So what is the general consensus on the thoughts on the upcoming changes to the Barbar?
Base Build
One improvement is they made it easier to keep their rage going. A problem current Barbarian has is they are not taking damage or attacked a hostile creature in a turn, so a strategy used by PC's and DM's is to play keep away when dealing with them.
The new one if you can't deal damage, you can burn a bonus action to keep you hulking out. Or you can make the target make a ability check (Intimidate comes to mind). The example they use is the Breath attack from a Dragonborn character as their breath attack makes a foe to make an ability check.
Level 2: Improved Danger sense. Normally you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells, so long as you are not blinded, deafened, or incapacitated. Now the only way it stops working is if he's knocked out.
Level 3: A new feature, Primal Knowledge (same name but different from the one in Tasha's Cauldron). While raging they can use any ability check while raging using the strength bonus. So the Barbarian using strength to intimidate a foe instead Charisma, or to Controle a mount with Animal Handling without needing good Wisdom. D&D shorts wonders how much this will work as most of us will want to use the rage to, you know, rage, but I can still see it in this combat situations. Moreover they are not a third wheal when it comes to a social interaction heavy mission.
Level 7 Instinct them Pounce which sounds like the one episode of Samurai Jack where he learns to jump really good, or Hulk's main form of getting place to place long distance while raging.
Level 9 Brutal Strike. It replaces Brutal Critical (get an extra damage die to the weapon damage a critical gives you) with an ability that couples with wreckless attacker. Wreckless attacker gives you advantage on your next hit, but so do your enemies against you. Brutal Strike allows you to forgo this advantage on attacks for you (thus enemies have an easier time to hit you but you still deal extra damage to the enemy) to give your enemy an additional effect to worry about. Pushing, slowing down, and more. As you level up but the Wreckless attack bonus damage and the Brutal Strike options increase. Wreckless attack is a high risk, high reward move, and this makes it more so. But considering you are going out with nothing on but a loincloth, boots, and tattoos...it fits the character. Combine them with some of the weapon masteries, and this might be some real fun to be had.
Relentless Rage: Didn't give a level for, but they said they improved it so when you get back up from getting dropped to 0hp, you are less likely to be killed again.
Like some of the changes, I probably wouldn't use Primal Knowledge in a none combat situation, but I would probably give my guy a feat that makes him good in mounted combat and go to battle on a battle cow like in Volo's guide.
Path of the World Tree:
The new one. It involves alot of teleportation of friends, foe, and the barbarian. So a support class.
You can give yourself or others temp. Hit points.
However the ability that has me intrigued is one of the World Root ones that allows you to teleport an enemy closer to you simply because it allows me to play Scorpion from Mortal Combat, specifically the spear move. So I can see this multiclassing with monk for that. Others you teleport around, or you can teleport your friends around.
Other abilities allow it to change the properties of weapons or increase its range.
Path of the Berserker
Probably the one they had to work on the most as this is both A. a subtype that is what we think of when it comes to barbarians in Western media (especially with Viking Berserkers or Celts hyped up on woad). and B. The worse subclass in 5th ed as using its ability Frenzy gives you exhaustion.
As is, it allows you to deal extra damage while using Reckless Attacker, and not suffer exhaustion.
Mindless Rage ends effects of Frightened and Charmed, not just suppresses them while raging.
Retaliation and Intimidating presence have switched levels (so Retaliation is at Level 14 and vise versa). Retaliation works the same (someone hits you within 5ft of you? Use a reation to hit them back). Intimidating presence has been improved as you can actiate it on a bonus action, and it allows you to intimidate as many creatures as you want within 30Ft of you.
Overall a big improvement, and I can't wait to see how this plays out on the tabletop.
Path of the Wild Heart (former totem warrior)
Changed alot of names so you don't feel stuck doing one or the other. In the current one, most player (my self included) felt that if you picked an animal you stuck through it from start to finish despite that wasn't the design focus. Now you can mix and match and even get some different ones each rage and each long rest. Otherwise should stick the same strengths and weaknesses + some new ones like a swim speed if you pick totem of the salmon.
Path of the Zealot
From the Xanthar's Guide to Everything, its all about laying out divine wrath upon the enemy.
In the redesign Divine Fury stays the same, still dealing some radiant damage.
Warrior of the Gods is changed from its eaier to raise you from the dead (casters casting don't need components) to you have a pool of dice to use to heal youself. Its described as lay on hands but only for you.
Fanatical focus, which allows you to make a reroll on a failed saving throw while raging, is does this but the reroll has a bonus to it to help make it pass.
The new ability at level 14 , Rage of the Gods, can be activated when you rage. While activated, more damage resistances, a temporary fly time, and you can stop friends from dying all around you.
Overal the class is still about being a prominent damage dealer. Some like Berzerker focus more on this, while others like the World Tree a more supportive tank. This said, I dosn't look like there is a weak subclass so far.
What are your thoughts and what I get wrong?
