Path of the Fist (Barbarian Subclass)

[Grod_The_Giant]

Path of the Fist
Who needs weapons? Weapons are for weaklings.

Crashing Fists: Beginning at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Athletics, if you did not already have it, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 damage. After using your Attack action to make an unarmed strike, you may make a second unarmed strike or attempt to start a grab as a bonus action.

Crushing Rage: Beginning at 3rd level, while Raging, you count as one size category larger when determining what size of creature you can grab or shove. You may attempt to start a grab as a bonus action regardless of what you do with your action, and you gain the following options while grappling:

Crush: You may use your action to crush your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or take 3d6+Str damage. At 5th level, this increases to 6d6+Str.
Disarm: You may use your action to rip away your opponent's weapon or shield. They must make an opposed grapple check or lose one weapon or shield they're currently using. You may either begin wielding it yourself, or throw it up to 50ft in any direction.
Pin: You may use your action to pin your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or be restrained for the duration of the grab.
Throw: You may use your action to throw your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or be thrown 10ft, plus an additional 5ft for every size category smaller than your effective grappling size they are.


Bare-Chested: Beginning at 6th level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your unarmed strikes deal +2 damage and you reduce the damage you take from non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons by 2.

Spinebreaker: Beginning at 10th level, while grappling a foe, you may attempt to break their back. As an action, you may force them to make a Strength save, with a DC of 8+Prof+Str. If they fail, they gain three levels of exhaustion. After using this ability, you may not do so again until you have completed a long rest.

A creature is immune to this effect if it is immune to bludgeoning damage, doesn’t have or need a back, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its spine to be broken with this feature.

Countergrab: Beginning at 14th level, when a foe hits you with an melee attack, you may attempt to grab them as a reaction. If you succeed, any further attacks they make before the beginning of your next turn are at disadvantage.

[Vogie]

Crashing Fists: Beginning at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Athletics, if you did not already have it, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 damage. After using your Attack action to make an unarmed strike, you may make a second unarmed strike or attempt to start a grab as a bonus action.

This gives a stronger unarmed strike than a monk at equal level, although it goes down in value over time (and be offset by the reduction in what would be normal damage by using d6 weapons instead of a halberd Strike) and I believe you'd want to include unarmed strikes as counting as melee weapon attack.


Crushing Rage: Beginning at 3rd level, while Raging, you count as one size category larger when determining what size of creature you can grab or shove. You may attempt to start a grab as a bonus action regardless of what you do with your action, and you gain the following options while grappling:

Crush: You may use your action to crush your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or take 3d6+Str damage.
Pin: You may use your action to pin your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or be restrained for the duration of the grab.
Throw: You may use your action to throw your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or be thrown 10ft, plus an additional 5ft for every size category smaller than your effective grappling size they are.


I believe "opposed grapple check" should have some wording relating to the grapple contests. Unless it is called grapple check elsewhere.

I think that there should also be an attempt to permanently disarm option (disarm then kick the weapon away, for example, or destruction of non-magical weapons), so you can later enable your 14th level feature against targets with weapons.


Bare-Chested: Beginning at 6th level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your unarmed strikes deal +2 damage and you reduce the damage you take from non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons by 2.

HAM'ing it up! No complaints here.


Spinebreaker: Beginning at 10th level, while grappling a foe, you may attempt to break their back. As an action, you may force them to make a Strength save, with a DC of 8+Prof+Str. If they fail, they take 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 2 levels of Barbarian and gain three levels of exhaustion. If they succeed, they take half damage and no exhaustion. After using this ability, you may not do so again until you have completed a long or short rest.

I would use the Vorpal Sword mechanic to provide an alternative when you target a creature with no spine, or some other way to ignore it. Something like: "A creature is immune to this effect if it is immune to bludgeoning damage, doesn’t have or need a back, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its spine to be broken with this feature"


Countergrab: Beginning at 14th level, when a foe hits you with an unarmed strike, you may attempt to grab them as a reaction. If you succeed, any further attacks they make before the beginning of your next turn are at disadvantage.

I'd specifically call out slam attacks and natural weapon attacks as included in this (tusk, bite, tentacle, et cetera).

