Barbarian Legacy This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore. Learn More Class Details
A tall human tribesman strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. He laughs as he charges toward the frost giant who dared poach his people’s elk herd.
A half-orc snarls at the latest challenger to her authority over their tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals.
Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another.
These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.
For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.
Primal Instinct
People of towns and cities take pride in their settled ways, as if denying one’s connection to nature were a mark of superiority. To a barbarian, though, a settled life is no virtue, but a sign of weakness. The strong embrace nature—valuing keen instincts, primal physicality, and ferocious rage. Barbarians are uncomfortable when hedged in by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.
Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a berserk state where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir of fury only a few times without resting, but those few rages are usually sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise.
A Life of Danger
A barbarian plays an important role as a protector of their people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to.
Their courage in the face of danger makes barbarians perfectly suited for adventuring. Wandering is often a way of life for their native tribes, and the rootless life of the adventurer is little hardship for a barbarian. Some barbarians miss the closeknit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties.
Creating a Barbarian
When creating a barbarian character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common?
What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands by the promise of riches? Did you join forces with soldiers of those lands to face a shared threat? Did monsters or an invading horde drive you out of your homeland, making you a rootless refugee? Perhaps you were a prisoner of war, brought in chains to another land and only now able to win your freedom. Or you might have been cast out from your people because of a crime you committed, a taboo you violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority.
QUICK BUILD
You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the outlander background.
The Barbarian Table
Level |
Proficiency |
Features |
Rages |
Rage |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st |
+2 |
2 |
+2 |
|
2nd |
+2 |
2 |
+2 |
|
3rd |
+2 |
3 |
+2 |
|
4th |
+2 |
3 |
+2 |
|
5th |
+3 |
3 |
+2 |
|
6th |
+3 |
4 |
+2 |
|
7th |
+3 |
4 |
+2 |
|
8th |
+3 |
4 |
+2 |
|
9th |
+4 |
Brutal Critical (1 die) |
4 |
+3 |
10th |
+4 |
4 |
+3 |
|
11th |
+4 |
4 |
+3 |
|
12th |
+4 |
5 |
+3 |
|
13th |
+5 |
Brutal Critical (2 dice) |
5 |
+3 |
14th |
+5 |
5 |
+3 |
|
15th |
+5 |
5 |
+3 |
|
16th |
+5 |
5 |
+4 |
|
17th |
+6 |
Brutal Critical (3 dice) |
6 |
+4 |
18th |
+6 |
6 |
+4 |
|
19th |
+6 |
6 |
+4 |
|
20th |
+6 |
Unlimited |
+4 |
Class Features
As a barbarian, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per barbarian level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per barbarian level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a greataxe or (b) any martial melee weapon
- (a) two handaxes or (b) any simple weapon
- An explorer’s pack and four javelins
Rage
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.
While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
- You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
- When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
- You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.
Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
Reckless Attack
Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.
Danger Sense
At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger.
You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Fast Movement
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.
Feral Instinct
By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.
Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.
Brutal Critical
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.
Relentless Rage
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
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.
Brutal Critical
At 13th level, you can roll two additional weapon damage dice when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to three additional dice at 17th level.
Persistent Rage
Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.
Brutal Critical
At 17th level, you can roll three additional weapon damage dice when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
Indomitable Might
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.
Primal Champion
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.
Primal Paths
Rage burns in every barbarian’s heart, a furnace that drives him or her toward greatness. Different barbarians attribute their rage to different sources, however. For some, it is an internal reservoir where pain, grief, and anger are forged into a fury hard as steel. Others see it as a spiritual blessing, a gift of a totem animal.
Path of the Berserker Legacy This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore. Learn More
For some barbarians, rage is a means to an end—that end being violence. The Path of the Berserker is a path of untrammeled fury, slick with blood. As you enter the berserker’s rage, you thrill in the chaos of battle, heedless of your own health or well-being.
Frenzy
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one. When your rage ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion.
Mindless Rage
Beginning at 6th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.
Intimidating Presence
Beginning at 10th level, you can use your action to frighten someone with your menacing presence. When you do so, choose one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature can see or hear you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to extend the duration of this effect on the frightened creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 60 feet away from you.
If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can’t use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.
Retaliation
Starting at 14th level, when you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.
I was referring to that (down to 0 hp). Also note that resurrection is a level SEVEN spell, and so it should cost both lots to hire someone to cast it, to find someone who can cast it, and how does your character KNOW that they don't need the gem? How does the party's Spellcaster know that they don't need it when hiring them? I agree, I did use it at a specific time, but calm emotions can end rage, as you would be indifferent, not hostile. You can't go against that, as that is what the spell does (unless you succeed the save).
why would they die? it would only happen if their at 0 hits, and when their rage is gonna end, they just get resurrected because of warrior of the gods, so it's free. you just have to prepare it.
I'm sorry, but that is not a very good level 6 ability. If they were to get spellcasting, I think it should be at level 3. Adding a new type of caster is very confusing. Also, barbarians can't cast or concentrate on spells while raging, and detect magic would most definitely be not used during rage. I do think the idea is ok, but it doesn't go with the theme (they are about WILD magic, not controlling their magic). I would also like to say something about the 'small part' from you: I was asked by the DnD beyond team about my Bilgewater game that I am running, as they were making dark tides of Bilgewater around then. When it came out, I asked for a mention. They said no, as they had already started making it and didn't give any input. That was just DDB. I think that no mention would be given, as wizards would not want to share the product, or have to give up money. I do agree that the level 6 ability currently could do with some changes, and that wild soul should be published.
