PHB p46, XGE p9, SCAG p121, TCE p24, PHB p49,...
“I have witnessed the indomitable performance of barbarians on the field of battle, and it makes me wonder what force lies at the heart of their rage.”The anger felt by a normal person resembles the rage of a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin to a furious thunderstorm. The barbarian's driving force comes from a place that transcends mere emotion, making its manifestation all the more terrible. Whether the impetus for the fury comes entirely from within or from forging a link with a spirit animal, a raging barbarian becomes able to perform supernatural feats of strength and endurance. The outburst is temporary, but while it lasts, it takes over body and mind, driving the barbarian on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls. It can be tempting to play a barbarian character that is a straightforward application of the classic archetype—a brute, and usually a dimwitted one at that, who rushes in where others fear to tread. But not all the barbarians in the world are cut from that cloth, so you can certainly put your own spin on things. Either way, consider adding some flourishes to make your barbarian stand out from all others; see the following sections for some ideas.
d6 1d6 | Totem |
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1 | A tuft of fur from a solitary wolf that you befriended during a hunt |
2 | Three eagle feathers given to you by a wise shaman, who told you they would play a role in determining your fate |
3 | A necklace made from the claws of a young cave bear that you slew singlehandedly as a child |
4 | A small leather pouch holding three stones that represent your ancestors |
5 | A few small bones from the first beast you killed, tied together with colored wool |
6 | An egg-sized stone in the shape of your spirit animal that appeared one day in your belt pouch |
d6 1d6 | Tattoo |
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1 | The wings of an eagle are spread wide across your upper back. |
2 | Etched on the backs of your hands are the paws of a cave bear. |
3 | The symbols of your clan are displayed in viny patterns along your arms. |
4 | The antlers of an elk are inked across your back. |
5 | Images of your spirit animal are tattooed along your weapon arm and hand. |
6 | The eyes of a wolf are marked on your back to help you see and ward off evil spirits. |
d6 1d6 | Superstition |
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1 | If you disturb the bones of the dead, you inherit all the troubles that plagued them in life. |
2 | Never trust a wizard. They're all devils in disguise, especially the friendly ones. |
3 | Dwarves have lost their spirits, and are almost like the undead. That's why they live underground. |
4 | Magical things bring trouble. Never sleep with a magic object within ten feet of you. |
5 | When you walk through a graveyard, be sure to wear silver, or a ghost might jump into your body. |
6 | If an elf looks you in the eyes, she's trying to read your thoughts. |
Rage
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action. While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging. Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action. Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.
- You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
- When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
- You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
Reckless Attack
Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.Danger Sense
At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.Fast Movement
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.
Feral Instinct
By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls. Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.
Brutal Critical
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack. This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.
Relentless Rage
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.
Brutal Critical
At 13th level, you can roll two additional weapon damage dice when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack. This increases to three additional dice at 17th level.
Persistent Rage
Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.
Brutal Critical
At 17th level, you can roll three additional weapon damage dice when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
Indomitable Might
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.
Primal Champion
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.
Barbarian Level | Feature |
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3rd | Ancestral Protectors |
6th | Spirit Shield (2d6) |
10th | Consult the Spirits, Spirit Shield (3d6) |
14th | Vengeful Ancestors, Spirit Shield (4d6) |
d4 1d4 | Origin |
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1 | One of your parents is a lycanthrope, and you’ve inherited some of the curse. |
2 | You are descended from a legendary druid, a fact manifested by your ability to partially change shape. |
3 | A fey spirit gifted you with the ability to adopt different bestial aspects. |
4 | An ancient animal spirit dwells within you, allowing you to walk this path. |
Barbarian Level | Feature |
---|---|
3rd | Matter at Hand, Favor the Bold |
6th | Hearty Blow |
10th | Stroke of Inspiration |
14th | Tenacious Heart |
Barbarian Level | Feature |
---|---|
3rd | Devouring Rage, Sanguine Scent |
6th | Blood Hound |
10th | Blood of the Pack |
14th | Sanguine Clarity |
Barbarian Level | Feature |
---|---|
3rd | Storm Aura |
6th | Storm Soul |
10th | Shielding Storm |
14th | Raging Storm |
Barbarian Level | Feature |
---|---|
3rd | Lingering Magic, Wild Surge |
6th | Magic Reserves 1d4 |
10th | Arcane Rebuke |
14th | Chaotic Fury, Magic Reserves 1d6 |
d8 1d8 | Effect |
---|---|
1 | Necrotic energy bursts from you. Each creature within 30 feet of you takes 1d10 necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to the sum of the necrotic damage dealt to the creatures. |
2 | You teleport up to 20 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Until your rage ends, you can activate this effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action. |
3 | You conjure 1d4 intangible spirits that look like flumphs in unoccupied spaces within 30 feet of you. Each spirit immediately flies 30 feet in a random direction. At the end of your turn, all spirits explode and each creature within 5 feet of one or more of them must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d8 force damage. |
4 | Arcane energy enshrouds you. Until your rage ends, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, and whenever a creature within 10 feet of you hits you with an attack, that creature takes force damage equal to your Constitution modifier. |
5 | Plant life temporarily grows around you: until your rage ends, the ground within 10 feet of you is difficult terrain. |
6 | Arcane energy taps into the minds of those around you. Each creature within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or you see a glimpse of the creature’s thoughts, learning how it plans to attack you. As a result, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the start of your next turn. |
7 | Shadows weave around a weapon of your choice you are holding. Until your rage ends, your weapon deals psychic damage instead of its bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage, and it gains the light and thrown properties with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If you drop the weapon or throw it, the weapon dissipates and reappears in your hand at the end of your turn. |
8 | A beam of brilliant light lances from your chest in a 5-foot-wide, 60-foot-long line. Each creature in the line must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d8 radiant damage and be blinded until the start of your next turn. |
Barbarian Level | Feature |
---|---|
3rd | Divine Fury, Warrior of the Gods |
6th | Fanatical Focus |
10th | Zealous Presence |
14th | Rage beyond Death |