Choose mountain dwarf, half orc or Goliath race. Dump stat charisma and put strength and constitution highest. Choose outlander or soldier background. Take greataxe two handaxes and javelins for equipment. That should be good to start off. So do you want to be a good damage dealer, or good survivor? Damage dealer: zealot, beserker paths. Survivor: ancestral guardian, storm herald and totem warrior paths. Take one of these paths at level three. Choose one relating to your idea: damage or protection.
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'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
That isn't the best build for damage. What I suggested is. Especially mountain dwarf. +2 con and +2 strength is really good. And playing variant human and polearm master is so boring. Everyone does it. Then people say that it is boring. But if they did something else, it would be really fun. Choose my option, and you'll have loads of fun.
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'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
Barbarians are made to survive. They are built to be hard to kill. HOW you want the character to survive is up to you! My suggestion is look at the subclasses available to the Barbarian and see what style of play appeals to you, and then chat with the other players in your game to see what kind of barbarian will fit in well with them.
Ancestral Guardian will help prevent attacks against other players, and can mitigate damage against them. Battlerager is for dwarves only, while Berserker can be for anyone, and both and focus on maximum damage while raging. Storm Herald taps into elemental powers to help your allies and do elemental damage to your enemies. Totem Warrior gains powers based on a spirit animal, and most who are looking to be able to withstand anything take Bear Zealot has a paladin flavor, and is more about being able to recover from death than staying alive
Depending on your party, and what "surviving" means to you, different subclasses will work better than others. Soaking up damage will be Totem, preventing damage to your friends might be Ancestral Guardian, or killing things as fast as possible to prevent them from attacking a lot might be one of the others. From there you can build out the race, background, and other features to support those powers.
Personally, I don’t find it boring. But I also don’t try to min/max every little detail and just look at numbers. I think a Spartan-esque character would be SUPER fun to role play. In this particular case of polearm master where you aren’t 100% focused on being the damage dealer of the group it adds a lot of versatility to the character.
I myself aren't a min/maxer. However, I see where you're coming from. But playing not variant human is so much more fun. Fantasy is all about stuff that isn't real. So playing non human, I think, is more fun, and has greater rp potential.
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'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
Barbarians are made to survive. They are built to be hard to kill. HOW you want the character to survive is up to you! My suggestion is look at the subclasses available to the Barbarian and see what style of play appeals to you, and then chat with the other players in your game to see what kind of barbarian will fit in well with them.
Ancestral Guardian will help prevent attacks against other players, and can mitigate damage against them. Battlerager is for dwarves only, while Berserker can be for anyone, and both and focus on maximum damage while raging. Storm Herald taps into elemental powers to help your allies and do elemental damage to your enemies. Totem Warrior gains powers based on a spirit animal, and most who are looking to be able to withstand anything take Bear Zealot has a paladin flavor, and is more about being able to recover from death than staying alive
Depending on your party, and what "surviving" means to you, different subclasses will work better than others. Soaking up damage will be Totem, preventing damage to your friends might be Ancestral Guardian, or killing things as fast as possible to prevent them from attacking a lot might be one of the others. From there you can build out the race, background, and other features to support those powers.
Zealot also gives strong damage options and some nifty party buffs.
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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.
That isn't the best build for damage. What I suggested is. Especially mountain dwarf. +2 con and +2 strength is really good. And playing variant human and polearm master is so boring. Everyone does it. Then people say that it is boring. But if they did something else, it would be really fun. Choose my option, and you'll have loads of fun.
I remember watching a Dungeon Dudes episode where they did some math on it... Variant Human Polearm Master at level 1 with Great Weapon Master at level 4 Zealot Barbarian outclasses in terms of just doing the maximum possible melee damage across a campaign. It uh... doesn't do too much more than that, but if you're looking to just unleash a butt load of damage, that's supposedly one of the best.
Worth noting, the post he was responding to didn't recommend that build. Spear/Shield does a *lot* less damage than a two-handed polearm due to the lack of Great Weapon Master. It does get some AC in exchange, of course, but if damage is the goal it lags.
You are inevitably going to be standing on the frontlines. In terms of survival, you might consider getting a simple shield + a one-handed weapon, atleast for backup, if you are the only frontliner in the lower levels. A +2 to your AC is not to be underestimated, should you be out of rage. The time for your greataxe will come. Inevitably.
Especially in the lower levels, choose carefully when you want to rage, since you only get two uses per long rest at first. Also, take a look at the prerequesites for keeping you rage up. There will be situations where you have to choose if you can keep it running or something else might be more important.
Reckless is a similar kind of deal. Keep in mind that any enemy has advantage against you until your next turn, not only the one you were attacking.
Considering Paths, Barbarian has some amazing options. Depending on what you want to play and what your group needs, you might get a benefit from different choices.
