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2019-04-01, 12:56 PM
The Warbaraian! The Warlock/Barbarian/Warrior(fighter)! A build that combines all reckless craziness of the Barbarian with all of the social chaos of the Warlock while arguably out-tanking and out-damaging both. I love both of these classes and marrying them like this works shockingly well. This build is entirely PHB+1 compatible.
The Backstory (Example)
Thousands of years ago your ancestor was a companion of Torm until he ascended to demigodhood. So deep was your ancestor's devotion to knightly duty that upon their request, Torm bound the souls of that ancestor and all of their legitimate heirs to the prime material plane as ghosts until such a time as the Tarasque was slain. Since then your family has climbed up and down the feudal ladder while waiting for the Tarasque to re-awaken, and has recently fallen on hard times. You've struck out as an adventurer to acquire the funds needed to repair your family's decrepit and extremely haunted castle to its former glory. Since you've donned your armour and taken up your glaive, visions of your house's noble progenitors have began appearing in your dreams, and a mysterious force seems to take control of your body in the heat of battle.
Here is the basic gameplan:
Level 1-5 - Variant Human Ancestral Guardians Barbarian
Level 6-10 - Celestial Warlock
Level 11-14 - Champion Fighter
Level 15-20 - Celestial Warlock
Throughout this I'll be comparing this build to a 1-20 variant human ancestral guardians barbarian.
Levels 1-5
With 27 point buy your stats are STR 16 - DEX 14 - CON 14 - INT 9 - WIS 8 - CHA 13. For our comparison barbarian we'll say STR 16 - DEX 14 - CON 16 - INT 8 - WIS 10 - CHA 8.
Your variant human bonus feat is Polearm Master, to get you that sweet bonus action attack and way to somewhat reliably make use of your reaction. The plan is to get within 10ft of the enemy, double-attack, and then back up so they're just beyond the point of your glaive.
At level 4, you are going for great weapon master. Because of your backing up strategy, using reckless attack isn't nearly as costly (in terms of hitpoints) for you as it is for other barbarians.
At level 5, with extra attack, you are already a force to be reckoned with. Attacking recklessly, you've got a 50% chance to hit 15 AC and a 30% chance to hit 20 AC. If you get a reaction attack off, your expected damage in a round where you aren't raging and don't crit is 76.5. (Whoa!) Accounting for your 35% chance to crit assuming reckless attack on all but the reaction, and rage damage, your expected damage is 86.5 (!!!).
Tactics: I'd advise raging only when you're worried about your allies taking damage. Your ancestral guardians feature puts enemies in a really bad spot when they're adjacent to an ally if you're raging - they can either attack your ally at disadvantage doing only 1/2 damage on hit, take two opportunity attacks (one from your ally and one from you) in order to get into melee with you, or make a ranged attack against you at disadvantage.
The only difference between the Warbarian and the control Barbarian at this point is a paltry 5 hitpoints. I won't say that will never make a difference, but giving up 5HP now is worth it later, as I shall demonstrate.
Levels 6-10
The reason I made this build is because I was frustrated with how the PAM/GWM barbarian doesn't seem to get much better after level 5. Sure their attacks get more accurate because their proficiency bonus and strength go up, but they would if they took levels in any class. Spirit shield and feral instinct are great, but is it so wrong to want more utility? Let's talk about the pact you've made with your ghostly ancestor to restore the glory and wealth of your ancient noble house - Celestial Warlock.
At level 6 you get four cantrips: light, sacred flame, +2. You won't be casting them in combat, so pick fun ones like prestidigitation. You also get 1 first level spell slot per short rest, which at the very least means 1d8+1 healing which is none too shabby. Most importantly you get Healing Light, which basically lets you cast healing word 2/day (more as you level up) even while you are raging. I'd argue this is better team support than spirit shield, but it is debatable.
At level 7 you've got one more healing word, and one more cure wounds/short rest. You also get 2 invocations! I'd highly recommend Eldritch Sight (cast detect magic constantly! Never be surprised!), and note that Misty Visions and Mask of Many Faces are HILARIOUS on a Barbarian. And Devil's sight can cure your human darkvision problem (but so can the light cantrip).
