So what would you want out of this subclass?

[Bhu]

One of my groups has asked me to homebrew some new animals for the Path of the Totem Warrior subclass. Most of them are easy. Shark. Crocodile. Giant Crab.

One, however, is "fainting goat." And I have no idea where to start so I thought I'd ask here. If you were a Fainting Goat Barbarian, what would you expect you'd be able to do?

[Bhu]

In a small change they now want me to do a parody of totem warrior, so now the Barbarian will be a Cultist of The Fainting Goat. I'll be adding Tardigrade and Emu as well.

[animorte]

I'll be adding Tardigrade and Emu as well.
Oh my goodness, loving it already.

I didn’t have much concept idea for the fainting goat except an easily anxious head-butting fellow, perhaps also eats anything?

I fully expect the Tardigrade to be absolutely hilarious, broken, or some combination of the two. You know how people like to enlarge for the encounter? How about doing the other direction? Get small… and invincible. Survive in any environment, under whatever conditions, for however long.

Emu likely is pretty fast but also kind of a coward. Give those hide bonuses! Hide the head, hide the body. Huh? Sure.

[Salmakia]

My research on the fainting goat says: "The myotonic goat or Tennessee fainting goat is an American breed of goat. It is characterised by myotonia congenita, a hereditary condition that may cause it to stiffen or fall over when excited or startled."

Ordinarily that seems like a bad thing in the middle of combat, so for creating the subclass I might ask "how could that become a good thing instead?" For instance, maybe the stiffening of limbs manifests as something like "while raging, your speed is reduced to 0 but your weapon attacks deal an extra die of damage."

Could also do something like "cannot be moved against your will," or "is so accustomed to falling over that standing up from being prone requires only 5 feet of movement" or even "attacking while prone does not impose disadvantage on your attacks, and attacks against you while you are prone do not have advantage"

Having a little more trouble with ideas for a 14th-level capstone... maybe something like "your reaction to being surprised is so volatile that you can enter a Rage as a reaction whenever an enemy hits you with an attack."

Hope these ideas get you thinking!

[aimlessPolymath]

I'm imagining a variant of the bear totem where instead of being resistant to damage, you let yourself be knocked back / knocked prone in order to become resistant to an instance of damage

[MutantDragon]

My research on the fainting goat says: "The myotonic goat or Tennessee fainting goat is an American breed of goat. It is characterised by myotonia congenita, a hereditary condition that may cause it to stiffen or fall over when excited or startled."

Ordinarily that seems like a bad thing in the middle of combat, so for creating the subclass I might ask "how could that become a good thing instead?" For instance, maybe the stiffening of limbs manifests as something like "while raging, your speed is reduced to 0 but your weapon attacks deal an extra die of damage."

Could also do something like "cannot be moved against your will," or "is so accustomed to falling over that standing up from being prone requires only 5 feet of movement" or even "attacking while prone does not impose disadvantage on your attacks, and attacks against you while you are prone do not have advantage"

Having a little more trouble with ideas for a 14th-level capstone... maybe something like "your reaction to being surprised is so volatile that you can enter a Rage as a reaction whenever an enemy hits you with an attack."

Hope these ideas get you thinking!


Maybe the capstone could involve inflicting some combination of the prone and paralyzed conditions, or something?

[Bhu]

Definitely liking the ideas!

By request I will now be adding Desert Rain Frog and Cornered Rat...

[Melayl]

Emu likely is pretty fast but also kind of a coward. Give those hide bonuses! Hide the head, hide the body. Huh? Sure.

Actually, emu are pretty aggressive and rather dangerous, especially their kick.

[MutantDragon]

Actually, emu are pretty aggressive and rather dangerous, especially their kick.

Kick-boxing barbarian, anyone?

[D&D_Fan]

what about a hare or frog totem? it could provide extra jumping ability and agility

a bloodhound totem could provide a barbarian with boosted senses and magic tracking powers

a shark totem could be a swim speed boost and blood sense

hyena totem could be good for gnoll barbarians, idk what it would do, maybe just more gnoll-esque powers

[Maat Mons]

I suppose a Feinting Goat Totem Barbarian would deliberately drop prone as a means of dodging attacks and attacking from unexpected angles.

