Opinions on potential Aasimar Barbarian build

[CTurbo]

I've mentioned multiple times now on here the idea of playing a beautiful woman Barbarian who would usually wear a dress and now I actually have the stats to pull it off so I'm seriously considering it for an upcoming character.

Originally, I was going to be a Half-Elf and use the two free skills in some social skills, but then it occurred to me that Aasimar would fit the "beautiful" theme even better as well as having a super fun once per long rest racial ability that's almost like a rage in itself. I'm still considering Half-Elf or even vHuman, but for the rest of this post, lets assume I'm going Aasimar. One of the biggest things I'm looking for here is which subrace of Aasimar to choose.

I like Protector Aasimar a lot thematically, but with a +2 Cha and +1 Wis, this is easily the least helpful stat boost option of the three.
I like the Fallen Aasimar both mechanically and thematically, but I really want this character to be GOOD, and even thought the DM has confirmed that I can play a good Fallen Aasimar, I'm still struggling coming up with how to do so. Even still, I do like the idea that the fear from the racial effects my friends as well. Sounds awesome. (they'd be immune at level 10 anyway)
I like Scourge too because I feel like REALLY fits in with the whole rage concept and I LOVE the fact that I would deal damage to myself and friends standing close to me. I feel like it adds some extra depth to my character since she would feel so guilty about hurting her friends unintentionally during her transformations.

Character backstory and background are still in development, but I'm open to suggestions on backgrounds. I do see her as from a well off background though. Possibly rich heritage.

I see her as VERY friendly, sweet, caring, protective, and probably flirty, but with an extremely explosive temper.
She will NOT look like a Barbarian. She will not ever wear armor, and despite having a high Str, will not look anywhere near as strong as she is.(think Wonder Woman). I'm also having a hard time seeing her using a huge 2 handed weapon. She'll be a reasonable height and weight but probably a little bit taller than the average adult human women. 5' 6" - 5' 9" and 120-140lbs probably.

Things I'm certain off-
1. stats are 18, 17, 16, 15, 13, 12
2. Female Barbarian
3. no armor
4. Charisma is important to character concept
5. Don't want to multiclass(although I MAY take a level of Bard later as I feel it does fit her concept a little)
6. Starting at level 2 with a free feat
7. Will be the party face
8. Will be very much a good character.

Things I'm still debating on-
1. race/subrace
2. background(I'm leaning towards Far Traveler)
3. what type of weapons to use(thinking about going Longsword and shield but don't want my AC to be TOO high ironically)
4. which feat to start with
5. which Barb subclass to go with(90% sure I'll go Zealot but open to suggestions)
6. should I take a single level of Bard at some point? Inspiration dice and more skills would be great. I don't see her as a big spell caster so I would probably take 4 out of combat rituals and always cast them as such. Cantrips would probably be Mending and Vicious Mockery
7. Chaotic, Neutral, or Lawful? I like the idea of being LG, but I think CG would fit better if I go with Fallen. Maybe that's why she's a Fallen?

Both Fallen and Scourge could start me with 18 Str, 16 Dex, 18 Con, and 17 Cha. Protector drops Str or Con to 17, but I could make that 1 point up with my free feat if I needed to.

Which brings me to feats. I'm undecided but I have an idea of what I want and what I don't want.

I like Inspiring Leader, Sentinel, Mobile, Res(Wis), Ritual Caster, Diplomat, and possibly Skilled in order to get social skill proficiencies. Alert and Lucky are always good for anybody, and Tavern Brawler is my +1 Str/Con feat of choice if I did choose Protector Aasimar. Two feats I am not interested in for this build is PAM and GWM. I just can't see her using a weapon that fits them. Oh yeah I do kind of like Shield Master for her....

So yeah I think that's what I've got so far. Any opinions or suggestions?

[Arial Black]

Love your ideas!

Race: Aasimar. Beauty, longevity, awesomeness...so much cool!

Subrace: Scourge. Radiant Consumption stacks with Rage very well both thematically and mechanically, and +1 Con rounds out your stats nicely. You already know how your stats will look.

Class: Barbarian. Rage, AC = 10+Con+Dex=17, Reckless Attack.

Subclass: Zealot. Appropriate thematically for an aasimar, and doing extra radiant damage while raging is perfect. Later on, coming back to life easier because God loves you fits perfectly. Starting with 18 Str while in the body of a waifish supermodel shows just how much God loves you!

Multiclass?: No need, especially before you get Extra Attack. Maybe later if you feel the need. Satisfy your spellcasting urges with feats: Magic Initiate/Ritual Caster.

Weapons?: You don't seem to want two-handed weapons, and it seems to me that sword+board would be even less appropriate for a girl in a pretty dress who gets caught up in the sweep of the campaign events, as opposed to 'professional adventurer'. This leaves either single weapon or two weapons.

