So with a recent experiment into making a Firbolg Totem Barbarian, I was curious if the firbolgs racial feature, Powerful Build, stacks with the Bear Totem feature that doubles carrying capacity, and affects Strength-based checks on objects.
Specifically, this seems to indicate that a firbolgs carrying capacity is now quadrupled (which is simply awesome).
...but I wonder if this same logic applies to Strength checks against objects.
Does this essentially make a firbolg totem barbarian a siege-breaker, battering down fortress doors with the strength of a battery ram, or toppling structures as though they were a giant themselves?
Powerful build does nothing for strength checks against objects. it only affects carry capacity or push/drag/lift.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Bear totem at level 6 gives you advantage on STR checks, mentioning breaking objects.
Bear
You gain the might of a bear. Your carrying capacity (including maximum load and maximum lift) is doubled, and you have advantage on Strength checks made to push, pull, lift, or break objects.
You get advantage on the attempt to break objects, but its nothing more than that. So while your carry capacity is effectively quadrupled, you are only slightly more effective at breaking objects.
Centaur's Equine Build pairs very nicely with Bear totem's second feature, as that means you can easily carry 2 mounted lance+shield+plate fighters without breaking your back.
Give one or both of them Mounted Combatant and the centaur barbearian Sentinel for crazy combos.
In the UA release of the centaur, they could ride one another, forming a centaur tower!
The idea of centaur stacking conflicted with the anatomy issue for mounted combat in the basic rules. It probably shouldn't have worked, but I guess specific beats general.
My players still do things like this, using a centaur, a goliath and a gnome. Nobody expects portable wizard towers (they spent extra gold to oversize and fortify the backpack for that purpose).
So with a recent experiment into making a Firbolg Totem Barbarian, I was curious if the firbolgs racial feature, Powerful Build, stacks with the Bear Totem feature that doubles carrying capacity, and affects Strength-based checks on objects.
Specifically, this seems to indicate that a firbolgs carrying capacity is now quadrupled (which is simply awesome).
...but I wonder if this same logic applies to Strength checks against objects.
Does this essentially make a firbolg totem barbarian a siege-breaker, battering down fortress doors with the strength of a battery ram, or toppling structures as though they were a giant themselves?
Powerful Build and Bear totem stack, yes.
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/11/23/does-the-powerful-build-trait-stack-with-barbarian-bear-totem-warriors-aspect-of-the-beast/
Powerful build does nothing for strength checks against objects. it only affects carry capacity or push/drag/lift.
Bear totem at level 6 gives you advantage on STR checks, mentioning breaking objects.
You get advantage on the attempt to break objects, but its nothing more than that. So while your carry capacity is effectively quadrupled, you are only slightly more effective at breaking objects.
Hope this helped.
Quite!
Centaur's Equine Build pairs very nicely with Bear totem's second feature, as that means you can easily carry 2 mounted lance+shield+plate fighters without breaking your back.
Give one or both of them Mounted Combatant and the centaur barbearian Sentinel for crazy combos.
In the UA release of the centaur, they could ride one another, forming a centaur tower!
The idea of centaur stacking conflicted with the anatomy issue for mounted combat in the basic rules. It probably shouldn't have worked, but I guess specific beats general.
My players still do things like this, using a centaur, a goliath and a gnome. Nobody expects portable wizard towers (they spent extra gold to oversize and fortify the backpack for that purpose).
I wouldn't have made a firbolg, a Goliath also has the powerful build and can reduce damage on reaction