Barbarian Class Details
Primary Ability | Strength |
---|---|
Hit Point Die | D12 per Barbarian level |
Saving Throw Proficiencies | Strength and Constitution |
Skill Proficiencies | Choose 2: Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, or Survival |
Weapon Proficiencies | Simple and Martial weapons |
Armor Training | Light and Medium armor and Shields |
Starting Equipment | Choose A or B: (A) Greataxe, 4 Handaxes, Explorer’s Pack, and 15 GP; or (B) 75 GP |
Barbarians are mighty warriors who are powered by primal forces of the multiverse that manifest as a Rage. More than a mere emotion—and not limited to anger—this Rage is an incarnation of a predator’s ferocity, a storm’s fury, and a sea’s turmoil.
Some Barbarians personify their Rage as a fierce spirit or revered forebear. Others see it as a connection to the pain and anguish of the world, as an impersonal tangle of wild magic, or as an expression of their own deepest self. For every Barbarian, their Rage is a power that fuels not just battle prowess, but also uncanny reflexes and heightened senses.
Barbarians often serve as protectors and leaders in their communities. They charge headlong into danger so those under their protection don’t have to. Their courage in the face of danger makes Barbarians perfectly suited for adventure.
Becoming a Barbarian...
As a Level 1 Character
- Gain all the traits in the Core Barbarian Traits table.
- Gain the Barbarian’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Barbarian Features table.
As a Multiclass Character
- Gain the following traits from the Core Barbarian Traits table: Hit Point Die, proficiency with Martial weapons, and training with Shields.
- Gain the Barbarian’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Barbarian Features table.
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Class Features | Rages | Rage Damage | Weapon Mastery |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | +2 | Rage, Unarmored Defense, Weapon Mastery | 2 | +2 | 2 |
2 | +2 | Danger Sense, Reckless Attack | 2 | +2 | 2 |
3 | +2 | Barbarian Subclass, Primal Knowledge | 3 | +2 | 2 |
4 | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | +2 | 3 |
5 | +3 | Extra Attack, Fast Movement | 3 | +2 | 3 |
6 | +3 | Subclass feature | 4 | +2 | 3 |
7 | +3 | Feral Instinct, Instinctive Pounce | 4 | +2 | 3 |
8 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | +2 | 3 |
9 | +4 | Brutal Strike | 4 | +3 | 3 |
10 | +4 | Subclass feature | 4 | +3 | 4 |
11 | +4 | Relentless Rage | 4 | +3 | 4 |
12 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +3 | 4 |
13 | +5 | Improved Brutal Strike | 5 | +3 | 4 |
14 | +5 | Subclass feature | 5 | +3 | 4 |
15 | +5 | Persistent Rage | 5 | +3 | 4 |
16 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +4 | 4 |
17 | +6 | Improved Brutal Strike | 6 | +4 | 4 |
18 | +6 | Indomitable Might | 6 | +4 | 4 |
19 | +6 | Epic Boon | 6 | +4 | 4 |
20 | +6 | Primal Champion | 6 | +4 | 4 |
Barbarian Class Features
As a Barbarian, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified Barbarian levels. These features are listed in the Barbarian Features table.
Level 1: Rage
You can imbue yourself with a primal power called Rage, a force that grants you extraordinary might and resilience. You can enter it as a Bonus Action if you aren’t wearing Heavy armor.
You can enter your Rage the number of times shown for your Barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian Features table. You regain one expended use when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
While active, your Rage follows the rules below.
Damage Resistance. You have Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage.
Rage Damage. When you make an attack using Strength—with either a weapon or an Unarmed Strike—and deal damage to the target, you gain a bonus to the damage that increases as you gain levels as a Barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian Features table.
Strength Advantage. You have Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
No Concentration or Spells. You can’t maintain Concentration, and you can’t cast spells.
Duration. The Rage lasts until the end of your next turn, and it ends early if you don Heavy armor or have the Incapacitated condition. If your Rage is still active on your next turn, you can extend the Rage for another round by doing one of the following:
- Make an attack roll against an enemy.
- Force an enemy to make a saving throw.
- Take a Bonus Action to extend your Rage.
Each time the Rage is extended, it lasts until the end of your next turn. You can maintain a Rage for up to 10 minutes.
