Rhocian Xothara
2021-04-20, 10:29 AM
"My Power is MAXIMUM!"
Theorycrafting 'Broly' Builds
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(Image Copyright TOEI Animation)
Introduction
These builds were inspired by the 'Path of Wild Magic' Barbarian subclass added by the 'Tasha's Cauldron of Everything' sourcebook. A lot of reviews about this subclass online describes it as "weird" and "unpredictable" (well no ****, Sherlock - it's a 'Wild Magic' Barbarian!) and people generally say the same about the 'Wild Magic' Sorcerer Subclass, too. Suffice to say, I think when it comes to 'Wild Magic' in any/all its forms, people tend to revile it. It's too wild; too unpredictable, and can be absolutely devastating for anyone who gets in their way... friend or foe.
But the dirty secret of the 'Wild Magic' Barbarian is that as chaotic a nature as Wild Magic is; as typically inept at magic and as chaotic as Barbarians are, this is actually a lot more stable than the Sorcerer equivalent. Every single feature on the 'Wild Surge' table is 'positive' from the player's perspective. And what's more, three of the 8 possibilities are re-activated on a Bonus Action on any turn you like so long as your Rage is still in effect. It is best described as 'Controlled Chaos'. Oh, and this is all on top of your usual Barbarian goodies - Resistances during Rage; Reckless Attack; bonus damage; HP through the roof; etc.
I've got a few builds 'inspired' by Broly, each one doing things a little differently to the others, but all utilise the 'Wild Magic Barbarian' at its core. After all, it wouldn't be 'Broly' without it, know what I'm Saiyan? (cough sorry not sorry cough)
Also, Disclaimer: Yes, Broly is an ungodly monstrosity and an absolute paragon of power, even in the ridiculous 'Dragonball' universe. No, none of these builds are going to 'replicate' Broly or even be a fraction of his canonical abilities. There's no "Super Saiyan" in D&D (though we can flavour Rage as such, especially with the new Wild Surge abilities. Misty Step for free every turn on a Bonus Action? Yes please!) So please consider this guide more a concept with some Broly flavour, rather than "hErE'S HoW To mAkE BrOlY In d&d 5E HuRr-hUrR".
So I'm going to present these builds in the style of the many 'optimisation guides' this forum is famous for. I'll start off with the core concept and then branch out into a number of multiclassing options. I'll also rank the class features by their usefulness and importance. The colour coding will be as follows:
'Broly' Green - Mandatory. It's either not a 'Broly' build without it, or it's the entire reason why you're taking a certain build option in the first place.
'Saiyan' Yellow - good and will get mileage, but isn't the 'bread and butter' of the build.
'Base Form' Black - Average. Not a bad option but not 'good' enough to positively influence the build enough.
'Frieza' Purple - Situational at best. A wasted feature at worst.
'Kakarot' Red - Goku must die, and so must this feature.
(Image Copyright TOEI Animation)
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b992e005-9bd0-46a3-a4a7-29173be215c5/dcztoep-81694263-79c9-477b-9634-06cc029128d3.png/v1/fill/w_900,h_491,q_80,strp/dbs_broly_cheelai_by_vmjml1er_dcztoep-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI 1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6 Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD00OTEiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC 9mXC9iOTkyZTAwNS05YmQwLTQ2YTMtYTRhNy0yOTE3M2JlMjE1 YzVcL2RjenRvZXAtODE2OTQyNjMtNzljOS00NzdiLTk2MzQtMD ZjYzAyOTEyOGQzLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD05MDAifV1dLCJh dWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ .xx6hNMgzCZ74TQFvXxcvDIG4jq9Oanbdo2L2HrniJeU
(Cheelai has a Scouter to measure Broly's power. We have a rating system lol)
Racial Options
I'll review all of them on the basis that there is absolutely no rule - unwritten or otherwise - that says a 'Broly'-themed build has to look anything like Broly. You wanna go 'Mountain Dwarf' for the racial stats and be a 4-foot-tall Broly, be my guest. You wanna be an 8ft-tall Loxodon Broly? That'd be amazing and I want pictures!
Also, another Disclaimer: Yes, I know Tasha's Cauldron has an 'Origin Customisation' supplement that allows you to cherrypick all your favourite bits and pieces, and if we apply that then absolutely no race on here would be lower than 'average'. However, with TCoE still being a relatively new supplement, many DMs still do not allow TCoE supplements, so I am going to rate each option without the customisation option taken into account. Fair? Fair.
So brace yourselves; here's 6 years' worth of Racial Options coming your way:
Player's Handbook Races
Dragonborn. Not a terrible option. +2 to Strength is great, and the Charisma boost will certainly help if you go down the route of a Sorcerer or Paladin Multiclass. Plus: everyone likes extra resistances. Also from an aesthetic point: A raging, draconic Broly? Amazing.
Dwarf (Hill). Another great option. Buffs to Constitution always helps Barbarians. a Wisdom buff helps with that Perception skill proficiency you're probably taking as part of your class (but otherwise is pretty 'take-it-or-leave-it') and the extra HP boost is also thematically great. Combine it with the Tough Feat for silly HP figures. On top of that you're a Dwarf - Darkvision; Poison resistances; racial tool profs...all stuff that's very nice to have.
Dwarf (Mountain). +2 to two primary stats, all of the usual Dwarf extras, and Heavy Armour Proficiency for those who need to survive to 3rd level? Yeah, this is one of the best options in the game. At least on a mechanical level...
Elf (Drow): This offers almost nothing, and sunlight sensitivity's a deal-breaker. Pass.
Elf (High): The extra cantrip is okay if you're going Sorcerer Multiclass (and even then you can't use it whilst raging), but otherwise yeah, Elves aren't made for this concept.
