The Zealot Barbarian also has some nice flavour. Whenever he gets into a fight he feels closer to his (war) god, honoring his chosen deity with his reckless fighting style. I like that mystical angle a lot.
That way your barbarian doesn't have to be a primitve savage, but instead he might be a dwarven warrior with a religious background, seeking out battles and challenges to please Haela Brightaxe, the goddess of joy of battle.
Barbarians are people who are mad all the time. Barbarians are like vikings, they are mad people who want to fight all the time. I still think they have anger issues though : O
Like others have posted, its not necessarily anger that drives them. One Barbarian I had went into hysterics and laughed his little heart out when in the heat of battle. Its not always anger, but its more like a kind of single minded insanity that just sorta happens for one reason or another.
One fun thing to do is deconstruct what a Barbarians rage is. One player of mine once went the route that their fits of rage were a response to extreme fear and trying to save face in front of their allies.
For those that have read Brandon Sandersons Way of Kings series the "Thrill" that Dalinar talks about when he goes into battle is a good example of something that isn't necessarily a rage but they do get out of control.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I have a Mountain Dwarf Barbarian of the Bear Totem. The way that I look at it is that because of the issues from his childhood he is able to suppress his anger and focus it in his rage. He's not always angry, but more or less apathetic.
My Halfling, Fergus Half-Axe, didn't start life as an angry person.
He was actually a lumberjack and woodcarver in a small settlement of Halflings, far removed from society, yes, but also a peaceful place with fertile harvests. They didn't have a standing army or a formal military, just a loose handful of farmers and craftsman to serve as emergency militia. Fergus was perhaps the most skilled fighter among them, and that's only because his wife was a blacksmith and needed him to test their merchandise on occasion.
Then the goblins came.
The Halflings didn't stand a chance. Fergus was barely able to muster a defense, and even then they were cut into like wolves through sheep. Fergus was injured and knocked unconscious in the struggle. When he awoke, he home was aflame, and his brothers were hacked to bits. And the women and children...well, either dead or gone. Desperately, he found where his wife's smith shop was located, and found her amidst the ruin, clutching an axe and filled with arrows, burned nearly as black as the charred remains of her shop.
That broke Fergus in a way few can comprehend. Despair and horror soon turned to anger and unquenchable fury. He took his dead wife's axe and started tracking where the goblins had left into the forest. He stalked them into the night, and then came upon their encampment. It began slowly, with Fergus killing a few that resided along the perimeter. Each kill filled him with a grim satisfaction, but also spurred the burning hatred that now filled his heart. Stealth was abandoned, as he charged into the encampment, his axe slick with goblin blood, his eyes wild with rage and animosity. The goblins rallied their forces, and Fergus met them in kind.
By morning, he was sitting upon a pile of goblin dead, smoking a pipe thoughtfully, reflecting upon his destroyed town and grieving for the dead. The fury in his chest was still bubbling, but it had subsided...for now.
The fury is sort of his supernatural presence, unlocked by trauma. It lets even him, a Halfling, go toe-to-toe with massive creatures. He's still an honorable and decent person, but his manners and his traditional nature are worn away, leaving him bitter and foul-mouthed. He disciplines that anger mostly, refining it into a distinguished style...but the sight of goblins IMMEDIATLY sets him off into a berserker fury.
One way I've always imagined it was kind of like when you are working and you are in a state of extreme efficiency. Where everything is just coming naturally and is done without thought but through muscle memory and repetition. But in such a way that causes a sense of tunnel vision. Where you block out all but the task and when the task is done you kind of become aware that you were in that state and are no longer there. Rage, I think, is just the battle equivalent of describing that situation where your rage is your focus and it pushes you beyond your normal limits but the tunnel vision begets some of it's own disadvantages.
