I'm not familiar with the Giant Barbarian... do they get any special rules for thrown weapons? Here's the main problem with playing as a thrown-weapon barbarian... your Rage damage and Reckless Attack, by default, can only be applied to melee weapon attacks. Those are kind of the bread and butter features of the Barbarian... having some thrown weapons handy for those moments when you can't get into melee range is useful, but it's missing out on a lot of potential if you're going out of your way to primarily use thrown weapons.
The biggest weakness to making a powerful Barbarian thrown weapon Build seems to be that you would still need to use Darts to utilise Sharpshooter, throwing away the option to use a 2d6 'ranged’ weapon. It is also annoying that Reckless Attack can’t be used with a thrown weapon.
I had a quick think about a Loki build whilst I couldn’t sleep:
Custom Origin: Fighting Initiate, for switching between Superior Technique (quick toss) and later Thrown Weapon Fighting
Barbarian 1-6 - Path of the Giant
ASI +2 Str
3rd lv, crushing throw (add rage damage at range)
6th lv, elemental cleaver (+1d6 elemental and returning weapon)
Damage: 1d4+1d6+19 (x5) = 129.5 (+1d8 from superiority dice)
DPR = 64.75
One thing to consider is that you may be able to turn a Heavy Crossbow into a thrown weapon (and as it is a ranged weapon you could still use all of the above), and then have a somewhat goofy d10 weapon (+3 damage avg per hit)
That depends on how elemental cleaver is worded, in the UA it would have been fine to chuck a flaming crossbow at people:
Elemental Cleaver
6th-Level Path of the Giant Feature Your bond with the elemental might of giants and their ilk grows, and you learn to infuse weapons with primordial energy.
When you enter your rage, you can infuse one weapon of your choice that you are holding with one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, thunder, or lightning. While you wield the infused weapon during your rage, the weapon’s damage type changes to the chosen type, it deals an extra 1d6 damage of the chosen type when it hits, and it gains the thrown property, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If you throw the weapon, it reappears in your hand the instant after it hits or misses a target. The infused weapon’s benefits are suppressed while a creature other than you wields it.
While raging and holding the infused weapon, you can use a bonus action to change the infused weapon’s current damage type to a different one from the above damage types.
Okay, I have had a look at a physical copy of the book.
Giant's Havoc
3rd-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Crushing Throw. When you make a successful ranged attack with a thrown weapon using Strength, you can add your Rage Damage bonus to the attack's damage roll.
Giant Stature. Your reach increases by 5 feet, and if you are smaller then Large, you become Large, along with anything you are wearing. If there isn't enough room for you to increase your size, your size doesn't change.
So nothing unexpected here, there still leaves open the idea of 'oversized' weapon with larger damage dice to rule by a DM if someone wants to go a bit crazy
And then, the level six, nooo it has removed changing weapons to have a magically returning thrown profile:
Elemental Cleaver
6th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your bond with the elemental might of giants grows, and you learn to infuse weapons with primordial energy.
When you enter your rage, you can choose one weapon that you are holding and infuse it with one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, thunder or lightning. While you wield the unfused weapon during your rage, the weapon's damage type changes to the chosen type, it deals and extra 1d6 damage of the chosen type when it hits.
The ability to throw your actual melee weapons seems like an odd choice for this barbarian subclass considering that a bugbear giant barbarian with a halberd will have a 25ft reach melee range while the thrown weapon has a range of 20ft...
Yeah, that was brought up during playtesting last year, but unfortunately WotC chose not to respond to that. As a house rule, I would suggest making the short range of the weapon 20+your reach.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
My question is with two-handed and versatile weapons: I assume with two-handed weapons you would still need to use both hands to throw your weapon, so that leads me to to assume with versatile weapons damage is based off of how many hands you used to throw it, but that is all jut me making assumptions so I'm not actually sure if that is the intention.