For single weapon, since you don't like the idea of a big sword, and a longsword is both biggish and can be used two-handed for greater effect, then it seems like a rapier is your friend. Finesse means you are free to use it with Str OR Dex, your choice, so choose Str. If you choose the Defensive Duelist feat then this evokes a skillful, civilised combatant rather than a brainless barbarian brute, and the AC bonus offsets the lack of shield.

For two weapons, you can still use the Defensive Duelist feat, but you are stuck with light weapons. If you take Dual Wielder you can use twin rapiers (called a 'case of rapiers' historically), and get +1 AC when they are in hand. You could still take Defensive Duelist later.

You could also use a pair of batons (clubs), sai (daggers), nunchucks (clubs again. I love that 5e allows us to re-skin weapons!), or any other one-handed or light weapons that you think she would use.

Feats: Well, your fighting style suggest some, your desire to cast spells suggest others, and putting your 13 in Wis invites you to take Resilient:Wisdom at some point, though probably not immediately.

Background: The world is your oyster here, especially since you can get whatever two skills you want for any background as long as you can make sense of the swap (or even if you can't, technically). I like Noble, but Folk Hero has some good background from the other end of the social scale.

Since an aasimar child is NOT born of two aasimar parents, but of two (usually) human parents, there is no need to be a Far Traveller; you can belong to any culture you like.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. What do you think? Helpful? Waste of time?

I'd be interested in what you choose.

[Grimmnist]

I was playing around with a similar concept recently a Scourge Aasimar Storm Herald Barbarian. I liked the idea of the Scourge area of effect and the desert Storm Herald for double AoE and you can proc both on the same turn.

Overall I like your concept, to weigh in a few of your questions:
1) I like Scourge, good aligned and gives you an Ability increase you care about.
...
3) If you are worried about your AC being too high consider going Longsword with 2 hands.
4) I like Inspiring Leader for the concept you are building.
5) Like I said above I like the idea of Scourge + Storm Herald but Zealot does make sense thematically.
6) I am not a big fan of dipping Bard, it can be hard to get use out of the Inspiration dice until they recharge on short rest.

[Crucius]

I am liking what you are trying to make, so here are some random words to help;

3. No armor is the best armor, now you can wear anything! This might be the best roleplay asset the barbarian has to offer and it looks like you are using it very well. I'm curious, what type of clothes do you envision she will wear?

1. Scourge Aasimar has that nice duality you are trying to pull off with your character. Angelic on the outside, bursting with energy on the inside.
2. Whatever you choose, since the barbarian gets lackluster skill selection, make sure you pick one that has the corresponding 'face' skills you want to use, or use the 'customize background' rule to mix and match your own stuff. At that point all that matters is a background feature and for that the far traveler is quite nice indeed.
3. If you don't want her to come across as too warrior-y, you could think of weapons that have more practical use outside of combat. A walking cane turned quarterstaff. A pocket knife turned dagger. An expedition machete turned scimitar. This might help sell the fact that she was carrying the item for a different reason at first, and only after decided it would suit her as a weapon.
4. I'm liking Inspiring Leader, Sentinel and Mobile here (the latter especially should I have convinced you to go for Ancestral Guardian (see point 5 below)). Inspiring Leader and Sentinel fit the description of her personality very well, as they both aim to help party members.
5. Zealot fits very well, but might I try to sell you on the Ancestral Guardian? With a bit of imagination the ancestor(s) that appear while raging could be someone dear to you that has died, possibly tied to your angelic heritage. You say she is caring and protective and the Ancestral Protectors and Spirit Shield fit that bill perfectly. This also means your power does not have to be expressed in damage output, but in number of times you protect your party.
6. Barbarian gets a bit boring on the higher levels, so should you decide to do a level of bard, you could do it almost freely after level 7/8 (assuming you won't make it to level 20 since campaigns rarely go there).
7. Don't worry too much about lawful/neutral/chaotic, alignment is just a reminder for you the player, and it is bound to change as you develop your character throughout the campaign. You don't have to assign a label to her, unless you really want to. In that case, based on your description, she sounds Lawful, unless her temper flares up regularly, then she might be Chaotic.

I liked what Arial Black was saying, so... yeah. Cool stuff.

[CTurbo]

Love your ideas!

Race: Aasimar. Beauty, longevity, awesomeness...so much cool!

Subrace: Scourge. Radiant Consumption stacks with Rage very well both thematically and mechanically, and +1 Con rounds out your stats nicely. You already know how your stats will look.

Class: Barbarian. Rage, AC = 10+Con+Dex=17, Reckless Attack.

Subclass: Zealot. Appropriate thematically for an aasimar, and doing extra radiant damage while raging is perfect. Later on, coming back to life easier because God loves you fits perfectly. Starting with 18 Str while in the body of a waifish supermodel shows just how much God loves you!

Multiclass?: No need, especially before you get Extra Attack. Maybe later if you feel the need. Satisfy your spellcasting urges with feats: Magic Initiate/Ritual Caster.