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You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Your barbarian being some anger driven person I find is not the only archetype, one barbarian I played was KANGAR THE BARBARIAN KING, he was basiclly this lovable friendly guy who's "rage" was him using the battle to full his battle lust desires, it basically just set him into hyper drive
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Marvarax andSora (Dragonborn) The retired fighter and WIP scholar - Glory
Brythel(Dwarf), The dwarf with a gun - survival at sea
Jaylin(Human), Paladin of Lathander's Ancient ways - The Seven Saints (Azura Claw)
Urselles(Goblin), Cleric of Eldath- The Wizard's challenge
Viclas Tyrin(Half Elf), Student of the Elven arts- Indrafatmoko's Defiance in Phlan
As a totem path Barbarian with a tribal background similar to Inuit tribes from Alaska, USA, I see it as more you take on the spirit of your totem animal to protect yourself and those in your party or those you wish to protect. Because you take on this primitive animal spirit into yourself it causes you to go into an animalistic "rage" for a time where you are focused on defeating the threat before you. Having a bear totem I belief a "rage" is a good way to describe it, but I think it is less from a place of anger and more from that desire to protect and stop the threat that is trying to harm you.
Well, I have to say, sometimes it's fun playing the hothead. But in the interest of thinking outside of the paradigm...
How about Rock Lee or Maito Guy from Naruto? It's not anger, but it is passion. They focus their mind, body, and spirit, unlocking all chakra flow and all gates to become an ultimate weapon for their "ninja way". The resulting backlash escalates depending on how intensely they chose to channel this ability, so there is a risk, and it is only something they should use under the most dire circumstances.
Or you could think of it as Life Mana... a kind of blood magic that grants you superhuman strength and stamina for a short period of time. Invent a unique cult of warrior shaman, or elite force soldiers even who focus on this esoteric and dangerous ability. Only a select few could ever survive such a technique, let alone use it in combat, so only the most powerful and highly decorated soldiers are selected for this special training. Those who don't understand the magic call it Raging, but there is no rage to it. Only discipline, focus, sacrifice, and honor.
As for me, I recently build a Half Orc Barbarian (original I know), but when I rolled my random backstory I ended up with: Ideals: Our lot is to lay down our lives for the greater good. (Good) Flaws: I will obey the laws even if the law causes misery. (Lawful)
Mmmmkay... an LG barbarian. Welp... back to the drawing board, right? Nope. I made Da Chief instead. Sure it's a well worn trope, but not in the context of a PC adventurer in a fantasy setting. I've been having a blast playing a hot-headed, fist pounding, worried about the tax-payers barbarian who is worried that the DA is going to throw the evidence out, or that the mayor will have her rear when he finds out about the loose cannon's antics. More often than not, my rages are played out for fluff. Throwing a fit because the BBEG got away, again. So I break chairs and tables, throw paperwork on the floor and order the city watch to double down on security and I will have the hides of the first ones I catch slacking pasted on my wall for an art piece. After my character calms down, she heads to the market to buy replacement furniture for her office out of pocket because that's the right thing to do.
Occassionally I use a rage for combat bonuses, too.
As for me, I recently build a Half Orc Barbarian (original I know), but when I rolled my random backstory I ended up with: Ideals: Our lot is to lay down our lives for the greater good. (Good) Flaws: I will obey the laws even if the law causes misery. (Lawful)
Mmmmkay... an LG barbarian. Welp... back to the drawing board, right? Nope. I made Da Chief instead. Sure it's a well worn trope, but not in the context of a PC adventurer in a fantasy setting. I've been having a blast playing a hot-headed, fist pounding, worried about the tax-payers barbarian who is worried that the DA is going to throw the evidence out, or that the mayor will have her rear when he finds out about the loose cannon's antics. More often than not, my rages are played out for fluff. Throwing a fit because the BBEG got away, again. So I break chairs and tables, throw paperwork on the floor and order the city watch to double down on security and I will have the hides of the first ones I catch slacking pasted on my wall for an art piece. After my character calms down, she heads to the market to buy replacement furniture for her office out of pocket because that's the right thing to do.