At level 8, choose pact of the blade, upgrade your spell slots to the 2nd level, and maybe swap out one of your invocations for Improved Pact Weapon (your glaive becomes a +1 weapon) to make up for the fact that the comparison barbarian is getting an ASI right now that you have to wait an extra level for it.
At level 9, ASI in strength. At level 10, 3rd level slots, and you've got a new invocation that you're spending on ELDRICH SMITE! A perfect use for those 3rd level spell slots! Whenever you crit, burn one to add 8d8 force damage. Eat your heart out brutal critical!
So let's do our comparison to the control barbarian. At level 10, you're both doing 80.5 damage before crits and rage, your accuracy is the same, and after crits and rage damage (assuming smite on crit) the barbarian is dealing 97 damage whereas you are dealing 105 damage. Not a massive difference right now, but look at all the amazing utility you've got from your healing, spell slots, and invocations! People who play barbarians know that they can struggle in the exploration and social pillars, but the Warbarian will not. Not only do they have the hitpoints (85) and damage resistance and healing to try all kinds of crazy things, but they've likely got mage hand and prestidigitation, and invisibility and fly! Never forget that the fact that you won't be using your slots in combat means that your spell selection is 100% fun first.
Levels 11-15
Back to the simple life! You're taking four levels of champion fighter and one more level of Warlock.
At level 10, take the defence fighting style and enjoy your second wind. At level 11, action surge! Who doesn't love having it? But it won't factor into my damage calculations. At level 12, double your crit range! You now have a 70% chance to crit in a round (assuming reckless on all but the reaction attack) and get one of those amazing 8d8 smites off. At level 14, ASI for 20 STR, only 2 levels behind the control barbarian! At level fifteen you basically take a breather and get nothing of real note (add 1 damage whenever you hit someone with sacred flame, AKA never).
So how have things changed? Your no-rage no-crit damage and accuracy are still on par with the control barbarian, and your rage and crit damage in a round has soared to 128! Much higher than the control barbarian's 103! Plus you've got action surge.
Levels 16-20
More levels of Warlock! Now that we've got that expanded crit range lets get ourselves 5th level short rest eldritch smites (12d8 on crit) and some more fun invocations.
At level 16, you get 4th level spells, slots, and smites, and another fun invocation. Now that you're a level 7 warlock I'd recommend Ghostly Gaze! Interesting utility that no one else likely has and very thematically appropriate. Also I'd remind you that you can switch out your Improved Pact Weapon invocation for something more fun whenever you take a warlock level, assuming you've got a magic glaive of some kind by now.
At level 17 free ASI! Maybe alert to make up for no feral instinct? Maybe tough to make up for lower hitpoints (although the healing kind of already makes that up) Maybe sentinel? Better late than never right?
At level 18, 5th level slots and smites! A bonus invocation! Invocations unlocked at 9th level warlock include the awesome Whispers of the Grave (speak with the dead at will), and the very cool Ascendant Step (levitate self-cast at will) and Otherworldly Leap (Jump self-cast at will is uniquely fun for a barbarian).
At level 19 the celestial patron grants you 11 THP every time you finish a short rest (not to bad!) At level 20 you get a 6th level mystic arcanum and more importantly a THIRD short rest spell slot!
Now lets compare to the control barbarian. While they're tied with the Warbarian in non-rage non-crit damage and accuracy at level 19, they pull ahead at level 20 because of that marvelous barbarian capstone. Whoopdie do. It is 92.5 for the control vs 84.5 for the Warbarian. But in rage+smite damage they are still behind by a fair bit. 117 for the control compared to 134 for the Warbarian. Still not a huge difference. But look what the Warbarian has! They've got all the utility of 5 Warlock Invocations and 3 5th level spell slots per short rest, and they still hit like a truck four times per round with that glaive, and they can basically cast Healing Word at will (11 times per day).
Conclusions
The Warbarian matches or out-preforms the mono-classed PAM/GWM barbarian in almost every combat metric at almost every level. But where the Warbarian really crushes it is in the fun department. You've got the hitpoints to fly into dangerous situations with an insane plan and come out on top, and the invocations and spells multiply the number of plans that are "so crazy they just might work" which a Barbarian can actually execute. And your class features that aren't about hitting like a truck are all about protecting and healing your allies, making you a good team player as well.