Weapons?: You don't seem to want two-handed weapons, and it seems to me that sword+board would be even less appropriate for a girl in a pretty dress who gets caught up in the sweep of the campaign events, as opposed to 'professional adventurer'. This leaves either single weapon or two weapons.

For single weapon, since you don't like the idea of a big sword, and a longsword is both biggish and can be used two-handed for greater effect, then it seems like a rapier is your friend. Finesse means you are free to use it with Str OR Dex, your choice, so choose Str. If you choose the Defensive Duelist feat then this evokes a skillful, civilised combatant rather than a brainless barbarian brute, and the AC bonus offsets the lack of shield.

For two weapons, you can still use the Defensive Duelist feat, but you are stuck with light weapons. If you take Dual Wielder you can use twin rapiers (called a 'case of rapiers' historically), and get +1 AC when they are in hand. You could still take Defensive Duelist later.

You could also use a pair of batons (clubs), sai (daggers), nunchucks (clubs again. I love that 5e allows us to re-skin weapons!), or any other one-handed or light weapons that you think she would use.

Feats: Well, your fighting style suggest some, your desire to cast spells suggest others, and putting your 13 in Wis invites you to take Resilient:Wisdom at some point, though probably not immediately.

Background: The world is your oyster here, especially since you can get whatever two skills you want for any background as long as you can make sense of the swap (or even if you can't, technically). I like Noble, but Folk Hero has some good background from the other end of the social scale.

Since an aasimar child is NOT born of two aasimar parents, but of two (usually) human parents, there is no need to be a Far Traveller; you can belong to any culture you like.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. What do you think? Helpful? Waste of time?

I'd be interested in what you choose.

Thank you for your thoughts. I do like the Defensive Duelist feat but to me it's a late feat pick like Lucky better off after your proficiency bonus is like +5 or 6. Res(Wis) is a definite selection but probably not until level 8 I think. I do NOT like the idea of rapiers for a Barb or to be used with Str at all. Just really lacking in flavor IMO. I'd rather use scimitars. When I envision her as a sword and board, I'm thinking Sophitia from Soul Calibur https://www.google.com/search?q=soul+calibur+sophitia&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=sZ_yni5Pj8jjhM%253A%252Cp0RD8Up5N9yYEM%252C%25 2Fm%252F025s72y&usg=AI4_-kSCaPaRFSvTWcgigvmLt0S0Wc_68Q&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiOxO3LpMTgAhXF5oMKHYUdDrwQ_B0wF3oECAQQB g#imgrc=_

I still haven't thought much about background. I was thinking Far Traveler because I imagined she would attract a lot of attention everywhere she went.

[RogueJK]

For Race, I like the flavor of Aasimar, but Variant Human or Half Elf would be a better choice mechanically. Half Elf boosts your CHA plus two of your primary stats, plus gets you two free skills to be a better Face. Variant Human would be my second choice, since it lets you start with +1 to two of your primary stats, plus a free skill, plus an extra feat for a total of two at start, which could be nice. Aasimar is a distant third, unless you're doing it strictly for roleplaying reasons.

For Background, I think Courtier fits nicely both with your character concept of a girl from a noble family, as well as for the skills you'll want. Namely, it gets you the two main Face Skills of Persuasion and Insight. As a Face, you likely also want Deception and possibly Intimidation. You'll also want a grapple defense and exploration skill, either Athletics or Acrobatics. And you'll want to try to get Perception too, since it's the most common skill roll. That's 6 total skills. If you're a Half Elf, you can get all six. Use your two free skills to get Perception and Deception. Barbarian gets you Athletics and Intimidation. Courtier Background for Insight and Persuasion. But if you go with a race other than Half Elf, you'll have to pare down the list to just 4 or 5 skills, and/or use a Feat to pick up one of the skills.

Longsword and Shield would work nicely for a more classically-trained fighter from a civilized, noble family. Maybe something like Arya Stark, where the family initially tried to discourage her interest in martial weaponry, but later relented and got her formal lessons in swordplay.

For your free Feat, I'd consider one of the skill-based half-feats to round out one of your odd stats and give you Expertise in a Face skill like Persuasion.

For subclass, I'd skip the ones that are more along the line of a ""wild tribesman Barbarian", like Totem Warrior or Storm Herald. Berserker could fit, but Frenzy has problems. Zealot would work well as a more civilized godly Barbarian, especially if you do decide to stick with Aasimar, and the extra damage boost will help offset the fact that you're not using the traditional 2H weaponry. Otherwise, Ancestral Guardian would also be a good choice for a more civilized Barbarian. So I'd go Zealot for a more religious bent, or Ancestral Guardian for a more "the spirits of my family's forebearers protect me" bent.

I wouldn't bother with the Bard dip. If you want her to have some utility casting, you could look at the Ritual Caster or Magic Initiate feat as your free feat.

Your call on Alignment.