[Grod_The_Giant]

This gives a stronger unarmed strike than a monk at equal level, although it goes down in value over time (and be offset by the reduction in what would be normal damage by using d6 weapons instead of a halberd Strike) and I believe you'd want to include unarmed strikes as counting as melee weapon attack.
It's temporarily stronger than the Monk, yeah, but in line with two light weapons, and I think fitting with the clumsy brute line of thing.


I believe "opposed grapple check" should have some wording relating to the grapple contests. Unless it is called grapple check elsewhere.
I pulled the wording off the Grappler feat.


I think that there should also be an attempt to permanently disarm option (disarm then kick the weapon away, for example, or destruction of non-magical weapons), so you can later enable your 14th level feature against targets with weapons.
Good idea.


I would use the Vorpal Sword mechanic to provide an alternative when you target a creature with no spine, or some other way to ignore it. Something like: "A creature is immune to this effect if it is immune to bludgeoning damage, doesn’t have or need a back, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its spine to be broken with this feature"
Sounds good.


I'd specifically call out slam attacks and natural weapon attacks as included in this (tusk, bite, tentacle, et cetera).
Ack! I meant "melee attack," not just "unarmed."

[MagneticKitty]

Path of the Fist
Who needs weapons? Weapons are for weaklings.

Crashing Fists: Beginning at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Athletics, if you did not already have it, and your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 damage. After using your Attack action to make an unarmed strike, you may make a second unarmed strike or attempt to start a grab as a bonus action.

Crushing Rage: Beginning at 3rd level, while Raging, you count as one size category larger when determining what size of creature you can grab or shove. You may attempt to start a grab as a bonus action regardless of what you do with your action, and you gain the following options while grappling:

Crush: You may use your action to crush your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or take 3d6+Str damage.
Disarm: You may use your action to rip away your opponent's weapon or shield. They must make an opposed grapple check or lose one weapon or shield they're currently using. You may either begin wielding it yourself, or throw it up to 50ft in any direction.
Pin: You may use your action to pin your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or be restrained for the duration of the grab.
Throw: You may use your action to throw your foe. They must make an opposed grapple check or be thrown 10ft, plus an additional 5ft for every size category smaller than your effective grappling size they are.


Bare-Chested: Beginning at 6th level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your unarmed strikes deal +2 damage and you reduce the damage you take from non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing weapons by 2.

Spinebreaker: Beginning at 10th level, while grappling a foe, you may attempt to break their back. As an action, you may force them to make a Strength save, with a DC of 8+Prof+Str. If they fail, they take 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 2 levels of Barbarian and gain three levels of exhaustion. If they succeed, they take half damage and no exhaustion. After using this ability, you may not do so again until you have completed a long or short rest.

A creature is immune to this effect if it is immune to bludgeoning damage, doesn’t have or need a back, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its spine to be broken with this feature.

Countergrab: Beginning at 14th level, when a foe hits you with an melee attacking , you may attempt to grab them as a reaction. If you succeed, any further attacks they make before the beginning of your next turn are at disadvantage.

By level 5 crushing a grappled creature is useless. You can crush for 3d6+str or you can punch for 3 (1d6 + str) where you get three times your str in damage.
Pin steals the ability of a feat.. Which kinda devalues taking the feat.

Lv 10 abilities are usually ribbons. I think you should compare this lv 10 ability against others. Make sure when they get power spikes, you get power spikes. When they get ribbons you get ribbons.

Bare chested is not a very 5e style of abilities.. with the exception of one (heavy armor master) most reductions are replaced with disadvantage or resistance. Also no shield ruins your captain America dream. :p

3 levels of exhaustion is kinda steep. Especially if its on a boss monster. Make them more temporary or I'd give 1 instead

Be consistent with 5e language, do not use grab instead of grapple.
Also: "an melee attacking" in counter grab..

[Grod_The_Giant]

By level 5 crushing a grappled creature is useless. You can crush for 3d6+str or you can punch for 3 (1d6 + str) where you get three times your str in damage.
Fair point--I'll make it scale.


Pin steals the ability of a feat.. Which kinda devalues taking the feat.
Eh... it's always kind of tricky making a subclass that does something similar to a feat. I prefer to err on the side of "you're still good without the feat, but there's some benefit if you do," which is what I've done here. Particularly if the feat is as bad as Grappler. I'm quite happy to have the feat be inferior to the dedicated subclass.


