, take Lucky. You won't regret it.

Mage Slayer: Can be flavorful, and its able to give you another attack. Of course, you need to be in five feet of the enemy caster, but you tend to rush in anyway.

Magic Intitate: Very good feat!...but you can't cast with Rage, and I think there's other feats that are better for you, and you can spend your ASIs on increasing your stats. I'd skip it on Barbarians.

Martial Adept: Unless you MC'd into Battlemaster, I'd skip this.

Medium Armored: You have this already.

Medium Armor Master: A bit better AC for armored Barbarians.

Mobile: Always on mobility, but you're not a Monk and you have Fast Movement.

Mounted Combat: This is pretty good if you can get a mount, but I'd not take it unless you're allowed to start with one, not because its bad, but because there's better options for most builds.

Observant: The +5 Perception is useful, but the rest of the feat's not that good on a muscly Barbarian.

Polearm Master: More damage, and some control. Real good with Sentinel.

Resilient: Extremely good! Go Dex for both proficiency and advantage on Dex saves, or Wisdom to shore up mental defenses and avoid getting thrown out of the fight with a bad roll.

Ritual Caster: Better than Magic Intitate on Barbarians, but still not a good fit for most Barbarian builds. It can get Find Familiar though, but the opportunity cost lost on gaining this feat at the cost of an ASI or different feat probably isn't worth it even then.

Savage Attacker: Actually pretty okay on you, especially with the 1d12 Battleaxe.

Shieldmaster: Reduce damage! Gain a shove! Succeed saves!

Sentinel: Useful for most martial builds, especially with Reach.

Sharpshooter: Similar to Great Weapon Master but for bows. This is almost required on archery builds though, if you're a Dexterity or Rouge multiclass build or you want to be an archer and your DM lets you use Strength for bow attacks.

Skilled: You're no skillmonkey.

Skulker: Not all that good on a Barbarian, unless they're a Rogue Barbarian multiclass. If you are, this becomes good, just like Dual Wielder and Defensive Duelist.

Spell Sniper: You're not the party caster.

Tavern Brawler: Actually okay on you. Boost a stat, do more unarmed damage (useful if divested of weapons), and giving opportunities for grappling.

Tough: Pretty good! I'd take it if you're a Vuman with good Constitution for a big mound of HP.

Warcaster: I'll say it again, you're not a caster.

Weaponmaster: You have this.


Racial Feats


Barbed Hide (Tiefling): You have a mini-Spiked Armor, Intimidation, and an increase to Charisma or Constitution. However, you need to be a Tiefling.

Bountiful Luck (Halfling): Negate an ally's critical failure! I wouldn't take it before taking other feats or pumping ASIs but this is still really good.

Dragonfear (Dragonborn): Stat boost! And a save that keys off Charisma. Could be worse but I'd pass.

Dragonhide (Dragonborn): Stat increase and while the armor might go to waste, the claws might not.

Dragonwings (Dragonborn): Now we're talking! Gain a flight speed.

Drow High Magic (Drow): Charisma casting. You're a Barbarian.

Dwarven Fortitude (Dwarf): More Constitution and healing on a dodge. Nifty.

Elven Accuracy (Elf/Half-Elf): Mental score stuff.

Everybody's Friend (Half-Elf): Social skills and Charisma. Pass.

Fade Away (Gnome): You don't get much from invisibility but at least the Dexterity is okay? But not good enough to take it.

Fey Teleportation (High Elf): Misty Step is good but you're STILL a Barbarian.

Flames of Phlegethos (Tiefling): Spellcasting stuff.

Grudge Bearer (Dwarf): Like a mini Favored Enemy plus a stat bump. Not too bad and can be flavorful.

Infernal Constitution (Tiefling): Resistance to damage and poison is good, but I wouldn't take it over another feat or ASI.

Orcish Aggression (Half-Orc): The Aggressive feature from the Orc on a Half-Orc. In other words, good!

Orcish Fury (Half-Orc): MORE barbarian stuff on top of the default Half-Orc stuff! Why, its like the Half-Orc is literally made to be a Barbarian!

Prodigy (Half-races and humans): Expertise (on Athletics) is nice and even if you're not a skillmonkey, the extra skills are nice to have.

Revnant Blade: From Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. +1 Strength or Dexterity, adds +1AC, and gives finesse to the Eberron Dual Blade Scimitar. Also increases weapons damage. Niche but on a dexterity build/Rougearian, this is good.

Second Chance (Halfling): Your hobbit is even luckier than before!

Squat Nimbleness (Dwarf or Small races): Break out of grapples, move faster, gain skills. Not shabby.

Svirneblin Magic (Deep Gnome): It's magic. You're a Barbarian.

Wondermaker (Rock Gnome): Pretty flavorful but probably not that good, especially on you.



Unearthed Arcana Weapon Feats - UA is playtest material, so ask your DM if UA content is allowed at your table.

Blade Mastery: AC bonus as a reaction, attack roll bonus, and advantage on opportunity attacks. Any of these would be solid, and together they're splendid! You have to be using a sword though.

Fellhanded: Attack roll boost, prone, hitting on a miss, and a support ability to knock an enemy's shield away. Pretty good in my book. Axes, warhammers, and mauls benefit from this feat.

Flail Mastery: Negating shields, knocking prone, attack roll bonus, similar to Blade Mastery and Fellhanded. If you're a flail user this is a unique, nifty little feat.

Spear Mastery: Increase attack AND damage, and gain reach on a spear! The charge might be useful, too. This makes the Spear just as viable as a Longsword or Warhammer for you.

The UA Skill Feats are pretty similar, and not that many are good for you, but Brawny really is. More Strength, expertise in Athletics, and extra carry weight if you use that rule are all solid, and if you're a Variant Human with an odd Strength score this is a good way to bump it, and to be better at both a common skill check as well as grappling. Acrobat is similar, but for Dexterity Barbarians. Menacing depends on if your DM will let you use Strength as your +1 and to intimidate but if so, it's really good. If an enemy fails a Wisdom save then they're frightened of you and your bulging muscles. If you're a Berserker, it has a bit of overlap with Intimidating Presence though. Even ignoring that, the proficiency in Intimidate might be useful for you should you somehow find yourself in a social situation.

[Protato]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a4/56/1c/a4561c8e5214e5fda1b2fb00c7ec9867.jpg
An Orcish barbarian woman in medium armor, having honed her skills.


Subclasses and Multiclassing

Something I noticed as a general trend is that you get your first two "main" abilities at 3 and 6, then a ribbon at level 10, then finally a pretty good capstone at 14.

Berserker: The "default" Barbarian. Not all that good, if you ask me, though there are homebrew fixes. Ask if you can make or use one if you, too, think this subclass is a bit weak.
Frenzy: Make an extra weapon attack as a bonus action? Nice! Oh wait, it comes with exhaustion after? Meh. Its still usable but if you use it more than once a long rest you incur quite severe penalties. If your DM makes it so it doesn't take exhaustion, Frenzy (and the subclass as a whole) is a LOT better. If they make exhaustion easier to recover for you, like rolling Constitution saves to avoid it, getting rid of all levels or exhaustion, or letting you get rid of exhaustion levels on a short rest, this is also a good pick. Still, this subclasses exhaustion is bad on a grappler, who needs to pass checks to do their thing.
Mindless Rage: I would have had this by default with Rage but still nice to have. A bit situational though.
Intimidating Presence: Frighten someone with...Charisma? Not very good. I'd allow Strength for it, making it pretty good, but if your DM says you can't, its not that useful to you.
Retaliation: Make a counterattack. Pretty nice, just comes online late.

Totem Warrior: Probably the best PHB choice, though Elk and Tiger are from SCAG. Also, you can mix and match totems for different effects, like Bear/Eagle/Wolf, for example.
Totem Spirit: Bear gets you resistance to almost everything while raging, Eagle is Cunning Action Lite, and Wolf is a little buff for allies along the lines of Pack Tactics, good if you're not using flanking rules but if so then this probably isn't very good. . Elk gets you faster speed, Tiger gets you a higher jump. PHB choices are pretty good all around but I'm not too keen on Elk and Tiger.
Aspect of the Beast: Bear depends on if your table uses carry weight and you already have good Strength, Eagle would probably be best on an archer or someone with good perception, and for Wolf I usually don't bother with movement speed outside of fights, although that might be different at your table. Elk is something that's helpful for overland travel if you use it, and Tiger's skill proficiencies actually aren't too bad.
Spirit Walker: Not so good unless, again, you're RPing your travel.
Totemic Attunment: Bear keeps enemies locked down, Eagle makes you FLY, and Wolf gives you a bonus action knockdown. Elk is a bit worse than Wolf, and Tiger's a bit situational. Overall though none of these are bad options.

Storm Herald: Not a strong choice in all honesty and its such a shame, the subclass has SUCH a cool flavor. You have to only pick either Desert/Sea/Tundra sadly, and you can't mix it up like Totem Barb. Now I've seen some good ones, I played with a Sea Storm Herald once and it was fun and worked decent enough. It just, feels a bit weak.
Storm Aura: Desert gets you a tiny shred of damage, Sea gets okay damage at the cost of a Dex save, and Tundra gets allies a few temp HP. Sea is probably your best bet.
Storm Soul: Desert gets fire resistance and set fires to things, Sea gets lightning resistance and waterbreathing/swimming, Tundra gets cold resistance and creating a bit of ice (which doesn't last long). Desert and Sea are okay picks.
Shielding Storm: Give resistance to allies. More of a ribbon than anything though.
Raging Storm: Desert gets damage, Sea can knock enemies prone, Tundra can debuff enemy movement. Actually none of these are too bad, although I like Sea best.

Ancestral Guardian: A support Barbarian? And its pretty good? And has nice flavor? Everything a sublcass needs.
Ancestral Protector: Attacks on allies have disadvantage AND resistance against an enemy, and all you need to do is attack while raging (which you do anyway)? Nice!
Spirit Shield: Lower damage to allies as a reaction. Not shabby at all, and stacks well with your Protector.
Consult the Spirits: Kind of DM dependent but at least its flavorful.
Vengeful Ancestors: A proper damaging feature to round out the subclass! You use it wit your Spirit Shield, making your reaction do two things for the cost of one.

Zealot: Your god is an awesome god, and you're gonna make sure everyone else knows. Probably the best for a "default" Barbarian, in spite of its clear flavor giving you an "intended" character type.
Divine Fury: Deal more damage, in one of two flavors! Radiant is usually best though because undead tend to dislike it.
Warrior of the Gods: Better than the average ribbon. It depends on if your DM uses material costs I suppose but I imagine most do.
Fanatical Focus: Reroll a save while raging. In other worse, keep yourself from being hypnotized by the evil wizard so your team doesn't have a six foot tall Half-Orc lady screaming at them as she charges with an axe.
Zealous Presence: Give allies advantage on attacks and saving throws. Pop this on a boss fight. Your friends will thank you.
Rage Beyond Death: Oh my God! Geddit? Huh? Okay, pun aside, this is REALLY strong. You can be a perpetual motion machine of pure anger until you're healed, pass out, or die. But oh wait, if you die, then there's Warrior of the Gods to make reviving you trivial! Relentless Rage + Warrior of the Gods + Rage Beyond Death = Never fear death again.

Battlerager: SCAG gives us an archetype that's so important and popular, I forgot to write it when I put the subclass info in initially. Restricted to Dwarves only for some reason, which is probably part of it. It makes a pretty good grappler though, especially in a lower leveled campaign. At higher levels, you're still useful, but your subclass damage is a bit low.
Battlerager Armor: You wear armor that can get you up to 16 AC (17 with Medium Armor Master) and do a bit of damage as a bonus action. Also do some damage on a grapple. Not as good as some other options and boosting Dexterity and Constitution for different powers and the same or better AC. Could be a way to avoid pumping stats and instead focusing on feats. Also, deal 1d4 damage as a bonus action if an enemy is standing within 5ft., or 3 damage if you grapple. The lack of scaling makes it less appealing over time.
Reckless Abandon: Gaining up to 5 temporary HP after using reckless attack is actually alright and gives you a sort of double-resistance, almost. Pretty good.
Battlerager Charge: You have to be raging, but even so, as with other "mini Cunning Actions" its pretty good.
Spiked Retribution: Not as good as the Ancestral Guardian or Berserker's counters but a counterattack is nice, even if the damage is low. This one's automatic too.

