Path of Mania

A raging barbarian, from other’s perspectives, appears mad or deranged, abandoning logical thought for pure emotional action. From the Barbarian’s perspective, they can make rational decisions despite the cloud of fury under which they operate. Those that follow the path of mania though, truly lose themselves. They go beyond rage, beyond pure primal instinct, and become an evil force of nature that even they themselves can hardly stop.

Empty the Rage

3rd-level Path of Mania feature

You can push your body past its limits to tear through your opponents.

While you’re raging, when you make an attack with a melee weapon, you can choose to deal an additional 1d12 of the weapon’s damage type. When you do so, you take force damage equal to the additional damage done to your target. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Thrill of the Kill

6th-level Path of Mania feature

You can gain an intense resurgence from giving into your most primal instincts.

When you score a critical hit while you are raging, you can choose to regain a number of hit points equal to half of the total damage you dealt. You can choose to do this after the attack roll, but before you roll damage.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Silence the Voices

10th-level Path of Mania feature

Your madness craves pain, whether it be your enemies’ or your own. While you’re raging and you attack with a melee weapon, you score a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20. When you attack with a melee weapon, whether you are raging or not, and roll a natural one, you hit yourself. When you hit yourself in this way, roll damage as if it were a critical hit then reduce your hit points by the total.

Release the Beast

14th-level Path of Mania feature

Once your sane mind has been defeated, the wild beast inside takes over.

When you take damage that would reduce you to zero hit points, you instead take no damage and enter a Bestial Rage. During a Bestial Rage, the first time you hit with a melee weapon on each of your turns is an automatic critical hit and you have resistance to all damage. If you do not attack an enemy during your turn, you immediately use your reaction to attack the closest creature that you can reach using your remaining movement.

When Bestial Rage ends, you immediately suffer 2 levels of exhaustion. Entering a Bestial Rage while you are already raging resets the duration of that rage. Once you enter a Bestial Rage, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.