I'll NEVER Die! (A Guide to the 5E Barbarian)

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

1. Exhaustion goes down a level after each long rest. Frenzy isn't something to spam, but if you're fairly sure it's the last encounter of the day you don't really lose anything.

The issue is that, for Frenzy to be competitive with totem features, it would have to provide its extra attack consistently. As is, you can get a bonus action attack with a feat, never suffer any exhaustion, and get cool totem features.

2. Mounted Combatant+Stout Halfling. Ride your friends. Force attacks on yourself. Even better with Retaliation, since you can guarantee the attack is going to you.

Halfling is a little odd for a barbarian (no heavy weapons), and you wouldn't be making good use of half the benefit of the feat very well (advantage on melee attacks against foes smaller than the mount), but I can see how this gets fun if your mount friend takes Sentinel. Try to attack either character? You attack the raging halfling either way, and eat reaction attacks.

[Malifice]

The issue is that, for Frenzy to be competitive with totem features, it would have to provide its extra attack consistently. As is, you can get a bonus action attack with a feat,

A feat that the Frenzy barbarian used to pump his Str by +2.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

A feat that the Frenzy barbarian used to pump his Str by +2.

That's factored in. Polearm Master or GWM compare favorably to Frenzy (no exhaustion + other bennies), and the totem benefits compare favorably to +2 STR.

[Coidzor]

That's factored in. Polearm Master or GWM compare favorably to Frenzy (no exhaustion + other bennies), and the totem benefits compare favorably to +2 STR.

Also Polearm Mastery and Great Weapon Mastery are both supposed to compare favorably to +2 Strength.

Tanking magic and environmental damage, giving allies consistent Advantage, and limited flight are all more situational than having a bonus action attack for an entire combat, but their effects seem to be in the same ballpark and better than Frenzy when their niche comes up.

[MaxWilson]

Also Polearm Mastery and Great Weapon Mastery are both supposed to compare favorably to +2 Strength.

Tanking magic and environmental damage, giving allies consistent Advantage, and limited flight are all more situational than having a bonus action attack for an entire combat, but their effects seem to be in the same ballpark and better than Frenzy when their niche comes up.

Also, advantage on all Strength checks, ever, even when not raging is pretty fantastic.

[Coidzor]

Also, advantage on all Strength checks, ever, even when not raging is pretty fantastic.

Well, conceivably there's some way for there to be a Strength check that doesn't fall under the aegis of the Bear Totem's 6th level benefit, but it does cover most of the ones one would be interested in.

[MaxWilson]

Well, conceivably there's some way for there to be a Strength check that doesn't fall under the aegis of the Bear Totem's 6th level benefit, but it does cover most of the ones one would be interested in.

Whoops! I misremembered--forgot there was a qualifier. The most important Strength checks are the ones you make in combat when grappling/pushing, and Might of the Bear actually doesn't help with that (although Rage does). So never mind, it's not fantastic after all. My bad for posting when AFB.

[MasterMercury]

Where are the elemental evil races for Barbarian? Genasi would make great barbarians, with a +2 to constitution, a optional +1 to strength, and Constitution based spell casting! The spells can give the barbarian a much better utility, and the idea of a barbarian literally made of stone is awesome.

[MrGoodbytes87]

Role
Frenzy - It's so disappointing. Such a great ability that is ruined by the system, not the ability itself. The problem here is that levels of exhaustion can only be removed one at a time by the greater restoration spell, which is only available to clerics and druids, costs 100 gp per cast, and consumes a 5th level spell slot (so you only get it at 9th level and onward). So in a game where you are expecting to run into 6 encounters a day at all levels, wearing yourself out is not something you want to do, ever.

Not so, my good man. According to the PHB, a long rest removes a level of exhaustion, provided you've eaten and drank. Secondly, Bards also get Greater Restoration , although it's still not ideal to have them burn a high spell slot just to fix an exhaustion.) Also if you check through the DMG, there are different rest options, including 'Epic Heroism' wherein you can make a long rest in an hour (not how I'd run a game, but acceptable) AND, depending on your DM, it may be house ruled that a long rest completely removes all exhaustion levels (which I might do if it ever becomes an issue in my games). Finally, there's a rare item 'Potion of Vitality' which, among other things, can cure exhaustion.

Not that any of these (except DM houserulings) fix the issue with Frenzy, (it does still pale in comparison to the totem paths) but I think it might be enough to raise it from red to purple or black.

[Oramac]

Mobile: Interesting feat. Makes you super fast. Not a good or bad option.

Having played with a Barb using Mobile, I would honestly rate this Blue.