Unearthed Arcana archetypes - Ask your DM before using! Note that they're forbidden at Adventure League play as well.

Wild Soul: Wild Soul has some cool fairy flavor, AND a neat set of mechanics! Be a sort of magic knight Barbarian with this archetype.

Lingering Magic: Detect Magic but even better than the Wizard having it. Also, be cool and glowy.

Wild Surge: Oh boy, a Wild Magic table! Except literally ALL the effects are beneficial to you.

Magic Reserve: A SUPPORT power on a Barbarian? Well, at least it's really, really good for the guy being supported. For you though, it's dangerous, doing anywhere from 5 to 20 damage to you whenever its used.

Arcane Rebuke: Oh look, a reaction that deals a respectable amount of damage in a good type.

Chaotic Fury: You rolled a slightly less awesome Wild Surge than you wanted? No you didn't!



Multiclassing Tips

Fighter: Champion is a good choice for you because of Brutal Critical, and Cavalier is good for Ancestral Guardians. For Fighting Style, I'd take Defense if using armor or one of the weapon styles.

Rogue: Cunning Action is really good, and Expertise can get you good Athletics. Unless your DM lets you use Strength options for Sneak Attack though, they probably won't help with damage very much. CORECTION: It was pointed out to me by strangebloke that a weapon only needs Finesse property and not to use your Dexterity scores. As such, the class rating is blue now while it was green before.

Ranger: Like Fighter but not quite as good on you since you're not able to cast while raging, and you lack Great Weapon Fighting if you use one. Horizon Walker gets you Planar Warrior for more damage though, and Beastmaster is fluffy.

Paladin: Smites are good, and make you fantastic at nova damage but the class is MAD and you don't have many slots, and much of the flavor can be easily replicated with Zealot.

Sorcerer: No. The class needs charisma you don't have. Dragon Sorcerer gets an AC bonus, but you can replicate it easily. Wild Magic needs consistent spellcasting, and you don't cast while raging. For a Favored Soul, you could pick up healing from the Druid, and Shadow Sorcerer doesn't really fit you mechanically and likely not flavor-wise either. Give this a hard pass.

Monk: Dex and Wisdom based. You might have Dex but not likely to have that good Wisdom. Their unarmored defense isn't likely to be better than yours, and if you want unarmed attacks, pick up Tavern Brawler or a race with an unarmed strike. If you're not MAD this class becomes better.

Bard: You can't use Inspiration much and again, it's MAD and you can't cast while raging. I'd skip it.

Wizard: Very MAD. Don't do this. Why would you want to anyway? Wizards go to college, and you're a shirtless guy with a big sword. Would they really even admit you?

Druid: If you go Moon you can actually get some decent (and flavorful) abilities. I mean, be a LITERAL Barbearian! But I wouldn't take more than 2 levels.

Warlock: I had rated Warlock low originally because I was looking at them from the "Eldritch Blaster with a few big spells" mindset. However, I was told of some good build synergy with Armor of Agathys cast before a fight started, because it doesn't cost concentration. I'd go Fiendlock or Hexblade, as Hexblade gets some smites to use for extra damage without raging and Fiendlock gets some blasting that you could drop before rage. I'd still take Eldritch Blast, but since you're probably a bit MAD I'd avoid Agonizing Blast and instead take Lance of Lethargy or Repelling Blast. Devil Sight is good too, even if you have darkvision. However, the class is still MAD and you still can't cast while raging. I'd take no more than three levels, and if you go that far, take Blade Pact.

Cleric: You aren't a caster. There's buffs, sure, but they're not worth losing your core progression.

Sample Builds - These are around Level 10, give or take, and use 27 point buy or standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). Don't feel restricted by this list of course, do what you want with your build! It's just food for thought and might give you ideas for making your own Barbarian.

Megatank: Ancestral Guardian Barbarian 8/Cavalier Fighter 3. Bugbear 19/14/14/8/12/10. Feats: Sentinel. Equipment: Half-Plate, Halberd/Glaive
This build is based around protecting allies from harm more than anything else. Your Unwavering Mark punishes enemies for attacking allies, as does Ancestral Protector and Spirit Shield. Sentinel is good with your Reach, and Bugbear gives you an absurd 15ft. reach with your weapons! If you keep going with this build, take Polearm Master and level your Strength with Athlete or Tavern Brawler in whichever order you see fit.

Rougarian: Totem Warrior Barbarian 8/Rogue 2. Stout Halfling 10/18/14/8/13/10. Equipment: Rapier x 2, Longbow. Feats: Dual Wielder
While I focus more on Strength Barbarians, this build could be fun and very practical. I recommend using Expertise in Stealth for your Sneak Attack. After this, I think you should pump Dexterity to 20, and then use your remaining ASI to get Con to 16. Dual Wielder gets you better AC and increases your damage by letting you use Rapiers instead of Shortswords/Scimitars for weapons. One ASI went into Dexterity and Constitution for your AC. Longbow is just there as backup because you have the Dexterity for it. Your Totems don't particularly matter, but Eagle gives you yet another Mini Cunning Action and Bear just gives you resistance to almost all damage, making both of them competitve. At level 6, your Totem feature is mostly a ribbon, so choose whichever seems like fun.

Critfisher: Berserker Barbarian 9/Champion Fighter 3. Half-Orc 18/16/16/8/8/8. Equipment: Greataxe Feats: Savage Attacker
Berserker makes extra hits are good on this build, even with risking exhaustion. Champion increases your crit rate from 5% to 10%, and Barbarian 9 gets you a more powerful crit. A pretty classic Barbarian, screaming and tearing people up with a big axe. At Level 4 Barbarian, +1 was put in Strength and +1 was put in Constitution. Savage Attacker helps with the swinginess of 1d12, and turns it into a strength. The other two ASIs should be used on Strength 20 and Constitution of 18 to improve both damage and AC.

[Protato]

(Reserved if needed)

[Protato]

I think I have the guide just about done. With that out of the way, if there's any additions you'd like to see with this guide, or if it needs changes, let me know! It's the first guide I've ever done so its something of an undertaking for. I hope it proves helpful for any players of the Barbarian in future!

[JeffreyGator]

you may want to fix the spacing so that each subclass is grouped with its abilities.

[Suteinu]

And the Duck Totem, anyone?

[Protato]

I've changed the spacing and I don't know if the Duck Totem is in any official books. If so I'll do it. If not, and if there's a demand, I could take popular homebrew and make guides for that, too.

[Spacehamster]

Warlock dip is actually at least green, armor of agathys synergizes really well with rage resistance and is not concentration so can have it active while raging.

[Arial Black]

I've played two multi-class barbarian/warlocks (mainly warlock), and they're great! You just have to design around the idea that you cannot cast spells (or maintain them) while raging. Since warlocks only cast (usually) 2 spells per short rest, then choose pre-battle buffs with long, non-concentration durations (armour of agathys is perfect in combination with damage resistance from Rage!), and a pre-asskicking fireball!

I've also played a very flavourful vengeance paladin/fiendish chainlock, which I totally loved!

[strangebloke]

The multiclassing section:

It's rogue, not rouge.

Secondly, you can make strength based attacks with finesse weapons and so long as the weapon is finesse, you can use sneak attack) Barbarians don't have a lot of bonus action uses by default, and they get bonus damage on every attack while raging, so a barbarian rogue duel wielding short swords is actually pretty great.


Example at 7th level:
Barbarogue:(1d6+4+1d6+3)+(1d6+4+3)+(1d6+3)=31
Vs.
Straight Barb:(2d6+4+3)+(2d6+4+3)=28
Vs.
Gwm:((2d6+3+3+10)+(2d6+3+3+10))*0.75=34.5

Obviously I'm not looking at all of gwm's effects. but my point stands, that rogue is a great multiclass for barbarian that doesn't even make you fall that far behind on damage.

[Ventruenox]

I applaud your efforts to provide an updated guide. It's much needed.

Would you split out the Xanathar's racial feats from the UA version? I could see that as helpful for those that don't use UA.

I am also curious to see how the Elf & Tiefling subraces are scored, and where the Gith fall into your Barbarian view. If you are holding out for Mordenkainen's to be released, I understand.

If you had a few sample builds or a section detailing synergy tricks, that would really help your guide stand out. (Maybe something like the Dwarven Fortitude feat + Periphat of Wound Closure for tank builds?)

[Protato]

I wonder, is there anyway to put this in the masterlist of guides and tables for 5e? I'm hoping it proves helpful to others but it won't be if no one can find it after all.

[Ventruenox]

As listed on the "5e Notable Threads" contact a moderator. You may also want to PM Daishain, since his thread is the collection of links; he last updated it in January.

[GlenSmash!]

While Aasimar is not a great option for a typical Barbarian, it's great for a Zealot.

A 14+ Zealot can rage beyond death. Keeping alive even after 3 failed death saves, as long as their still raging, and only dying when the rage ends. A single point of healing would keep them alive.

Aasimar gets a non-spell healing ability the Zealot could use while raging to keep keep themselves alive.

[sophontteks]

I would love to see more descriptions and opinions on the archtype options. The tomes especially. go into more detail on each option, why they are rated as they are, how you feel about the choice. Its hard to read the tomes as they are written. I understand that its difficult as there are many options within one archtype. I would suggest using bullet points or indenting it so that each tome gets its own line, then adding more description to each choice.

[JakOfAllTirades]

Frenzy is under rated; it's a very powerful ability which can be used once per long rest without any lasting ill-effects.

This should be enough to get out of the red category.

Multiple levels of exhaustion don't begin to stack up unless you use it twice (or more) per day.

[Mikaleus]

Great guide.

I really have to try a Zealot Barb one day :D

[the_brazenburn]

Frenzy is under rated; it's a very powerful ability which can be used once per long rest without any lasting ill-effects.

This should be enough to get out of the red category.

Multiple levels of exhaustion don't begin to stack up unless you use it twice (or more) per day.

I'll second this.

A "default" barb with 16 Str and a greataxe is dealing out an average of 12 damage with each attack at 2nd level. Getting an extra attack each round for a minute is really fantastic at low levels, and continues to be relevant later because rage damage continues to scale. You aren't supposed to be a skill monkey anyway, so a single level of exhaustion isn't going to mean much to you.

Personally, I rule it so that you get to make a Con save to avoid exhaustion at the end of a Frenzy. This makes Berserker easily one of the best Barbarian subclasses out there, since it's unlikely you'll fail too many times.

Also, wood elf is seriously underrated. It's one of the best options for a Dex barb, with an increased movement speed, a Dex boost, and some nice fluffy ribbons attached. Very flavorful, and not a particularly bad option mechanically.

[sambojin]

Kind of surprised Firbolg rate as black rather than green. Short rest invisibility is short rest disadvantage to attacks, whether they know you're there or not. For a tanking/splatting class, that's great. The rest of the racial package just gives you a little more flexibility (and lets you skip animal handling as a skill, or makes it better). Disguised barbarians, or ones that know where the good loot is, are great barbarians. Spend half your time looking like an angry mage, then SPLAT!

Sure, it's only +1Str, but Wis is handy for stuff and saves. The rest of the package makes you very versatile while making you tankier (well, it's invis, so it can be used for actual invisibility. But mostly it's just for popping one round of disadvantage to anyone without true/blindsight, with any class). Not getting hit is better than resistance or HP sponging, every time.

[GlenSmash!]

