debonair barbarian?

[n00b]

Looking for some input on a Barbarian/Rogue build. Thinking of maybe an old style mafia guy. The fantasy version of a sports coat (maybe a bit too narrow across the shoulders) and a fedora. With social skills to boot. Probably a limit of Barb 5 for Extra Attack and the rest in Rogue. Any suggestions on Archetypes (no Assassin please, surprise just doesn't happen often enough to be viable)? Backgrounds? Stat array? Race? Any official material is acceptable. Not for AL play so no restrictions there.

[Amdy_vill]

Looking for some input on a Barbarian/Rogue build. Thinking of maybe an old style mafia guy. The fantasy version of a sports coat (maybe a bit too narrow across the shoulders) and a fedora. With social skills to boot. Probably a limit of Barb 5 for Extra Attack and the rest in Rogue. Any suggestions on Archetypes (no Assassin please, surprise just doesn't happen often enough to be viable)? Backgrounds? Stat array? Any official material is acceptable. Not for AL play so no restrictions there.

Zealot swashbuckler. the swave gentleman mafiosos is what i think. for a background criminal, solider, spy, guard and pirate all work well. Ancestral Guardian might work. reflavor it as his love for the family

[Man_Over_Game]

Looking for some input on a Barbarian/Rogue build. Thinking of maybe an old style mafia guy. The fantasy version of a sports coat (maybe a bit too narrow across the shoulders) and a fedora. With social skills to boot. Probably a limit of Barb 5 for Extra Attack and the rest in Rogue. Any suggestions on Archetypes (no Assassin please, surprise just doesn't happen often enough to be viable)? Backgrounds? Stat array? Any official material is acceptable. Not for AL play so no restrictions there.

Barbarian Rogue has a few things going for it:

STRONG grapple checks.
Sneak attack + Reckless attack = MURDER ATTACK
Barbarian can afford to use the mobility from Cunning Action.

With the constant use of Reckless Attack, there are two Barbarian recommendations I'd suggest:
Totem Barbarian, for a hippy tank. Being attacked constantly doesn't matter when you halve all incoming damage. Limit this to 5.
Battlerager Barbarian, for an intimidating grappler. Not only do you get more attacks, but you effectively heal by using Reckless Attack and deal extra damage from grappling (and you should be doing all of these things), win-win. Limit this to 6.

I think the Battlerager fits what you're looking to do fairly well by making the Spiked Armor more slick and cool and just treating the extra damage from the armor as being a nice "side effect" of having axeblade shoulderpads.

Half-orc has a lot of benefits for what you're looking for, if your DM isn't strict about the Dwarf requirement.

For Rogue archetypes, consider the Scout. You don't need anything to grant you your Sneak Attack, so the deficit with the Scout isn't applicable, and since you can grapple an enemy and force them to be adjacent to you, you effectively get 15-20 extra movement out of turn.

[Corran]

Just a suggestion on split (assuming a 20 level build, progression is a whole other problem). I'd aim for barbarian7/rogue13, for two reasons. Firstly, feral instinct is great for barbarians cause you don't want to take hits before you activate your rage, so getting an ability that can negate surprise while also boosting your initiative is very important (and feral instinct does that without you having to spend a feat in alert; though alert is not a bad feat still). Secondly, because rogues gain wisdom save proficiency at rogue 15, and given you will be multiclassing you would delay that even further, always assuming barb5/rogue15 (most likely you would take it at level 20). So, my solution to that, would be to take less than 15 rogue levels (which works well given how barbarian 7 is useful), and also by grabbing the resilient wisdom feat at some point instead.

For background, I would go with criminal (enforcer). Though many other backgrounds would work well, I would just like to play the tough guy that beats for the mob boss.

Edit: Expertise in athletics and intimidation would fit well.

[Misterwhisper]

Barbarian Rogue has a few things going for it:

STRONG grapple checks.
Sneak attack + Reckless attack = MURDER ATTACK
Barbarian can afford to use the mobility from Cunning Action.

With the constant use of Reckless Attack, there are two Barbarian recommendations I'd suggest:
Totem Barbarian, for a hippy tank. Being attacked constantly doesn't matter when you halve all incoming damage. Limit this to 5.
Battlerager Barbarian, for an intimidating grappler. Not only do you get more attacks, but you effectively heal by using Reckless Attack and deal extra damage from grappling (and you should be doing all of these things), win-win. Limit this to 6.

I think the Battlerager fits what you're looking to do fairly well by making the Spiked Armor more slick and cool and just treating the extra damage from the armor as being a nice "side effect" of having axeblade shoulderpads.

Half-orc has a lot of benefits for what you're looking for, if your DM isn't strict about the Dwarf requirement.

For Rogue archetypes, consider the Scout. You don't need anything to grant you your Sneak Attack, so the deficit with the Scout isn't applicable, and since you can grapple an enemy and force them to be adjacent to you, you effectively get 15-20 extra movement out of turn.

I was thinking the same but going for a Bugbear instead.
Extra skill, good stat bonuses, extra reach and an ambush ability.
Subclass for rogue would be thief so you can use a shield and short sword and quick hands drop the shield to grapple if you can, or rob them if you can't.
I call it the Thugbear.

[Warlush]

Half elf could give you the CHA amd STR bonus you need. Plus extra skills. I like the thief architype because you can grapple someone and then pick their pockets or disarm them with your cunning action.
Honestly though I'd pick half-orc. They make the coolest rogues.

[DeanH]

Arcane Trickster works well since much of the utility is out of combat. A familiar for scouting, stealth coupled with minor illusion and invisible mage hand to mess with people and gain tactical advantages, booming blade and cunning action if you decide you want to do hit and run rather than raging in a particular situation, and illusion disguise coupled with expertise in deception which you won't be suspected of if you're the uncouth barbarian are all fun options. If you get to level 7 in AT, you can get mirror image which doesn't require concentration and invisibility or a variety of other good spells. Earth Genasi for the stat bumps and pass without trace would work well mechanically.