Elf (Wood): The best of the PHB Elves, only because it actually goes very nicely with the 'Monk' Multiclass that I'm about to offer. Saying that, the aforementioned build is rather sub-optimal anyway, so only take this if it's your heart's desire.
Gnome (Forest): Gnome Cunning would offer good protection against magic, the typical weakness of Barbarians, and give you advantage on what's likely to be your three weakest Saving Throws, so it's a reasonable defensive choice.
Gnome (Rock): Gnome Cunning has already been discussed, and 'Artificer's Lore' would pair well with the 'Magic Awareness' Class Feature. Plus you get a small buff to Constitution. Shame the bigger buff is for your dump stat, though.
Half-Elf: Darkvision; CHA buff plus buffs to two other scores of your choice (I'd go Strength and Con); extra skill proficiencies and also the first race to actually kinda look like Broly, too. Not a bad choice.
Halfling (Lightfoot): The Lucky feature is worth its weight in gold, granted, but it's let down by the lack of useful ASIs.
Halfling (Stout): Just play a Dwarf who likes food; it's way better.
Half-Orc: It's no surprise to anyone that Half-Orcs make awesome Barbarians...
Human: You get +1 to all Ability Scores - very useful for any of the Multiclass builds I'm going to propose later. However if you just want to go straight Barbarian, or aren't multiclassing into something that requires additional ability scores beyond Strength or Constitution, then you're gonna wanna go...
Human (Variant): Even though these builds won't want a whole lot of Feats, you get one anyway. Take something like 'Tough' or GWM. Both great Feats for the discerning Barb.
Tiefling: Two ASIs a Barbarian-focused build doesn't need, and a reactionary spell that doesn't work during a Rage. You could choose this, or you could go Custom Lineage and make a far better "Tiefling" that way...
Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Elf (Eladrin): Shout-out to Unoriginal for bringing this one to my attention. Considering how bad the other Elf options are for this build, Eladrin makes a reasonable case for itself. Fey Step is a great way of getting that Misty Step when you really want it, and because it's a Racial Feature rather than a Spell it can be done whilst Raging. Pick Summer or Winter for the damage or the rather powerful 'Frightened' Condition.
Elf (Sea): The Constitution score is nice, and you'll never fear the water. Nothing else is especially useful though.
Elf (Shadar-Kai): An Elf race rated Saiyan Yellow?! Yes, actually - Bonus to Constitution; Necrotic resistance; a similar Fey Step feature to Eladrin and it gives you temporary resistance to all damage! If you have your heart set on an Elf, this is the one to go for.
Dwarf (Duergar): The ASIs are good, as are all the other Dwarfy things, but the spells are a trap. Both are concentration, which you'll lose the second you Rage. Sunlight Sensitivity is a major issue unless you're playing in a campaign like 'Dungeon of the Mad Mage', in which case this is a reasonable choice.
Githyanki: +2 strength is nice to have, and even though the racial spells can't be cast in a Rage, a lot of them have uses outside of combat, so whilst they're restricted they're also nice to have, too. Overall this race is nice to have.
Githzerai: I think canonically even the Githzerai would agree: Leave the Barbarianism to the 'yankis.
Tieflings (all MToF subclasses): Nah. The Zariel and Levistus variants help a little with the ASIs, but the spells only work well enough if you're going 'Sorbarian' and not raging nearly as much.
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Gnome (Svirfneblim): See the other Gnomes for my thoughts on Gnome Cunning. There's a lot left to be desired as a racial choice on the whole, but that one feature alone saves this.
Halfling (Ghostwise): Ehhh... I mean 'Lucky' is great, but nothing else here is.
Tiefling Variants: The Winged Variant is awesome for the flight speed alone, but the others are just worse Tieflings.
Volo's Guide to Monsters
Aasimar: All of these are great choices for different reasons. All get two extra resistances, so that's a good start. Protector Aasimar gets temporary flight and deals extra radiant damage per hit; Scourge gets a relevant ASI and a thematically wonderful transformation that is basically an aura of pain for those close to you (shoutout to Unoriginal for pointing this out), and Fallen gets a relevant ASI and can instill the rather powerful 'Frightened' condition on creatures. All of this stuff are useful for a Wild Magic Barbarian.
Bugbear: You're a Barbarian with Reach now; if ever there was a racial choice to send to the vanguard to focksmash a mob, it's this one. Even better if you can secure a Surprise Round. And on top of all that: +2 to strength, and the 'Powerful Build' feature means you're as strong as a Broly should be, too.
Firbolg: You know the one thing more terrifying than a Raging Broly? One who can turn Invisible - even in a Rage. This on top of a +1 to strength; powerful build and frankly just being a Half-Giant.
Goblin: I mean yes, this could work, but "Fury of the Small"? With a Broly build? Still, don't judge a book by its cover - it's a useful feature. It's just a bit too situational and too thematically inappropriate.
Goliath: Grog Strongjaw was a great Barbarian. A Goliath would make a fantastic 'Broly'.
Hobgoblin: +2 to Con is nice for AC and HP purposes, and 'Saving Face' is a nice occasional insurance, especially if you're swinging with the GWM Feat. Otherwise, you can do better.
Kenku: It's a bad choice, but I'm sorry, my headcanon is that the original 1993 Broly kept saying "KAKAROT!" over and over again because he was a Kenku and could only mimic speech, and now I can't stop laughing.
Kobold: See Goblin.
Lizardfolk: One of the build options I'm going to present later focuses on 'unarmed strikes', and the Bite feature for this has amazing synergy. Hunter's Lore can pile on the skill proficiencies (especially with the Barbarian's 'Primal Awareness') and the +2 to con is nice.