Kind of surprised Firbolg rate as black rather than green. Short rest invisibility is short rest disadvantage to attacks, whether they know you're there or not. For a tanking/splatting class, that's great. The rest of the racial package just gives you a little more flexibility (and lets you skip animal handling as a skill, or makes it better). Disguised barbarians, or ones that know where the good loot is, are great barbarians. Spend half your time looking like an angry mage, then SPLAT!

Sure, it's only +1Str, but Wis is handy for stuff and saves. The rest of the package makes you very versatile while making you tankier (well, it's invis, so it can be used for actual invisibility. But mostly it's just for popping one round of disadvantage to anyone without true/blindsight, with any class). Not getting hit is better than resistance or HP sponging, every time.

I agree. With Strength and Wisdom bonuses a Firbolg has Main stat covered and a very useful tertiary stat covered too. With point buy you could still have 16, 14, 14, 8, 14, 8 which are very fine Barbarian stats.

[sambojin]

It also fits into plenty of barb tropes. Being one with nature, or feral as hell, works well with the Speech (remember, beasts understand you *all the time*. This can actually be a downside as well). Being a tricky raider or primal Scout works well with disguise and see magic (if you've got to go ahead, *always* look like the sort of creature that is in the dungeon/town/wilderness. You might not even get attacked immediately on sight). Being a bloke that just likes big magic swords or that hates magic works well with see magic and popping invisible (especially just before there's probably magic damage/control incoming. They can't target you if they can't see you). Or just the stupidly strong barbarian, where carrying a small horse up a large cliff is actually quite feasible (powerful build is the ultimate "big dumb guy" racial).

And it's the sort of magic that you don't really care if you rage drop. It's the sort of magic you use to get into a position to rage, or that you use after raging, or that keeps your HP/magic defenses up while raging. There's so much short rest magic there, that you'll be popping it several times a day, just for giggles, but it's actually kind of useful for what you do as well. Completely one dimensional, you're not (well, you don't have to be if you don't want. It's very versatile magic/abilities, that even plays well with party encounter setup shenanigans).

Anyway, it's certainly green IMO, and possibly edging into blue territory. Barbs with free useful magic are great. At the very least, it's +1 Str/double carry capacity and disadvantage against attacks per short rest, and even just that is pretty good. I'm inclined to say that they're actually one of the best Barb races though. So many shenanigans available, all that fit into a lot of different character types.

[Protato]

In response to feedback,I've rerated Firbolg! Speaking of feedback, thanks to everyone that's commented so far, it's helped me stay motivated to improve this guide and make it a better resource. I hope this guide proves helpful to anyone looking to make a Barbarian character, as while its inevitably full of one lady's opinions, I still intend it to be the most comprehensive Barbarian guide available for 5e DnD. One day, I intend it to be as good as one of EvilAnagram's even, if possible.

[sambojin]

Magic Initiate actually isn't too bad just due to its versatility. Yes, the opportunity cost is huge, but more on-call abilities is always nice.

It's good on a v.human anyway, where those extra tricks come in early enough to be really flavourful for your character. Just choose anything you like, although the standard ones (mage hand/minor illusion/*something*, EB/*something*/hex (or armour of Agathys) or guidance/*something*/bless) all kind of amount to some handy gimmicks and maybe an extra pseudo-rage per day. Which isn't horrible.

Guidance also does initiative, and +d4 pre-rage init is quite handy. And guidance is good for EVERYTHING that anyone wants to do. And quite barbarian'y.

There's also the edge case of goodberry and totem barbs (which are a pretty common barb type). Speak with animals, bribe animals to do stuff/tell you stuff, jobs a good'un. Can be used in way more situations than you'd think, and since it comes with guidance for skill/init buffing and another cantrip, it's not a bad package. An extra 10HP of healing or free food is handy to have even when you're not Dr Doolittle'ing every poor little creature around (goodberries are pretty good bribes for anything that can understand you really).

I'm not sure if this moves it up a rating due to the very high opportunity cost, but because of all the weird options and character building choices, I'd probably put it as black for v. Humans. To tell you the truth, I'd probably put it as black for every character of any race ever, but I probably overrate it. It's just so nice to be able to choose your gimmicks, from a very big list of them.

[Kuulvheysoon]

If you're looking to make the most comprehensive guide, you're going to have to at least make a nod to Dexterity-based Barbarians

[Armored Walrus]

Regarding Berserker, I think it's worth noting that if you happen to have a Celestial Warlock in your group, at 9th level they can cure you of two levels of exhaustion every hour if you can sit around and rest.

[Protato]

If you're looking to make the most comprehensive guide, you're going to have to at least make a nod to Dexterity-based Barbarians

True, I'll try and work on it over time.

Also, on Magic Initiate, you have good points but I don't think I'm changing the rating because of the opportunity cost. If your DM, say, let you learn feats with gold, downtime, or as a quest reward, it'd be much better because of the reduced opportunity cost, but I can't assume that to be a rule at most tables.

[MeeposFire]

If you're looking to make the most comprehensive guide, you're going to have to at least make a nod to Dexterity-based Barbarians

Yea somebody needs to tell them to not do it.

[Xihirli]

But what if I want to make a Kobold Barbarian? What then?

[MeeposFire]

But what if I want to make a Kobold Barbarian? What then?

Then just be ready to invest in str enough that you can make decent use of reckless attack and rage damage bonuses. If you are unable to take effective use of reckless attack and full use of rage then you really are missing a large portion of how the class works. Yea if you have high dex and low str then you will have a high AC but your damage is so low that I would contend that no enemy should bother with you making your defenses not nearly worth as much.

If you really must play a low str barb then you really probably need to play as an ancestral barbarian so at least when they ignore you your abilities will annoy and hurt them.

[strangebloke]

Yea somebody needs to tell them to not do it.

While I'd hesitate to reccomend boosting DEX over STR, there are legitimate merits to keeping them at about the same level (16 or so) and boosting CON.

Maxed STR + Proficiency + advantage is kinda overkill unless you're a GWM build, and a Raging Bearbarian with 18 AC and 20 CON is ridiculously hardy. Bonus points if you then multiclass into rogue for uncanny dodge. By 10th level, you can ignore ~7 damage a turn, you have 18 AC, you have over a hundred HP, and you resist everything.

Either way, you're optimizing past the point of diminishing returns, but it's just a question of whether you want to hit things REALLY HARD or whether you want to be REALLY TOUGH

There's no point in boosting DEX over CON and STR though, except for minor things like having a decent ranged option and initiative. Too many features key off of "Attacks made with Strength."

[MeeposFire]

While I'd hesitate to reccomend boosting DEX over STR, there are legitimate merits to keeping them at about the same level (16 or so) and boosting CON.

Maxed STR + Proficiency + advantage is kinda overkill unless you're a GWM build, and a Raging Bearbarian with 18 AC and 20 CON is ridiculously hardy. Bonus points if you then multiclass into rogue for uncanny dodge. By 10th level, you can ignore ~7 damage a turn, you have 18 AC, you have over a hundred HP, and you resist everything.

Either way, you're optimizing past the point of diminishing returns, but it's just a question of whether you want to hit things REALLY HARD or whether you want to be REALLY TOUGH

There's no point in boosting DEX over CON and STR though, except for minor things like having a decent ranged option and initiative. Too many features key off of "Attacks made with Strength."

Having a high dex is fine but that is not usually what people are talking about when they say "dex barbarian". Usually when they say that they often mean taking dex over str and so not attacking with str at all (otherwise why call it a dex barbarian at all as dex is a secondary stat for all barbs so if you are only having it be decent that is normal for a barb). That is why I was saying to invest in str enough that you can use it to attack. You can have high dex because it is useful but I think that going with dex as your primary attack stat with a barbarian is missing the point of the class and while it might be possible to make it useful I do not hink it is something that is worth putting into the general guide.

For instance one can make a wizard with low int and make it work but I would not expect a guide to make a section detailing how to make it work because frankly it is too niche. That is how I see a dex primary barbarian.

[Ganymede]

It looks great, but you should add DMs' Guild's Path of the Gloambound to the guide.

[GlenSmash!]

It looks great, but you should add DMs' Guild's Path of the Gloambound to the guide.

Why would an option that is not in a book published by WotC be included?

Why favor one third party product over another one?

Or are you really expecting all third party Paths to be included in this Guide?

[Ganymede]

Why would an option that is not in a book published by WotC be included?

Why favor one third party product over another one?

Or are you really expecting all third party Paths to be included in this Guide?

Who you having this imaginary conversation with? I was talking to the OP.

[strangebloke]

Who you having this imaginary conversation with? I was talking to the OP.

This is an open forum, mate, and darned argumentative one at that. Post at your peril.

Also, you know, it's kind of common courtesy to explain why you think OP should do something. I expect OP will ask you the same question so I'd reccomend you get it out of the way.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Who you having this imaginary conversation with? I was talking to the OP.

In an open forum where people are allowed to share an opinion on why it's unnecessary to make a guide for unofficial material.

If the Gloambound was an official Barbarian subclass, absolutely add it to the list, but this is a guide to Barbarian paths and choices available after the printing of Xanathars Guide to Everything. It's pretty well implied that only published material and some Unearthed Arcana will be noted.


I've changed the spacing and I don't know if the Duck Totem is in any official books. If so I'll do it. If not, and if there's a demand, I could take popular homebrew and make guides for that, too.

There's also this post from OP, saying he would favor official material over homebrew.

Also, pushing your own homebrew to be added to the guide is pretty poor form. It wasn't hard to trace it down to you and frankly I'm a bit disappointed to find out how desperate some people can be to push their homebrew into the light. You already made a thread for it on these forums where it didn't take much traction.

Don't hijack a guide thread to push your homebrew, please.

On topic: I can see a bit of use coming from the aforementioned Firbolg Barbarian being able to take a small dip into Tempest or War Cleric to give himself a bit more diversity in Bonus Action and Reactions. It's obviously very niche but I don't think multiclassing Cleric should be totally ruled out since it can offer a lot of front loaded utility.

[GlenSmash!]

Who you having this imaginary conversation with? I was talking to the OP.

I'm having the conversation with you. I quoted you. You quoted me back. It seems to be working as intended. However, anyone can jump in on the conversation.

Or do you not understand how forums work?

[GlenSmash!]

Then just be ready to invest in str enough that you can make decent use of reckless attack and rage damage bonuses. If you are unable to take effective use of reckless attack and full use of rage then you really are missing a large portion of how the class works. Yea if you have high dex and low str then you will have a high AC but your damage is so low that I would contend that no enemy should bother with you making your defenses not nearly worth as much.

If you really must play a low str barb then you really probably need to play as an ancestral barbarian so at least when they ignore you your abilities will annoy and hurt them.

Someone a while back was talking about an Ancestral Guardians Barb/Scout Rogue that primarily used a bow to harry foes and make them less effective.

[strangebloke]

Someone a while back was talking about an Ancestral Guardians Barb/Scout Rogue that primarily used a bow to harry foes and make them less effective.

Pretty niche, though, as was argued over in-thread.

...man I'm an argumentative sort, aren't I?

[MeeposFire]

Why would an option that is not in a book published by WotC be included?

Why favor one third party product over another one?

Or are you really expecting all third party Paths to be included in this Guide?

Personally if I was the OP I would not mostly for the reasons you are essentially describing. I would not want to try to figure what what stuff I should include and what stuff I should not (and then I would feel compelled to state why) and I would not want to have to deal with all of that potential content.

On the other hand going with that content would give the guide a broad enough scope that it could actually grow (official content is rather slow this edition which hurts guides since they thrive on new material) and could give more notice to lesser known options from these other publishers. I for one do not know any of them and I would say that having them listed in a well made guide would increase the chance I would look at them. It would also give a guide more reason to exist since there may be more to talk about as in this edition there is much less a need for guides than in 3e or 4e (they still serve a purpose but they are much less needed in general and are much shorter which is a good thing for the game but not always good for the guides themselves).

