Unoriginal
2020-12-09, 04:25 PM
This reflection started out as me asking myself how would Darth Maul be best represented as a 5e PC. Here are my musings, hoping you will find them of interest.
Anger Leads to Hate. And Hate Leads to Suffering.
Barbarian isn't the easiest option for multiclassing. Between the Rage restricting spellcasting, the heavy stat dependency, and the relative lack of synergy between the Barbarian's perks and the ones granted by most other classes, it is difficult to come up with a multiclass including Barbarian (either as primary or as secondary) where the investment doesn't feel quite costly for the results.
Enter the Psi Warrior.
Quicker, Easier, More Seductive
The Psi Warrior has several advantages over other options for multiclassing with Barbarian:
- Shared stat requirement for multiclassing.
- Number of capacity uses/long rest dependent on proficiency modifier, not class level.
- Capacities synergize well with the Barbarian's roles (even at 3rd level: diminishing the hurt when hit, increasing the hurt when hitting, and moving a teammates either closer or farther from the action without risk from the enemies' Opportunity Attacks).
- Does not require a big stat investment to make the capacities worthwhile.
- Access to Second Wind, Action Surge, and a Fighting Style (like all Fighter multiclasses)
- Medium armor and Danger Sense allow one to not invest too much in DEX, which means INT can be invested in instead. The Fighting Style can be used to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the character if it is considered needed.
- [If Fighter is the primary class] Additional ASIs help with the slowed down ASI gain due to multiclass.
The Master, or the Apprentice?
My recommendation: take 2 levels of Barbarian and the rest of Psi Warrior Fighter, giving you a diamond-jaw combatant whose martial prowesses are complemented both by strong, aggressive strikes that bait the enemies into focusing their aggression on them and by a strong defense making maintaining said aggression an ill-advised idea.
Plus there is the awesomeness to just being able to lift a Large object with the power of your mind and let it drop on your enemies, while still Raging.
Not a Story the Jedi Would Tell
However, that is not to say that taking 3 levels of Barbarian can't be worthwhile. On top of the additional d12 Hit Dice and the optional Primal Knowledge feature, most of the Barbarian subclasses do have perks useful for the character (and also quite flavorful ones, if you want to Sith it up):
-Ancestral Guardian: the spirits of the dead help you force the enemy to focus their aggression on you.
-Beast: every Rage, you get the choice between an additional attack, healing for proficiency bonus if you hit someone once per turn, and a Reaction-based 1d8 bonus to AC. Let the beast inside out.
-Storm Herald: you get the choice between a bit of constant fire damage on everyone within 10ft of you, a tiny bit of temporary HPs, or the capacity to strike an enemy with lightning for extra damage.
-Totem Warrior: your Rage gives either more resistances, more jumping distance, more walking speed, a Dash bonus action and becoming harder to hit for Opportunity Attacks, and giving advantage in melee to your allies against the enemies 5ft around your
-Wild Magic: you now have a sixth sense for magic, as well as a random special effect when you Rage. Most of the possible effects work pretty well with the Psi Warrior toolset.
-Zealot: extra damage once per turn, as well as being easier to be brought back from the dead.
That being said, I do not personally recommend trading a Fighter level for any of those unless you prefer that flavor.
What do you folks think?
Anger Leads to Hate. And Hate Leads to Suffering.
Barbarian isn't the easiest option for multiclassing. Between the Rage restricting spellcasting, the heavy stat dependency, and the relative lack of synergy between the Barbarian's perks and the ones granted by most other classes, it is difficult to come up with a multiclass including Barbarian (either as primary or as secondary) where the investment doesn't feel quite costly for the results.
Enter the Psi Warrior.
Quicker, Easier, More Seductive
The Psi Warrior has several advantages over other options for multiclassing with Barbarian:
- Shared stat requirement for multiclassing.
- Number of capacity uses/long rest dependent on proficiency modifier, not class level.
- Capacities synergize well with the Barbarian's roles (even at 3rd level: diminishing the hurt when hit, increasing the hurt when hitting, and moving a teammates either closer or farther from the action without risk from the enemies' Opportunity Attacks).
- Does not require a big stat investment to make the capacities worthwhile.
- Access to Second Wind, Action Surge, and a Fighting Style (like all Fighter multiclasses)
- Medium armor and Danger Sense allow one to not invest too much in DEX, which means INT can be invested in instead. The Fighting Style can be used to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the character if it is considered needed.
- [If Fighter is the primary class] Additional ASIs help with the slowed down ASI gain due to multiclass.
The Master, or the Apprentice?
My recommendation: take 2 levels of Barbarian and the rest of Psi Warrior Fighter, giving you a diamond-jaw combatant whose martial prowesses are complemented both by strong, aggressive strikes that bait the enemies into focusing their aggression on them and by a strong defense making maintaining said aggression an ill-advised idea.
Plus there is the awesomeness to just being able to lift a Large object with the power of your mind and let it drop on your enemies, while still Raging.
Not a Story the Jedi Would Tell
However, that is not to say that taking 3 levels of Barbarian can't be worthwhile. On top of the additional d12 Hit Dice and the optional Primal Knowledge feature, most of the Barbarian subclasses do have perks useful for the character (and also quite flavorful ones, if you want to Sith it up):
-Ancestral Guardian: the spirits of the dead help you force the enemy to focus their aggression on you.
-Beast: every Rage, you get the choice between an additional attack, healing for proficiency bonus if you hit someone once per turn, and a Reaction-based 1d8 bonus to AC. Let the beast inside out.
-Storm Herald: you get the choice between a bit of constant fire damage on everyone within 10ft of you, a tiny bit of temporary HPs, or the capacity to strike an enemy with lightning for extra damage.
-Totem Warrior: your Rage gives either more resistances, more jumping distance, more walking speed, a Dash bonus action and becoming harder to hit for Opportunity Attacks, and giving advantage in melee to your allies against the enemies 5ft around your
-Wild Magic: you now have a sixth sense for magic, as well as a random special effect when you Rage. Most of the possible effects work pretty well with the Psi Warrior toolset.
-Zealot: extra damage once per turn, as well as being easier to be brought back from the dead.
That being said, I do not personally recommend trading a Fighter level for any of those unless you prefer that flavor.
What do you folks think?