Level 1: Unarmored Defense
While you aren’t wearing any armor, your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Constitution modifiers. You can use a Shield and still gain this benefit.
Level 1: Weapon Mastery
Your training with weapons allows you to use the mastery properties of two kinds of Simple or Martial Melee weapons of your choice. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can practice weapon drills and change one of those weapon choices.
When you reach certain Barbarian levels, you gain the ability to use the mastery properties of more kinds of weapons, as shown in the Weapon Mastery column of the Barbarian Features table.
Level 2: Danger Sense
You gain an uncanny sense of when things aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge perils. You have Advantage on Dexterity saving throws unless you have the Incapacitated condition.
Level 2: Reckless Attack
You can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with increased ferocity. When you make your first attack roll on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you Advantage on attack rolls using Strength until the start of your next turn, but attack rolls against you have Advantage during that time.
Level 3: Barbarian Subclass
You gain a Barbarian subclass of your choice. A subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Barbarian levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Barbarian level or lower.
Level 3: Primal Knowledge
You gain proficiency in another skill of your choice from the skill list available to Barbarians at level 1.
In addition, while your Rage is active, you can channel primal power when you attempt certain tasks; whenever you make an ability check using one of the following skills, you can make it as a Strength check even if it normally uses a different ability: Acrobatics, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, or Survival. When you use this ability, your Strength represents primal power coursing through you, honing your agility, bearing, and senses.
Level 4: Ability Score Improvement
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Barbarian levels 8, 12, and 16.
Level 5: Extra Attack
You can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Level 5: Fast Movement
Your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing Heavy armor.
Level 7: Feral Instinct
Your instincts are so honed that you have Advantage on Initiative rolls.
Level 7: Instinctive Pounce
As part of the Bonus Action you take to enter your Rage, you can move up to half your Speed.
Level 9: Brutal Strike
If you use Reckless Attack, you can forgo any Advantage on one Strength-based attack roll of your choice on your turn. The chosen attack roll mustn’t have Disadvantage. If the chosen attack roll hits, the target takes an extra 1d10 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon or Unarmed Strike, and you can cause one Brutal Strike effect of your choice. You have the following effect options.
Forceful Blow. The target is pushed 15 feet straight away from you. You can then move up to half your Speed straight toward the target without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Hamstring Blow. The target’s Speed is reduced by 15 feet until the start of your next turn. A target can be affected by only one Hamstring Blow at a time—the most recent one.
Level 11: Relentless Rage
Your Rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 Hit Points while your Rage is active and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, your Hit Points instead change to a number equal to twice your Barbarian level.
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.
Level 13: Improved Brutal Strike
You have honed new ways to attack furiously. The following effects are now among your Brutal Strike options.
Staggering Blow. The target has Disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes, and it can’t make Opportunity Attacks until the start of your next turn.
Sundering Blow. Before the start of your next turn, the next attack roll made by another creature against the target gains a +5 bonus to the roll. An attack roll can gain only one Sundering Blow bonus.
Level 15: Persistent Rage
When you roll Initiative, you can regain all expended uses of Rage. After you regain uses of Rage in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.
In addition, your Rage is so fierce that it now lasts for 10 minutes without you needing to do anything to extend it from round to round. Your Rage ends early if you have the Unconscious condition (not just the Incapacitated condition) or don Heavy armor.
Level 17: Improved Brutal Strike
The extra damage of your Brutal Strike increases to 2d10. In addition, you can use two different Brutal Strike effects whenever you use your Brutal Strike feature.
Level 18: Indomitable Might
If your total for a Strength check or Strength saving throw is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.
Level 19: Epic Boon
You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.
Level 20: Primal Champion
You embody primal power. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4, and their maximum is now 25.
Barbarian Subclasses
A Barbarian subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Barbarian levels, as specified in the subclass.
Path of the Berserker
Channel Rage into Violent Fury
Barbarians who walk the Path of the Berserker direct their Rage primarily toward violence. Their path is one of untrammeled fury, and they thrill in the chaos of battle as they allow their Rage to seize and empower them.