That said I still hold that for me I would not do it but I could understand if the OP did. I would not even do the UA stuff since it is always unfinished until actual release and either it never gets completed or it often changes by the time it becomes official and so what you have in the UA is just a placeholder. Once again that is just for me others have a different opinion on that.

[GlenSmash!]

Personally if I was the OP I would not mostly for the reasons you are essentially describing. I would not want to try to figure what what stuff I should include and what stuff I should not (and then I would feel compelled to state why) and I would not want to have to deal with all of that potential content.

On the other hand going with that content would give the guide a broad enough scope that it could actually grow (official content is rather slow this edition which hurts guides since they thrive on new material) and could give more notice to lesser known options from these other publishers. I for one do not know any of them and I would say that having them listed in a well made guide would increase the chance I would look at them. It would also give a guide more reason to exist since there may be more to talk about as in this edition there is much less a need for guides than in 3e or 4e (they still serve a purpose but they are much less needed in general and are much shorter which is a good thing for the game but not always good for the guides themselves).

That said I still hold that for me I would not do it but I could understand if the OP did. I would not even do the UA stuff since it is always unfinished until actual release and either it never gets completed or it often changes by the time it becomes official and so what you have in the UA is just a placeholder. Once again that is just for me others have a different opinion on that.

I wouldn't mind seeing a guide to DMsGuild Barbarian paths. I just wouldn't expected it in a guide focused on all the official options.

[GlenSmash!]

Pretty niche, though, as was argued over in-thread.

...man I'm an argumentative sort, aren't I?

I argued that one too.

I thought it was a nice trick that wouldn't work all the time (which that OP took issue with), but still an interesting use of a Barbarian's features nonetheless.

[Protato]

It seems like there's enough of an audience for homebrew things. I might do Middle Finger of Vecna's Barbarian subclasses, and any others I like, assuming they're free. I also might do something with Ancestral/Scout later too. Also, how are the revisions I've made to the guide in regards to Dexterity Barbarians?

[MeeposFire]

It seems like there's enough of an audience for homebrew things. I might do Middle Finger of Vecna's Barbarian subclasses, and any others I like, assuming they're free. I also might do something with Ancestral/Scout later too. Also, how are the revisions I've made to the guide in regards to Dexterity Barbarians?

Are you talking about your rogue barbarian multiclass? Well if I am understanding your build for it it is an illegal build because you must have at least a 13 in dex AND str for a multiclass of barbarian and rogue.

Also looking at it the whole thing would be better off going str first and attacking with it. With expertise even an average dex (say 14 to start) will do fine with stealth and if you are a rogue multiclassed with 2 or more levels of barbarian then reckless attack really should be a must.

[Ganymede]

This is an open forum, mate, and darned argumentative one at that. Post at your peril.


I know enough to recognize someone that's just brewing for an internet fight. I am under absolutely no obligation to engage with anyone, especially someone merely spoiling for a fight.

I went ahead and put him on my ignore list so the situation resolved itself. Thanks for your concern, tho.

[Ganymede]

In an open forum where people are allowed to share an opinion on why it's unnecessary to make a guide for unofficial material.

If the Gloambound was an official Barbarian subclass, absolutely add it to the list, but this is a guide to Barbarian paths and choices available after the printing of Xanathars Guide to Everything. It's pretty well implied that only published material and some Unearthed Arcana will be noted.



There's also this post from OP, saying he would favor official material over homebrew.

Also, pushing your own homebrew to be added to the guide is pretty poor form. It wasn't hard to trace it down to you and frankly I'm a bit disappointed to find out how desperate some people can be to push their homebrew into the light. You already made a thread for it on these forums where it didn't take much traction.

Don't hijack a guide thread to push your homebrew, please.

If you don't like it, this guy summed it up nicely. Make use of the ignore function like I do and you'll never have to see things you don't like.


This is an open forum, mate, and darned argumentative one at that. Post at your peril.

[GlenSmash!]

For my part, I don't believe I was picking a fight, but I do believe in debating honestly.

I would have loved honest answers to my questions, but alas, I shall never see them.

[sophontteks]

If its any consolation glen, it was entertaining.

[GlenSmash!]

The way I play has changed for the better because I read something I didn't like. There have been times on this exact forum where I was shown I was wrong. I'm not angry with those posters who disagreed with me even if I didn't like it at the time. I'm grateful to them.

I think having ideas challenged leads to growth.

[GlenSmash!]

If its any consolation glen, it was entertaining.

Happy to be of service. :smallbiggrin:

https://e.lvme.me/rovlta9.jpg

[Contrast]

I know enough to recognize someone that's just brewing for an internet fight. I am under absolutely no obligation to engage with anyone, especially someone merely spoiling for a fight.

I went ahead and put him on my ignore list so the situation resolved itself. Thanks for your concern, tho.

...except you did engage? Just not in a very constructive way. Hence this entire discussion.


On topic - I feel you should probably mention loss of heavy weapons for the short races in their entry as it is a pretty big deal given the barbarian tends to lean towards them. I'm playing a gnomish barbarian at the moment (partly for that sweet sweet adv on magic saves and partly for hilarity purposes) and the lack of max strength is fine but being locked out of GWM is sad times.

[strangebloke]

I know enough to recognize someone that's just brewing for an internet fight. I am under absolutely no obligation to engage with anyone, especially someone merely spoiling for a fight.

I went ahead and put him on my ignore list so the situation resolved itself. Thanks for your concern, tho.

...I really shouldn't reply to this, but I can't help myself.

Did you read the second half of my post? The man had some darn reasonable questions. You were pretty stinking rude in your reply.

I for one, loathe the ignore feature. If you can't deal with an open forum, don't post here. Don't wall yourself off from everyone who makes you feel uncomfortable. If you can't justify your opinions to anyone else on the internet, what are you doing spouting them everywhere?

[Ironcloak]

I was thinking of a half orc Ancestor Guardian to 6 and then a 3 level dip into Warlock with a Celestial patron and Chain pact with Gift of the Ever-Living ones and then back to Barbarian.

ASI at Barbarian 4 would be Shield Master, others would be Toughness, +2 Con and +2 Con.

Pros are:
Bonus action self healing while raging for 6 hp, four times per long rest.
Non-raging 16 point self healing twice per short rest with cure wounds.
Almost 50% more healing from all other sources while protecting the squishier party members with spirit shield.

Cons:
Loss of an ASI
No Barbarian capstone

Feedback?

[sambojin]

It's not bad. But it's pushing something that barbs are already good at (having lots of HP) into maximum overdrive territory.

Yep, you'll never worry about dying to HP loss. But at higher levels, you're usually not too worried about that anyway. It's bad decisions or magic-crap that kills you.

Of course, it comes with plenty more than enhanced healing. Warlock magic is quite good, even with low Charisma scores. Even with rage stipulations.

If that's what you're going for (tonnes of HP and some magic), I can't see a problem with it. There's other ways (3 lvl dip of Moon Druid comes to mind, and it's a godawfully big spell list to choose from each day for a barbarian), but your way seems fine. Plus, you get a "spirit buddy", and they're always fun to play with anyway. You can be as stoic and tanky as you want, but you bring along your own comedy relief to lighten the mood :)


(oh, and be a Firbolg. Just for the maximum amount of short rest magic BS you can do. Even your Imp or Quasit will be impressed with the kind of crap you try and pull off.

And mechanically, you'll be bonus popping invis disadvantage for yourself (or bonus action shield proning, but you could sub out shield master if you'd like) and doing blanket attack disadvantage for your allies a lot, and popping reaction damage reduction for them, and getting attack advantage through Imp help actions (thus making shield master a bit redundant. But until that point, you'll love having something to do with your bonus action every combat round. Plus, you're quite a lot tanker with it, since this is a super-tank build). As a combat build, it works fine, even before magic and the extra HP are taken into account)

(I'm just not sure that it would mechanically be *that* much better than 3 lvls of BM Fighter. Which gives you more "combat magic", and HP, and burst damage, and stuff. It depends if you just want tonnes of HP and combat options, or actual magic/healing and a helper buddy/comedy relief. There's so many options with 3 lvls of dipping that it's really up to you on what you want. You're not wrong, but there's potentially more "optimal" builds)

(the toughness feat might be a bit redundant too. You'll have plenty of HP. Yes, it gives you more. But +2 Str or a combat feat may be better. Hell, magic initiate Cleric (guidance, thaumaturgy/bless) might be better. Just look at it as your anti-armour/anti-magic group-Rage, 1/day, and constant +d4 pre-rage initiative that you'll have advantage on by barb 7. And a manly voice to boot!)

[Ironcloak]

Thanks for the feedback. I like the comic relief with him "seeing dead people" as an AG and believing his familiar is a spirit. I was going to go with a celestial imp so that it could not be destroyed in a fireball.

I may go two weapon fighting or just more STR instead of shield master since as you suggested the imp can provide advantage on one attack which was my primary reason for SM.

I had thought of going 5 levels in Warlock to get revivify and more healing (24 instead of 16 on the two cure wounds per short rest) but did not know if that would be excessive. I didn't want to go more because I really like the idea of the 14th level spirit shield with half a single target fireball per round.

[Protato]

That talk on having a lot of HP makes me wonder if I could do some sort of HP/Constitution Barbarian build in the builds section, just for fun. While I'd point out how it might not be technically the best, it'd be really satisfying to just look on your sheet and see your absurd HP total.

[GlenSmash!]

That talk on having a lot of HP makes me wonder if I could do some sort of HP/Constitution Barbarian build in the builds section, just for fun. While I'd point out how it might not be technically the best, it'd be really satisfying to just look on your sheet and see your absurd HP total.

I think there's merit to the High HP Barbarian, especially in a game with a lot of magic items where you have a reasonable chance of getting a Belt of Giant Strength.

[strangebloke]

That talk on having a lot of HP makes me wonder if I could do some sort of HP/Constitution Barbarian build in the builds section, just for fun. While I'd point out how it might not be technically the best, it'd be really satisfying to just look on your sheet and see your absurd HP total.

I think it's weak only because DnD heavily favors aggressive builds, and the high HP bearbarian with 18 AC is just way more resilient than he has any business being.

It's like the moon druid. Everyone looks at the insane HP numbers and loses their minds, when in reality... the moon druid can't really do much while in animal form.


I think there's merit to the High HP Barbarian, especially in a game with a lot of magic items where you have a reasonable chance of getting a Belt of Giant Strength.
Well, in such a game you could also get the Constitution-boosting amulet.

But I think the key point is that if you want to hit stuff, 14 strength is plenty, particularly coupled with reckless attack, particularly if you don't really want to pick up GWM.

[GlenSmash!]

I think it's weak only because DnD heavily favors aggressive builds, and the high HP bearbarian with 18 AC is just way more resilient than he has any business being.

It's like the moon druid. Everyone looks at the insane HP numbers and loses their minds, when in reality... the moon druid can't really do much while in animal form.


Well, in such a game you could also get the Constitution-boosting amulet.

But I think the key point is that if you want to hit stuff, 14 strength is plenty, particularly coupled with reckless attack, particularly if you don't really want to pick up GWM.

The con amulet will only get you to 19 though. It's even with the Gauntlets of Ogre Power, but behind when compared to the Belts. Also it's one item compared to several strength increasing items.

But yes I have found 14 and Reckless Attack to be good enough on characters before.

[Protato]

I just realized Reckless Attack needs strength to work, whoops. I updated the description to reflect it.

[sambojin]

That's mostly why I suggested a 3lvl dip of moon druid instead, or 3 of BM fighter.

You won't be significantly different as a Dire Wolf or Brown Bear to a high Con barb without a two handed weapon in combat. But you will have at least 6x37(or 34)HP extra for sponging, which at over 200pts of HP, trumps anything a warlock dip can give you. That's just on two short rests, so six uses of wildshape, which is pretty doable each day. Plus, conga lining through a Healing Spirit is up to 10x3.5 (average) HP for the entire party, once per day. And 4x10HP of semi-storable healing from Goodberries. That's about 275pts of extra HP (75 of it usable by others) floating around for you and your party to use each day, without having to push for it. Some of it in combat, some of it out. But it's a LOT of HP in comparison to anything else, for a tanking build at least.