Occassionally I use a rage for combat bonuses, too.
I personally love characters that have inherent contradictions or 'problems' to solve in how they're played. I also think it's fun to play outside character archetypes and defy how the game usually runs.
As for me, I play a CN Half-orc Zealot with a high charisma and a trait of generosity. He is always jovial and persuasive, often sharing brandy, buying drinks, or doing some free smithing work for information/quest leads/rapport building, and will often try to dissuade possible enemies from attacking in order to gain allies, more information, or leverage against more powerful enemies. Once battle begins, however, he uses his Orc blood to tap into Gruumsh' power and becomes an unstoppable engine of carnage in order to bring the altercation to a quick, complete conclusion. His blood, secret (though willful) worship of Gruumsh, and the resulting rages are used as a tool to protect and fight for people and things he deems worthy or needy of protecting. He is not haunted or conflicted by Gruumsh, he simply pays the god in destruction for his ability to assure the success of his own ends, which could often be deemed "good," but aren't so by design.
It's not so much a "rage" as it is an on-switch for martial superiority.
This has gotten him into trouble in the past, and is why he is traveling as an adventurer/journeyman instead of teaching at or working directly for his smithing guild. The guild paid-off, cleaned up, and covered a bloodbath resultant of one of his rages, but the cost was that he was stripped of all titles and honors, being "banished" to indefinite journeyman status with the inability to return to his guild in person.
I have an Air Genasi Storm Herald, and the story behind him is that he was a hermit who secluded himself to the highest point of a mountain for 32 years and inflected upon himself. His “Discovery” was a way to channel the very essence of the elemental plane of air through him, allowing him to use the power of storms to his benefit. Now he goes around trying to stop the elemental evils and all that adventuring shabang.
I'm playing around with the idea of a level-headed, intelligent, educated barbarian. Someone who has studied things like basic physics: Momentum, conservation of energy, force, and pressure etc. His Rage, therefore, isn't so much anger as it is a hyper-awareness of the situation and how to best use his knowledge to his advantage.
My barbarian used to be the basic "In battle I get angry" but over the game I kinda encouraged my DM to have fun with me and my character and in short I died.
But for my resurrection I was essentially picked up by a demigod of magic who was our boss, and when he did he left a mark in the sense I now don't feel anger in my rage but instead its more of a "calm in the storm" situation. When I rage now I just understand my motions and no longer attack with brute force but a focused aggression instead.
I would say Rage is one of the easier(easiest) things to reflavour. All you need to do is find your RP reason to what drives you in battle. Is it battle-trance? Do you get so dissolved in the perfection of combat moves that nothing else exist, just your next parry and swing? Are you being driven by the notion to stand equal to your forefathers, who were great fighters and this is what gives you supernatural combat prowess? Do you enjoy swordplay, consider it something akin dancing and love to loose yourself in a good dance?
All of the above is easy to RP, easy to align with your character and has the same result as "RAAWWR HULK RAGE". You just need to find the IC reason why your character is driven to the superb battle performance/durability.
I would say Rage is one of the easier(easiest) things to reflavour. All you need to do is find your RP reason to what drives you in battle. Is it battle-trance? Do you get so dissolved in the perfection of combat moves that nothing else exist, just your next parry and swing? Are you being driven by the notion to stand equal to your forefathers, who were great fighters and this is what gives you supernatural combat prowess? Do you enjoy swordplay, consider it something akin dancing and love to loose yourself in a good dance?
All of the above is easy to RP, easy to align with your character and has the same result as "RAAWWR HULK RAGE". You just need to find the IC reason why your character is driven to the superb battle performance/durability.
You're right, but then by accepting that truth, we have nothing more to add to the thread. :P
I've got to say, the 5E Barbie is pretty different (crunch wise) to previous versions, since only their damage and damage reduction get good buffs. In 3.5, you could boost attack as well, making you an effective The Brute or The Big Guy. But now, the Barbie feels more like a Stone Wall throwing a temper tantrum. So it's good to explain why they would suddenly be able to ignore so much damage.