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?
The Backstory (Example)
Thousands of years ago your ancestor was a companion of Torm until he ascended to demigodhood. So deep was your ancestor's devotion to knightly duty that upon their request, Torm bound the souls of that ancestor and all of their legitimate heirs to the prime material plane as ghosts until such a time as the Tarasque was slain. Since then your family has climbed up and down the feudal ladder while waiting for the Tarasque to re-awaken, and has recently fallen on hard times. You've struck out as an adventurer to acquire the funds needed to repair your family's decrepit and extremely haunted castle to its former glory. Since you've donned your armour and taken up your glaive, visions of your house's noble progenitors have began appearing in your dreams, and a mysterious force seems to take control of your body in the heat of battle.
Here is the basic gameplan:
Level 1-5 - Variant Human Ancestral Guardians Barbarian
Level 6-10 - Celestial Warlock
Level 11-14 - Champion Fighter
Level 15-20 - Celestial Warlock
Throughout this I'll be comparing this build to a 1-20 variant human ancestral guardians barbarian.
Levels 1-5
With 27 point buy your stats are STR 16 - DEX 14 - CON 14 - INT 9 - WIS 8 - CHA 13. For our comparison barbarian we'll say STR 16 - DEX 14 - CON 16 - INT 8 - WIS 10 - CHA 8.
Your variant human bonus feat is Polearm Master, to get you that sweet bonus action attack and way to somewhat reliably make use of your reaction. The plan is to get within 10ft of the enemy, double-attack, and then back up so they're just beyond the point of your glaive.
At level 4, you are going for great weapon master. Because of your backing up strategy, using reckless attack isn't nearly as costly (in terms of hitpoints) for you as it is for other barbarians.
At level 5, with extra attack, you are already a force to be reckoned with. Attacking recklessly, you've got a 50% chance to hit 15 AC and a 30% chance to hit 20 AC. If you get a reaction attack off, your expected damage in a round where you aren't raging and don't crit is 76.5. (Whoa!) Accounting for your 35% chance to crit assuming reckless attack on all but the reaction, and rage damage, your expected damage is 86.5 (!!!).
Tactics: I'd advise raging only when you're worried about your allies taking damage. Your ancestral guardians feature puts enemies in a really bad spot when they're adjacent to an ally if you're raging - they can either attack your ally at disadvantage doing only 1/2 damage on hit, take two opportunity attacks (one from your ally and one from you) in order to get into melee with you, or make a ranged attack against you at disadvantage.
The only difference between the Warbarian and the control Barbarian at this point is a paltry 5 hitpoints. I won't say that will never make a difference, but giving up 5HP now is worth it later, as I shall demonstrate.
Levels 6-10
The reason I made this build is because I was frustrated with how the PAM/GWM barbarian doesn't seem to get much better after level 5. Sure their attacks get more accurate because their proficiency bonus and strength go up, but they would if they took levels in any class. Spirit shield and feral instinct are great, but is it so wrong to want more utility? Let's talk about the pact you've made with your ghostly ancestor to restore the glory and wealth of your ancient noble house - Celestial Warlock.
At level 6 you get four cantrips: light, sacred flame, +2. You won't be casting them in combat, so pick fun ones like prestidigitation. You also get 1 first level spell slot per short rest, which at the very least means 1d8+1 healing which is none too shabby. Most importantly you get Healing Light, which basically lets you cast healing word 2/day (more as you level up) even while you are raging. I'd argue this is better team support than spirit shield, but it is debatable.
At level 7 you've got one more healing word, and one more cure wounds/short rest. You also get 2 invocations! I'd highly recommend Eldritch Sight (cast detect magic constantly! Never be surprised!), and note that Misty Visions and Mask of Many Faces are HILARIOUS on a Barbarian. And Devil's sight can cure your human darkvision problem (but so can the light cantrip).
At level 8, choose pact of the blade, upgrade your spell slots to the 2nd level, and maybe swap out one of your invocations for Improved Pact Weapon (your glaive becomes a +1 weapon) to make up for the fact that the comparison barbarian is getting an ASI right now that you have to wait an extra level for it.