Level 3: Frenzy
If you use Reckless Attack while your Rage is active, you deal extra damage to the first target you hit on your turn with a Strength-based attack. To determine the extra damage, roll a number of d6s equal to your Rage Damage bonus, and add them together. The damage has the same type as the weapon or Unarmed Strike used for the attack.
Level 6: Mindless Rage
You have Immunity to the Charmed and Frightened conditions while your Rage is active. If you’re Charmed or Frightened when you enter your Rage, the condition ends on you.
Level 10: Retaliation
When you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can take a Reaction to make one melee attack against that creature, using a weapon or an Unarmed Strike.
Level 14: Intimidating Presence
As a Bonus Action, you can strike terror into others with your menacing presence and primal power. When you do so, each creature of your choice in a 30-foot Emanation originating from you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 plus your Strength modifier and Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, a creature has the Frightened condition for 1 minute. At the end of each of the Frightened creature’s turns, the creature repeats the save, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest unless you expend a use of your Rage (no action required) to restore your use of it.
Actually now you can extend a single rage up to 10 minutes (a LOT of rounds) if you keep attacking enemies, forcing them to make a saving throw or by spending a bonus action to extend it.
yes the are GONE
Ya, did they like, delete the other's?
I can only see the path of the bezerker on this page, where would I look to find the other path options?
They can extend their rage indefinitely. (3 x 10 min at level 5).
5th level Barbarian still only get 3 rages, meaning 3 rounds of this. While the Berserker is amazing for dealing damage + advantage on attack rolls, I don't consider this imbalanced.
I'm concerned about the apparent imbalance in this design. A 5th-level Great Weapon Berserker seems capable of outperforming level 20 Rangers, Paladins, and even Rogues in terms of sheer damage output. Even Fighters, who are supposed to be masters of combat, struggle to keep up and seem to lose the damage race somewhere around levels 13-16. How can a Berserker achieve such consistent top-tier damage with no apparent resource consumption? This seems like it could create significant problems with game balance.
I would like to RAGE
I can somewhat agree with Kontayes. Some of these new classes seem to belong in a super hero RPG. It seems illogical and far fetched. My suspension of disbelief is stretched a bit too far on some of these fancy features. It's silly and childish till your OP players wreck your campaign. Power creep goes both ways. I'm OS where your character dearly earned everything and we players were grateful and felt a sense accomplishment. The Power of DM fiat and veto is immense and deep. Don't get me wrong, I like some aspects of the new edition too. Best believe I'm gonna open a can of caveats with a side of "yes buts" and sprinkle on my game liberally.
( yeah, yeah I'm an old man/get off my lawn yada yada, no free lunch, we walked to school in blizzards uphill both ways)
Minor correction to Fast Movement: "Speed" is capitalized now.
Grapple has been changed to an attack roll right? So reckless would give you advantage on a grapple.
As AwelyGaeaf73 said, it isn't necessarily anger, it's primal power coursing through you. Your subclass just adds flavor to it.
You know rage is not necessarily literal anger, right? It's more like harnessed or channeled primal aggression. That would make stealth and perception both make sense to be modified like this, similar to large lats sneaking, spotting, following and pouncing on their next target.
"When you use this ability, your Strength represents primal power coursing through you, honing your agility, bearing, and senses."
D&D is full of so much wacky stuff that is never even close to explained... seeing as they did a great job here it makes your silly demand of "Get rid of that" look even more childish.
Please add the levels in front of the class features like in the source material.
i miss op zealots attacking even tho their dead
Primal Knowledge
You gain proficiency in another skill of your choice from the skill list available to Barbarians at level 1
In addition, while your Rage is active, you can channel primal power when you attempt certain tasks; whenever you make an ability check using one of the following skills, you can make it as a Strength check even if it normally uses a different ability: Acrobatics, Intimidation, Perception, "STEALTH", or Survival. When you use this ability, your Strength represents primal power coursing through you, honing your agility, bearing, and senses.
You can rage stealth.....you get really really angry. And you get sneakier....that does not make sense at all. In no way can you approve of a strength sneaking. Get rid of that.
And don't get me started rage spotting, I'm so angry I can see stuff better, I can smell better, I hear better.
Come on....
This, please this!
This, please this!
Weird, raging barbarians get advantage on strength stuff but grappling is still just as ineffective as if they weren't.