After 5th level, you've got 50 feet of movement, and if you attack an enemy, you don't provoke OA's from them. Since Extra Attack allows you to attack more than one target, you can literally attack one guy, run 50 feet to another enemy and attack it.

Or, you can get into combat faster than anyone else, stay in melee better than (almost) anyone else, and never provoke OA's as long as you attack the guy first.

[Klorox]

I love this guide, but I'd really like to see it edited to include the new totems from SCAG, as well as the battlerager.

[Arkhios]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I just realized something:

You can rage even while wearing heavy armor. You just won't benefit from the basic features under Rage itself (Advantage on strength checks and saving throws, bonus to melee weapon attacks, and resistance to bludgeoning/slashing/piercing damage); You'd still be under the usual penalties bestowed by rage, however.

The big thing I just noticed, is that most Primal Path features still work (except when mentioned otherwise) - even while raging and wearing heavy armor; From Player's Handbook alone, only the Totem Spirit (Eagle) still has a requirement of not wearing heavy armor. Others work just fine! (most noteworthy among them being Totem Spirit (Bear)!)

Frankly, only a handful of class features won't function while wearing heavy armor, and there are still core barbarian features that you can benefit from, even while raging.

For a pure barbarian wearing heavy armor is still sub-optimal choice, but for a few levels dip, especially for Bear Totem Barbarian, the loss of little extra damage is small compared to the resistance against almost every damage types!

[ShinigamiKenji]

I have a question about feat vs. ability score at low levels. Which seems better? (considering the traditional Half-Orc barbarian, Str, Greataxe and such)

[Fflewddur Fflam]

I have a question about feat vs. ability score at low levels. Which seems better? (considering the traditional Half-Orc barbarian, Str, Greataxe and such)

I personally think it's best to max out your strength to 20 before taking Great Weapon Master, you want your attack bonus to be as high as you can before taking GWM and using the -5 attack roll, +10 damage feature. Of course, you will probably always be recklessly attacking with that to get your hit in.

If you can get your Str and Con to 20 by level 20 and still get another feat in addition to GWM, consider Savage Attacker, that's really nice.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Great weapon wielding barbarians generally want Great Weapon Master as soon as possible. Reckless attack improves the -5/+10 trade off significantly, and the cleave effect is icing on the cake. After that, go ahead and max STR if you want, though you could very well take feats until level 20 and be fine.

I would avoid Savage Attacker, though.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

Great weapon wielding barbarians generally want Great Weapon Master as soon as possible. Reckless attack improves the -5/+10 trade off significantly, and the cleave effect is icing on the cake. After that, go ahead and max STR if you want, though you could very well take feats until level 20 and be fine.

I would avoid Savage Attacker, though.

There is a stat thread out there about what bonuses advantage gives you, summarizing very basically it's worth +5 for rolls around 8-12 on a d20 and tapers lower than that the higher up you go. If your a tier one character with 16 strength and +2 proficiency, you're going to be missing a lot with GWM, even with advantage. Getting your Strength up to 20 as soon as possible is going to help both your attack and damage, obviously, but by then your proficiency plus your strength should be enough to give you a decent attack bonus with GWM and advantage from reckless attack.

Why would you avoid Savage Attacker??

[Afrodactyl]

So I'm currently devising a level 7 Half Orc Barbarian. Due to the fluff, it's going to be berserker barbarian; namely barb 5, fighter 2. I understand that the berserker barb is generally considered subpar to the totem barb, but fluff dictates that this half orc is very, very angry. About everything.

Fighter levels are for indomitable, action surge and a fighting style. However, I'm at a loss for the fighting style and the weapons to go with it.

I will either be going for battle-axe, shield and duelling fighting style, or greatsword and great weapon fighting style. Is there any kind of downside to the whole sword and board style over great weapons?

[Fflewddur Fflam]

So I'm currently devising a level 7 Half Orc Barbarian. Due to the fluff, it's going to be berserker barbarian; namely barb 5, fighter 2. I understand that the berserker barb is generally considered subpar to the totem barb, but fluff dictates that this half orc is very, very angry. About everything.

Fighter levels are for indomitable, action surge and a fighting style. However, I'm at a loss for the fighting style and the weapons to go with it.

I will either be going for battle-axe, shield and duelling fighting style, or greatsword and great weapon fighting style. Is there any kind of downside to the whole sword and board style over great weapons?

Well, consider that when a Barbarian is raging that he's getting resistance to all physical damage, he's quite a bit of a tank without having to have a high AC. If you're unarmored defense isn't too high, you can always put on some half-plate. My point being that you can do a lot more damage with a great weapon with a barbarian than going sword and board, without having to be worried about having 2 less AC from not using a shield.