[Bhu]

what about a hare or frog totem? it could provide extra jumping ability and agility

a bloodhound totem could provide a barbarian with boosted senses and magic tracking powers

a shark totem could be a swim speed boost and blood sense

hyena totem could be good for gnoll barbarians, idk what it would do, maybe just more gnoll-esque powers

There will be a rain frog cultist. Shark will be done for the regular totem barbarian. I just need sometime to get some work done on them (my job has been iffy lately).

[sandmote]

IF you want somewhere to start building from, I have some old shark and crocodile (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?594307-Expanded-Options-for-Land-Druids-Totem-Warriors-and-Storm-Heralds) totem options written up. The octopus also included could maybe be reworked for a rat.

Otherwise I'd maybe request your party make the suggestions more generic? "Goat" is probably easier than "fainting goat," for example, and "frog" easier than "desert rain frog."

But yeah, if you need something that faints it might work better to add some prone related bonuses. Maybe the capstone could grant an attempt to hide while rolling initiative, with the fluff that you effectively drop out of sight for a moment?

[Bhu]

Okay here's a rough draft. Whaddya think?


Path of the Cultist

Not all Barbarians come from tribesmen seeking a spiritual guide. Some, especially those who seek adventure far from home, fall in with strange religious cults that worship dark spirits that resemble the totem guides that they are used to. These spirits possess them during Rage, and give them abilities they would not otherwise have, while slowly altering their physical appearance.


SPIRIT ADVICE

At 3rd level when you adopt this path, you gain the ability to cast the Augury and Ceremony spells, but only as rituals. A little Divination never hurt anyone, and for some reason you are now legally allowed to conduct weddings. Not that many people ask hulking cultists to do that sort of thing.


SPIRIT POSSESSION

At 3rd level, when you adopt this path, you choose a possessor spirit and gain its feature. You must make or acquire a physical totem object – an amulet or similar adornment – that incorporates fur or feathers, claws, teeth, or bones of the totem animal. At your option, you also gain minor physical attributes that are reminiscent of your possessor spirit. For example, if you have an Emu possessor spirit, you might be unusually wobbly when you run, or if your possessor is the Fainting Goat, you grow small horns.

Cornered Rat. When Raging, you can Rage freely when Cornered, and do not have to attack or take damage to maintain it. Cornered is defined as follows:

If you have more than one hostile creature adjacent to you or attacking you (even from range).

If you fail a Saving Throw that would cause you to be Frightened, you are considered Cornered instead for the effects duration.

You are subject to any of the following Conditions: Blinded, Grappled, Incapacitated, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Restrained, or Stunned.

Desert Rain Frog. As an Action, you can let out your hilariously un-terrifying war squeak. This squeak echoes for miles, and instead of warning predators away, it actually attracts them. The next round a CR 1 predator runs onto the map from a random direction, and while you do not control it, it does attack the nearest creature other than you. You may do this a number of times per long rest equal to your Proficiency Bonus. If you are Raging, this does not cause your rage to end.

Emu. While Raging, you gain Resistance to damage of all types, but only from ranged attacks. Additionally, your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.

Fainting Goat. When Raging, and an opponent successfully attacks you, or causes you to be Frightened, you may Faint. You let out a hellish scream that echoes through the sky, while blood and black fluids vomit from your orifices as you fall Prone. For all intents and purposes you appear dead for 1 round. On your next turn you may stand up without losing any movement speed, heal 1d10 hit points, and are no longer Frightened if you were. You may Faint once per Rage, and Fainting doesn't end your Rage.

Moss Pig. When Raging, you have Advantage on all Saving Throws, including Death Saving Throws.



ASPECT OF THE SPIRIT

At 6th level, you gain a magical benefit based on the possessing spirit you chose at 3rd Level.