I'd do something like this:

Half Elf Barbarian 2
Free Feat: Everybody's Friend
STR 18
DEX 16
CON 17+1
INT 12
WIS 13+1
CHA 15+2+1

Skills: Deception (Half-Elf, Expertise from feat), Perception (Half-Elf), Athletics (Barbarian), Intimidation (Barbarian), Insight (Courtier), Persuasion (Courtier, Expertise from feat)
Languages: Common, Elven, +3 more


Or if you do decide to stick with an Aasimar, something like:

Fallen or Scourge Aasimar Barbarian 2
Free Feat: Diplomat
STR 17+1 / 18
DEX 16
CON 18 / 17+1
INT 12
WIS 13
CHA 15+2+1

Skills: Insight (Courtier), Persuasion (Courtier, Expertise from feat), Athletics (Barbarian), Intimidation (Barbarian)
Languages: Common, Celestial, +2 more

[CTurbo]

I was playing around with a similar concept recently a Scourge Aasimar Storm Herald Barbarian. I liked the idea of the Scourge area of effect and the desert Storm Herald for double AoE and you can proc both on the same turn.

Overall I like your concept, to weigh in a few of your questions:
1) I like Scourge, good aligned and gives you an Ability increase you care about.
...
3) If you are worried about your AC being too high consider going Longsword with 2 hands.
4) I like Inspiring Leader for the concept you are building.
5) Like I said above I like the idea of Scourge + Storm Herald but Zealot does make sense thematically.
6) I am not a big fan of dipping Bard, it can be hard to get use out of the Inspiration dice until they recharge on short rest.


So that's 2 votes for Scourge. Cool. What does everybody think about a possible GOOD aligned Fallen Aasimar?

I'll definitely check out Storm Herald. I am not 100% familiar with it.

I know Bard is an odd dip for a Barb, but I do think it fits thematically. I'm still not sold on the idea. I'd be doing it mainly for the skills and Inspiration dice. The spells(rituals) would just be icing on the cake. *IF* we made it to Barbarian 14, I could potentially take more Bard levels after that.

[CTurbo]

I am liking what you are trying to make, so here are some random words to help;

3. No armor is the best armor, now you can wear anything! This might be the best roleplay asset the barbarian has to offer and it looks like you are using it very well. I'm curious, what type of clothes do you envision she will wear?

1. Scourge Aasimar has that nice duality you are trying to pull off with your character. Angelic on the outside, bursting with energy on the inside.
2. Whatever you choose, since the barbarian gets lackluster skill selection, make sure you pick one that has the corresponding 'face' skills you want to use, or use the 'customize background' rule to mix and match your own stuff. At that point all that matters is a background feature and for that the far traveler is quite nice indeed.
3. If you don't want her to come across as too warrior-y, you could think of weapons that have more practical use outside of combat. A walking cane turned quarterstaff. A pocket knife turned dagger. An expedition machete turned scimitar. This might help sell the fact that she was carrying the item for a different reason at first, and only after decided it would suit her as a weapon.
4. I'm liking Inspiring Leader, Sentinel and Mobile here (the latter especially should I have convinced you to go for Ancestral Guardian (see point 5 below)). Inspiring Leader and Sentinel fit the description of her personality very well, as they both aim to help party members.
5. Zealot fits very well, but might I try to sell you on the Ancestral Guardian? With a bit of imagination the ancestor(s) that appear while raging could be someone dear to you that has died, possibly tied to your angelic heritage. You say she is caring and protective and the Ancestral Protectors and Spirit Shield fit that bill perfectly. This also means your power does not have to be expressed in damage output, but in number of times you protect your party.
6. Barbarian gets a bit boring on the higher levels, so should you decide to do a level of bard, you could do it almost freely after level 7/8 (assuming you won't make it to level 20 since campaigns rarely go there).
7. Don't worry too much about lawful/neutral/chaotic, alignment is just a reminder for you the player, and it is bound to change as you develop your character throughout the campaign. You don't have to assign a label to her, unless you really want to. In that case, based on your description, she sounds Lawful, unless her temper flares up regularly, then she might be Chaotic.

I liked what Arial Black was saying, so... yeah. Cool stuff.


1. Ok so 3 straight votes for Scourge. Interesting.
2. I agree about the skills and I NEED her to have the social skills. That's one reason I'm considering a small Bard dip or the Skilled feat.
3. This is something I'm struggling with. I don't mind her looking a little warrior-ish. I just don't want her to look like a freaking barbarian hahaha. I'm leaning towards dual Scimitars that could fit nicely at her waist. This is still up in the air. That's one reason I kind of like Tavern Brawler. I wouldn't even have to carry weapons. I dunno.
4. I agree with those 3. Still not sure which one I would start with. Inspiring Leader probably. If I don't take a level of Bard, Ritual Caster is more important.
5. I do like Ancestral Guardian. It's certainly up for debate. Gonna check out Storm Herald shortly. Zealot does fit so well though.
6. I agree about Barbs getting boring. More reason why I like a single level Bard dip early and to possibly add more levels of Bard later.