I've got a level 3 barbarian right now that has AC 17 from his unarmored defense and a shield. As soon as I can invest in some half-plate, I'm gonna put that on, have AC 17 and just start wailing away with a greatsword.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

There is a stat thread out there about what bonuses advantage gives you, summarizing very basically it's worth +5 for rolls around 8-12 on a d20 and tapers lower than that the higher up you go. If your a tier one character with 16 strength and +2 proficiency, you're going to be missing a lot with GWM, even with advantage. Getting your Strength up to 20 as soon as possible is going to help both your attack and damage, obviously, but by then your proficiency plus your strength should be enough to give you a decent attack bonus with GWM and advantage from reckless attack.

After doing the maths for a relatively standard level 4 barbarian, if you assume you don't actually KO enemies all that often, AC 17 seems to be the cutoff point of whether +2 STR is better or GWM (higher -> STR is better). That's pretty high for this level. If you start factoring in the extra attacks from cutting down foes - which, let's face it, will happen when you're doing 1d12+15 damage - then that part of the feature starts to outweigh other factors, and the cutoff AC goes up significantly.

Why would you avoid Savage Attacker??

Because it just doesn't add enough damage to merit a whole ASI. Even +2 STR is better.

[MeeposFire]

One thing to note is that the feat is more likely to be noticed. For instance if you are in a campaign that uses a lot of hobgoblins the +2 str may be better but even then you will probably notice the feat more since it makes your damage spike, you choose to use it, and gives you multiple noticeable benefits. SO even if the math is better for the atribute if you enjoy making choices and getting the big hit the feat may be the better choice for you even if the math ends up being slightly behind (which often it doesn't unless you fight high AC enemies a lot since you get advatage on demand a lot).

[Fflewddur Fflam]

Because it just doesn't add enough damage to merit a whole ASI. Even +2 STR is better.

But if you're Strength is already capped or you are starting with variant human, a good feat I think.

[Afrodactyl]

Well, consider that when a Barbarian is raging that he's getting resistance to all physical damage, he's quite a bit of a tank without having to have a high AC. If you're unarmored defense isn't too high, you can always put on some half-plate. My point being that you can do a lot more damage with a great weapon with a barbarian than going sword and board, without having to be worried about having 2 less AC from not using a shield.

So survivability shouldn't really be too much of a concern? I'm just a bit worried about only having 15 AC if I roll with a great weapon.

[Fflewddur Fflam]

So survivability shouldn't really be too much of a concern? I'm just a bit worried about only having 15 AC if I roll with a great weapon.

Oh, I agree about the AC 15 part! Like I said, I currently have a barbarian walking around unarmored except for a shield, so he's got AC 17. As soon as I can afford some half plate, which will give him AC 17 with his Dex, I'm going to start using a great weapon.

Like all classes, Barbarians are more vulnerable at levels 1-4, so I think it's wise to wait until you can bump that AC up to 17 say before you start swinging a great weapon. No doubt there's going to be someone to chime in here about how you are mathematically stupid for not using a great weapon from level 1 up with AC 15.

[ShinigamiKenji]

So survivability shouldn't really be too much of a concern? I'm just a bit worried about only having 15 AC if I roll with a great weapon.

Raging halves most damage taken (even more with Bear Totem). Saved my Barbarian a couple of times.

Add in the highest hit die in the game and your (hopefully) high Con, and you have higher survivability than most classes already.

Got GWM, by the way, and oh boy, cleaving sure is cool. Nothing like killing an enemy and landing a critical with the bonus attack. Makes you really feel a Barbarian.

Not so sure about Savage Attacker, though, I feel I'd get more bang for the buck going Sentinel, or using Lucky for extra survivability (or better dice). Maybe if it added at least a point of Strength...

[Arial Black]

Just designed a 6th level PC: Ftr 1/Bar 5 (using TWF, challenging myself ) and originally went with the ASI, but changed my mind because higher numbers aren't something you do and I wanted to show off my mad skillzzz so I got Defensive Duellist instead (I'm using twin silvered kukris/re-skinned scimitars).

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

But if you're Strength is already capped or you are starting with variant human, a good feat I think.

It's really not a good feat. Take the greataxe on a regular hit. 1d12 average is 6.5, while 2d12k1 is roughly 8.5 on average, for a difference of 2 damage on a hit. Best case for Savage Attacker is probably level 1 on a Vuman with a greataxe, since you don't have multiple attacks (Savage is max 1 hit). Sentinel, which in no way is offense-oriented, grants extra attacks of opportunity. For it to help with damage more than Savage Attacker, it would have to grant an extra attack of opportunity every 5 or so rounds, less often when raging.