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So what is the general consensus on the thoughts on the upcoming changes to the Barbar?
Base Build
One improvement is they made it easier to keep their rage going. A problem current Barbarian has is they are not taking damage or attacked a hostile creature in a turn, so a strategy used by PC's and DM's is to play keep away when dealing with them.
The new one if you can't deal damage, you can burn a bonus action to keep you hulking out. Or you can make the target make a ability check (Intimidate comes to mind). The example they use is the Breath attack from a Dragonborn character as their breath attack makes a foe to make an ability check.
Level 2: Improved Danger sense. Normally you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells, so long as you are not blinded, deafened, or incapacitated. Now the only way it stops working is if he's knocked out.
Level 3: A new feature, Primal Knowledge (same name but different from the one in Tasha's Cauldron). While raging they can use any ability check while raging using the strength bonus. So the Barbarian using strength to intimidate a foe instead Charisma, or to Controle a mount with Animal Handling without needing good Wisdom. D&D shorts wonders how much this will work as most of us will want to use the rage to, you know, rage, but I can still see it in this combat situations. Moreover they are not a third wheal when it comes to a social interaction heavy mission.
Level 7 Instinct them Pounce which sounds like the one episode of Samurai Jack where he learns to jump really good, or Hulk's main form of getting place to place long distance while raging.
Level 9 Brutal Strike. It replaces Brutal Critical (get an extra damage die to the weapon damage a critical gives you) with an ability that couples with wreckless attacker. Wreckless attacker gives you advantage on your next hit, but so do your enemies against you. Brutal Strike allows you to forgo this advantage on attacks for you (thus enemies have an easier time to hit you but you still deal extra damage to the enemy) to give your enemy an additional effect to worry about. Pushing, slowing down, and more. As you level up but the Wreckless attack bonus damage and the Brutal Strike options increase. Wreckless attack is a high risk, high reward move, and this makes it more so. But considering you are going out with nothing on but a loincloth, boots, and tattoos...it fits the character. Combine them with some of the weapon masteries, and this might be some real fun to be had.
Relentless Rage: Didn't give a level for, but they said they improved it so when you get back up from getting dropped to 0hp, you are less likely to be killed again.
Like some of the changes, I probably wouldn't use Primal Knowledge in a none combat situation, but I would probably give my guy a feat that makes him good in mounted combat and go to battle on a battle cow like in Volo's guide.
Path of the World Tree:
The new one. It involves alot of teleportation of friends, foe, and the barbarian. So a support class.
You can give yourself or others temp. Hit points.
However the ability that has me intrigued is one of the World Root ones that allows you to teleport an enemy closer to you simply because it allows me to play Scorpion from Mortal Combat, specifically the spear move. So I can see this multiclassing with monk for that. Others you teleport around, or you can teleport your friends around.
Other abilities allow it to change the properties of weapons or increase its range.
Path of the Berserker
Probably the one they had to work on the most as this is both A. a subtype that is what we think of when it comes to barbarians in Western media (especially with Viking Berserkers or Celts hyped up on woad). and B. The worse subclass in 5th ed as using its ability Frenzy gives you exhaustion.
As is, it allows you to deal extra damage while using Reckless Attacker, and not suffer exhaustion.
Mindless Rage ends effects of Frightened and Charmed, not just suppresses them while raging.
Retaliation and Intimidating presence have switched levels (so Retaliation is at Level 14 and vise versa). Retaliation works the same (someone hits you within 5ft of you? Use a reation to hit them back). Intimidating presence has been improved as you can actiate it on a bonus action, and it allows you to intimidate as many creatures as you want within 30Ft of you.
Overall a big improvement, and I can't wait to see how this plays out on the tabletop.
Path of the Wild Heart (former totem warrior)
Changed alot of names so you don't feel stuck doing one or the other. In the current one, most player (my self included) felt that if you picked an animal you stuck through it from start to finish despite that wasn't the design focus. Now you can mix and match and even get some different ones each rage and each long rest. Otherwise should stick the same strengths and weaknesses + some new ones like a swim speed if you pick totem of the salmon.
Path of the Zealot
From the Xanthar's Guide to Everything, its all about laying out divine wrath upon the enemy.
In the redesign Divine Fury stays the same, still dealing some radiant damage.
Warrior of the Gods is changed from its eaier to raise you from the dead (casters casting don't need components) to you have a pool of dice to use to heal youself. Its described as lay on hands but only for you.
Fanatical focus, which allows you to make a reroll on a failed saving throw while raging, is does this but the reroll has a bonus to it to help make it pass.
The new ability at level 14 , Rage of the Gods, can be activated when you rage. While activated, more damage resistances, a temporary fly time, and you can stop friends from dying all around you.
Overal the class is still about being a prominent damage dealer. Some like Berzerker focus more on this, while others like the World Tree a more supportive tank. This said, I dosn't look like there is a weak subclass so far.
What are your thoughts and what I get wrong?