Thanks for the answer

[Grimmnist]

So that's 2 votes for Scourge. Cool. What does everybody think about a possible GOOD aligned Fallen Aasimar?


I think it could be interesting, earlier you had mentioned playing chaotic alignment and having that be the reason for the fall, that could works but it would obviously need to be more fleshed out. Personally I would go with a redemption story, a character who has a dark past and is trying make up for past actions, this would actually work pretty well with the whole rage mechanic as anger bursts forth from this character. This could work with any of the good alignments but LG would be the hardest fit.

[Zonugal]

I threw this together in a few minutes.

You're starting at 2nd level, so I built her around that but I figure you mentioned Tavern Brawler a bit so you likely want to take it (and why not, it's awesome). Should you dip into Bard later (and I recommend doing so after six levels of Barbarian), you'll be able to snag yourself another feat (or you can use your 4th-level ASI for a skill-feat as your attributes are pretty damn good already).

Sophia Skullsmasher

http://oi67.tinypic.com/17y4g0.jpg

Sophia Skullsmasher
‘Noble’ Scourge Aasimar ‘Zealot’ Barbarian 2
AC: 16 (unarmored defense); HP: 27 (2d12+8); Speed: 30 ft.; Saving Throws: Strength +6 & Constitution +6
Str 19 (+4), Dex 15 (+2), Con 18 (+4), Int 12 (+1), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 18 (+4)
Skills/Feats: Athletics +6, Gaming Set (Chess) +2, History +3, Perception +3, Persuasion +6; Tavern Brawler
Senses: passive Perception 13; Languages: Celestial, Common, & Dwarven
Special Abilities
Racial Abilities: Celestial Resistance, Darkvision (60 ft.), Healing Hands (2 hp/long rest), Light Bearer, and Radiant Consumption (1/long rest)
Background Abilities: Position of Privilege
Class Abilities: Rage (2/long rest; +2 rage dmg), Unarmored Defense, Reckless Attack, & Danger Sense
Actions
Dagger. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., range 20 ft./60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+4) slashing damage; finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)
Unarmed Strike. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+4) unarmed damage
Whip. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+4) slashing damage; finesse, reach
---
Spell-like Abilities -- Sophia’s spellcasting ability is Charisma-based (spell save DC 14)
Cantrips (at will) -- Light
---
Equipment: a dagger, an explorer’s pack (included within a backpack: a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it), a set of fine clothes, a purse (25 gp), a scroll of pedigree, a signet ring, & a whip

[CTurbo]

I think you guys have talked me into going Scourge.

But how do you think Fallen would do for this character?

I'm also leaning a little more heavily into a single level Bard dip early, and possibly taking more Bard levels late game if we get that high. I see her loving to sing and having an angelic voice and inspiration dice fits her perfectly. So maybe Barb 1, Bard 1, and then Barb for the next 13 levels. THEN maybe going to Bard 5. I am zero concerned about not being able to cast spells while raging. I would only take utility spells or rituals anyway.

[Crucius]

I think you guys have talked me into going Scourge.

But how do you think Fallen would do for this character?

I'm also leaning a little more heavily into a single level Bard dip early, and possibly taking more Bard levels late game if we get that high. I see her loving to sing and having an angelic voice and inspiration dice fits her perfectly. So maybe Barb 1, Bard 1, and then Barb for the next 13 levels. THEN maybe going to Bard 5. I am zero concerned about not being able to cast spells while raging. I would only take utility spells or rituals anyway.

Fallen could work very well, the only thing that clashes really is the fact that you want to have her be a Good character while the description of fallen does not explicitly mesh well with that. To circumvent this; For a story you could say that the title 'fallen' is not an internal change, but decided upon by an enclave of higher angels. That way your character could have been framed for a holy crime she didn't commit, getting cast down and stripped from her radiant powers. Now she is trying to find out what really happened and who set her up. It's a test of devotion if anything really. That way you can still roleplay as a Lawful Good character while also getting to play the fallen subrace.

Do the bard thing, and do it as soon as possible, you'll love it. Extra attack can wait. First be able to do something, second be able to do it well.

[CTurbo]

Fallen could work very well, the only thing that clashes really is the fact that you want to have her be a Good character while the description of fallen does not explicitly mesh well with that. To circumvent this; For a story you could say that the title 'fallen' is not an internal change, but decided upon by an enclave of higher angels. That way your character could have been framed for a holy crime she didn't commit, getting cast down and stripped from her radiant powers. Now she is trying to find out what really happened and who set her up. It's a test of devotion if anything really. That way you can still roleplay as a Lawful Good character while also getting to play the fallen subrace.

Do the bard thing, and do it as soon as possible, you'll love it. Extra attack can wait. First be able to do something, second be able to do it well.


Thanks for the answer.