I recently entered an encounter with Sylvia (in my signature) who basically wiffed every round, so I went into a frenzy (while having advantage) to get an extra attack. I managed to hit the monster once in the entire 3 round encounter. Of course, thanks to my decent AC and DR I barely took any damage, but it was frustrating to basically be a screaming oscillating fan for my allies while they took down the monster for me. It's made me rethink how to play a barbarian... and honestly, the image that comes to mind is a sort of templar Knight v3E era. They aren't quite a paladin, but they are tough as nails in a clutch. It's not the priority of the Knight to deal damage, just to take damage and shrug it off. So, I view the new rage ability more as "passionate concern".
Sylvia knows she can take the hit, so she does, putting herself in the faces of every monster in their way so that the Glass Cannons can get their kills in with Advantage on their side. Her concern for the safety of her friends drives her to basically go into overdrive and shrug the wounds off as if they weren't there. Her concern for her teammates grants her an adrenaline rush that can let her take monumental amounts of abuse that would normally kill the glass cannons or even the healbots in her group.
Of course, any other moment in battle, she suffers from the Warf Effect. Which kind of sucks, but I'm learning to accept it.
I play a Barbarian with a shield that I flavored after the Spartans from 300. Basically, I maxed Dex and Con at lvl 1 and took Shield Mastery, use a spear as my primary and shortsword as my secondary. My Rage is my battle mindset where I do the shield-wall kind of move. When I go battle-mad (i.e. Reckless Attack) it's more of what Captain Artemis did after his son Astinos died (throwing caution to the wind as I damage my way through the lines.
I've only just rolled up my first barbarian, but I used the idea of raging as her tapping into the primal stuff of nature (she is, naturally, a primal path barbarian) to augment her own skills. She's also been living on a mountain for the last 100 years with a tribe that sort of, but not quite, worships Storm Giants, so the idea of harnessing the power of the storm to strike her enemies down is pretty much par for the course.
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I have a tavern brawler barbarian whose “rage” is taking a big swig of his trusty 150 proof moonshine
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
The Zealot Barbarian also has some nice flavour. Whenever he gets into a fight he feels closer to his (war) god, honoring his chosen deity with his reckless fighting style. I like that mystical angle a lot.
That way your barbarian doesn't have to be a primitve savage, but instead he might be a dwarven warrior with a religious background, seeking out battles and challenges to please Haela Brightaxe, the goddess of joy of battle.
Barbarians are people who are mad all the time. Barbarians are like vikings, they are mad people who want to fight all the time. I still think they have anger issues though : O
Like others have posted, its not necessarily anger that drives them. One Barbarian I had went into hysterics and laughed his little heart out when in the heat of battle. Its not always anger, but its more like a kind of single minded insanity that just sorta happens for one reason or another.
One fun thing to do is deconstruct what a Barbarians rage is. One player of mine once went the route that their fits of rage were a response to extreme fear and trying to save face in front of their allies.
For those that have read Brandon Sandersons Way of Kings series the "Thrill" that Dalinar talks about when he goes into battle is a good example of something that isn't necessarily a rage but they do get out of control.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I have a Mountain Dwarf Barbarian of the Bear Totem. The way that I look at it is that because of the issues from his childhood he is able to suppress his anger and focus it in his rage. He's not always angry, but more or less apathetic.
My Halfling, Fergus Half-Axe, didn't start life as an angry person.
He was actually a lumberjack and woodcarver in a small settlement of Halflings, far removed from society, yes, but also a peaceful place with fertile harvests. They didn't have a standing army or a formal military, just a loose handful of farmers and craftsman to serve as emergency militia. Fergus was perhaps the most skilled fighter among them, and that's only because his wife was a blacksmith and needed him to test their merchandise on occasion.