Plus, you can always sub out Healing Spirit for other features if you'd like, on any given day. Pass without Trace means the entire party can stealth if you want to, but it is rage dropped unfortunately. Still, it's good to be able to do. Heat Metal or Spike Growth are just nasty enough to consider casting when you're short on rages as well. It's flexibility, not really power, but with a tonne more HP to boot.


The fighter dip would just let you apply the dead condition to enemies more quickly. Fighting styles, action surges and BM dice are all great for that, and stuff like Commander's Strike and Manoeuvering Attack both fit into a protector/tank style build pretty well. Even Menacing Attack might be pretty fun to play with (can't move towards you, but have crappy attacks vs anyone else if they go for them). Second Wind gives you a smattering more HP (about 4xd10+12), so 34'ish extra HP over the course of the day with three short rests. But the extra killiness will help you save HP, the d10s for those three levels will give you a slightly higher base of HP, and you'll probably have plenty more fun in combat. Admittedly, Ancestor Barbs have plenty of options of what to do most turns anyway though.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that there's better options. Though neither of them come with a spirit buddy, so it's your call on what you'd prefer.
(although, if you were thinking of pushing to lvl5 with warlock, you could just as easily push to 5 or 6 with Druid, and get a *tonne* of spirit buddies, once or twice a day, and possibly bigger wildshape forms. Though they disappear on raging. But by that time, you're really a druid who rages sometimes, not a barb with extra HP. I don't really recommend it.)

(or you could go AG barb x/moon druid 2/life cleric 1 for best goodberries, losing you out on Healing Spirit, but giving you 4HP berries, or 160+HP of portable healing that doesn't overheal, and a really weak divine option, and even more flexibility in your spell list (bless is like a rage, sort of).
Anyway, there's lots of Max HP options, is all I'm saying. This post ended up way longer than I meant it to be)

[GlenSmash!]

I just realized Reckless Attack needs strength to work, whoops. I updated the description to reflect it.

Yup. Losing Reckless Attack is the biggest drawback to the Dex Barbarian.

But as has been mentioned, maxing Dex for non-reckless attacks with a Finesse weapon, and Reckless Attacking with 14 Strength is doable. It's just as MAD as Max Strength and 14 Dex however.

[Protato]

Before Mordenkainen's comes out, I feel I should ask: Should I do more guides, perhaps on Rogue and Monk? I don't think they've had an updated guide in a while, at least not on these forums. I'm also thinking about a guide on magic items.

[Mister_Squinty]

Barbarian 8/Rogue 2. Stout Halfling 10/18/14/8/13/10

Don't Barbarians need ST13 to multiclass? My PHB is not handy.

[GlenSmash!]

Don't Barbarians need ST13 to multiclass? My PHB is not handy.

Yup. You need a Strength score of at least 13 to multiclass into or out of Barbarian.

[jaappleton]

Slightly unorthodox question.

For a moment, throw all racial stat bonuses away. Assume +2 and +1 in whatever, for just a moment.

Throwing stat bonuses aside, your favorite race for Barbarian?

[MeeposFire]

Slightly unorthodox question.

For a moment, throw all racial stat bonuses away. Assume +2 and +1 in whatever, for just a moment.

Throwing stat bonuses aside, your favorite race for Barbarian?

Even with normal bonuses I tend to go halfling because of the fun of it in Eberron.

[jaappleton]

Also, what's the consensus of dipping Fighter 2? You get a fighting style, it certainly makes TWF more viable, which any short race is likely interested in, and you get Action Surge and Second Wind.

And while Second Wind isn't amazing with only a dip, hey, its something.

But the big draw is Action Surge. Barbarians can hit HARD, as we all know, and the typical Barb doesn't get anything of note on a short rest. So how appealing is it?

[MeeposFire]

Also, what's the consensus of dipping Fighter 2? You get a fighting style, it certainly makes TWF more viable, which any short race is likely interested in, and you get Action Surge and Second Wind.

And while Second Wind isn't amazing with only a dip, hey, its something.

But the big draw is Action Surge. Barbarians can hit HARD, as we all know, and the typical Barb doesn't get anything of note on a short rest. So how appealing is it?

Honestly depending on type of barbarian I tend to choose either I am going to plan to go 20 in barb or to multiclass out fairly early and fighter is an excellent choice. Since as I said I happen to be weird and like halfling barbs I also like rogue for a multiclass and that works well with reckless attack. Out side of level 20 and the sub type benefits most of barb benefits are fairly minor or ease of use abilities (such as staying rage even if you do not attack). Heck in terms of damage it is extra crit dice and to me that is alright but not something I look forward to unlike many multiclass abilities.

[Protato]

Also, what's the consensus of dipping Fighter 2? You get a fighting style, it certainly makes TWF more viable, which any short race is likely interested in, and you get Action Surge and Second Wind.

And while Second Wind isn't amazing with only a dip, hey, its something.

But the big draw is Action Surge. Barbarians can hit HARD, as we all know, and the typical Barb doesn't get anything of note on a short rest. So how appealing is it?

I'd go with anywhere from 2 to 4. 2 for Action Surge, 3 for subclass, and 4 to make up for the lost ASI. Of course I think Barbarians are good enough on their own, especially with their level 18 and level 20 features. If you're allowed to level into other classes after level 20 for an epic level campaign, or more likely don't make it that far, then it could be well worth it. Of course as with any multiclass, make sure the powers you get don't slow your progression too much. I hope your build goes well in any event!

[sambojin]

As is probably obvious from my posts, fave barb race is Firbolgs. The just give you so much, still give you your start 16Str, and are a hell of a lot of fun to play. Their only downside is no darkvision, but if it wasn't for that, there'd be no reason to be anything else.

[Chack]

Before Mordenkainen's comes out, I feel I should ask: Should I do more guides, perhaps on Rogue and Monk? I don't think they've had an updated guide in a while, at least not on these forums. I'm also thinking about a guide on magic items.

My vote goes to Monk, but any would b3 fine.

Nice guide by the way!

[Protato]

Took a couple of days but I updated Minotaur and added Centaur from the May 2018 UA.

[GlenSmash!]

Also, what's the consensus of dipping Fighter 2? You get a fighting style, it certainly makes TWF more viable, which any short race is likely interested in, and you get Action Surge and Second Wind.

And while Second Wind isn't amazing with only a dip, hey, its something.

But the big draw is Action Surge. Barbarians can hit HARD, as we all know, and the typical Barb doesn't get anything of note on a short rest. So how appealing is it?

I love a 2 level Fighter dip for action surge on my Barbarians. I also love a 2 level Barbarian dip on my Fighters for Reckless Attack. The hard part is deciding which one I'm going for on my next character.

[werescythe]

So Sea Elves are apparently coming with Mordenkainen's Tome and apparently they add +1 to Con (meaning +2 Dex and +1 Con). So my question is, could a Sea Elf be a good Ancestral Guardian Barbarian?

My thought for the character was that she was born with a defect caused by her ancestors fighting off the Krakens and Aboleths (Octopus Tentacle hair basically) and as a result she is currently in exile and she uses the spirits of her ancestors all while trying to prove herself so someday she could return to her people.

Thus I'm actually not sure if I want to be a Str or Dex Barbarian and I'm unsure what feats to go with her.

[GlenSmash!]

So Sea Elves are apparently coming with Mordenkainen's Tome and apparently they add +1 to Con (meaning +2 Dex and +1 Con). So my question is, could a Sea Elf be a good Ancestral Guardian Barbarian?

My thought for the character was that she was born with a defect caused by her ancestors fighting off the Krakens and Aboleths (Octopus Tentacle hair basically) and as a result she is currently in exile and she uses the spirits of her ancestors all while trying to prove herself so someday she could return to her people.

Thus I'm actually not sure if I want to be a Str or Dex Barbarian and I'm unsure what feats to go with her.

I would still go strength based on an elf as it sucks to lose out on Reckless Attack. And starting with a 14 Strength isn't that bad anyway.

[Protato]

So Sea Elves are apparently coming with Mordenkainen's Tome and apparently they add +1 to Con (meaning +2 Dex and +1 Con). So my question is, could a Sea Elf be a good Ancestral Guardian Barbarian?

My thought for the character was that she was born with a defect caused by her ancestors fighting off the Krakens and Aboleths (Octopus Tentacle hair basically) and as a result she is currently in exile and she uses the spirits of her ancestors all while trying to prove herself so someday she could return to her people.

Thus I'm actually not sure if I want to be a Str or Dex Barbarian and I'm unsure what feats to go with her.

Personally, I'd ask the DM if Reckless Attack can work without it. If not, its your choice to go Strength of Dexterity. If you go Strength, I'd just put the highest number in Strength and pump it later, and start with Dexterity for the AC bonus with Unarmored Defense. If you use Dexterity, it's sad that Reckless Attack goes to waste but you can be an effective Longbow archer with Sharpshooter (about as good in the end as a GWM Strength Barbarian I imagine, lower damage than two-handed weapons but more range keeps you from harm's way) or a Dual Wielder with Shortswords or ideally, Rapiers if you get the feat. If you really want good AC, a Rapier and Shield could be good, especially with the Dexterity bonus and your Ancestral Guardian subclass helping to keep your party alive.

Also, apologies to anyone wondering why MToF content isn't here, I don't have the book. When I get it, I'll put the information in ASAP.

[werescythe]

Could I be a Strength Polearm barbarian with a high Dex?

[Mith]

Could I be a Strength Polearm barbarian with a high Dex?

You mean use a Polearm (STR attack) but have a high Dex for AC and Initiative boost? Sure.

[GlenSmash!]

Could I be a Strength Polearm barbarian with a high Dex?

Absolutely! Nothing wrong with it at all.

That's a good case for the Medium Armor Master feat too.

[Protato]

I just added the Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes races, I hope my ratings make sense!

[GlenSmash!]

I just added the Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes races, I hope my ratings make sense!

Looks good to me.

You've done a really good job weighing the pros and cons of the race options.

[Protato]

I banged out a section on party roles and tactics, and also changed the guide's title. Is there anything I could add to tactics or party roles to make it better?

[nmitchell2]

The only other thing I might potentially add to the multiclass section is a build with Tavern Brawler and a Rogue dip for Expertise in Athletics designed to be a grappler. Probably either a Dwarf for Battlerager if that's your thing or a race with the Powerful Build racial feature to carry more people around. Alternatively, you could take Shield Master instead of Tavern Brawler and use Expertise to help with shove attempts. I don't know if either of these are optimal enough to design builds around in a guide but hey, they work.

[Protato]

I just realized, I hadn't yet updated this for the new Wayfinder's Guide races, I should get on that soon.

[Protato]

I put in all the races this far, including the MtG crossover ones, and organized them better.

[the secret fire]

Before Mordenkainen's comes out, I feel I should ask: Should I do more guides, perhaps on Rogue and Monk? I don't think they've had an updated guide in a while, at least not on these forums. I'm also thinking about a guide on magic items.

I'm naturally inclined to be suspicious of "magic item guides" because their appearance on the internet was one of the harbingers (and probably causes) of 3.5's rapid degeneration, and the rise of Bildz! culture. 5e has been blessedly spared most of that thus far.

As far as your barbarian guide goes: I like it, though this is the first time I've ever seen Fast Movement described as a ribbon ability. Can't say I agree, at all, with that assessment. Speed is extremely valuable.

[Protato]

I had forgotten to add the Human variants from Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron but it's been updated now, I hope my rankings make sense.

[El_Jairo]

I especially registered to thank you for making this guide.

I'm coming back to the DnD mechanics and this looks very extensive, thought through and I well organised.