In my eyes, the most important thing is that you make it your own Barbarian. Just because there are alot of crazy damage builds, these aren`t the only valid options. Make your choice based on what you think is most fun for you. Some people get the most joy out of high damage numbers, some love to control the battlefield, imposing conditions.
Whatever you end up playing, Barbarian is an awesome class and I hope you have as much fun playing one as I do :-)
Cheers
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I’m ( maybe ) gonna be a first time Barbarian. Due to its important role, any tips to survive?
heheh get rickrolled xdddddd
Choose mountain dwarf, half orc or Goliath race. Dump stat charisma and put strength and constitution highest. Choose outlander or soldier background. Take greataxe two handaxes and javelins for equipment. That should be good to start off. So do you want to be a good damage dealer, or good survivor? Damage dealer: zealot, beserker paths. Survivor: ancestral guardian, storm herald and totem warrior paths. Take one of these paths at level three. Choose one relating to your idea: damage or protection.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
Choose variant human and polearm master feat. Use a spear and a shield. Prioritize STR and CON. Congrats, you are now a Spartan.
That isn't the best build for damage. What I suggested is. Especially mountain dwarf. +2 con and +2 strength is really good. And playing variant human and polearm master is so boring. Everyone does it. Then people say that it is boring. But if they did something else, it would be really fun. Choose my option, and you'll have loads of fun.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
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InsiderBarbarians are made to survive. They are built to be hard to kill. HOW you want the character to survive is up to you! My suggestion is look at the subclasses available to the Barbarian and see what style of play appeals to you, and then chat with the other players in your game to see what kind of barbarian will fit in well with them.
Ancestral Guardian will help prevent attacks against other players, and can mitigate damage against them.
Battlerager is for dwarves only, while Berserker can be for anyone, and both and focus on maximum damage while raging.
Storm Herald taps into elemental powers to help your allies and do elemental damage to your enemies.
Totem Warrior gains powers based on a spirit animal, and most who are looking to be able to withstand anything take Bear
Zealot has a paladin flavor, and is more about being able to recover from death than staying alive
Depending on your party, and what "surviving" means to you, different subclasses will work better than others. Soaking up damage will be Totem, preventing damage to your friends might be Ancestral Guardian, or killing things as fast as possible to prevent them from attacking a lot might be one of the others. From there you can build out the race, background, and other features to support those powers.
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Would you say that variant human and polearm master is boring? I think so, but would like to know your opinion.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
Personally, I don’t find it boring. But I also don’t try to min/max every little detail and just look at numbers. I think a Spartan-esque character would be SUPER fun to role play. In this particular case of polearm master where you aren’t 100% focused on being the damage dealer of the group it adds a lot of versatility to the character.
I myself aren't a min/maxer. However, I see where you're coming from. But playing not variant human is so much more fun. Fantasy is all about stuff that isn't real. So playing non human, I think, is more fun, and has greater rp potential.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
Zealot also gives strong damage options and some nifty party buffs.
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.
Did you end up playing the character? If you do, play any of these bit of advice. Whichever one you prefer. But please tell what happened!?
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
I remember watching a Dungeon Dudes episode where they did some math on it... Variant Human Polearm Master at level 1 with Great Weapon Master at level 4 Zealot Barbarian outclasses in terms of just doing the maximum possible melee damage across a campaign. It uh... doesn't do too much more than that, but if you're looking to just unleash a butt load of damage, that's supposedly one of the best.
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Worth noting, the post he was responding to didn't recommend that build. Spear/Shield does a *lot* less damage than a two-handed polearm due to the lack of Great Weapon Master. It does get some AC in exchange, of course, but if damage is the goal it lags.
You are inevitably going to be standing on the frontlines. In terms of survival, you might consider getting a simple shield + a one-handed weapon, atleast for backup, if you are the only frontliner in the lower levels. A +2 to your AC is not to be underestimated, should you be out of rage. The time for your greataxe will come. Inevitably.
Especially in the lower levels, choose carefully when you want to rage, since you only get two uses per long rest at first. Also, take a look at the prerequesites for keeping you rage up. There will be situations where you have to choose if you can keep it running or something else might be more important.
Reckless is a similar kind of deal. Keep in mind that any enemy has advantage against you until your next turn, not only the one you were attacking.
Considering Paths, Barbarian has some amazing options. Depending on what you want to play and what your group needs, you might get a benefit from different choices.
In my eyes, the most important thing is that you make it your own Barbarian. Just because there are alot of crazy damage builds, these aren`t the only valid options. Make your choice based on what you think is most fun for you. Some people get the most joy out of high damage numbers, some love to control the battlefield, imposing conditions.
Whatever you end up playing, Barbarian is an awesome class and I hope you have as much fun playing one as I do :-)
Cheers