At level 9, ASI in strength. At level 10, 3rd level slots, and you've got a new invocation that you're spending on ELDRICH SMITE! A perfect use for those 3rd level spell slots! Whenever you crit, burn one to add 8d8 force damage. Eat your heart out brutal critical!
So let's do our comparison to the control barbarian. At level 10, you're both doing 80.5 damage before crits and rage, your accuracy is the same, and after crits and rage damage (assuming smite on crit) the barbarian is dealing 97 damage whereas you are dealing 105 damage. Not a massive difference right now, but look at all the amazing utility you've got from your healing, spell slots, and invocations! People who play barbarians know that they can struggle in the exploration and social pillars, but the Warbarian will not. Not only do they have the hitpoints (85) and damage resistance and healing to try all kinds of crazy things, but they've likely got mage hand and prestidigitation, and invisibility and fly! Never forget that the fact that you won't be using your slots in combat means that your spell selection is 100% fun first.
Levels 11-15
Back to the simple life! You're taking four levels of champion fighter and one more level of Warlock.
At level 10, take the defence fighting style and enjoy your second wind. At level 11, action surge! Who doesn't love having it? But it won't factor into my damage calculations. At level 12, double your crit range! You now have a 70% chance to crit in a round (assuming reckless on all but the reaction attack) and get one of those amazing 8d8 smites off. At level 14, ASI for 20 STR, only 2 levels behind the control barbarian! At level fifteen you basically take a breather and get nothing of real note (add 1 damage whenever you hit someone with sacred flame, AKA never).
So how have things changed? Your no-rage no-crit damage and accuracy are still on par with the control barbarian, and your rage and crit damage in a round has soared to 128! Much higher than the control barbarian's 103! Plus you've got action surge.
Levels 16-20
More levels of Warlock! Now that we've got that expanded crit range lets get ourselves 5th level short rest eldritch smites (12d8 on crit) and some more fun invocations.
At level 16, you get 4th level spells, slots, and smites, and another fun invocation. Now that you're a level 7 warlock I'd recommend Ghostly Gaze! Interesting utility that no one else likely has and very thematically appropriate. Also I'd remind you that you can switch out your Improved Pact Weapon invocation for something more fun whenever you take a warlock level, assuming you've got a magic glaive of some kind by now.
At level 17 free ASI! Maybe alert to make up for no feral instinct? Maybe tough to make up for lower hitpoints (although the healing kind of already makes that up) Maybe sentinel? Better late than never right?
At level 18, 5th level slots and smites! A bonus invocation! Invocations unlocked at 9th level warlock include the awesome Whispers of the Grave (speak with the dead at will), and the very cool Ascendant Step (levitate self-cast at will) and Otherworldly Leap (Jump self-cast at will is uniquely fun for a barbarian).
At level 19 the celestial patron grants you 11 THP every time you finish a short rest (not to bad!) At level 20 you get a 6th level mystic arcanum and more importantly a THIRD short rest spell slot!
Now lets compare to the control barbarian. While they're tied with the Warbarian in non-rage non-crit damage and accuracy at level 19, they pull ahead at level 20 because of that marvelous barbarian capstone. Whoopdie do. It is 92.5 for the control vs 84.5 for the Warbarian. But in rage+smite damage they are still behind by a fair bit. 117 for the control compared to 134 for the Warbarian. Still not a huge difference. But look what the Warbarian has! They've got all the utility of 5 Warlock Invocations and 3 5th level spell slots per short rest, and they still hit like a truck four times per round with that glaive, and they can basically cast Healing Word at will (11 times per day).
Conclusions
The Warbarian matches or out-preforms the mono-classed PAM/GWM barbarian in almost every combat metric at almost every level. But where the Warbarian really crushes it is in the fun department. You've got the hitpoints to fly into dangerous situations with an insane plan and come out on top, and the invocations and spells multiply the number of plans that are "so crazy they just might work" which a Barbarian can actually execute. And your class features that aren't about hitting like a truck are all about protecting and healing your allies, making you a good team player as well.
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?