Orc: An ability that improves facetanking abilities; ASIs in your two main stats; extra skill proficiencies. Orcs are usually Barbarians by default in many settings, and it's easy to see why.
Tabaxi: The speed boost is great for Barbarians and amazing for the Monk multiclass option coming later, but don't be fooled by the claws - Unarmed Fighting Style has trimmed them somewhat.
Triton: An ideal option for the 'Sorbarian' loadout, and will function okay for any other build, but again - there are better choices.
Yuan-Ti Pureblood: The only race to get an outright immunity, and that Magic Resistance is incredible. Do great defensive features make for a great Wild Magic Barbarian, though? I wonder.
Elemental Evil & Tortle Package
Aarakocra: A great flight speed, but at the cost of being pretty much limited to Unarmored Defense for your AC whether you like it or not. The Saiyan Yellow Rating is on the proviso that your stats are good enough that you're not gonna be hurt too much by this, otherwise it gets demoted to Base Form Rating.
Genasi: Earth Genasi is a great option. The others are just okay.
Tortle: Incredible AC by Barbarian standards, and +2 strength. Basically you can hit hard and take being hit just as hard back. Tortles are often the saviour of low-AC classes like Barbarians, Monks and Druids, so this is no real surprise.
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Changeling: Nothing useful for you here.
Khalashtar: A free Wisdom Saving Throw Proficiency, and a rare resistance to psychic damage means that this race covers off the traditional weakness of Barbarians. But much like the other races that focus on defensive buffs, it sounds better on paper than in practice. Give me something I can use for offense. Creatures can't hurt me if I've destroyed them.
Shifter: Beasthide and Longtooth are the picks of this crop, but my issue is that all their Shifter goodies are gated behind a Bonus Action trigger, and a Wild Magic Barbarian is already gonna have more Bonus Action options than Bonus Actions available. At some point the constant bottleneck will get frustrating.
Warforged: I like the idea of a Robot being such an emotionally-charged and spiritually chaotic creature, but this is actually a good option. Two good ASIs (especially if you put the +1 into strength), and the bonus to AC is always welcome.
Dragonmarked Races
Mark of Detection (Half-Elf): Nope.
Mark of Finding: Why would you give up a regular Half-Orc for this?
Mark of Handling: You're not interested in companions or mounts, unless you want a 'Ba' of your own. Ask your DM.
Mark of Healing: Barbarians have high HP but typically low AC. The healing mitigates this. On top of that, one of the upcoming build options is a 'Sorbarian', and this would be ideal for that.
Mark of Hospitality: Nope.
Mark of Making: You're not an Artificer? Pass.
Mark of Passage: I probably put more stock than I should do into an option that lets you teleport here and there, but only because Big Bads tend to surround themselves with minions, and this is a good way past them quickly.
Mark of Scribing: Nope.
Mark of Sentinel: You might find use for this. You might not.
Mark of Shadows: Great spell options so long as you're not Raging now or anytime soon.
Mark of Storms: Nope.
Mark of Warding: Also nope.
Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
Dragonborn (Draconblood): 'Forceful Presence' and Darkvision isn't enough to save this option.
Dragonborn (Ravenite): Much more like it. Two useful ASIs, Darkvision and an aggressive reaction that would be pretty nasty with a GWM Feat.
Elf (Pallid): It's not that you can't cast spells as a Barbarian, it's just that concentration really sucks, as your concentration automatically fails if you Rage. Invisibility is a nice sneaky option though.
Halfling (Lotusden): This really wants you to be a Ranger or Druid. You are neither, and the extra spells are both concentration. Still, at least you get that Lucky feature.
Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica
Centaur: Best base walking speed in the game (I...think. I may need to fact-check that) means you can close up to the foes very quickly. +2 to strength is always a big help. Equine Build is a double-edged sword (you're clearly not a 'Skyrim' variant), but that doesn't stop this being a great option.
Loxodon: Natural Armor is likely to be as good if not better than your Unarmored Defense, especially given the +2 to constitution offered by this race. Trunk is much more useful than people realise; I don't think Loxodon players typically use it as much as they could. Powerful Build is nice as the party's heavyweight, too.
Simic Hybrid: Remember 'Bio-Broly'? Yeah, terrible film but if you want to RP as a big ball o' Super Saiyan snot, this is the race for you. ASI to Con and another of your choice (probably Strength), and some freakshow options. I'd personally choose Manta Glide and Carapace (to mitigate fall damage and increase your AC), but Grappling Appendages could get some great mileage too.
Vedalken: It offers nothing except Advantage on all the mental saves that you'd otherwise suck at, meaning the only saving throw you're going to be sketchy at is Dexterity. Take Resilient (Dex) Feat to gather all six Infinity Stones and rule the universe. The best option if you're prioritising survivability over offensiveness.
Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Leonin: Extra con and strength is great. Daunting Roar is great for the frightened condition (an underrated condition in my opinion), and the extra 5ft movement ensures you can get to the front quickly enough.
Minotaur: Where the Leonin is geared towards constitution, the Minotaur is geared towards strength, but you still get buffs to both. Some great offensive features, but your Bonus Action is a precious resource and that's what stops this from being green.
Satyr: I've seen a 'Super Mario' build where someone equips a Satyr with the 'Boots of Striding and Springing' to literally jump on enemies with Mirthful Leaps and cause as much as 3D6 bludgeoning damage that way (more if you jumped from a vantage point). That could work well for a Barbarian; I just question why you'd want to do this.
A Note about TCoE's 'Custom Lineage'
If your DM is allowing the 'Path of Wild Magic' subclass from Tasha's Cauldron, chances are they'll allow 'Custom Lineage'. It's not a given though - I know when the book came out there was a lot of butthurt about the racial customisation for reasons I'll never truly understand why.