I've been playing a Goblin Wild Soul Barbarian for a couple months and just got to level 6 with him about a week ago when my DM and I realized that the level 6 ability kind of sucks. So I sat down and brainstormed a few ideas. After a lot of talking, tweaking, and thinking I came up with this.
Surging Magic 6,10,14
6 At 6th level, you have begun to acclimate to the magic that has suffused your body allowing you to learn and cast spells. You gain 4 1st level spells and 3 cantrips from the Sorcerer and/or Wizard Spell Lists. You are able to cast these spells without a spell slot or components, and they use the same pool of uses as Detect Magic. These spells use Constitution as their spellcasting ability/modifier. When casting a spell, you are only able to cast the spell at its base level. Roll a D20 when casting 1st or higher-level spells aside from Detect Magic, on a 1 the magic in your body flares up and causes chaos. Roll on the Wild Magic Table to see what happens. You learn more spells at 10th and 14th level.
10 Learn 3 additional spells of either 1st or 2nd level and 1 additional cantrip.
14 Learn 2 additional spells of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level and 1 additional cantrip.
Spellcasting Ability Constitution is your spellcasting ability for your spells. You use your Constitution whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Constitution modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Con modifier Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Con modifier.
I fully give my consent to WotC to use this (and tweak if absolutely necessary) and only ask two things.
1. That Wild Soul Barbarian become official asap. It's a ton of fun and adds a huge amount of variety to the game.
2. Be notified and my small part in helping be represented when the subclass is made official.
@jcardiii; the bonus action through frenzy only allows a single melee weapon attack. It means you gave two melee weapon attacks in exchange for intimidation + a single attack + exhaustion = not worth it.
Furthermore, Intimidation only targets one monster.It is weak and arguable in terms of gameplay (what, you stare so angrily at one monster that it is frightened ? you shout threats that only intimidate one target ? the other monsters thinking "whoaw, this barbarian is up to no no good, thank god he is not mad AT ME"...)
The ghost water dive ability for path of the depths is totally broken. An extra 30ft teleport that can be used as an action unlimited times is ridiculous on its own, but the fact that you can attack as part of that action too is just insane.
@boouirk, I think RAW for Frenzy allow a bonus action attack while the normal action is used to sustain the Frighten. This is weaker than your idea of bonus action to drive intimidating presence, because Frenzy means character is exhausted at end of fight.
At least the intimidating presence could be a bonus action, or last until a wisdom save is successful. No pragmatic barbarian would use an action based on charisma to frighten an opponent only one turn.
And here I am still waiting for a rework to the Berserker Subclass that makes it not garbage...
I'm fairly certain that RAW Rage only prevents spell casting and concentrating, so it shouldn't conflict with a Rune Knight or Echo Knight's class features or a Cleric's channel divinity. That being said, you should really just talk with your DM about how they would rule this in case they disagree on their interpretation of RAW
No. You turn into water, then reappear normally.
The way i read it, you have to have water nearby to burst into to activate Ghostwater Dive. Like, dive into water, and you either teleport or actually dive into the water, your choice.
Except that it is not a trade-off. You can still move on the same turn. Teleportation under the right circumstances can be very powerful, since you can teleport through/past enemies without provoking attacks, through obstacles like iron bars, over pits, up or down ledges, etc.
There should be some sort of limitation or resource attached to how often this ability can be used.
At level 5, barbarians earn extra movement to provide most races with 40 movement. The teleportation is limited to 30. Yes, it is an unlimited-use teleport however the shorter the range is the trade off.
No, calm emotions can not - as I mentioned - end the rage directly, as in "Cast calm emotion, rage immediately ends". This means that the barbarian still has time until the end of his next turn (which is when the rage ends) to perform any action to help himself, such as drinking a healing potion. It can indirectly cause the rage to run out, but it is not an autokill on the barbarian just because the spell was cast on them.
Also of note is that one level after the undying rage, the barbarian gains persistent rage, at which point their rage will not end early unless being knocked unconscious. This means at that point calm emotions will have no effect whatsoever on the barbarian's rage.
Edit: And if everything else fails, nothing stops a barbarian to punch themselves in the gut to keep their rage going. If it's a level 14 zealot who's already at 0, the damage won't even matter.
Love the Path of the Beast!
I've made my own barbarian dragonborn he is a 8.3 ft giant who weighs 350 pounds of pure muscle I play with my friends one friend is a rogue he said he could beat me boy was he wrong
Again, being indifferent toward someone does not prevent you from attacking that person. Just because you're all of sudden not frothing at the mouth pissed off at Bob Mcgenocide anymore doesn't erase the fact that he's razed dozens of innocent towns and you have a duty/contract to stop him so you would still attack.
I am saying that because you would be indifferent, you would not attack them. This means that your rage ends, as you have NOT attacked a hostile creature.
Calm emotions does not in any way prevent a barbarian from attacking anyone. An opponent in the vast majority of cases has a plethora of reasons to engage the player or vice versa. Calm emotions doesn't absolve someone of their duty or make them suddenly forget that you guys are on opposite sides.
Now it might make someone who's on the fence more reluctant to resort to violence but once hostilities have broken out, everyone's fair game.