Cornered Rat. Your Armor Class improves by +1 when you are Cornered, whether Raging or not.

Desert Rain Frog. You become ever more adorable, just like your possessing spirit. You gain Proficiency with Deception and Persuasion Checks.

Emu. You can take the Dash Action as a Bonus Action.

Fainting Goat. You have Advantage on Strength (Athletics ) Checks.

Moss Pig. You gain Advantage on Wisdom (Survival) Checks.



COMMUNICATION LINK

At 10th level, you can cast the Rary's Telepathic Bond spell, but only as a ritual. Great for communicating with fellow cultists or party members when you can't afford to say the bad things out loud.


SPIRITUAL THRALL

At 14th level, you gain a magical benefit based on the possessor spirit you chose at Level 3.

Cornered Rat. While Raging and Cornered, you gain one extra Attack when taking the Attack Action, for a maximum of 3 attacks per round. Additionally your attacks do +1d8 damage.

Desert Rain Frog. Your cuteness is now devastating. As long as you aren't Raging, any creature who Targets you with an Attack or a harmful spell must first make a Wisdom saving throw (Save DC is 8 plus Proficiency Bonus plus Charisma modifier). On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the Attack or spell. This spell doesn't protect you from area Effects, such as the explosion of a Fireball. If you make an Attack or cast a spell that affects an enemy creature, this effect ends. You may still use your squeak, which now summons three predators of CR 2 or less.

Emu. When Raging, you may give Disadvantage to any ranged attack that has a target within 60 feet of you.

Fainting Goat. When you use your Faint, you may now gain Advantage on attack rolls the round you stand up, if you attack the creature who 'caused' you to Faint.

Moss Pig. You now gain Advantage on Saving Throws whether you are Raging or not. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Constitution saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

[Metastachydium]

Okay, so 5e is still very much not my thing, so I don't have much useful to say about strength and balance, but let me tell you that I love the flavour.



Desert Rain Frog. As an Action, you can let out your hilariously un-terrifying war squeak. This squeak echoes for miles, and instead of warning predators away, it actually attracts them. The next round a CR 1 predator runs onto the map from a random direction, and while you do not control it, it does attack the nearest creature other than you. You may do this a number of times per long rest equal to your Proficiency Bonus. If you are Raging, this does not cause your rage to end.

Ah, the perks of being counter-intuitive!



Desert Rain Frog. You become ever more adorable, just like your possessing spirit. You gain Proficiency with Deception and Persuasion Checks.

(…)

Desert Rain Frog. Your cuteness is now devastating. As long as you aren't Raging, any creature who Targets you with an Attack or a harmful spell must first make a Wisdom saving throw (Save DC is 8 plus Proficiency Bonus plus Charisma modifier). On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the Attack or spell. This spell doesn't protect you from area Effects, such as the explosion of a Fireball. If you make an Attack or cast a spell that affects an enemy creature, this effect ends. You may still use your squeak, which now summons three predators of CR 2 or less.


As you might have noticed, I'm quite fond of the whole "Too Cute to Die – Now Mechanically Codified" deal and desert rain frogs are cute, so this is a pleasure to behold.


Emu. While Raging, you gain Resistance to damage of all types, but only from ranged attacks. Additionally, your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.

(…)

Emu. You can take the Dash Action as a Bonus Action.

(…)

Emu. When Raging, you may give Disadvantage to any ranged attack that has a target within 60 feet of you.

Yake that, slow Aussies with your stupid machine guns! Simple and elegant.


Fainting Goat. When Raging, and an opponent successfully attacks you, or causes you to be Frightened, you may Faint. You let out a hellish scream that echoes through the sky, while blood and black fluids vomit from your orifices as you fall Prone. For all intents and purposes you appear dead for 1 round. On your next turn you may stand up without losing any movement speed, heal 1d10 hit points, and are no longer Frightened if you were. You may Faint once per Rage, and Fainting doesn't end your Rage.