For me, a Custom Race is ideal. Make a Saiyan! You can choose between Darkvision or a skill proficiency; you get a +2 to any Ability Score you want and of course there's the free Feat that makes Variant Humans so universally attractive. Given that some of the multiclass options are so M.A.D. you'll want as many ASIs as you can get hold of, so having a free Feat helps get that 'must-have' Feat you want so much right out of the gate.
You could also talk to your DM about trading the Feat in for an ability to "wildshape" into a Giant Ape under a Full Moon. They may well say no, but it's a possibility. Just saiyan... :smalltongue:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EclmsOgXkAMZJ9k.jpg
Broly on his way to steal your... androgynous alien genotype..? (image credit: chry_insi_art)
Core Class: 'Path of Wild Magic' Barbarian
So in all of the builds presented here, I am recommending that your first three levels are in 'Barbarian'. You want that Wild Surge feature ASAP as it is absolutely core to the build. For this you get:
Core Features:
Hit Dice: D12. Best in the game. You might not be hard to hit, but you're very hard to kill. Starting with max HP at 1st level gives you a head-start. If your DM lets you take the fixed amount of HP each level (7+CON modifier) then you're still doing very well. And if they say to the group to go ahead and take max HP each time, or don't really care either way? Hell yes!
Saving Throws: Thematically speaking, these make sense. Broly is built like a weebified Greek God and it's absolutely right that of all his ability scores, Strength and Constitution are the ones he should have. However, this is D&D and whilst the Con saves are extremely useful, the strength saving throws are situational at best.
Armour Proficiencies: You get Light, Medium and Shields, and frankly that's plenty. Do you really want Heavy? If you're wearing armour at all it'll probably be a Breastplate. Scrounge some Bracers of Defense or a +1/2/3 Breastplate and you'll be golden.
Weapon Proficiences: Simple and Martial. You really can't ask for more.
Tool Proficiencies: *snort*...
Class Skills: A dual rating, as it gets better with more levels. You get to choose from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception and Survival. However, you get to choose one more from that list at 3rd level thanks to Primal Awareness, and another at 10th level. If you're investing a lot of levels into WM Barbarian then you now have four skill proficiencies. Furthermore, Perception and Nature are two commonly requested skill checks, and Athletics is of course the bread and butter of all Barbarians.
Class Features (up to 3rd level):
Rage (1st level): Most Barbarians use it for the damage boost and resistances, but you're using it for so much more. The Wild Surge effects really make this feel like a significant power boost, and it's easier to flavour this as such. This doesn't mean, however, that you want to use it in every encounter. Just the ones you feel merit it.
Unarmored Defense (1st level): If your stats are good, so is this. If not, a Breastplate will suffice. I mean, canonically speaking Broly has fought with both...
Reckless Attack (2nd level): I'm rating it Green partly because it is a great feature, but mostly because it is absolutely 'on-brand' for a Broly build. Broly's fighting style is wild, feral and brutal, and crit-fishing is the name of the game with this feature.
Danger Sense (2nd level): Advantage on Dex Saves against seen effects means you essentially have three Saving Throw Proficiencies. In fact I'd argue this is better than a Proficiency...
Magic Awareness (3rd level Path Feature): It's basically a componentless 'Detect Magic'. If you don't have a spellcaster already doing this, this will get great mileage. If your party has a Warlock with Eldritch Sight then this feature's absolutely useless.
Wild Surge (3rd level Path Feature): This is what this guide's all about, and when you compare it to the Sorcerer equivalent it's just so much better. Firstly, it triggers more reliably (every time you Rage, rather than waiting for the DM to request a roll after a levelled spell cast, and even then only on a 1...) and secondly it's all positive results.
Looking at the Wild Surge Table itself:
D8
Wild Surge Effect
1
Shadowy tendrils lash around you. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d12 necrotic damage. You also gain 1d12 temporary hit points.
2
You teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Until your rage ends, you can use this effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action.
3
An intangible spirit, which looks like a flumph or a pixie (your choice), appears within 5 feet of one creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you. At the end of the current turn, the spirit explodes, and each creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 force damage. Until your rage ends, you can use this effect again, summoning another spirit, on each of your turns as a bonus action.
4
Magic infuses one weapon of your choice that you are holding. Until your rage ends, the weapon’s damage type changes to force, and it gains the light and thrown properties, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If the weapon leaves your hand, the weapon reappears in your hand at the end of the current turn.
5
Whenever a creature hits you with an attack roll before your rage ends, that creature takes 1d6 force damage, as magic lashes out in retribution.
6
Until your rage ends, you are surrounded by multi colored, protective lights. You gain a +1 bonus to AC, and while within 10 feet of you, your allies gain the same bonus.
7
Flowers and vines temporarily grow around you. Until your rage ends, the ground within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain for your enemies.
8
A bolt of light shoots from your chest. Another creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 radiant damage and be blinded until the start of your next turn. Until your rage ends, you can use this effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action.
Despite the unpredictable nature inherent with rolling on a table, there are some common themes here: Four of the eight results actively deal damage to the enemy and don't even require an attack roll. Almost all are ranged attacks - something Barbarians typically lack - and one of them (number 5) theoretically has unlimited range. Nobody expects the Barbarian to hit the archer camping 100ft away. Furthermore, three of the eight results are defensive, helping to mitigate the vulnerability created by features like Reckless Attack (or indeed the relatively low AC Barbarians often suffer from).