Then the goblins came.
The Halflings didn't stand a chance. Fergus was barely able to muster a defense, and even then they were cut into like wolves through sheep. Fergus was injured and knocked unconscious in the struggle. When he awoke, he home was aflame, and his brothers were hacked to bits. And the women and children...well, either dead or gone. Desperately, he found where his wife's smith shop was located, and found her amidst the ruin, clutching an axe and filled with arrows, burned nearly as black as the charred remains of her shop.
That broke Fergus in a way few can comprehend. Despair and horror soon turned to anger and unquenchable fury. He took his dead wife's axe and started tracking where the goblins had left into the forest. He stalked them into the night, and then came upon their encampment. It began slowly, with Fergus killing a few that resided along the perimeter. Each kill filled him with a grim satisfaction, but also spurred the burning hatred that now filled his heart. Stealth was abandoned, as he charged into the encampment, his axe slick with goblin blood, his eyes wild with rage and animosity. The goblins rallied their forces, and Fergus met them in kind.
By morning, he was sitting upon a pile of goblin dead, smoking a pipe thoughtfully, reflecting upon his destroyed town and grieving for the dead. The fury in his chest was still bubbling, but it had subsided...for now.
The fury is sort of his supernatural presence, unlocked by trauma. It lets even him, a Halfling, go toe-to-toe with massive creatures. He's still an honorable and decent person, but his manners and his traditional nature are worn away, leaving him bitter and foul-mouthed. He disciplines that anger mostly, refining it into a distinguished style...but the sight of goblins IMMEDIATLY sets him off into a berserker fury.
You could totally flavor Rage as an anime character throwing a tantrum in the middle of combat.
"Time is money. Nobody knows how much time they have, but you can always count how much time you spent. So spend it wisely."
One way I've always imagined it was kind of like when you are working and you are in a state of extreme efficiency. Where everything is just coming naturally and is done without thought but through muscle memory and repetition. But in such a way that causes a sense of tunnel vision. Where you block out all but the task and when the task is done you kind of become aware that you were in that state and are no longer there. Rage, I think, is just the battle equivalent of describing that situation where your rage is your focus and it pushes you beyond your normal limits but the tunnel vision begets some of it's own disadvantages.
You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Your barbarian being some anger driven person I find is not the only archetype, one barbarian I played was KANGAR THE BARBARIAN KING, he was basiclly this lovable friendly guy who's "rage" was him using the battle to full his battle lust desires, it basically just set him into hyper drive
Marvarax and Sora (Dragonborn) The retired fighter and WIP scholar - Glory
Brythel(Dwarf), The dwarf with a gun - survival at sea
Jaylin(Human), Paladin of Lathander's Ancient ways - The Seven Saints (Azura Claw)
Urselles(Goblin), Cleric of Eldath- The Wizard's challenge
Viclas Tyrin(Half Elf), Student of the Elven arts- Indrafatmoko's Defiance in Phlan
As a totem path Barbarian with a tribal background similar to Inuit tribes from Alaska, USA, I see it as more you take on the spirit of your totem animal to protect yourself and those in your party or those you wish to protect. Because you take on this primitive animal spirit into yourself it causes you to go into an animalistic "rage" for a time where you are focused on defeating the threat before you. Having a bear totem I belief a "rage" is a good way to describe it, but I think it is less from a place of anger and more from that desire to protect and stop the threat that is trying to harm you.
Well, I have to say, sometimes it's fun playing the hothead. But in the interest of thinking outside of the paradigm...
How about Rock Lee or Maito Guy from Naruto? It's not anger, but it is passion. They focus their mind, body, and spirit, unlocking all chakra flow and all gates to become an ultimate weapon for their "ninja way". The resulting backlash escalates depending on how intensely they chose to channel this ability, so there is a risk, and it is only something they should use under the most dire circumstances.