Lv 10 abilities are usually ribbons. I think you should compare this lv 10 ability against others. Make sure when they get power spikes, you get power spikes. When they get ribbons you get ribbons.
Battlerager, Berserker, Storm Herald, and Zealot give useful and strong abilities at 10th.


Bare chested is not a very 5e style of abilities.. with the exception of one (heavy armor master) most reductions are replaced with disadvantage or resistance. Also no shield ruins your captain America dream. :p
No shield is a bit of a balance consideration-- Crashing Fists is basically just giving you a refluffed TWF style, and getting a shield on top of that doesn't feel right. (I've got a Monk archetype somewhere that can use a shield if you want to build Cap :P) As for the DR... eh. As you say, HAM already does it, and Barbarians get Resistance already.


3 levels of exhaustion is kinda steep. Especially if its on a boss monster. Make them more temporary or I'd give 1 instead
There aren't many ways to stack exhaustion. The ability is basically "fail ~2 saves and suffer a game-changing debuff" once/day-- compare with things like Banishment, Dominate Person, and Eyebite, which come online in the same general vicinity.


Be consistent with 5e language, do not use grab instead of grapple.
I literally stole the language from the Grappler feat.


Grappler
Prerequisite: Strength 13 or higher
You've developed the skills necessary to hold your own in close-quarters grappling. You gain the following benefits:

You have advantage on attack rolls against a creature you are grappling.
You can use your action to try to pin a creature grappled by you. To do so, make another grapple check. If you succeed, you and the creature are both restrained until the grapple ends.



Also: "an melee attacking" in counter grab..
Whoops/

[MagneticKitty]

Battlerager, Berserker, Storm Herald, and Zealot give useful and strong abilities at 10th.

There aren't many ways to stack exhaustion. The ability is basically "fail ~2 saves and suffer a game-changing debuff" once/day-- compare with things like Banishment, Dominate Person, and Eyebite, which come online in the same general vicinity.


Not saying it should be useful... just none of them get more damage. Mostly utility

Intimidating Presence (battlerager) - battlefield control, about 2-10 turns max
Shielding Storm (storm herald) - defense for allies, 10 turns
Spirit walker (totem) - utility
Zealous Presence (zealot) - healing allies, 1 round
This barbarian - high damage, guaranteed damage even on successful save, battle field control: Disadvantage on Ability Checks, half speed, Disadvantage on Attack rolls and Saving Throws, THREE DAYS

Also most of them are localized effects around the barb. This travels with them they can't escape. So from a dm perspective it's a darn scary ability

Also don't compare to casters of same level. You're not a caster, you're a barb.

[Grod_The_Giant]

THREE DAYS
Three minutes, 3 days, 3 years--for NPCs, it won't matter 99 times out of a hundred. But point taken-- what if I ditch the damage?

[MagneticKitty]

Three minutes, 3 days, 3 years--for NPCs, it won't matter 99 times out of a hundred. But point taken-- what if I ditch the damage?

It won't matter for a dungeon crawl adventure where all the enemies die in the same encounter you meet them in. Not all dms use this style, some use reoccurring villians... Who now have a broken back.
I'd still say an ability that gives an enemy repercussions for 3 days is a bit much...

And nevermind the duration, nevermind the damage, with three effects it's more powerful then the other lv 10s by far. (one of the three being disadvantage on breaking the grapple you currently have them in, and you have advantage on grapples (they're never getting away without teleports)).. and if you manage to prevent them from sleeping or stack this effect 3 days in a row you can take down anything you can grapple by just giving it 6 lvs of exhaustion... not to mention they have disadvantage on the check the next day

[Grod_The_Giant]

It won't matter for a dungeon crawl adventure where all the enemies die in the same encounter you meet them in. Not all dms use this style, some use reoccurring villians... Who now have a broken back.
I'd still say an ability that gives an enemy repercussions for 3 days is a bit much.
Even if you manage to use this on a villain who a) is important enough to recurr but not enough to have legendary actions, b) manages to escape alive, c) decides to face the party head-on again, and d) feels the need to do so within 3 days--which makes it an extremely unlikely scenario, no matter what sort of game you're running-- this is coming online at 10th level. It's entirely reasonable that any enemy operating at a comperable level can get their hands on a casting of Greater Restoration or two.