Elemental Cleaver and Demiurgic Colossus's bonus damage applies to all hits made with the weapon, there's no limit to once/turn. Sharpshooter can't be combined with it, however, unless you're using a Dart, since the feat specifies that it works with attacks made by ranged weapons, not melee weapons with the Thrown ability.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Elemental Cleaver and Demiurgic Colossus's bonus damage applies to all hits made with the weapon, there's no limit to once/turn. Sharpshooter can't be combined with it, however, unless you're using a Dart, since the feat specifies that it works with attacks made by ranged weapons, not melee weapons with the Thrown ability.
I now ponder why “lawn darts” are not and have not been a weapon in D&D.
Elemental Cleaver and Demiurgic Colossus's bonus damage applies to all hits made with the weapon, there's no limit to once/turn. Sharpshooter can't be combined with it, however, unless you're using a Dart, since the feat specifies that it works with attacks made by ranged weapons, not melee weapons with the Thrown ability.
I now ponder why “lawn darts” are not and have not been a weapon in D&D.
They are. They're called javelins.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I like your character concept! But I'm not sure the Archery Fighting style and Sharpshooter works like that! "You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons." Thrown weapons do not seem to be ranged weapons unless you are using darts! The rest of the build seems good!
My own build with Path of the Giant would be with Tavern Brawler and the Unarmoured Fighting style! and throwing a big sword at level 6+ like its a "braveheart claymore" seems real cool! With Tavern Brawler any improvised weapon makes a potential "Mjölner"(Thors Hammer)!
Variant Human with +1 Str +1 Con
Tavern Brawler (Strength)
Point buy: Str 15(17) Dex 14 Con 15 Int 8 Wis 10 Cha 8
Barbarian 1-6 - Path of the Giant
ASI Skill Expert (Athletics*2, Strength, +Skill)
3rd lv, crushing throw (add rage damage at range)
6th lv, elemental cleaver (+1d6 elemental and returning weapon)
Fighter 1-14
Fighting Style: Unarmoured Fighting
Rune Knight Cloud Rune, Fire Rune
level 4 ASI/feat Mobile
level 6 ASI/feat +2 Str/Great Weapon Master
level 8 ASI/feat +2 Con/Polearm Master
level 12 ASI/feat +2 Con
level 14 ASI/feat PYF
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One of my favourite sets of synergies in 5E is the fighting style synergies and Sharpshooter alongside the humble Dart.
What do you think about the new Giant Barbarian, and the potential for a ranged thrown weapon build w/ a fighter multiclass?
I'm not familiar with the Giant Barbarian... do they get any special rules for thrown weapons? Here's the main problem with playing as a thrown-weapon barbarian... your Rage damage and Reckless Attack, by default, can only be applied to melee weapon attacks. Those are kind of the bread and butter features of the Barbarian... having some thrown weapons handy for those moments when you can't get into melee range is useful, but it's missing out on a lot of potential if you're going out of your way to primarily use thrown weapons.
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The biggest weakness to making a powerful Barbarian thrown weapon Build seems to be that you would still need to use Darts to utilise Sharpshooter, throwing away the option to use a 2d6 'ranged’ weapon. It is also annoying that Reckless Attack can’t be used with a thrown weapon.
I had a quick think about a Loki build whilst I couldn’t sleep:
Custom Origin: Fighting Initiate, for switching between Superior Technique (quick toss) and later Thrown Weapon Fighting
Barbarian 1-6 - Path of the Giant
Fighter 1-4
At lv10 damage from Turn 2 in combat
One thing to consider is that you may be able to turn a Heavy Crossbow into a thrown weapon (and as it is a ranged weapon you could still use all of the above), and then have a somewhat goofy d10 weapon (+3 damage avg per hit)
I'm pretty sure that to use a heavy crossbow for that, you'd actually have to throw the crossbow, which would make it an improvised weapon.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
That depends on how elemental cleaver is worded, in the UA it would have been fine to chuck a flaming crossbow at people:
Elemental Cleaver
6th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your bond with the elemental might of giants and their ilk grows, and you learn to infuse weapons with primordial energy.
