Path of the Soldier

While many barbarians draw power from an unfiltered, unbridled fury, others draw their focus from pure militaristic discipline. Barbarians of this path harness their rage to make themselves the first line of defense in battle and to make the most of whatever armor they choose to wear.

Armor Training

Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, when you enter your rage, you gain additional benefits depending on the type of armor you are wearing. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit. Until your rage ends, you gain one of the following benefits:

• Unarmored:
• When a creature makes an attack against a friendly creature within 5 ft. of you, you can use your reaction to force the attack to target you instead. Until the start of your next turn, that creature has disadvantage on attacks against creatures other than you.
• Light
• When you take the Attack action, if you miss an attack, you can make an additional attack as part of that Attack action. You can only make this additional attack once per turn.
• Medium
• When you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to gain a bonus to your AC against that attack equal to your bonus damage, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.

This feature grants no benefit for heavy armor.

Martial Prowess

At 6th level, you gain access to one of the following Fighting Styles:

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Unstoppable Force

At 10th level, when you enter your rage, or as a bonus action on any of your turns while you are raging, you can take the Dash action. If you use the Attack action in the same turn and move at least 20 ft toward a creature before attacking it, that creature must make a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or suffer one of the following effects in addition to taking the attack’s normal damage.

• The target is pushed up to 15 ft away from you and falls prone.
• The target takes an additional 1d8 damage of the same type as the weapon used in the attack.

You can only gain the additional benefit from this attack once per turn. 

Improved Armor Training

At 14th level, while you are raging, you gain an additional benefit depending on the type of armor you are wearing. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit. Until your rage ends, you gain one of the following benefits:

• Unarmored:
• As a bonus action, you can make an unarmed strike against a creature within range. On a hit, the attack deals no damage, and if the creature is Large or smaller, you and the creature are now restrained. If the creature is Huge or larger, its movement speed is reduced by half; its flying speed, if it has one, is reduced to 0; and the number of attacks it can make when taking the Attack action is reduced by one. The creature can use its action to escape your hold by making a contested Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against your Strength (Athletics) check.
• Light:
• Your bonus damage while raging, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table, is doubled on your attacks. Also, when you use your Reckless Attack feature while raging, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
• Medium:
• Any bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage you take is reduced by an amount equal to your barbarian level.

This feature grants no benefit for heavy armor.