Well. Goats are scary. And that description cracked me up. And nice work, in general, turning something actively detrimental into a neat boon with crazy overtones and shades of psychological warfare.


Moss Pig.

I know the deal of tardigrades is mostly the whole "I AM IMMORTAL! I CANNOT DIE!" thing, but the implementation here seems a bit… Bland, especially in comparison to what the other spirits get. I'll assume Advantage on all saves and half-Mettle is a pretty good deal in 5e where the dice are swingy, so I'm not saying it's weak, just, I don't know, underdeveloped somewhat.

[Bhu]

I know the deal of tardigrades is mostly the whole "I AM IMMORTAL! I CANNOT DIE!" thing, but the implementation here seems a bit… Bland, especially in comparison to what the other spirits get. I'll assume Advantage on all saves and half-Mettle is a pretty good deal in 5e where the dice are swingy, so I'm not saying it's weak, just, I don't know, underdeveloped somewhat.

I'm not totally satisfied with it. I figured everyone would want 'unkillable barbarian', but the stuff to make that happen makes for dull, simplistic abilities. I'd like to add the humor somehow like I did the others.

[aimlessPolymath]

Doodling some tardigrade ability ideas:

Homeostasis:
You can now survive for up to ten years without food, water, or air. You are resistant to fire, poison and cold damage.

Hibernate:
As a reaction, you can shrivel up and 'die', reducing all damage from you take to 1 and automatically succeeding on all saving throws, but becoming unable to move or take actions or reactions. This state ends at the end of your next turn.

Invulnerable:
You are conscious and can move and act while dying. If you fail three death saves while in this state, you enter a near-death state, and become unconscious for 24 hours. If you take a total of 50 points of damage while in this near-death state, you die for real.

Edit: Breaking up Invulnerable a bit, plus additional idea:

Immortal:
When you reach three failed death saves, you enter a state of virtual death instead of dying. You can't act, and to all appearances, you are dead. While in this state, you cannot be healed, and if you take 25 total damage, you die. If you are not killed, you recover from this state naturally after 24 hours, or if you would be raised from the dead.

Undying:
While dying, you remain conscious and can act normally. You have advantage on death saving throws.

Resilience:
When you are forced to make a saving throw against a spell, ability, or environmental effect, you can adapt to it. You automatically succeed on future saving throws against that spell, ability, or effect, and if it affects you for a duration, that duration is reduced to 1 round. This effect lasts until you choose a new source.

[Metastachydium]

Doodling some tardigrade ability ideas:

Homeostasis:
You can now survive for up to ten years without food, water, or air.

That's a period with a kind of unwieldy length for game purposes.


Hibernate:
As a reaction, you can shrivel up and 'die', reducing all damage from you take to 1 and automatically succeeding on all saving throws, but becoming unable to move or take actions or reactions. This state ends at the end of your next turn.

This, on the other hand, I like.

[aimlessPolymath]

That's a period with a kind of unwieldy length for game purposes.

It's essentially identical to not needing to eat/drink/breathe in virtually every situation- I opted for giving a duration because I like the survivalist tone it set.

[Bhu]

They just fired over half the staff at work. Gimme a minute to come out of shock and I'll update the subclass.

[CanisLunis]

I'm imagining a variant of the bear totem where instead of being resistant to damage, you let yourself be knocked back / knocked prone in order to become resistant to an instance of damage

to expand on this, I feel like a Fainting Goat totem barbarian would be able to become effectively immune to one instance of damage from an attack (or maybe a spell at later levels) in exchange for being knocked Prone.
Definitely liking the idea of it only requiring 5ft of movement to stand from Prone, and maybe later on it can use its bonus action to make an attack against an adjacent enemy when it stands from Prone?

[Bhu]

And I'm back. Sorry that was...a brutal week.

Shoul I keep the Communications link ability? I added it cause the class was intended to parody totem warrior, and it was the only sell that was of the appropriate level that was a ritual. I didn't want to repeat with Commune, and Contact Other Plane is just stupid.