Or you could think of it as Life Mana... a kind of blood magic that grants you superhuman strength and stamina for a short period of time. Invent a unique cult of warrior shaman, or elite force soldiers even who focus on this esoteric and dangerous ability. Only a select few could ever survive such a technique, let alone use it in combat, so only the most powerful and highly decorated soldiers are selected for this special training. Those who don't understand the magic call it Raging, but there is no rage to it. Only discipline, focus, sacrifice, and honor.
As for me, I recently build a Half Orc Barbarian (original I know), but when I rolled my random backstory I ended up with:
Ideals: Our lot is to lay down our lives for the greater good. (Good)
Flaws: I will obey the laws even if the law causes misery. (Lawful)
Mmmmkay... an LG barbarian. Welp... back to the drawing board, right? Nope. I made Da Chief instead. Sure it's a well worn trope, but not in the context of a PC adventurer in a fantasy setting. I've been having a blast playing a hot-headed, fist pounding, worried about the tax-payers barbarian who is worried that the DA is going to throw the evidence out, or that the mayor will have her rear when he finds out about the loose cannon's antics. More often than not, my rages are played out for fluff. Throwing a fit because the BBEG got away, again. So I break chairs and tables, throw paperwork on the floor and order the city watch to double down on security and I will have the hides of the first ones I catch slacking pasted on my wall for an art piece. After my character calms down, she heads to the market to buy replacement furniture for her office out of pocket because that's the right thing to do.
Occassionally I use a rage for combat bonuses, too.
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin
I have an Air Genasi Storm Herald, and the story behind him is that he was a hermit who secluded himself to the highest point of a mountain for 32 years and inflected upon himself. His “Discovery” was a way to channel the very essence of the elemental plane of air through him, allowing him to use the power of storms to his benefit. Now he goes around trying to stop the elemental evils and all that adventuring shabang.
I'm playing around with the idea of a level-headed, intelligent, educated barbarian. Someone who has studied things like basic physics: Momentum, conservation of energy, force, and pressure etc. His Rage, therefore, isn't so much anger as it is a hyper-awareness of the situation and how to best use his knowledge to his advantage.
Hey! Thanks for stopping by! Why not show your support and check out my showreel? It couldn't hurt...
My barbarian used to be the basic "In battle I get angry" but over the game I kinda encouraged my DM to have fun with me and my character and in short I died.
But for my resurrection I was essentially picked up by a demigod of magic who was our boss, and when he did he left a mark in the sense I now don't feel anger in my rage but instead its more of a "calm in the storm" situation. When I rage now I just understand my motions and no longer attack with brute force but a focused aggression instead.
I would say Rage is one of the easier(easiest) things to reflavour. All you need to do is find your RP reason to what drives you in battle. Is it battle-trance? Do you get so dissolved in the perfection of combat moves that nothing else exist, just your next parry and swing? Are you being driven by the notion to stand equal to your forefathers, who were great fighters and this is what gives you supernatural combat prowess? Do you enjoy swordplay, consider it something akin dancing and love to loose yourself in a good dance?
All of the above is easy to RP, easy to align with your character and has the same result as "RAAWWR HULK RAGE". You just need to find the IC reason why your character is driven to the superb battle performance/durability.
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin
I play a Barbarian with a shield that I flavored after the Spartans from 300. Basically, I maxed Dex and Con at lvl 1 and took Shield Mastery, use a spear as my primary and shortsword as my secondary. My Rage is my battle mindset where I do the shield-wall kind of move. When I go battle-mad (i.e. Reckless Attack) it's more of what Captain Artemis did after his son Astinos died (throwing caution to the wind as I damage my way through the lines.
I've only just rolled up my first barbarian, but I used the idea of raging as her tapping into the primal stuff of nature (she is, naturally, a primal path barbarian) to augment her own skills. She's also been living on a mountain for the last 100 years with a tribe that sort of, but not quite, worships Storm Giants, so the idea of harnessing the power of the storm to strike her enemies down is pretty much par for the course.