And finally there's the godly result number 2: Teleporting around the battlefield like a motherf-
More Coming Soon
Theorycrafting 'Broly' Builds
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/949599153671371815/A7FE17F94C41F5B62D68BA542A9425680E243900/
(Image Copyright TOEI Animation)
Introduction
These builds were inspired by the 'Path of Wild Magic' Barbarian subclass added by the 'Tasha's Cauldron of Everything' sourcebook. A lot of reviews about this subclass online describes it as "weird" and "unpredictable" (well no ****, Sherlock - it's a 'Wild Magic' Barbarian!) and people generally say the same about the 'Wild Magic' Sorcerer Subclass, too. Suffice to say, I think when it comes to 'Wild Magic' in any/all its forms, people tend to revile it. It's too wild; too unpredictable, and can be absolutely devastating for anyone who gets in their way... friend or foe.
But the dirty secret of the 'Wild Magic' Barbarian is that as chaotic a nature as Wild Magic is; as typically inept at magic and as chaotic as Barbarians are, this is actually a lot more stable than the Sorcerer equivalent. Every single feature on the 'Wild Surge' table is 'positive' from the player's perspective. And what's more, three of the 8 possibilities are re-activated on a Bonus Action on any turn you like so long as your Rage is still in effect. It is best described as 'Controlled Chaos'. Oh, and this is all on top of your usual Barbarian goodies - Resistances during Rage; Reckless Attack; bonus damage; HP through the roof; etc.
I've got a few builds 'inspired' by Broly, each one doing things a little differently to the others, but all utilise the 'Wild Magic Barbarian' at its core. After all, it wouldn't be 'Broly' without it, know what I'm Saiyan? (cough sorry not sorry cough)
Also, Disclaimer: Yes, Broly is an ungodly monstrosity and an absolute paragon of power, even in the ridiculous 'Dragonball' universe. No, none of these builds are going to 'replicate' Broly or even be a fraction of his canonical abilities. There's no "Super Saiyan" in D&D (though we can flavour Rage as such, especially with the new Wild Surge abilities. Misty Step for free every turn on a Bonus Action? Yes please!) So please consider this guide more a concept with some Broly flavour, rather than "hErE'S HoW To mAkE BrOlY In d&d 5E HuRr-hUrR".
So I'm going to present these builds in the style of the many 'optimisation guides' this forum is famous for. I'll start off with the core concept and then branch out into a number of multiclassing options. I'll also rank the class features by their usefulness and importance. The colour coding will be as follows:
'Broly' Green - Mandatory. It's either not a 'Broly' build without it, or it's the entire reason why you're taking a certain build option in the first place.
'Saiyan' Yellow - good and will get mileage, but isn't the 'bread and butter' of the build.
'Base Form' Black - Average. Not a bad option but not 'good' enough to positively influence the build enough.
'Frieza' Purple - Situational at best. A wasted feature at worst.
'Kakarot' Red - Goku must die, and so must this feature.
(Image Copyright TOEI Animation)
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b992e005-9bd0-46a3-a4a7-29173be215c5/dcztoep-81694263-79c9-477b-9634-06cc029128d3.png/v1/fill/w_900,h_491,q_80,strp/dbs_broly_cheelai_by_vmjml1er_dcztoep-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI 1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6 Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD00OTEiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC 9mXC9iOTkyZTAwNS05YmQwLTQ2YTMtYTRhNy0yOTE3M2JlMjE1 YzVcL2RjenRvZXAtODE2OTQyNjMtNzljOS00NzdiLTk2MzQtMD ZjYzAyOTEyOGQzLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD05MDAifV1dLCJh dWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ .xx6hNMgzCZ74TQFvXxcvDIG4jq9Oanbdo2L2HrniJeU
(Cheelai has a Scouter to measure Broly's power. We have a rating system lol)
Racial Options
I'll review all of them on the basis that there is absolutely no rule - unwritten or otherwise - that says a 'Broly'-themed build has to look anything like Broly. You wanna go 'Mountain Dwarf' for the racial stats and be a 4-foot-tall Broly, be my guest. You wanna be an 8ft-tall Loxodon Broly? That'd be amazing and I want pictures!
Also, another Disclaimer: Yes, I know Tasha's Cauldron has an 'Origin Customisation' supplement that allows you to cherrypick all your favourite bits and pieces, and if we apply that then absolutely no race on here would be lower than 'average'. However, with TCoE still being a relatively new supplement, many DMs still do not allow TCoE supplements, so I am going to rate each option without the customisation option taken into account. Fair? Fair.
So brace yourselves; here's 6 years' worth of Racial Options coming your way:
Player's Handbook Races
Dragonborn. Not a terrible option. +2 to Strength is great, and the Charisma boost will certainly help if you go down the route of a Sorcerer or Paladin Multiclass. Plus: everyone likes extra resistances. Also from an aesthetic point: A raging, draconic Broly? Amazing.
Dwarf (Hill). Another great option. Buffs to Constitution always helps Barbarians. a Wisdom buff helps with that Perception skill proficiency you're probably taking as part of your class (but otherwise is pretty 'take-it-or-leave-it') and the extra HP boost is also thematically great. Combine it with the Tough Feat for silly HP figures. On top of that you're a Dwarf - Darkvision; Poison resistances; racial tool profs...all stuff that's very nice to have.
Dwarf (Mountain). +2 to two primary stats, all of the usual Dwarf extras, and Heavy Armour Proficiency for those who need to survive to 3rd level? Yeah, this is one of the best options in the game. At least on a mechanical level...
Elf (Drow): This offers almost nothing, and sunlight sensitivity's a deal-breaker. Pass.
Elf (High): The extra cantrip is okay if you're going Sorcerer Multiclass (and even then you can't use it whilst raging), but otherwise yeah, Elves aren't made for this concept.