About being Fallen and good at the same time, I figured maybe I could be Chaotic Good and am "Fallen" because I refuse to follow laws and order. The DM liked this idea. I think he's allow Radiant damage still instead of Necrotic, but not 100% sure since I would still be "cast out" so to speak.

So you think I should get 5 Bard levels early, or just the single level dip early?

[Crucius]

Thanks for the answer.

About being Fallen and good at the same time, I figured maybe I could be Chaotic Good and am "Fallen" because I refuse to follow laws and order. The DM liked this idea. I think he's allow Radiant damage still instead of Necrotic, but not 100% sure since I would still be "cast out" so to speak.

So you think I should get 5 Bard levels early, or just the single level dip early?

Nice, that works! The fear effect with the radiant damage would be quite the juxtaposition, but then again Barbarians are all about that duality so if it fits your character better, go for it! I find that in the end that's all that matters; if you feel comfortable and confident with your character the game becomes exponentially more fun!

As for bard levels, it's hard to tell. My advice is to 'feel' it. If you notice you like giving out bardic inspiration more than dealing straight up damage to enemies I would say rush B...ard (hehe now it looks like I censored the word bastard). The only thing I notice is that I think you want to profile your character as a zealot barbarian, which will come online quite late if you go for bard first. I understand your predicament, so my advice is to sketch an outline of your end build and just decide what you want on each level up. There are so many variables at play (party composition, campaign story, DM playstyle) so flexibility is not a bad thing here.

Do you know the trick of flipping a coin and then feel if you are disappointed with the outcome? So if I say: Start with barb 1/bard 1, go to barb 3/bard 1 then barb 3/bard 5 and go full barbarian after that, and your gut reaction is "No, f*ck that" (or not) you know you have made yourself a choice ;)

[CTurbo]

Nice, that works! The fear effect with the radiant damage would be quite the juxtaposition, but then again Barbarians are all about that duality so if it fits your character better, go for it! I find that in the end that's all that matters; if you feel comfortable and confident with your character the game becomes exponentially more fun!

As for bard levels, it's hard to tell. My advice is to 'feel' it. If you notice you like giving out bardic inspiration more than dealing straight up damage to enemies I would say rush B...ard (hehe now it looks like I censored the word bastard). The only thing I notice is that I think you want to profile your character as a zealot barbarian, which will come online quite late if you go for bard first. I understand your predicament, so my advice is to sketch an outline of your end build and just decide what you want on each level up. There are so many variables at play (party composition, campaign story, DM playstyle) so flexibility is not a bad thing here.

Do you know the trick of flipping a coin and then feel if you are disappointed with the outcome? So if I say: Start with barb 1/bard 1, go to barb 3/bard 1 then barb 3/bard 5 and go full barbarian after that, and your gut reaction is "No, f*ck that" (or not) you know you have made yourself a choice ;)


The biggest selling point of Zealot is that awesome level 14 feature. Even putting it off 1 level will hurt so I don't know if I can put it off even longer making it less and less likely to reach, but we'll see. it's hard if not impossible to plan out a character SO many levels ahead. I may skip Bard altogether I dunno.

If I DO go Bard for more than a level, I'm thinking Swords Bard since it'd boost combat some. I can see her potentially dual wielding so TFW would help quite a bit. If I decide to go S&B, Dueling would help.

[Crucius]

The biggest selling point of Zealot is that awesome level 14 feature. Even putting it off 1 level will hurt so I don't know if I can put it off even longer making it less and less likely to reach, but we'll see. it's hard if not impossible to plan out a character SO many levels ahead. I may skip Bard altogether I dunno.

If I DO go Bard for more than a level, I'm thinking Swords Bard since it'd boost combat some. I can see her potentially dual wielding so TFW would help quite a bit. If I decide to go S&B, Dueling would help.

Very true, it is such an insane feature. Do you know what kind of campaign you'll be playing? Is it a book or is the DM making everything de novo, and if he/she is making it themselves, how realistic is it that it will run for years and years to reach level 14 (or higher) eventually?

[Spiritchaser]

With attributes that high, I wouldn’t sweat the details on stat bonuses. Pick scourge fallen or protector as you see fit.

Seriously with those numbers even protector should work just fine, and if I were doing this I’d probably go that route. Protector Ancestral guardian with a pole arm and sentinel would be my pick.

[MagneticKitty]

Maul or warhammer - croquet mallet or golf club or parasol
Shield + club - frying pan (ask your dm if you can do this but occupies both hands like a sword and shield)
Sword and shield - pot lid and butcher knife

I'd go with a maul personally. Great sword stats with bludgeoning.

If you can work it in I'd start bard 1 barb 1, your background being a musician. Definitely need prestidigitation to clean unsightly blood off your mallet since you're a proper lady. Maybe you were a court musician but critique drove you into a rage and you were fired because of it.

[CTurbo]

The DM does his own thing. I've never played with them, but my friend who has played with them for years says they usually make it to mid levels. He said getting to level 14 is a strong maybe at best.