I haven't played any combat yet because my first session was half, due to RL. But I'm looking forward to it.

Our DM said that the campaign will be not so much combat, we all like to RP a lot and don't want to rely too much on the mechanical side of things. He did assure us that the combat we will see, will be quite hefty, so I am prepared for some real challenges.

So I was just wondering if Path of the Berserker Subclass is really solid? And extra attack during Frenzy Rage is of course very tempting. More chances to split an opponent in half is always welcome. Yet I feel it needs to be part of a crit fishing build as with the downside of exhaustion limits your character impact quite hefty on all other interactions. Disadvantage on all ability check, that means also all skill checks, right?

On the other hand my Half-Orc barbarian is a character that survived two systems (from 4e to homebrew based of Superheroes system). He is a Revenant Half-Orc (he died in 4e but I couldn't let him go). So I feel naturally inclined to pick either Path of the Ancestors Guardian or Zealot. Both give him the connection with death, so I like that very much.
My question is if he will be sufficient as damage dealer because the other party members are: Bard, Cleric and Warforged Gunslinger. We are playing the current Eberron Adventure yes, so please no spoilers ;-)

I have no idea about 5e so I'm currently sitting on the standard Ability block + Racial bonus : 17 13 15 8 12 10 with a mixture of Outlander background with Haunted personality traits, which fit his background very well, after traveling into his third world now.
Skill Profs: Perception, Intimidate, Animal Handling, Athletics and Survival.

I would opt for Path of the Ancestral Guardian as I am the main melee char I reckon it would be beneficial if I can draw aggro and protect the more squishy party member. I'm only afraid it my damage output will be enough, so I am considering the 3 lvl dip into Fighter to gain more dmg output.

[GlenSmash!]

I especially registered to thank you for making this guide.

I'm coming back to the DnD mechanics and this looks very extensive, thought through and I well organised.

I haven't played any combat yet because my first session was half, due to RL. But I'm looking forward to it.

Our DM said that the campaign will be not so much combat, we all like to RP a lot and don't want to rely too much on the mechanical side of things. He did assure us that the combat we will see, will be quite hefty, so I am prepared for some real challenges.

So I was just wondering if Path of the Berserker Subclass is really solid? And extra attack during Frenzy Rage is of course very tempting. More chances to split an opponent in half is always welcome. Yet I feel it needs to be part of a crit fishing build as with the downside of exhaustion limits your character impact quite hefty on all other interactions. Disadvantage on all ability check, that means also all skill checks, right?

Yes (technically there are no skill checks in 5e just ability checks where skill proficiency applies). It also applies to Initiative which is a Dexterity check.

Frenzy is really an ability you use once per long rest. Maybe twice on a really bad day, but the next day you won't want to use it at all.

I like the Berserker, but it has a serious drawback, and it helps to go in knowing about it.


On the other hand my Half-Orc barbarian is a character that survived two systems (from 4e to homebrew based of Superheroes system). He is a Revenant Half-Orc (he died in 4e but I couldn't let him go). So I feel naturally inclined to pick either Path of the Ancestors Guardian or Zealot. Both give him the connection with death, so I like that very much.
My question is if he will be sufficient as damage dealer because the other party members are: Bard, Cleric and Warforged Gunslinger. We are playing the current Eberron Adventure yes, so please no spoilers ;-)

Zealot will do more damage that Ancestral Guardians, While Ancestral Guardians is great at protecting one party member.


I have no idea about 5e so I'm currently sitting on the standard Ability block + Racial bonus : 17 13 15 8 12 10 with a mixture of Outlander background with Haunted personality traits, which fit his background very well, after traveling into his third world now.
Skill Profs: Perception, Intimidate, Animal Handling, Athletics and Survival.

Odd scores do you absolutely no good. 17, 14, 14, 8, 12, 10 would get you the same Hitpoints, but bump your AC by one. However with Point buy and Half-orc racials you can get 16, 14, 16, 8, 12, 8 which is a much better start.


I would opt for Path of the Ancestral Guardian as I am the main melee char I reckon it would be beneficial if I can draw aggro and protect the more squishy party member. I'm only afraid it my damage output will be enough, so I am considering the 3 lvl dip into Fighter to gain more dmg output.

If you do go this route, remember not to multiclass until after level 5. You do not want to delay extra attack. But I would strongly consider going to 6 first to get SPIRIT SHIELD.

[R.Shackleford]

There seems to be a lot missing from this guide due to a very narrow mindset on what the barbarian can and can't do.

Actor is a great feat on a Barbarian. It shores up a weakness of the barbarian class, out of combat utility. The barbarian class doesn't need more combat support to face tank, so being a Face Tank is actually a fun option.

Even with a +1 or +2 cha, that advantage on rolls will be awesome and go a long way. Dump Int not cha.

Actor is one of the best feats in the game, sadly so many people (inclusing the devs) have direct combat as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most important part of the game.

Anyways...

Barbarian makes for a great support class. Especially now that prodigy is a thing. Prodigy (Athletics) and reckless attack means you can have a lower strength and still be able to shove/grapple or hit with a weapon attack. Yeah, you aren't a damage dealer but you have a lot of other good options. This means that you can focus on dex and con. Actually, you don't need to hit a creature to have your rage extended, you just need to attack. So anyways... Dex/Con Wolf Totem build is a great support barbarian as prodigy lets you grapple really well even with low strength. Or you can go the protector as an eagle totem barbarian and dash around in order to shive creatures to the ground (or grapple them and run faaaar away... Again prodigy is amazing for this).

Also, a Storm Herald grappler build could be a good support build. Boost Con and put things in time out. Actually... The Nanny would be a good build name for this. Using a British accent to tell things they're in time out would be hilarious.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Unarmored Defense is a trap, unless you roll REALLY well. To beat bog-standard scale mail, you need a total modifier of +7-- that's probably Con 18/Dex 16, which means your Strength is probably significantly lagging. Sticking to medium armor means you can leave Dex at 14, giving you way more options for race and ASIs.

It only really becomes worth it if you're high level and have maxed out Con (so you're also looking at 15-Dex), if you're running a human (which I think is the only way to start with the three 16s you'd need), or if you're going Dex-based.

[ciarannihill]

Unarmored Defense is a trap, unless you roll REALLY well. To beat bog-standard scale mail, you need a total modifier of +7-- that's probably Con 18/Dex 16, which means your Strength is probably significantly lagging. Sticking to medium armor means you can leave Dex at 14, giving you way more options for race and ASIs.

It only really becomes worth it if you're high level and have maxed out Con (so you're also looking at 15-Dex), if you're running a human (which I think is the only way to start with the three 16s you'd need), or if you're going Dex-based.

It's important to note that Scale armor gives Disadvantage on Stealth, which for some campaigns and parties can be very important. Not to mention that you don't have to beat Scale Mail to make Unarmored Defense "worth it", you only have to match a Chain Shirt -- i.e. 15 AC, which is perfectly doable (14 Dex/16 Con or 16 Dex/14 Con) from level 1 with a ton of different races. Plus it requires the same Dex investment (14) with or without the armor, and it's not like you're dumping Con as a Barbarian.

Even if you want to compare it to Scale Mail (which you shouldn't, as Scale Mail has two major drawbacks for Barbarians) it only takes 1 ASI invested into Con to match it anyway, and I find it hard to believe that you weren't going to invest in Con as a Barbarian eventually anyway (If you're a Mountain Dwarf you can do this at level 4 if your point buy is 15 (17) Str / 14 Dex / 15 (17) Con / 8 Int / 10 Wis / 8 Cha by getting +1 Str/+1 Con with your ASI)

Unarmored Defense isn't a "trap", it's a feature that you can elect to use or not, but frankly there's a reason it often sees use -- Barbarians don't start with armor or much money to buy it with. Compared to most armors they can wear Unarmored Defense starts off nearly if not as good or better statistically, costs nothing and tends to be more thematic to boot.

[R.Shackleford]

Unarmored Defense is a trap, unless you roll REALLY well. To beat bog-standard scale mail, you need a total modifier of +7-- that's probably Con 18/Dex 16, which means your Strength is probably significantly lagging. Sticking to medium armor means you can leave Dex at 14, giving you way more options for race and ASIs.

It only really becomes worth it if you're high level and have maxed out Con (so you're also looking at 15-Dex), if you're running a human (which I think is the only way to start with the three 16s you'd need), or if you're going Dex-based.

You don't need the highest numbers to be effective. You only need numbers that work against what the game (or DM) should be putting you up against.

1 or 2 points of AC loss is not a trap in 5e. First off, after 1 or 2 levels, your barbarian gonna have a lot of HP. A shield works with unarmored defense and that 15 is a 17 whenever you need a bit extra defense. However, it isn't till later levels that creatures actually have a good attack bonus.

Plus thr Barbarian doesn't need to focus on strength the be an effective party member (even more so thanks to prodigy athletics).

If you want to focus on Dex/Con because of character design, and want to use unarmored defense, then you do just fine. 5e has a high floor and low ceiling.

I typically go medium armor, big fan of armored barbarian, but I don't see the trap status of unarmored defense.

A trap option needs to make you bad versus the game, not just have less numbers versus another PC. Are you better using 10 + Dex or 10 + Dex + Con to make an unarmored character?

I really think that unarmored defense should have just been 13 + Con (13 + wis for monks, 13 + casting mod for mage armor) but it works as is.

[GlenSmash!]

I'm very likely to start any Barb with 14 Dex and 14+ Con 14-15 AC is super fine at first level, still I'll buy medium armor as soon as I can (preferably a Breasplate), which in most of my campaigns has been before level 5.

[El_Jairo]

If you do go this route, remember not to multiclass until after level 5. You do not want to delay extra attack. But I would strongly consider going to 6 first to get SPIRIT SHIELD.
Thanks for the very thorough explanation.
Spirit Shield is indeed too good to postpone.

I also could see the support roll for Barbarians working mechanically, yet it feels so off thematically. I have a hard time envisioning a warrior who is all about rage being level headed and using real tactical form of combat.
Yet the build to get in a rage and dragging foes away from party members does seem hilarious, especially if you call it the NANNY build. :-D

[GlenSmash!]

Thanks for the very thorough explanation.
Spirit Shield is indeed too good to postpone.

I also could see the support roll for Barbarians working mechanically, yet it feels so off thematically. I have a hard time envisioning a warrior who is all about rage being level headed and using real tactical form of combat.
Yet the build to get in a rage and dragging foes away from party members does seem hilarious, especially if you call it the NANNY build. :-D

There's a bit of a disconnect when it comes to "Rage" for many of the Barbarian subclasses. It seems to only be frothing at the mouth mindlessness for the Berserker (and even then only if you want it to be).

On a Totem warrior it's more of a Primal Survival state. An Ancestral Guardian a Euphoria that connects them to their ancestors. For a Storm Herald it's less anger than the elemental fury of a Hurricane or Blizzard. A Zealot, a holy or unholy state granted by deity.

Hell I can be angry and still want to fight to the best of my ability, including sound tactics.

[Souplex]

I should point out that Medium Armor will probably serve you better than Unarmored unless you've got a total of +7 Dex and Con. Half Plate is 15+Dex to a maximum of 17. Medium armor doesn't penalize your Barbarian features, so you can leave your Dex at 14 and focus entirely on Strength and Con.

[El_Jairo]

While compiling my own sheet I stumbled upon a little error in the Feats post:

Shieldmaster: Reduce damage! Gain a shove! Succeed saves!
If nothing has changed from the PHB, this isn't accurate.

Gain shove as REDACTED, yes.
Reduce damage, not exactly. Ignore some REDACTED damage on REDACTED, more precisely.
Succeed saves, well more correctly: gain a REDACTED bonus to some REDACTED Saves. There is no success guaranteed.

I guess this doesn't change the rating of this feature as I presume that the shove action was the most important part anyways.
Or I could see it as a green feature, which becomes blue when combined with DEX Resilience.