Elf (Wood): The best of the PHB Elves, only because it actually goes very nicely with the 'Monk' Multiclass that I'm about to offer. Saying that, the aforementioned build is rather sub-optimal anyway, so only take this if it's your heart's desire.
Gnome (Forest): Gnome Cunning would offer good protection against magic, the typical weakness of Barbarians, and give you advantage on what's likely to be your three weakest Saving Throws, so it's a reasonable defensive choice.
Gnome (Rock): Gnome Cunning has already been discussed, and 'Artificer's Lore' would pair well with the 'Magic Awareness' Class Feature. Plus you get a small buff to Constitution. Shame the bigger buff is for your dump stat, though.
Half-Elf: Darkvision; CHA buff plus buffs to two other scores of your choice (I'd go Strength and Con); extra skill proficiencies and also the first race to actually kinda look like Broly, too. Not a bad choice.
Halfling (Lightfoot): The Lucky feature is worth its weight in gold, granted, but it's let down by the lack of useful ASIs.
Halfling (Stout): Just play a Dwarf who likes food; it's way better.
Half-Orc: It's no surprise to anyone that Half-Orcs make awesome Barbarians...
Human: You get +1 to all Ability Scores - very useful for any of the Multiclass builds I'm going to propose later. However if you just want to go straight Barbarian, or aren't multiclassing into something that requires additional ability scores beyond Strength or Constitution, then you're gonna wanna go...
Human (Variant): Even though these builds won't want a whole lot of Feats, you get one anyway. Take something like 'Tough' or GWM. Both great Feats for the discerning Barb.
Tiefling: Two ASIs a Barbarian-focused build doesn't need, and a reactionary spell that doesn't work during a Rage. You could choose this, or you could go Custom Lineage and make a far better "Tiefling" that way...
Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Elf (Eladrin): Shout-out to Unoriginal for bringing this one to my attention. Considering how bad the other Elf options are for this build, Eladrin makes a reasonable case for itself. Fey Step is a great way of getting that Misty Step when you really want it, and because it's a Racial Feature rather than a Spell it can be done whilst Raging. Pick Summer or Winter for the damage or the rather powerful 'Frightened' Condition.
Elf (Sea): The Constitution score is nice, and you'll never fear the water. Nothing else is especially useful though.
Elf (Shadar-Kai): An Elf race rated Saiyan Yellow?! Yes, actually - Bonus to Constitution; Necrotic resistance; a similar Fey Step feature to Eladrin and it gives you temporary resistance to all damage! If you have your heart set on an Elf, this is the one to go for.
Dwarf (Duergar): The ASIs are good, as are all the other Dwarfy things, but the spells are a trap. Both are concentration, which you'll lose the second you Rage. Sunlight Sensitivity is a major issue unless you're playing in a campaign like 'Dungeon of the Mad Mage', in which case this is a reasonable choice.
Githyanki: +2 strength is nice to have, and even though the racial spells can't be cast in a Rage, a lot of them have uses outside of combat, so whilst they're restricted they're also nice to have, too. Overall this race is nice to have.
Githzerai: I think canonically even the Githzerai would agree: Leave the Barbarianism to the 'yankis.
Tieflings (all MToF subclasses): Nah. The Zariel and Levistus variants help a little with the ASIs, but the spells only work well enough if you're going 'Sorbarian' and not raging nearly as much.
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Gnome (Svirfneblim): See the other Gnomes for my thoughts on Gnome Cunning. There's a lot left to be desired as a racial choice on the whole, but that one feature alone saves this.
Halfling (Ghostwise): Ehhh... I mean 'Lucky' is great, but nothing else here is.
Tiefling Variants: The Winged Variant is awesome for the flight speed alone, but the others are just worse Tieflings.
Volo's Guide to Monsters
Aasimar: All of these are great choices for different reasons. All get two extra resistances, so that's a good start. Protector Aasimar gets temporary flight and deals extra radiant damage per hit; Scourge gets a relevant ASI and a thematically wonderful transformation that is basically an aura of pain for those close to you (shoutout to Unoriginal for pointing this out), and Fallen gets a relevant ASI and can instill the rather powerful 'Frightened' condition on creatures. All of this stuff are useful for a Wild Magic Barbarian.
Bugbear: You're a Barbarian with Reach now; if ever there was a racial choice to send to the vanguard to focksmash a mob, it's this one. Even better if you can secure a Surprise Round. And on top of all that: +2 to strength, and the 'Powerful Build' feature means you're as strong as a Broly should be, too.
Firbolg: You know the one thing more terrifying than a Raging Broly? One who can turn Invisible - even in a Rage. This on top of a +1 to strength; powerful build and frankly just being a Half-Giant.
Goblin: I mean yes, this could work, but "Fury of the Small"? With a Broly build? Still, don't judge a book by its cover - it's a useful feature. It's just a bit too situational and too thematically inappropriate.
Goliath: Grog Strongjaw was a great Barbarian. A Goliath would make a fantastic 'Broly'.
Hobgoblin: +2 to Con is nice for AC and HP purposes, and 'Saving Face' is a nice occasional insurance, especially if you're swinging with the GWM Feat. Otherwise, you can do better.
Kenku: It's a bad choice, but I'm sorry, my headcanon is that the original 1993 Broly kept saying "KAKAROT!" over and over again because he was a Kenku and could only mimic speech, and now I can't stop laughing.
Kobold: See Goblin.
Lizardfolk: One of the build options I'm going to present later focuses on 'unarmed strikes', and the Bite feature for this has amazing synergy. Hunter's Lore can pile on the skill proficiencies (especially with the Barbarian's 'Primal Awareness') and the +2 to con is nice.