Also, I like feats for generic stuff like Lucky/Alert and defensive things like Resilient: WIS and +2 CON, which lets the Barbarian keep doing his thing.

[jas61292]

It's really not a good feat. Take the greataxe on a regular hit. 1d12 average is 6.5, while 2d12k1 is roughly 8.5 on average, for a difference of 2 damage on a hit. Best case for Savage Attacker is probably level 1 on a Vuman with a greataxe, since you don't have multiple attacks (Savage is max 1 hit). Sentinel, which in no way is offense-oriented, grants extra attacks of opportunity. For it to help with damage more than Savage Attacker, it would have to grant an extra attack of opportunity every 5 or so rounds, less often when raging.

Also, I like feats for generic stuff like Lucky/Alert and defensive things like Resilient: WIS and +2 CON, which lets the Barbarian keep doing his thing.

I tend to disagree on Savage attacker, because it is not about average damage. It is about actual damage. And unlike something like Advantage, it is not really Roll 2, Keep 1. It is roll 1, and if you don't like it, try again. You don't use it when you roll a 6 on your first attack. You use it when you roll a 1 or 2 on your first attack, or on your last attack if you have not used it yet.

Average damage is very overrated in practice. What matters is not whether you do 2 more damage on average. What matters is whether or not after you hit, your enemy is still standing, and the ability to add up to 11 extra damage when you roll bad, does a far better job of this, even than adding 1 damage to every attack through more strength.

Now, is this an amazing feat? No. But its pretty good, especially for someone using a d12 weapon (like a proper barbarian). I have seen it in action, and the impact it has had is surprising. It might not be my first pick, but I would never overlook it as a barbarian.

[ShinigamiKenji]

I tend to disagree on Savage attacker, because it is not about average damage. It is about actual damage. And unlike something like Advantage, it is not really Roll 2, Keep 1. It is roll 1, and if you don't like it, try again. You don't use it when you roll a 6 on your first attack. You use it when you roll a 1 or 2 on your first attack, or on your last attack if you have not used it yet.

Average damage is very overrated in practice. What matters is not whether you do 2 more damage on average. What matters is whether or not after you hit, your enemy is still standing, and the ability to add up to 11 extra damage when you roll bad, does a far better job of this, even than adding 1 damage to every attack through more strength.

Now, is this an amazing feat? No. But its pretty good, especially for someone using a d12 weapon (like a proper barbarian). I have seen it in action, and the impact it has had is surprising. It might not be my first pick, but I would never overlook it as a barbarian.

Thing is, I actually would prefer the extra points. Math not actually done, but the extra strength helps with actually hitting the enemy.

That's especially good in lower levels, when you have little attack bonus to spare for GWM. At higher levels, it just seems to lose some of the flavor.

[ShinigamiKenji]

Sentinel, which in no way is offense-oriented, grants extra attacks of opportunity. For it to help with damage more than Savage Attacker, it would have to grant an extra attack of opportunity every 5 or so rounds, less often when raging.

It was amazing when the paladin in my group took it. Probably will take for a nice melee combo.

Also, nice to protect your glass-cannon Rogue or Monk with it. I guess it depends on the group composition: 2 melee warriors already make this worthwhile.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

I tend to disagree on Savage attacker, because it is not about average damage. It is about actual damage. And unlike something like Advantage, it is not really Roll 2, Keep 1. It is roll 1, and if you don't like it, try again. You don't use it when you roll a 6 on your first attack. You use it when you roll a 1 or 2 on your first attack, or on your last attack if you have not used it yet.

Average damage is very overrated in practice. What matters is not whether you do 2 more damage on average. What matters is whether or not after you hit, your enemy is still standing, and the ability to add up to 11 extra damage when you roll bad, does a far better job of this, even than adding 1 damage to every attack through more strength.

Now, is this an amazing feat? No. But its pretty good, especially for someone using a d12 weapon (like a proper barbarian). I have seen it in action, and the impact it has had is surprising. It might not be my first pick, but I would never overlook it as a barbarian.

First off, if you're worried about consistent damage, the greatsword is right over there.

Secondly, you've emphasized the supposed importance of mooks - guys whose life or death commonly depends on a single damage die roll. In this case, Sentinel improves far more than Savage Attackers, because it'll generate far more AoOs. And that's nothing compared to the offensive benefits of Polearm Master (even more AoOs) or GWM (cleave, far better kill guarantee) against these same mooks. Even +2 STR looks better, as it increases kill reliability through both damage and accuracy.

Ancillary point: The fact that you can choose when to apply Savage Attacker doesn't stop it from being 2d12k1 when you only have one hit in a round. It merely mitigates the issues brought up when you have potentially multiple hits in a round.