PS: or was this overly simplified wording chosen to not reveal too much about the actual rules and IP?
So I'll go back and make my comments more vague... or simply redact them.

[Mister_Squinty]

I should point out that Medium Armor will probably serve you better than Unarmored unless you've got a total of +7 Dex and Con. Half Plate is 15+Dex to a maximum of 17. Medium armor doesn't penalize your Barbarian features, so you can leave your Dex at 14 and focus entirely on Strength and Con.

Unless you get Bracers of Defense. :smallbiggrin:

[Mikal]

Since you're including UA content as part of your multiclassing guide I'd make special mention of the Mariner and Tunnel Fighting styles.

Tunnel Fighting just in general for any lockdown builds, especially with PAM and Sentinel since you can do a true "you shall not pass" which, with a Barbarian doing it, can be extra damaging.

Mariner gives you an AC bonus even when using unarmored defense (though you cannot use a shield with it), and provides a climb and swim speed equal to your land speed, so useful for those unarmored GWM barbarians.

[PeteNutButter]

I’ll agree that unarmored defense is a trap option. It’s nice if you happen to have godly stats but investing anything in it is a bad choice compared to boosting strength or taking feats (provided they are allowed).

Unrelated, what’s with the lack of love for wolf totem (3rd level)? IMO it is usually stronger than bear. As long as you have one or more melee companions it’s ridiculously strong. Get a GWM fighter and/or paladin or a rogue next to you and they have permanent advantage on all the tough fights. It’s borderline overpowered. It just gets a bad wrap because people don’t give proper respect to supporting other people’s damage.

[GlenSmash!]

Mariner gives you an AC bonus even when using unarmored defense (though you cannot use a shield with it), and provides a climb and swim speed equal to your land speed, so useful for those unarmored GWM barbarians.

Mariner is an awesome fit for a Non-shield using Barbarian. Easily my favorite for a Barb/Fighter since I mostly play Heavy Weapon users or grapplers.

[Doccit]

I was thinking of doing an ancestral guardians build with a reach weapon. What do you guys think?

The idea is this: if you hit an enemy with a reach weapon while raging, their options are to (1) attack the adjacent ally protected by the guardian (2) attack you with a ranged attack at disadvantage, because of your adjacent friend, or (3) eat an opportunity attack from the friend in order to get to you for a melee attack. If you've got someone else in the party who does melee, it seems like a pretty damn strong defensive combination. I figure with this, you could be reckless attacking with Great Weapon Master all the time and not worry too much about survivability. Especially with spirit shield.

By the way, the OP alludes to some kind of synergy between ancestral guardians and cavalier. I'm just not seeing it. Could someone explain? Seems like a bad idea to double-up on marking features to me.

My current plan is Barbarian 6 (ancestral guardian) -> Fighter 3 (champion) -> Barbarian X. But I'm worried a crit-fishing build would get boring. Does anyone have suggestions about more tactical/exciting/utility-focused alternatives that are at least comparably effective?

[Protato]

Came on a bit too late to be relevant, been busy with school, but I've managed to update the guide with Guildmaster's Guide to Ravinica races!

[GlenSmash!]

Came on a bit too late to be relevant, been busy with school, but I've managed to update the guide with Guildmaster's Guide to Ravinica races!

Thanks for the update. It's interesting to see the differences between the Centaurs side by side like that.

[Ganymede]

I don't know... the added options all look great, but I still feel like this would be more complete if you added DMsGuild's Path of the Gloambound to the guide.

[ProsecutorGodot]

I don't know... the added options all look great, but I still feel like this would be more complete if you added DMsGuild's Path of the Gloambound to the guide.

I'm impressed that you at least had the wherewithal to wait 8 months before pushing your homebrew again.

[Crucius]

My current plan is Barbarian 6 (ancestral guardian) -> Fighter 3 (champion) -> Barbarian X. But I'm worried a crit-fishing build would get boring. Does anyone have suggestions about more tactical/exciting/utility-focused alternatives that are at least comparably effective?

If you want more control and tactical wit, I would suggest the battlemaster. Tripping attack almost guarantees you can get out of range of the enemy so they cannot hit you, while menacing attack could be used to double up on one enemy or disable two (the first one with ancestral protectors). You are right to dread the champion. With the (battlemaster) fighter being a short rest class you'll have some nice adventuring day pacing and always something to do.

[masterjoda99]

How would you make a grappler barbarian?

[sophontteks]

How would you make a grappler barbarian?
Its honestly harder not to.:smallbiggrin:

My fav is taking totem with eagle, bear, eagle and picking up tavern brawler.

[Ganymede]

I'm impressed that you at least had the wherewithal to wait 8 months before pushing your homebrew again.

You can go find something more productive with your time than being passive-aggressive to me on the internet, or you can get put on ignore.

[Perlywhirly]

I think what they mean is that guides typically do not go over homebrew content because it is not applicable to the majority of tables. If one starts adding homebrews to guides, where does it end? I’m sure you aren’t just trying to plug your own homebrew and are instead coming from a place of genuine interest, so I am sure that you understand now that adding unofficial material to a guide is not the best idea.

[Ganymede]

I think what they mean is that guides typically do not go over homebrew content because it is not applicable to the majority of tables. If one starts adding homebrews to guides, where does it end? I’m sure you aren’t just trying to plug your own homebrew and are instead coming from a place of genuine interest, so I am sure that you understand now that adding unofficial material to a guide is not the best idea.

Tell that to the OP, not me.


if there's a demand, I could take popular homebrew and make guides for that, too.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Tell that to the OP, not me.

It's not "popular homebrew" you have only one review. No offense to you or your efforts on it, but again I'd advise against attempting to hijack a guide thread to push your own. You're also attempting to suggest it to the OP as if it's not your own homebrew, which seems pretty disingenuous.

[Ganymede]

That was some weird, unnecessary escalation. Meh, it ain't my problem anymore.

[GlenSmash!]

How would you make a grappler barbarian?

Any flavor of Barbarian works well for this. But consider, many creatures are immune to grappling due to automatically escape grapple attempts by being huge or larger.

So the question I ask on any grappling build is what do I want to do when I can't grapple? Do more damage, protect my allies, be tanky etc.

I'm not a huge fan of storm Heralds, but I've been recondsering a Grapple Barb who holds enemies in his aura.

[Protato]

Oh wow, this guide is about a year old! With that, I figured why not put it in Google Docs for posterity? I also changed a rating for Wolf Totem Barbarian a bit.

[Waazraath]

Ah, I appearently missed this guide when it was put online a year ago. Though late, some feedback:

- attributes: I don't know any good arguments (and can't find them in the guide) for intelligence being more of a dump stat than charisma. Still, the guide suggests an 8 in the former and a 10 in the latter. Beside that this seems arbitrary, I doubt the use of this detail in a guide. Both are dump stats (agreed), I'd leave it there.
- attributes 2: wisdom is less a dump stat than int and cha, but that's definitely also because wis is a much more important saving throw, I'd mention that.
- ASI: the rating seems relative against what other classes get, instead of 'how good is this feature for a barbarian'. ASI's are always good, but for barbarian (with e.g. PAM and GWM as feat options), I'd argue they are great.
- Extra attack: even more so than with ASI's, there's no reason to say it isn't very good, just because there is 1 class that has a better version of it
- Fast movement: as someone earlier mentioned: it really isn't a ribbon, extra movement is good!
- indomitable might: how often do you use this, if you do not grapple? Having this one of the 'best' abilities really does not correspond with extra attack being just green. Any barbarian buld, bar maybe a grappler, would prefer extra attack above 10 indomitable mights.
- on party roles: I really would do this section per subclass, since certain subclasses open up roles, and this summary (that doesn't include them) doesn't do credit to all the roles barbarians can fulfill. Healing role can be taken by preventing damage in the first place, with Storm Herald (Tundra) or Ancestral Guardian. Buffing: Wolf Totem Spirit is a great buff (advantage on attacks), Zealous presence (Zealot) is nice, and tundra temp hp can also be seen as a buff. Controll / debuff can be done (besides grappling) by Bear Totemic Attunement and Ancestral Guardian.
- on races: I really can't see how a halfling would be better rated than races that increase strength, like certain tieflings and tritons. Seriously, triton increases both str and con, increases versatility with some spells, and gives a swim speed and underwater breathing. What's not to like?
- Feats: savage attacker: even with that 1d12 not worth an ASI.
- Subclass: berserker. Underrated as far as I'm concerned, Frenzy is good, even if you can't use it all the time, and Mindless rage protects against fear, a very common debuff on boss monsters later in the game, that can totally shut a character down.
- Subclass: storm herald. Tundra is definitely underrated, should be green imo. In a party with two other folks regularly getting damage, that's 8HP (yours are double cause rage/resistance) PER TURN. That's really good.
- battlerager: overrated a lot. It needs a specific armor with a crappy AC, to get an extra attack and other special abilities. The bonus action attack seems nice, until things start to get resistance. Here Reckless abandon is rated green, while the (better version) tundra has is rated red?! Battlerager Charge: rated green for extra movement while it uses up a bonus action (and this specific subclass already uses the bonus action on the extra attack lvl 3 ability)... and the automatic extra movement barbarian gets at level 5 is described as a ribbon? It doesn't make sense to me.

Hope this helps!

[Deathtongue]

I know it's unorthodox, but when I played a Zealot Barbarian I took a level of rogue for the Expertise to two skills.

Having Expertise in Arcana and Persuasion with my INT 10 / CHA 12 self helped me out a LOT with making this character feel more rounded. It wasn't optimal, but it helped me feel a LOT better when the combat music wasn't playing.

[sophontteks]

Eagle is not cunning action lite. It's cunning action enhanced.

Cunning action- You can disengage or dash
Eagle- You can disengage and dash.

Making the enemy waste their reaction to attack with disadvantage can be superior to avoiding the reaction entirely. They waste their reaction on an attack that will rarely hit, freeing up your party memebers to move around freely on their own turn. This will enable rogues, monks, or even some casters to be more aggressive on their turn.

[Contrast]

Cunning action- You can disengage or dash
Eagle- You can disengage and dash.

Making the enemy waste their reaction to attack with disadvantage can be superior to avoiding the reaction entirely. They waste their reaction on an attack that will rarely hit, freeing up your party memebers to move around freely on their own turn. This will enable rogues, monks, or even some casters to be more aggressive on their turn.

One of the reasons you may wish to disengage as a barbarian is because you have been reckless attacking though. In which case there's quite a substantial difference between actually disengaging and opportunity attacks being made at disadvantage.

[Protato]

I actually remembered to update it! I saw the Wild Soul UA and thought, on the off chance someone reads this to get some build advice they'd want my opinions on it, so why not put them in here?

[GlenSmash!]

I actually remembered to update it! I saw the Wild Soul UA and thought, on the off chance someone reads this to get some build advice they'd want my opinions on it, so why not put them in here?

Yours is one of the best guides I've ever seen. Thanks for keeping it updated.

[Mongobear]

May have missed it, but how do you feel about Eberron Revenant Blade on a Barbarian?

Requires a pure Elf race, so likely Wood Elf, but you could still focus strength for attacks, and it give you more AC, and it's has a +1 Str/Dex half-Feat buff

[GlenSmash!]

May have missed it, but how do you feel about Eberron Revenant Blade on a Barbarian?

Requires a pure Elf race, so likely Wood Elf, but you could still focus strength for attacks, and it give you more AC, and it's has a +1 Str/Dex half-Feat buff

If not going GWM or PAM or Shield Master or Grapple focused Barbarian it's really good. Start 15 strength at get it to 16 at 4 with Revenant Blade and you'll have the same strength as a Half-orc that took GWM at 4.

You would probably to less overall damage than GWM, but you would have more reliable baseline damage.

[Mongobear]

You would probably to less overall damage than GWM, but you would have more reliable baseline damage.

That's where I was guessing, less output than GWM + 2H, but somewhere near PAM builds.