Orc: An ability that improves facetanking abilities; ASIs in your two main stats; extra skill proficiencies. Orcs are usually Barbarians by default in many settings, and it's easy to see why.
Tabaxi: The speed boost is great for Barbarians and amazing for the Monk multiclass option coming later, but don't be fooled by the claws - Unarmed Fighting Style has trimmed them somewhat.
Triton: An ideal option for the 'Sorbarian' loadout, and will function okay for any other build, but again - there are better choices.
Yuan-Ti Pureblood: The only race to get an outright immunity, and that Magic Resistance is incredible. Do great defensive features make for a great Wild Magic Barbarian, though? I wonder.
Elemental Evil & Tortle Package
Aarakocra: A great flight speed, but at the cost of being pretty much limited to Unarmored Defense for your AC whether you like it or not. The Saiyan Yellow Rating is on the proviso that your stats are good enough that you're not gonna be hurt too much by this, otherwise it gets demoted to Base Form Rating.
Genasi: Earth Genasi is a great option. The others are just okay.
Tortle: Incredible AC by Barbarian standards, and +2 strength. Basically you can hit hard and take being hit just as hard back. Tortles are often the saviour of low-AC classes like Barbarians, Monks and Druids, so this is no real surprise.
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Changeling: Nothing useful for you here.
Khalashtar: A free Wisdom Saving Throw Proficiency, and a rare resistance to psychic damage means that this race covers off the traditional weakness of Barbarians. But much like the other races that focus on defensive buffs, it sounds better on paper than in practice. Give me something I can use for offense. Creatures can't hurt me if I've destroyed them.
Shifter: Beasthide and Longtooth are the picks of this crop, but my issue is that all their Shifter goodies are gated behind a Bonus Action trigger, and a Wild Magic Barbarian is already gonna have more Bonus Action options than Bonus Actions available. At some point the constant bottleneck will get frustrating.
Warforged: I like the idea of a Robot being such an emotionally-charged and spiritually chaotic creature, but this is actually a good option. Two good ASIs (especially if you put the +1 into strength), and the bonus to AC is always welcome.
Dragonmarked Races
Mark of Detection (Half-Elf): Nope.
Mark of Finding: Why would you give up a regular Half-Orc for this?
Mark of Handling: You're not interested in companions or mounts, unless you want a 'Ba' of your own. Ask your DM.
Mark of Healing: Barbarians have high HP but typically low AC. The healing mitigates this. On top of that, one of the upcoming build options is a 'Sorbarian', and this would be ideal for that.
Mark of Hospitality: Nope.
Mark of Making: You're not an Artificer? Pass.
Mark of Passage: I probably put more stock than I should do into an option that lets you teleport here and there, but only because Big Bads tend to surround themselves with minions, and this is a good way past them quickly.
Mark of Scribing: Nope.
Mark of Sentinel: You might find use for this. You might not.
Mark of Shadows: Great spell options so long as you're not Raging now or anytime soon.
Mark of Storms: Nope.
Mark of Warding: Also nope.
Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
Dragonborn (Draconblood): 'Forceful Presence' and Darkvision isn't enough to save this option.
Dragonborn (Ravenite): Much more like it. Two useful ASIs, Darkvision and an aggressive reaction that would be pretty nasty with a GWM Feat.
Elf (Pallid): It's not that you can't cast spells as a Barbarian, it's just that concentration really sucks, as your concentration automatically fails if you Rage. Invisibility is a nice sneaky option though.
Halfling (Lotusden): This really wants you to be a Ranger or Druid. You are neither, and the extra spells are both concentration. Still, at least you get that Lucky feature.
Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica
Centaur: Best base walking speed in the game (I...think. I may need to fact-check that) means you can close up to the foes very quickly. +2 to strength is always a big help. Equine Build is a double-edged sword (you're clearly not a 'Skyrim' variant), but that doesn't stop this being a great option.
Loxodon: Natural Armor is likely to be as good if not better than your Unarmored Defense, especially given the +2 to constitution offered by this race. Trunk is much more useful than people realise; I don't think Loxodon players typically use it as much as they could. Powerful Build is nice as the party's heavyweight, too.
Simic Hybrid: Remember 'Bio-Broly'? Yeah, terrible film but if you want to RP as a big ball o' Super Saiyan snot, this is the race for you. ASI to Con and another of your choice (probably Strength), and some freakshow options. I'd personally choose Manta Glide and Carapace (to mitigate fall damage and increase your AC), but Grappling Appendages could get some great mileage too.
Vedalken: It offers nothing except Advantage on all the mental saves that you'd otherwise suck at, meaning the only saving throw you're going to be sketchy at is Dexterity. Take Resilient (Dex) Feat to gather all six Infinity Stones and rule the universe. The best option if you're prioritising survivability over offensiveness.
Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Leonin: Extra con and strength is great. Daunting Roar is great for the frightened condition (an underrated condition in my opinion), and the extra 5ft movement ensures you can get to the front quickly enough.
Minotaur: Where the Leonin is geared towards constitution, the Minotaur is geared towards strength, but you still get buffs to both. Some great offensive features, but your Bonus Action is a precious resource and that's what stops this from being green.
Satyr: I've seen a 'Super Mario' build where someone equips a Satyr with the 'Boots of Striding and Springing' to literally jump on enemies with Mirthful Leaps and cause as much as 3D6 bludgeoning damage that way (more if you jumped from a vantage point). That could work well for a Barbarian; I just question why you'd want to do this.
A Note about TCoE's 'Custom Lineage'
If your DM is allowing the 'Path of Wild Magic' subclass from Tasha's Cauldron, chances are they'll allow 'Custom Lineage'. It's not a given though - I know when the book came out there was a lot of butthurt about the racial customisation for reasons I'll never truly understand why.
