I'll be playing a aaracokra barbarian raised by druids, so his starting Feat is Magic Initiate Druid. I'm happy with the two cantrips I've chosen from that feat, but can't decide on a 1st level spell.
Guidance (Cantrip) Thorn Whip (Cantrip) ________________ (once per long rest) (1st level spell)
I know Cure Wounds is always a good option, but my party already has a paladin and Circle of the Unicorn druid. I'm hoping for a more utility spell.
Waddingsly points out some good picks. I might also suggest fog cloud as a really different kind of option. It can be good for escapes, distractions, and maybe even combat.
It could potentially be a really cool one for a flying character to set up above the battlefield to keep flying down out of and terrorizing the enemy. But I'd talk to my DM to see how they handle vision stuff and if it'd be too much of a hassle.
I've done something similar. Since the Barbarian can't cast spells while raging, combat spells are less valuable to the character.
Goodberry is the must-have in my opinion. It's 10 guaranteed points of healing that you can use on yourself or on allies, (particularly useful for getting dying allies back to 1 HP, or having on hand for one of your allies to get you back up to 1 HP. It also has the out-of-combat utility of providing all of the needed nourishment for a day, so the party doesn't have to worry about food.
Guidance is also a must-have, for how much it helps on skill checks when you aren't raging.
I'd not take Thorn Whip, because you can't use it while raging, and it's very much a combat cantrip. Instead I'd take something with more utility. Maybe Produce Flame for starting fires, Mending for repairing equipment, Mold Earth for creating earthen defenses or burying the fallen, or Shillelagh which can be cast before entering a rage, and isn't concentration, so it isn't lost when you enter a rage, effectively giving you a magical weapon at L1.
I agree with Goodberry (that's what I took) but I also took Thorn Whip and Shillelagh as my cantrips... For those battles that I don't see the need to rage or for that little bit of extra pull to yank someone off of the squishies in my party, I can thorn whip from 30', pull 10' and bonus action rage - run into melee range... Either they will attack ME or they will attempt to break away and trigger my attack - maintaining rage. Then again, I leaned harder into Druid for the build.
Goodberry is the must-have in my opinion. It's 10 guaranteed points of healing that you can use on yourself or on allies, (particularly useful for getting dying allies back to 1 HP, or having on hand for one of your allies to get you back up to 1 HP. It also has the out-of-combat utility of providing all of the needed nourishment for a day, so the party doesn't have to worry about food
I think goodberry is a good pick, especially since you can use it right before you long rest (and get your single use back) since it lasts for 24 hours, this means you can potentially cast it again during the next day for a total of 20 hit-points worth of out of combat healing.
I will point out though that Rules As Written you can't use a goodberry to help a dying ally, as the creature itself must take an action to eat the berry; I'd ask your DM though as many will be happy to be more lenient with it.
It's a spell that often gets overlooked despite having some decent utility, but the most barbarian option would be jump
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Longstrider, Jump, Goodberry, Absorb Elements are the four I would most like on a Barbarian.
Absorb Elements is always useful and many, many attacks happen before you can rage. Longstrider gives you even more movement and will last for an hour even through raging. Jump pairs nicely with athletics and allows you to get to places you can't otherwise. Goodberry is great and again you can cast it out of combat, but use the benefits in combat.
Of the four, I would probably go with Goodberry or Jump.
I'd personally go with Longstrider. The extra distance can matter not just for how far you can move across the board, but if you're a melee character you also usually have a higher chance of getting knocked prone, and getting back up uses half of your movement.
For a cantrip, you can't go wrong with Shillelagh. Activate it before you rage and you have a magic weapon for probably the entire fight.
I'd not take Thorn Whip, because you can't use it while raging, and it's very much a combat cantrip.
I somewhat disagree here. Thorn Whip is perfect for those situations where you are charging in at the start of combat, but still fall 10-30 feet short of actually ending your movement near an enemy. At that point, a normal barbarian would either need to use their Action to Dash to close the distance or hope that the enemy chooses to move in towards them on its turn.
With Thorn Whip, you can deal some damage and pull the enemy right up next to you so that it provokes an attack of opportunity if it tries to move away. Plus, you are still safe at that point to pump Rage without worrying about it ending early. Rage only stipulates that you need to have "attacked a hostile creature since your last turn" to avoid it ending early, so even the spell attack from Thorn Whip qualifies for that.
I once played a Battlerager / Armorer multiclass, and I loved picking up Thorn Whip from Artificer so I could use it like a spiked chain from my armor in the sort of situation I outlined above or if the battlefield layout allowed for some shenanigans with moving creatures around the battlefield.