[Ganymede]

Looking for some input on a Barbarian/Rogue build. Thinking of maybe an old style mafia guy. The fantasy version of a sports coat (maybe a bit too narrow across the shoulders) and a fedora. With social skills to boot. Probably a limit of Barb 5 for Extra Attack and the rest in Rogue. Any suggestions on Archetypes (no Assassin please, surprise just doesn't happen often enough to be viable)? Backgrounds? Stat array? Race? Any official material is acceptable. Not for AL play so no restrictions there.

Making a debonair barbarian is not hard at all. Just do the obvious: make choices that cause your character to be debonair. You don't need me to tell you to take proficiency in persuasion.

With that in mind, it is important to work on conceptualizing this character's concept. Specifically, what is the source of his rage? Answering that question would go a long way in narrowing down what barbarian path would be suitable.

[Man_Over_Game]

Arcane Trickster works well since much of the utility is out of combat. A familiar for scouting, stealth coupled with minor illusion and invisible mage hand to mess with people and gain tactical advantages, booming blade and cunning action if you decide you want to do hit and run rather than raging in a particular situation, and illusion disguise coupled with expertise in deception which you won't be suspected of if you're the uncouth barbarian are all fun options. If you get to level 7 in AT, you can get mirror image which doesn't require concentration and invisibility or a variety of other good spells.

There's a lot of conflict with the Barbarian.

Things like:

Can't cast spells or Concentrate while Raging.
Since you can't concentrate while raging, you cannot use your Rogue subclass feature in combat.
Since you can't use your Rogue subclass feature in combat, you cannot use your level 13 feature in combat.
Even if you could use your level 13 feature, it is fairly redundant with Reckless Attack.
The best Arcane Trickster feature for combat is at level 9, which requires Dexterity, which is a tertiary stat in this build (can't main Dexterity as a stat because Rage require Strength attacks).

[Max_Killjoy]

A debonarian?

[KorvinStarmast]

Background: Noble
Character: Barbarian(Bear or Ancestral Guardian) 5 / Rogue (X)
Build Order: 1 Rogue, 5 B, rest Rogue. (Skill proficiencies for the win! Dex save for the win!)
Point Buy:
S 13 D 15 C 14 I 10 Wis 12 Ch 8. Half Elf.
S 14, D 16, C 14 I 10 W 12 Ch 10 (you need a little Int to come off as debonair, you need some charisma for a few of the social skills but expertise takes care of most of that).
Specific Skills Needed: Athletics, Persuasion, Stealth, Thieve's Tools ... pick the rest. Extra languages from Noble will be handy. You'll be at a lot of cocktail parties casing out rich folks ...
Expertise: Athletics, Persuasion. Maybe Stealth ... I'd go with the first two.

You start with 8 skill proficiencies: 4 rogue, 2 Noble, 2 Half Elf.

Rogue Archetype ... I'd go Swashbuckler or Thief.

[DeanH]

There's a lot of conflict with the Barbarian.

Things like:

Can't cast spells or Concentrate while Raging.
Since you can't concentrate while raging, you cannot use your Rogue subclass feature in combat.
Since you can't use your Rogue subclass feature in combat, you cannot use your level 13 feature in combat.
Even if you could use your level 13 feature, it is fairly redundant with Reckless Attack.
The best Arcane Trickster feature for combat is at level 9, which requires Dexterity, which is a tertiary stat in this build (can't main Dexterity as a stat because Rage require Strength attacks).

The spells you'd want to use are mostly out of combat or leading into combat anyway. If you're invisible, for example, you can make surprise attacks and then rage as a bonus action. The OP was obviously not just concerned with combat potential. Dex 14 plus expertise in stealth gives you a decent stealth. It's true you can't concentrate on something like suggest while raging, but you can use it before raging or out of combat. You can't use your level 13 feature, but you can pick up fireball. Even low power fireballs are nice to open combat with.

[DeanH]

If you want to use Breastplates, you need start with Barbarian or play a Mountain Dwarf, since multiclassing into Barbarian doesn't give you armor.

[KorvinStarmast]

OK, start Barbarian, get that 12 HP right up front, get 1 rogue (a skill and an expertise) and then proceed with 4 more Barb and then all rogue until the game ends.
Danger Sense gives you enough help with Dex Saves that starting Barbarian, and eating a skill here and there, works out.

[Quoz]

A dex based swashbuckler/barbarian can also be quite a fun swordsman. I like it on a stout halfling with rapier (can probably refluff to a cane sword for added style) and shield. The unarmored defense and high con/dex give great AC. Rage is more of a cold battle focus, less foaming at the mouth and more unstoppable badass. You wont get use of the rage bonus to damage and reckless attack, but most of the other feature work well together.

[DeanH]

Actually, Mage Hand isn't concentration, so you can use it and the 13th level AT feature while raging.

[Man_Over_Game]

A dex based swashbuckler/barbarian can also be quite a fun swordsman. I like it on a stout halfling with rapier (can probably refluff to a cane sword for added style) and shield. The unarmored defense and high con/dex give great AC. Rage is more of a cold battle focus, less foaming at the mouth and more unstoppable badass. You wont get use of the rage bonus to damage and reckless attack, but most of the other feature work well together.

This works particularly well with Ancestral Guardian, due to the fact that Ancestral Guardian makes the Barbarian the path of least resistance for the enemy afflicted, and the Barbarian has incentive to actually flee from the target.

Hit the boss, run behind your team, and now your boss has to make a choice to chase you through your team and provoke Opportunity Attacks or deal no damage this turn. Rinse, repeat.