Path of the Tyrant (2024)

Barbarians who follow the Path of the Tyrant channel their rage into a dark, oppressive force that crushes all who dare stand in their way. Fueled by a burning hatred, their fury warps them into a terrifying, unstoppable monster on the battlefield. With each swing of their weapon, their enemies are overwhelmed not just by raw power, but by the sheer malevolence radiating from them. Tyrant Barbarians don’t just fight to survive—they fight to dominate, imposing their will upon the world through sheer brutality. As their rage deepens, so too does their transformation into a fearsome being of relentless wrath, a living nightmare that leaves only destruction in its wake.

Level 3: Unleash the Tyrant

When you enter your rage, your fury transforms you into a towering force of destruction: the Tyrant. In this form, your size increases by one category (to a maximum of Large), and you gain advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws. This feature replaces the Strength advantage granted by the Rage feature.

Upon entering your rage, your health is restored to its maximum, and you are cleansed of all conditions and debuffs currently affecting you.

While transformed, you gain the following benefits:

Increased Size. Your enlarged form extends the reach of your melee weapon attacks by 5 feet, and your weapon attacks deal an additional 2 damage.

Tyrant Slam. As an action, you can unleash a devastating shockwave. All creatures in a 10-foot radius around you, including allies, must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, creatures take 1d10 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone. On a success, they take half damage and are not knocked prone.

Tyrant's Hunger. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack or your Tyrant Slam, you regain hit points equal to half the damage dealt. This effect only applies to one creature per attack.

While in Tyrant Form, you take damage equal to 8 + your Strength modifier at the start of each of your turns. If this damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you are instead reduced to 1 hit point and your rage ends.

Level 3: Aura of Oppression

When you enter your Tyrant Form, a foreboding aura of malice emanates from you, disrupting your enemies' resolve. While raging, you exude a 20-foot-radius aura of oppressive energy, causing enemies of your choice within the radius to have disadvantage on Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.

At the start of each of your turns, all hostile creatures within the aura take 1d8 + your Charisma modifier psychic damage. This damage increases to 2d8 at 6th level, 3d8 at 10th level, and 4d8 at 14th level.

Creatures that start their turn in the aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become frightened until the start of your next turn.

The aura affects allies as well, but you can choose for the aura's beneficial effects to extend to them instead.

Overwhelming Fury

6th-level Path of the Tyrant feature

Your unyielding fury erupts outward, unleashing a cataclysmic explosion when you rage, shattering the ground beneath you and throwing enemies into disarray. When you activate your Rage, you can unleash a forceful explosion centered on yourself. This explosion affects all creatures and objects in a 30-foot radius, dealing damage and altering the terrain.

• Damage: Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, a creature takes force damage equal to 3d10 + your Barbarian level. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage.
• Environmental Impact: Nonmagical objects that aren’t being worn or carried and are within the radius of the explosion take double damage from this feature. Structures made of wood, stone, or other fragile materials are either significantly damaged or destroyed.

This feature activates whenever you initially activate your rage. 

Level 10: The Power of Fear

10th-level Path of the Tyrant feature

Your tyrannical nature becomes unstoppable, and your very presence imposes a crushing weight upon your enemies, reducing them to mere pawns in your game of destruction. While in Tyrant Form and raging, you gain the following abilities:

Tyrant's Command: You can use your action to force all creatures within your Mortis Engine aura to make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your Strength modifier + your Charisma modifier). On a failure, the creature becomes paralyzed for 1 minute. The paralyzed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. This effect can be used once per rage.

Crushing Aura: Your Mortis Engine aura intensifies, radiating an oppressive energy that warps the minds of those around you. Creatures within the aura that are frightened by your presence have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and their speed is reduced by 10 feet.

Tyrant's Wrath: When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points within your Mortis Engine aura, you may immediately use your Slam of the Tyrant as a bonus action. When you use this feature, the damage dealt by the slam increases to 2d10 + your Strength modifier. Additionally, the radius of your Slam of the Tyrant expands to 15 feet, and you can choose to knock creatures within the radius prone if they fail a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your Strength modifier + your Charisma modifier).

Level 14: The One True King

When you enter your rage, you can unleash a surge of oppressive energy, choosing one of the following effects. Each effect lasts for the duration of your rage, and you can use each effect once per long rest.

Heart of Tyranny: Enemies slain within your Mortis Engine aura rise as undead under your command. Choose zombies or skeletons for their form; these undead act on your initiative count immediately after your turn. They remain animated until your rage ends.

World of Despair: Your Mortis Engine aura's range increases to 120 feet, and the damage it deals is maximized instead of rolled. Enemies within the aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) at the start of their turns or become paralyzed until the start of their next turn.

Might Makes Right: Your size increases by two categories (to a maximum of Huge), and your weapon damage increases by an additional 5. Your melee attacks that reduce a creature to below 15% of its maximum hit points automatically kill it. Additionally, when you use Tyrant's Hunger, you regain hit points equal to the total damage dealt.

If your rage ends prematurely, the chosen effect ends immediately, and any undead minions created by Heart of the Tyrant are destroyed.