Wild soul barbarian

[stoutstien]

Most of the chatter seems to focus on certain options so I was wondering what the first impression on the other subclasses. Starting off with the wild soul.
It so some interesting changes for it's official release. I still question how valid it would be in higher levels of play with little to no scaling on the surges but some of the riders might stay useful.

[Rfkannen]

I think it would be a bit weird at higher levels, but still work. There are a lot of options that just sort of.... are useless by level 10, but there are others that stay extremely relevant. The level 10 and 14 abilities let you reroll the results, which means you have a much better chance of getting a good one.

Overall I think the subclass is really cool, but just sliiiightly off. Like at the table you will be fine, and have a good time, but every once in a while you might catch yourself thinking "does this really need to be a d3 instead of a d4?"

Overall I would call it very playable, and a good option for the type of character it is meant to represent. I will probably play one some day.

[stoutstien]

I think it would be a bit weird at higher levels, but still work. There are a lot of options that just sort of.... are useless by level 10, but there are others that stay extremely relevant. The level 10 and 14 abilities let you reroll the results, which means you have a much better chance of getting a good one.

Overall I think the subclass is really cool, but just sliiiightly off. Like at the table you will be fine, and have a good time, but every once in a while you might catch yourself thinking "does this really need to be a d3 instead of a d4?"

Overall I would call it very playable, and a good option for the type of character it is meant to represent. I will probably play one some day.

Few decent options hiding on the surge table. 8 stands out as a bonus action Con save with a blinded rider.

The level 10 feature also allows the reroll surge to activate as part of the same reaction so as long as you take damage it would be pretty easy to see getting 2 surges a round l. By lv 14 you have a chance to get the exact one you want. 25% of getting the one you want plus 12.5% of doubles for a free pick.

[bendking]

A few notes:
1) It's probably a lot of fun.
2) It's probably not as good as the top tier Barbarians (Zealot, Ancestral) since it doesn't fulfill a specific role particularly well other than "Barbarian with some random buffs"*.
3) The effects don't scale at all. 1d12 temporary HP, for example, is a measly sum in mid-end game.
4) Some of the effects competing for your PAM bonus action is a little annoying and means that sometimes you won't use what you rolled.
The 2nd is sweet, I could see situations in which it would be more useful than a 3rd attack. The 3rd is a measly 1d6 force damage, so you would almost never use it over PAM.
The 8th is OK, I would probably use it over the 3rd attack only when I know the enemy probably has a low CON save.

Overall, she's OK.
She is the weaker of the two new subclasses though.

*To elaborate on this point, I believe the best subclasses let you do something particularly well which the other subclasses don't.
Zealot lets you deal even more damage (which scales!)t, Ancestral Guardian lets you tank better. The Beast lets you pull off a grapple build most effectively, and even uses TWF better than the other paths.
In contrast, the Berserker lets you attack with a bonus action, which you can do with PAM for a lesser cost. The Totem Barbarian, which is mostly picked for the Bear Totem, makes you able to take more damage from different sources but doesn't contribute to the fight in new ways besides possibly staying alive longer, which is still a noteworthy contribution, but Barbarians are usually among the last to go down anyway, and being the last alive isn't much comfort for your t. Storm Herald is just... bad. I mean, yeah, AoE effects are something no Barbarian can do, but the numbers are not good enough. Battlerager again unlocks a bonus action attack which you can already do with PAM, and the grapple damage is downright pitiful.

[sophontteks]

. The Totem Barbarian, which is mostly picked for the Bear Totem, makes you able to take more damage from different sources but doesn't contribute to the fight in new ways besides possibly staying alive longer, which is still a noteworthy contribution, but Barbarians are usually among the last to go down anyway, and being the last alive isn't much comfort for your t. Storm Herald is just... bad. I mean, yeah, AoE effects are something no Barbarian can do, but the numbers are not good enough. Battlerager again unlocks a bonus action attack which you can already do with PAM, and the grapple damage is downright pitiful.

The most picked option is probably bear first, and you are exactly correct, it's actually a pretty trash ability. But rating it on its trap option isnt the way to go.

Elk multiclass into rogue for 110 movement per round. Eagle for 80 feet per round, effectively ignoring opportunity attacks.

Problem is that bear looks better on paper. Getting kited out is a major weakness of barbarians though, and moving fast enough to get in the cookie jar forces the enemies attention.