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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Barbarian Subclass: Path of the Glacier



Rerem115
2018-06-19, 02:25 PM
I dunno, I had the idea for a Barbarian Path based around being a sort of inevitable, unstoppable juggernaut, and this is where that idea led me. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

3 Glacial Might— While raging, when you take the Attack action to make a melee attack against a creature, you can choose to forgo making attack rolls for the turn; instead, the target creature must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency modifier. If you use Reckless Attack, the creature makes this save with disadvantage. On a failure, your attack hits. If the creature rolls a 1 or a 2 on its saving throw, roll damage as if you had landed a critical hit.

If you're able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, when you forgo attack rolls for the turn, you lose your additional attacks for the turn but you instead add your Rage Damage twice when rolling damage.

6 Carve the Earth— At 6th level, you can flatten the ground with every step. When you use this feature as a bonus action, for the next 1 minute, you are not affected by difficult terrain made of earth, mud, snow, stone, or vegetation, and those forms of difficult terrain are scraped clean and smooth when you travel through them, transforming them into normal terrain wherever you go.

Once you use this feature, it cannot be used again until you finish a short or long rest.

10 Uncompromising Presence— By 10th level, fear cannot stop your onslaught. While frightened, you can still move towards the source of your fear. In addition, any frightened allies within 60 feet of you that can see you can move towards the sources of their fears so long as they are also moving towards you.

14 Inexorable Surge— While raging, your movement speed is increased by 10 feet and it cannot be reduced.

In addition, whenever you need to succeed on an ability check or saving throw to avoid being paralyzed, restrained, grappled, knocked prone, or moved against your will, you can choose to automatically succeed. This feature can't be used again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Composer99
2018-06-19, 06:53 PM
The 6th-level and 14th-level features are fine IMO. The 10th-level feature is probably fine as well, though I'm not quite as sure there.

The 3rd-level feature is overdoing it, methinks. You're probably okay if you make it so the damage on a miss portion is usable once on each of your turns.

Rerem115
2018-06-19, 08:31 PM
10th level is more or less a permanent Freedom of Movement , with the last half swapped for a more tough, barbarian-y sort of feel, so I figured it would be fine. I don't know if I phrased it quite right, but it's supposed to be more defensive, about breaking restraints and avoiding being shoved about. You don't get the Con bonus if you try to grapple somebody; they need to be trying to grapple YOU.

For 3rd level, it's basically one of the bullets from the UA feat Fell-Handed, but adjusted to be a bit stronger. When I did the numbers, I found it being more or less reasonable; for most of your adventuring career, assuming 50% chance to hit, it's on average 7-8 damage a round, since you'll probably have 20 Strength and your Rage Damage will be about 2 or 3. If you're recklessly attacking or have another source of advantage, it's actually less, since you won't be missing as much. The other Barbarian I used for comparison was the Zealot, which adds about 7-9 damage during the same sort of time frame, and isn't really affected by Reckless Attack. Basically, it sets a baseline, instead of being more of a win-more kind of damage. If you still think that's too strong, I can tone it down a bit, but that was my reasoning.

Rerem115
2018-06-22, 12:44 PM
I got some feedback from another source, and edited the OP to reflect that feedback. What do you guys think about it now?

Composer99
2018-06-22, 01:51 PM
I like the added cold theme, I must say.

I'm actually not sure if you want to eat up your bonus action with the "freeze" effect in Glacial Might. That seems like a pretty significant use of your action economy. It could be something you just get to do once on each of your turns.

Unless, of course, you've mathed it out and the extra cold damage (combined with ignoring shields) would be too much if you got typical bonus action attacks (e.g. from Polearm Master) on top of it all.

Rerem115
2018-06-22, 02:05 PM
Hmm, all right, I see what you're getting at. I like it using a bonus action, since an ability like that is strong enough to merit that sort of cost. To make it less of a conflict, though, I've adjusted the source of the extra damage.

Rerem115
2018-06-25, 01:32 PM
Updated following some fantastic feedback from user Grunnikins on r/Unearthed Arcana.

Rerem115
2018-06-26, 10:07 AM
All right, I think I'm finally satisfied with the 3rd level feature.