[CTurbo]

I've mentioned multiple times now on here the idea of playing a beautiful woman Barbarian who would usually wear a dress and now I actually have the stats to pull it off so I'm seriously considering it for an upcoming character.

Originally, I was going to be a Half-Elf and use the two free skills in some social skills, but then it occurred to me that Aasimar would fit the "beautiful" theme even better as well as having a super fun once per long rest racial ability that's almost like a rage in itself. I'm still considering Half-Elf or even vHuman, but for the rest of this post, lets assume I'm going Aasimar. One of the biggest things I'm looking for here is which subrace of Aasimar to choose.

I like Protector Aasimar a lot thematically, but with a +2 Cha and +1 Wis, this is easily the least helpful stat boost option of the three.
I like the Fallen Aasimar both mechanically and thematically, but I really want this character to be GOOD, and even thought the DM has confirmed that I can play a good Fallen Aasimar, I'm still struggling coming up with how to do so. Even still, I do like the idea that the fear from the racial effects my friends as well. Sounds awesome. (they'd be immune at level 10 anyway)
I like Scourge too because I feel like REALLY fits in with the whole rage concept and I LOVE the fact that I would deal damage to myself and friends standing close to me. I feel like it adds some extra depth to my character since she would feel so guilty about hurting her friends unintentionally during her transformations.

Character backstory and background are still in development, but I'm open to suggestions on backgrounds. I do see her as from a well off background though. Possibly rich heritage.

I see her as VERY friendly, sweet, caring, protective, and probably flirty, but with an extremely explosive temper.
She will NOT look like a Barbarian. She will not ever wear armor, and despite having a high Str, will not look anywhere near as strong as she is.(think Wonder Woman). I'm also having a hard time seeing her using a huge 2 handed weapon. She'll be a reasonable height and weight but probably a little bit taller than the average adult human women. 5' 6" - 5' 9" and 120-140lbs probably.

Things I'm certain off-
1. stats are 18, 17, 16, 15, 13, 12
2. Female Barbarian
3. no armor
4. Charisma is important to character concept
5. Don't want to multiclass(although I MAY take a level of Bard later as I feel it does fit her concept a little)
6. Starting at level 2 with a free feat
7. Will be the party face
8. Will be very much a good character.

Things I'm still debating on-
1. race/subrace
2. background(I'm leaning towards Far Traveler)
3. what type of weapons to use(thinking about going Longsword and shield but don't want my AC to be TOO high ironically)
4. which feat to start with
5. which Barb subclass to go with(90% sure I'll go Zealot but open to suggestions)
6. should I take a single level of Bard at some point? Inspiration dice and more skills would be great. I don't see her as a big spell caster so I would probably take 4 out of combat rituals and always cast them as such. Cantrips would probably be Mending and Vicious Mockery
7. Chaotic, Neutral, or Lawful? I like the idea of being LG, but I think CG would fit better if I go with Fallen. Maybe that's why she's a Fallen?

Both Fallen and Scourge could start me with 18 Str, 16 Dex, 18 Con, and 17 Cha. Protector drops Str or Con to 17, but I could make that 1 point up with my free feat if I needed to.

Which brings me to feats. I'm undecided but I have an idea of what I want and what I don't want.

I like Inspiring Leader, Sentinel, Mobile, Res(Wis), Ritual Caster, Diplomat, and possibly Skilled in order to get social skill proficiencies. Alert and Lucky are always good for anybody, and Tavern Brawler is my +1 Str/Con feat of choice if I did choose Protector Aasimar. Two feats I am not interested in for this build is PAM and GWM. I just can't see her using a weapon that fits them. Oh yeah I do kind of like Shield Master for her....

So yeah I think that's what I've got so far. Any opinions or suggestions?


Update on this!

So I've decided to go Scourge Aasimar. I want her to be lawful good. I've also decided that thematically, she really needs at least a single Bard level if not two, three or five eventually. I do get to start at level 2 and possibly even 3 so I could sneak a Bard level in there to start and I don't think it would hurt me TOO bad. I wouldn't take any more Bard levels until much later if at all.

Things I want for her from the Bard class- Inspiration Dice, Jack of All Trades, Song of Rest, Expertise, extra skill, and the fact that I want her to have an angelic singing voice.

Things I do NOT want for her from the Bard class- Spells! lol yeah ironically I do not see her as a "spell caster." I will probably only take Bard rituals and cast them as such. The one exception I can see is possibly take Cure Wounds and fluffing it as a divine thing rather than a spell casting thing. I could use all slots for it, and I think it fits her character considering she will be inadvertently damaging her friends when she does her racial thing and she's going to always feel terrible about that so this is away she can make it up to them.