For me, a Custom Race is ideal. Make a Saiyan! You can choose between Darkvision or a skill proficiency; you get a +2 to any Ability Score you want and of course there's the free Feat that makes Variant Humans so universally attractive. Given that some of the multiclass options are so M.A.D. you'll want as many ASIs as you can get hold of, so having a free Feat helps get that 'must-have' Feat you want so much right out of the gate.
You could also talk to your DM about trading the Feat in for an ability to "wildshape" into a Giant Ape under a Full Moon. They may well say no, but it's a possibility. Just saiyan... :smalltongue:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EclmsOgXkAMZJ9k.jpg
Broly on his way to steal your... androgynous alien genotype..? (image credit: chry_insi_art)
Core Class: 'Path of Wild Magic' Barbarian
So in all of the builds presented here, I am recommending that your first three levels are in 'Barbarian'. You want that Wild Surge feature ASAP as it is absolutely core to the build. For this you get:
Core Features:
Hit Dice: D12. Best in the game. You might not be hard to hit, but you're very hard to kill. Starting with max HP at 1st level gives you a head-start. If your DM lets you take the fixed amount of HP each level (7+CON modifier) then you're still doing very well. And if they say to the group to go ahead and take max HP each time, or don't really care either way? Hell yes!
Saving Throws: Thematically speaking, these make sense. Broly is built like a weebified Greek God and it's absolutely right that of all his ability scores, Strength and Constitution are the ones he should have. However, this is D&D and whilst the Con saves are extremely useful, the strength saving throws are situational at best.
Armour Proficiencies: You get Light, Medium and Shields, and frankly that's plenty. Do you really want Heavy? If you're wearing armour at all it'll probably be a Breastplate. Scrounge some Bracers of Defense or a +1/2/3 Breastplate and you'll be golden.
Weapon Proficiences: Simple and Martial. You really can't ask for more.
Tool Proficiencies: *snort*...
Class Skills: A dual rating, as it gets better with more levels. You get to choose from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception and Survival. However, you get to choose one more from that list at 3rd level thanks to Primal Awareness, and another at 10th level. If you're investing a lot of levels into WM Barbarian then you now have four skill proficiencies. Furthermore, Perception and Nature are two commonly requested skill checks, and Athletics is of course the bread and butter of all Barbarians.
Class Features (up to 3rd level):
Rage (1st level): Most Barbarians use it for the damage boost and resistances, but you're using it for so much more. The Wild Surge effects really make this feel like a significant power boost, and it's easier to flavour this as such. This doesn't mean, however, that you want to use it in every encounter. Just the ones you feel merit it.
Unarmored Defense (1st level): If your stats are good, so is this. If not, a Breastplate will suffice. I mean, canonically speaking Broly has fought with both...
Reckless Attack (2nd level): I'm rating it Green partly because it is a great feature, but mostly because it is absolutely 'on-brand' for a Broly build. Broly's fighting style is wild, feral and brutal, and crit-fishing is the name of the game with this feature.
Danger Sense (2nd level): Advantage on Dex Saves against seen effects means you essentially have three Saving Throw Proficiencies. In fact I'd argue this is better than a Proficiency...
Magic Awareness (3rd level Path Feature): It's basically a componentless 'Detect Magic'. If you don't have a spellcaster already doing this, this will get great mileage. If your party has a Warlock with Eldritch Sight then this feature's absolutely useless.
Wild Surge (3rd level Path Feature): This is what this guide's all about, and when you compare it to the Sorcerer equivalent it's just so much better. Firstly, it triggers more reliably (every time you Rage, rather than waiting for the DM to request a roll after a levelled spell cast, and even then only on a 1...) and secondly it's all positive results.
Looking at the Wild Surge Table itself:
D8
Wild Surge Effect
1
Shadowy tendrils lash around you. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d12 necrotic damage. You also gain 1d12 temporary hit points.
2
You teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Until your rage ends, you can use this effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action.
3
An intangible spirit, which looks like a flumph or a pixie (your choice), appears within 5 feet of one creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you. At the end of the current turn, the spirit explodes, and each creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 force damage. Until your rage ends, you can use this effect again, summoning another spirit, on each of your turns as a bonus action.
4
Magic infuses one weapon of your choice that you are holding. Until your rage ends, the weapon’s damage type changes to force, and it gains the light and thrown properties, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If the weapon leaves your hand, the weapon reappears in your hand at the end of the current turn.
5
Whenever a creature hits you with an attack roll before your rage ends, that creature takes 1d6 force damage, as magic lashes out in retribution.
6
Until your rage ends, you are surrounded by multi colored, protective lights. You gain a +1 bonus to AC, and while within 10 feet of you, your allies gain the same bonus.
7
Flowers and vines temporarily grow around you. Until your rage ends, the ground within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain for your enemies.
8
A bolt of light shoots from your chest. Another creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 radiant damage and be blinded until the start of your next turn. Until your rage ends, you can use this effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action.
Despite the unpredictable nature inherent with rolling on a table, there are some common themes here: Four of the eight results actively deal damage to the enemy and don't even require an attack roll. Almost all are ranged attacks - something Barbarians typically lack - and one of them (number 5) theoretically has unlimited range. Nobody expects the Barbarian to hit the archer camping 100ft away. Furthermore, three of the eight results are defensive, helping to mitigate the vulnerability created by features like Reckless Attack (or indeed the relatively low AC Barbarians often suffer from).
And finally there's the godly result number 2: Teleporting around the battlefield like a motherf-
More Coming Soon