When you enter your rage, you can infuse one weapon of your choice that you are holding with one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, thunder, or lightning. While you wield the infused weapon during your rage, the weapon’s damage type changes to the chosen type, it deals an extra 1d6 damage of the chosen type when it hits, and it gains the thrown property, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If you throw the weapon, it reappears in your hand the instant after it hits or misses a target. The infused weapon’s benefits are suppressed while a creature other than you wields it.
While raging and holding the infused weapon, you can use a bonus action to change the infused weapon’s current damage type to a different one from the above damage types.
Okay, I have had a look at a physical copy of the book.
So nothing unexpected here, there still leaves open the idea of 'oversized' weapon with larger damage dice to rule by a DM if someone wants to go a bit crazy
And then, the level six, nooo it has removed changing weapons to have a magically returning thrown profile:
The ability to throw your actual melee weapons seems like an odd choice for this barbarian subclass considering that a bugbear giant barbarian with a halberd will have a 25ft reach melee range while the thrown weapon has a range of 20ft...
Yeah, that was brought up during playtesting last year, but unfortunately WotC chose not to respond to that. As a house rule, I would suggest making the short range of the weapon 20+your reach.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
My question is with two-handed and versatile weapons: I assume with two-handed weapons you would still need to use both hands to throw your weapon, so that leads me to to assume with versatile weapons damage is based off of how many hands you used to throw it, but that is all jut me making assumptions so I'm not actually sure if that is the intention.
I don't know whether or not it was intentional, but I see no issues with doing it that way.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Dexterity 20: +5 damage / +5 To Hit
Archery: +2 to hit.
Throwing Fighting Style: +2 damage.
Sharpshooter: +10 damage (for -5 to hit)
Rage: +2 to +4 damage
Level 6 Elemental Cleaver: +1D6 damage
(once per turn)OR
Level 14 Demiurgic Colossus: +2D6 Damage
once per run-------------------------------
IF Bugbear: +2D6 (PER ATTACK) on target that did not go yet.
Can use elven species to get Elven Accuracy to help offset penalty from Sharpshooter.
Level 3 Assassin Rogue: or any of the other ways to get advantage 3D20 to determine to-hit score.
Level 3 Monk for Kensi: to increase weapon damage die.
Level 3 Ranger for Gloom Stalker: for an extra attack with a +1D8.
Elemental Cleaver and Demiurgic Colossus's bonus damage applies to all hits made with the weapon, there's no limit to once/turn. Sharpshooter can't be combined with it, however, unless you're using a Dart, since the feat specifies that it works with attacks made by ranged weapons, not melee weapons with the Thrown ability.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I know this is months late but this is wrong; I don’t know why you claim that the returning feature is gone.
Who, precisely, is claiming that?
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I now ponder why “lawn darts” are not and have not been a weapon in D&D.
Blank
They are. They're called javelins.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I like your character concept! But I'm not sure the Archery Fighting style and Sharpshooter works like that! "You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons." Thrown weapons do not seem to be ranged weapons unless you are using darts! The rest of the build seems good!
My own build with Path of the Giant would be with Tavern Brawler and the Unarmoured Fighting style! and throwing a big sword at level 6+ like its a "braveheart claymore" seems real cool! With Tavern Brawler any improvised weapon makes a potential "Mjölner"(Thors Hammer)!
Variant Human with +1 Str +1 Con
Tavern Brawler (Strength)
Point buy: Str 15(17) Dex 14 Con 15 Int 8 Wis 10 Cha 8
Barbarian 1-6 - Path of the Giant
ASI Skill Expert (Athletics*2, Strength, +Skill)
3rd lv, crushing throw (add rage damage at range)
6th lv, elemental cleaver (+1d6 elemental and returning weapon)
Fighter 1-14
Fighting Style: Unarmoured Fighting
Rune Knight Cloud Rune, Fire Rune
level 4 ASI/feat Mobile
level 6 ASI/feat +2 Str/Great Weapon Master
level 8 ASI/feat +2 Con/Polearm Master
level 12 ASI/feat +2 Con
level 14 ASI/feat PYF