I'll be playing a aaracokra barbarian raised by druids, so his starting Feat is Magic Initiate Druid.
I'm happy with the two cantrips I've chosen from that feat, but can't decide on a 1st level spell.
Guidance (Cantrip)
Thorn Whip (Cantrip)
________________ (once per long rest) (1st level spell)
I know Cure Wounds is always a good option, but my party already has a paladin and Circle of the Unicorn druid. I'm hoping for a more utility spell.
Please share your thoughts and opinions with me!
Goodberry, animal friendship(if totem), and longstrider are probably the best picks.
Waddingsly points out some good picks. I might also suggest fog cloud as a really different kind of option. It can be good for escapes, distractions, and maybe even combat.
It could potentially be a really cool one for a flying character to set up above the battlefield to keep flying down out of and terrorizing the enemy. But I'd talk to my DM to see how they handle vision stuff and if it'd be too much of a hassle.
I've done something similar. Since the Barbarian can't cast spells while raging, combat spells are less valuable to the character.
Goodberry is the must-have in my opinion. It's 10 guaranteed points of healing that you can use on yourself or on allies, (particularly useful for getting dying allies back to 1 HP, or having on hand for one of your allies to get you back up to 1 HP. It also has the out-of-combat utility of providing all of the needed nourishment for a day, so the party doesn't have to worry about food.
Guidance is also a must-have, for how much it helps on skill checks when you aren't raging.
I'd not take Thorn Whip, because you can't use it while raging, and it's very much a combat cantrip. Instead I'd take something with more utility. Maybe Produce Flame for starting fires, Mending for repairing equipment, Mold Earth for creating earthen defenses or burying the fallen, or Shillelagh which can be cast before entering a rage, and isn't concentration, so it isn't lost when you enter a rage, effectively giving you a magical weapon at L1.
I agree with Goodberry (that's what I took) but I also took Thorn Whip and Shillelagh as my cantrips... For those battles that I don't see the need to rage or for that little bit of extra pull to yank someone off of the squishies in my party, I can thorn whip from 30', pull 10' and bonus action rage - run into melee range... Either they will attack ME or they will attempt to break away and trigger my attack - maintaining rage. Then again, I leaned harder into Druid for the build.
I think goodberry is a good pick, especially since you can use it right before you long rest (and get your single use back) since it lasts for 24 hours, this means you can potentially cast it again during the next day for a total of 20 hit-points worth of out of combat healing.
I will point out though that Rules As Written you can't use a goodberry to help a dying ally, as the creature itself must take an action to eat the berry; I'd ask your DM though as many will be happy to be more lenient with it.
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It's a spell that often gets overlooked despite having some decent utility, but the most barbarian option would be jump
Active characters:
Askatu, hyperfocused vedalken freedom fighter in Wildspace (Zealot barb/Swashbuckler rogue/Battle Master fighter)
Green Hill Sunrise, jaded tabaxi mercenary trapped in the Dark Domains (Battle Master fighter)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Longstrider, Jump, Goodberry, Absorb Elements are the four I would most like on a Barbarian.
Absorb Elements is always useful and many, many attacks happen before you can rage.
Longstrider gives you even more movement and will last for an hour even through raging.
Jump pairs nicely with athletics and allows you to get to places you can't otherwise.
Goodberry is great and again you can cast it out of combat, but use the benefits in combat.
Of the four, I would probably go with Goodberry or Jump.
I'd personally go with Longstrider. The extra distance can matter not just for how far you can move across the board, but if you're a melee character you also usually have a higher chance of getting knocked prone, and getting back up uses half of your movement.
For a cantrip, you can't go wrong with Shillelagh. Activate it before you rage and you have a magic weapon for probably the entire fight.
I somewhat disagree here. Thorn Whip is perfect for those situations where you are charging in at the start of combat, but still fall 10-30 feet short of actually ending your movement near an enemy. At that point, a normal barbarian would either need to use their Action to Dash to close the distance or hope that the enemy chooses to move in towards them on its turn.
With Thorn Whip, you can deal some damage and pull the enemy right up next to you so that it provokes an attack of opportunity if it tries to move away. Plus, you are still safe at that point to pump Rage without worrying about it ending early. Rage only stipulates that you need to have "attacked a hostile creature since your last turn" to avoid it ending early, so even the spell attack from Thorn Whip qualifies for that.
I once played a Battlerager / Armorer multiclass, and I loved picking up Thorn Whip from Artificer so I could use it like a spiked chain from my armor in the sort of situation I outlined above or if the battlefield layout allowed for some shenanigans with moving creatures around the battlefield.
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