Biggest options I'm still struggling with-
1. Background. I'm torn between Courtier, Noble, and Far Traveler. Are there any other options I'm missing?
2. Starting free feat. I'm considering Diplomat to round out her starting Cha to 18 and give Expertise in Persuasion which I feel will be huge for her character, but Diplomat is far less important of I decide to go Bard 3 though. Inspiring Leader is almost a must pick for her at some point, but do I really want to start out with it? Sentinel is Great.
3. What types of weapons to use, and should I use a shield. I just don't see her using a huge 2 handed weapon. It's just TOO video game for me.
4. Which Bard College to choose of I do go Bard 3 at some point. I'm leaning towards Swords since it'd give me a Fighting Style and boost combat a little. She is still a Barbarian after all. Valor would be next, and I almost like the flavor of Glamour's 3rd level feature. I just have a hard time seeing her using Cutting Words so Lore doesn't seem to fit.

[Arial Black]

1. Background. Noble if she is of noble birth, Courtier if she is just posh.

2.Starting free feat. Defensive Duellist.

3. Weapons. Twin scimitars.

4. Bard College. Swords, so you can get TWF style to add your Str bonus to your off hand attack.

[CTurbo]

1. Background. Noble if she is of noble birth, Courtier if she is just posh.

2.Starting free feat. Defensive Duellist.

3. Weapons. Twin scimitars.

4. Bard College. Swords, so you can get TWF style to add your Str bonus to your off hand attack.



1. No love for Far Traveler?

2. I like Defensive Duelist but I like it better late when Prof bonus is higher. So sorry I don't like it for a starting feat, but I'm still lost here.

3. I'm seriously considering two Scimitars. I like the style for her even though she's a Str Barb. My friend REALLY wants me to take GWM and use a Greatsword, but idk.... I admit it would be cool, but it's SO video game lol. I still like Longsword and shield too, but I really don't like Shield Master for her despite the fact that she would be very good at it.

4. If I decide to take more than 1 Bard level, Swords is almost definitely the route I'd take. I just don't know when I'd take so many Bard levels. I would be pretty much giving up that awesome Zealot 14 level feature by doing so. 5 levels of Bard probably fits the character theme better than anything though so I may sacrifice the mechanics for thematics anyway.

[CTurbo]

She will be the party face. Which social skills do I really NEED or do I want to try to get all of them?

Persuasion is obvious and I feel like is the most important, but what about Deception and Intimidation? I don't see her as the type to use either of those on purpose, and what would performance get me? She's not ever going to be "performing" on a stage or anything, but I can see her giving inspirational speeches from time to time. I don't want her to be too preachy though.

Also, does anybody have any good deity suggestions for her? I prefer a LG goddess of beauty or similar.

[Arial Black]

1. No love for Far Traveler?

The background is fine, but you don't need it to be aasimar because they are born to human parents and there is no reason that the aasimar's parents must have come from far away.

Since backgrounds are so flexible, you could build her as either Noble or Courtier, and swap the background feature for the 'everyone is looking at me' feature of the Far Traveller.


2. I like Defensive Duelist but I like it better late when Prof bonus is higher. So sorry I don't like it for a starting feat, but I'm still lost here.

Sure, we ALL like it better when it's a bigger number! Instead of thinking of it as rubbish early, think of it as +2 early-same as a shield-but which gets even better over time!

There are a lot of non-combat feats you could take though.


3. I'm seriously considering two Scimitars. I like the style for her even though she's a Str Barb. My friend REALLY wants me to take GWM and use a Greatsword, but idk.... I admit it would be cool, but it's SO video game lol. I still like Longsword and shield too, but I really don't like Shield Master for her despite the fact that she would be very good at it.

Either she doesn't care about being viewed as tooled up for battle while going shopping (so GWM for the win!) or she does care. If she cares, then it seems that as inappropriately warlike as a greatsword may be, toting a shield around town while shopping is even more warlike!


4. If I decide to take more than 1 Bard level, Swords is almost definitely the route I'd take. I just don't know when I'd take so many Bard levels. I would be pretty much giving up that awesome Zealot 14 level feature by doing so. 5 levels of Bard probably fits the character theme better than anything though so I may sacrifice the mechanics for thematics anyway.

From your descriptions, be Bar 1/Brd 1 at level 2. Think carefully about which you want to be your 1st level, to get the proficiencies you think are more important.

Then get to Bar 5 ASAP. That way you'll only be lacking Extra Attack for a single level. After that, mix and match Bar/Brd levels as you feel!

[Arial Black]

She will be the party face. Which social skills do I really NEED or do I want to try to get all of them?

Persuasion is obvious and I feel like is the most important, but what about Deception and Intimidation? I don't see her as the type to use either of those on purpose, and what would performance get me? She's not ever going to be "performing" on a stage or anything, but I can see her giving inspirational speeches from time to time. I don't want her to be too preachy though.

Persuasion. With a high Cha you don't need to be proficient in those skills to be quite good with them should Persuasion fail.


Also, does anybody have any good deity suggestions for her? I prefer a LG goddess of beauty or similar.

What world are you in?

Forgotton Realms: Sune. Famous for having LG paladins even though she is CG.
Greek: Aphrodite.
Norse: Freya.