I like the idea of having reliable damage output, and good AC from Unarmored + Feat.

Assuming standard array, 15 13(15 +2 Wood Elf) 14 10 12(13 +1 Wood Elf) 8. So, 15 15 14 10 13 8 to start. The Dbl Scimitar gives the AC and BA attack at level 1, which makes your damage output insane pre-4, RevBlade at 4, to get 16 Strength and 2d4 BA damage.

At 8th, I'd probably split an ASI into Dex/Wis for Saves/AC/Initiative. Then max Strength the rest of the way, then Con.

I'm currently juggling the build around for a home game with rolled stats, and going Ancestral Spirits, great damage output and great utility. It's work well for any Path without reliable BA abilities, which is most of them.

[GlenSmash!]

That's where I was guessing, less output than GWM + 2H, but somewhere near PAM builds.

I like the idea of having reliable damage output, and good AC from Unarmored + Feat.

Assuming standard array, 15 13(15 +2 Wood Elf) 14 10 12(13 +1 Wood Elf) 8. So, 15 15 14 10 13 8 to start. The Dbl Scimitar gives the AC and BA attack at level 1, which makes your damage output insane pre-4, RevBlade at 4, to get 16 Strength and 2d4 BA damage.

At 8th, I'd probably split an ASI into Dex/Wis for Saves/AC/Initiative. Then max Strength the rest of the way, then Con.

I'm currently juggling the build around for a home game with rolled stats, and going Ancestral Spirits, great damage output and great utility. It's work well for any Path without reliable BA abilities, which is most of them.

It's a good plan.

Though honestly unless your campaign gets to very high levels or being unarmored is core to your concept, keeping Dex at 14 and wearing a Breastplate (Half-Plate if you don't stealth much) would keep your AC higher than Unarmored Defence. 15, 14, 14, 8, 15, 8 in medium armor, getting Revenant Blade and eventually Resilient Wisdom would be better for most campaigns as it has equivalent to higher AC and much less chance of having a Rage ended by Hold Person or similar.

But I'm splitting hairs at this point It'll work out fine just the way you have it.

[Floogal]

Your guide doesn't appear to mention anywhere the issue of dropping out of rage early if you fail to take damage or make an attack against a hostile. A recent campaign I was in had a barbarian that several times lost rage due to chasing down their targets, being restrained by spells/the environment, or otherwise needing to use their action to do something else.

My thoughts...

- discuss with your gm what is sufficient for "attacking a hostile creature". If it means making an attack roll, then grappling/shoving prone is more restrictive to perform. Would chucking a javelin or rock at something much too far away to hit count?

- punching yourself in the face should be allowed, I would have it hit automatically, but you'd roll your full unarmed strike damage (halved for raging, naturally)

- Honestly, as a GM, I would be permissive here, as long as the player stayed in the spirit of a raging lunatic. I'd think that spending an action to have a mini temper-tantrum would suffice.

- make a mention in the lizardfolk entry about their Hungry Jaws racial ability. The ability to, anytime you want, make a bonus action attack, does wonders for keeping rage going. Most sources of bonus action attacks require taking the Attack action, but not in this case. It's once per short rest, but it technically doesn't get expended if you miss, so I wouldn't even use Reckless Attack with it, to increase the odds of it missing & being usable again the same fight.

- Similarly, having the Charger feat means that if you need to dash to engage your target, you can still make an attack that same turn. Eagle totem is a better form of this, though.

- Finally, another point in favour of the Berserker Frenzy is the condition-free bonus action attack to keep your rage going.

[GlenSmash!]

Your guide doesn't appear to mention anywhere the issue of dropping out of rage early if you fail to take damage or make an attack against a hostile. A recent campaign I was in had a barbarian that several times lost rage due to chasing down their targets, being restrained by spells/the environment, or otherwise needing to use their action to do something else.

I keep a Longbow on my current Barbarian, as he has the proficiency, and as long as something is within line of sight and within 600 ft of range he can make an attack to maintain Rage.

Also Divine Fury from Zealot is not restricted to melee, so the first hit with an arrow delivers some radiant damage too.

[Mongobear]

I've bypassed the "take damage/make an attack roll" clause two ways on two different Barbarians.

1) Self Harm - I had a psychotic Half-Orc who I was taking down Berserker very early in 5e. I would punch/cut myself in order to keep it going. DM never second guessed the mechanics.

2) Alchemists Fire - More recently, as one of the Strength based MToF Tieflings and Zealot, I would enter a rage by first pouring Alchemists Fire on myself then praying to the setting Fire/War Diety. DM- even allowed the Fire to apply on my first swing in combat, as a cool fluff effect.

[Floogal]

I'm not very fond of using a long bow to keep rage going. Drawing a weapon, stowing a weapon, and picking up a dropped weapon all each use up an Object Interaction. If you want to swap weapons and still attack in the same turn, you'll be dropping your old weapon on the ground. Definitely in flavour for a raging barbarian, but not always the most practical.

I guess you could attach the weapons to you somehow. But I'd think it would damage the weapon (or the user) if you're running about with an unsheathed weapon bouncing about.

Regardless, the dropping-out-of-rage issue, and all of these ideas to deal with it, should be mentioned in the guide somewhere.

[Mongobear]

@Floogal I'm pretty sure you can swap between two weapons as the same Object Interaction, as part of movement or the Attack action. I agree Bows Ares a bit un-Barbarian, I usually take hand-axes or javelins, they atleast use Strength.

[GlenSmash!]

I keep hand axes and javelins too, but sometimes enemies just aren't in their range. A longbow covers a lot of ground and I've never had a Barbarian with fewer than 14 dex anyway.

You can draw or stow a weapon as an object interaction. I tend to run into the out of range problem more often at the start of combat. So I start off with ranged attacks. When I get close enough that I think I can move to them on my next turn I'll stow the weapon. Then next turn I can draw my weapon and move up and unleash hell.

I hate weapon juggling like that, but ignoring it depowers the already weak Dual Wielder feat.

During combat I'll leverage holding my main weapon offhand and hurling thrown weapons more. I have yet to have to resort to hurting myself to keep a Rage going.

But sure if Protato feels like it, tips for keeping Rage going is useful enough topic for the guide.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

So, did anyone else point out that Eagle's vision enhancement stacks with Darkvision to make you better at fighting in the dark than most monsters, yet?

[Mongobear]

@GlenSmash. I'm almost positive the phb has a table about Certain object interactions being usable together with movement/attacking, I just can't check atm.

[GlenSmash!]

@GlenSmash. I'm almost positive the phb has a table about Certain object interactions being usable together with movement/attacking, I just can't check atm.


Other Activity on Your Turn

Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require
neither your action nor your move.
You can communicate however you are able, through
brief utterances and gestures, as you take your turn.
You can also interact with one object or feature of the
environment for free, during either your move or your
action. For example, you could open a door during your
move as you stride toward a foe, or you could draw your
weapon as part of the same action you use to attack.

If you want to interact with a second object, you need
to use your action.

Interacting with 2 objects in this case 2 weapons takes an action.

[Moxxmix]

- punching yourself in the face should be allowed, I would have it hit automatically, but you'd roll your full unarmed strike damage (halved for raging, naturally)

- Honestly, as a GM, I would be permissive here, as long as the player stayed in the spirit of a raging lunatic. I'd think that spending an action to have a mini temper-tantrum would suffice.

I'd want to make a caveat that you don't have to be a raging lunatic to be a barbarian. The alchemist's fire is certainly a cool idea, and reminds me of dervish zealots (not to be confused with the Zealot archetype, though it certainly fits) which might use dance as a conduit for their Rage. I might allow a Performance (or maybe Religion?) skill check to be made to continue the 'dance' when you're at risk of losing Rage.

My own barbarian, as developed over the course of play, uses a sort of focused meditative trance, as the character is designed around the wuxia martial arts movies style of fighting (eg: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). There's no frothing rage, just an unbending focus. He's taking the Totem path, primarily Eagle (especially the last one, for flight, regardless of practicality). Losing Rage hasn't come up since the early part of the game, but I remember being able to do things like break down doors to maintain the Rage. I might also reasonably storm through a castle with Rage active, even if everyone after the gate guards scattered out of my way, as long as there was a specific target I was heading towards. (Would have to check with the GM, but it fits the character.)

Basically, the raging lunatic motif only really fits the Berserker archtype. While the default "damage or be damaged" restriction is fine, adding a bit of flexibility based on your particular character seems reasonable to talk to your GM about.

[GlenSmash!]

While the default "damage or be damaged" restriction is fine, adding a bit of flexibility based on your particular character seems reasonable to talk to your GM about.

The default is attack or take damage. You don't have to do damage to maintain Rage. Just swing the sword, fire an arrow, or throw an axe. Even at disadvantage that will be enough to maintain rage (or battle focus if that's how you re-fluff it).

[Moxxmix]

The default is attack or take damage. You don't have to do damage to maintain Rage. Just swing the sword, fire an arrow, or throw an axe. Even at disadvantage that will be enough to maintain rage (or battle focus if that's how you re-fluff it).

Right, I knew that. Just flubbed what I wrote down.

Does make me wonder: Would an Intimidation attempt count? Particularly (in a certain trope) growling and threatening a crowd around you, perhaps feinting, but not actually attacking?

[Klorox]

This is a really nice thread, I’m a fan!

The only thing that needs to be changed is the rogue/barbarian multiclass.

You need a 13 STR for this to work.

[GlenSmash!]

This is a really nice thread, I’m a fan!

The only thing that needs to be changed is the rogue/barbarian multiclass.

You need a 13 STR for this to work.

Nice catch.

Yeah I think the typical Roguebarian is Strength based with a Rapier.

[Mikaleus]

Is the Storm herald really that bad in play? The flavour is so intriguing but I can’t bring myself to play it.
Great guide. Passed it on to a mate of mine who loves the class.

[GlenSmash!]

Is the Storm herald really that bad in play? The flavour is so intriguing but I can’t bring myself to play it.
Great guide. Passed it on to a mate of mine who loves the class.

The Barbarian chasis is already strong, especially at low levels. Even if Storm Herald is lackluster it's still playable.

I think Tundra is the best option. Desert hurts your allies with it's level 3 ability and it's level 14 ability eats your reaction. Sea forces a saving throw with it's 14 ability, to do what a Wolf Totem does for free.

Tundra helps your melee buddies with temp hp, and can slow a creature to zero with no reaction cost. Paired with polearm master I think its a decent combo.

[Mikaleus]

The Barbarian chasis is already strong, especially at low levels. Even if Storm Herald is lackluster it's still playable.

I think Tundra is the best option. Desert hurts your allies with it's level 3 ability and it's level 14 ability eats your reaction. Sea forces a saving throw with it's 14 ability, to do what a Wolf Totem does for free.

Tundra helps your melee buddies with temp hp, and can slow a creature to zero with no reaction cost. Paired with polearm master I think its a decent combo.

Thanks. I think I’ll give a tundra storm herald a go next time I can in a one shot etc.
Haven’t played a barbarian before, and I see totems all the time, with a smattering of beserkers and zealots.

[Grondsmash]

You need to make this correction

Elven Accuracy (Elf/Half-Elf): Depends on if you're Dexterity Barbarian. If so, I'd strongly consider this.

[Evaar]

Thanks. I think I’ll give a tundra storm herald a go next time I can in a one shot etc.
Haven’t played a barbarian before, and I see totems all the time, with a smattering of beserkers and zealots.

One thing I'd want to point out - Tundra Herald looks to be a very strong pick for the upcoming Icewind Dale adventure. All your features are increasing your resistance to cold effects; you aren't reliant on dealing cold damage or otherwise relying on your enemies to be vulnerable to cold.

This bit from level 6 alone could be a huge benefit to a character in that adventure:

You gain resistance to cold damage, and you don't suffer the effects of extreme cold

[jdizzlean]

The Mod LIfe Crisis: Thread necromancy bad!