Path of the Forceful Will (HB)

Barbarians who follow the path of the forceful will have learned to channel their rage into a weapon, transferring their power and forming a connection with it. This connection allows such a warrior to throw their weapon further, and then summon the weapon back to them. Though this requires years of training to even reach the level of novice, barbarians who master the forceful will are deadly in combat, able to command the attention of several enemies at once.

Often, such warriors are the chosen heroes of some god or magical creature, sent to carry out the will or command of their patron. Legend tells that the art of the forceful will was a creation of the gods themselves. However, some barbarians of the forceful will are created out of trauma having been subjected to a terrible ordeal. A select few are trained in the art by former masters, and become masters themselves.

Weapon of Rage

3rd-level Path of the Forceful Will feature

When you choose this subclass, you select a melee weapon you own to channel your will and rage through. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two-handed property to turn into your weapon of rage. While you are raging, the weapon gains the following properties:

• It gains the thrown property if it doesn't already, with a normal range of 45 feet and a long range of 90 feet.
• When you make a ranged attack with this weapon, you can use your Strength modifier, instead of Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls, and you can add your rage damage to the damage dealt by the attack.
• As long as the weapon is on the same plane of existence as you, you can teleport the weapon into your hand (no action required).

Additionally, when you hit a creature with an attack made with your weapon of rage, you can use a bonus action to release a burst of force from the point of contact. All creatures other than yourself within 10 feet of the attack target, including the target itself, take 1d6 force damage. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d6 at 8th level, 3d6 at 13th level and 4d6 at 18th level. You can use this bonus action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Mighty Resolve

6th-level Path of the Forceful Will feature

While raging, if you make a saving throw made to resist any of the following conditions, you may use your Strength saving throw modifier in place of the required modifier: charmed, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed or stunned.

Battle Bond

10th-level Path of the Forceful Will feature

You have built a strong bond with your weapon of rage. When you hit a ranged attack using your weapon of rage, you can teleport to an unoccupied space adjacent to the attack target (no action required). You can only teleport in this way once per round.

Additionally, when you teleport in this way, your next attack made against the attack target before the start of your next turn has advantage.

Shield of Will

14th-level Path of the Forceful Will feature

You can use your action to create a shield of will in your empty hand, made of pure energy. This shield has the same statistics as a regular shield does. As long as the shield is on the same plane of existence as you, you can teleport the shield into your hand (no action required).

You can transfer the arcane power of a magical shield in your possession into your shield of will. This is done by meditating with the magical shield for 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. Once the meditation is complete, the magical shield becomes a regular shield, and your shield of will becomes enchanted with any and all arcane properties of the magical shield. You can’t affect an artifact or a sentient shield in this way. Your shield of will can only store the arcane properties of one magical shield at a time, and if you choose to replace its properties with that of another magical shield, the original magical shield regains its magical properties.

You gain the following actions which utilise your shield of will. If the action requires a saving throw, the DC is defined as 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier.

• Shield Stun. When you take the attack action, you can replace one of your attacks and throw your shield of will at a creature within 60 feet. Make a ranged weapon attack against the target with proficiency, using your Strength modifier instead of Dexterity. On a hit, the creature takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become stunned until the end of its next turn. You can use this action twice per long rest.
• Concussive Blast. When you take the attack action, you can replace one of your attacks and throw both your shield of will and weapon of rage at a target location within 60 feet. The subsequent collision creates an explosion of force at the target location, affecting all creatures within 20 feet centred on the location. An affected creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 3d8 force damage and falls prone. On a success, the creature takes half as much damage and does not fall prone. You can use this action twice per long rest.
• Intercept. When a creature within 60 feet is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to throw your shield and attempt to intercept the attack. As part of this, the creature gains a +2 bonus to its AC for the attack, potentially turning the hit into a miss.