I want a barbarian (or fighter, up for class change) that is a proper brawler. He is adept at fighting with his fists, but none of that wisdom monastary crap that comes with the monk. I know there is tavern brawler, but my character is for level one and I kinda wanna play a goblin (so no human variant). Any suggestions?
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Not true at all. Without Tavern Brawler or Monk, your unarmed attacks will deal 1+Str damage. A raging goblin barbarian with 14 Str would deal 5 damage (1 + 2 Str + 2 Rage) at 1st level vs. a monk with 16 Dex dealing 1d6+3 (~7 damage), and you have advantage on your Strength (Athletics) checks to grapple, so you'd actually beat a Monk in a straight contest. They get a bonus unarmed strike, but you'll eventually pick up extra attack, and you have damage resistance and tons of hp to keep you alive while you're pummeling your target to death, and you can pick up a shield if you want to give yourself higher AC to boot. As you level, assuming you scale, by 20th level you'd have 24 Str, and would deal 12 damage (1 Base + 7 Str + 5 Rage) while raging, while a monk with 20 Dex would deal 1d10 + 5 (~11 damage), so pure Barbarian actually trumps Monk as a brawler. Pick up a proficiency in Athletics, and you can out-grapple a monk, as you have advantage on your Strength checks while raging. Pick up Tavern Brawler at level 4, and you're off to the races.
This isn't to say that having a battleaxe in your hand won't let you do MORE damage, but again, unarmed barbarian is perfectly viable.
There are several racial options that have unarmed attacks that deal between 1d4 and 1d6 damage.
If you are set on being a goblin, you can ask your dm if they would allow the Class Feats Variant Unearthed Arcana. In that UA, there is a new fighting style for Fighter/Ranger/Paladin that lets you use your fists for d6, or if you have nothing in your hands you can do a d8. You could use 1 level in fighter and then multiclass back to barbarian.
It has two weakness. 1) Water Dependency and 2) All touching poisons. Including friendly touch spell, such as Cure Wounds. A cleric that tries to use Cure Wounds on you must make a save or be poisoned, unless they are immune to poison. Use Healing Word instead.
The UA Unarmed Fighting style is probably the best way to do this idea. It's a Fighter feature rather than a Barbarian, but if your DM allows UA features it could be worth the multiclass dip. Maybe just two levels of fighter to get the fighting style and Second Wind. Anyway, here's how Unarmed Fighting works:
Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8.
When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.
Honestly, without the UA fighting style (and even with it really) brawling isn't very good. A standard unarmed attack is basically a 1d1 attack, which no matter /how/ strong you are is worse than a weapon. Any weapon. That's not viable, that's flat out bad.
Tavern brawler (can't get it til level 4) brings that up to a d4 weapon, equal to sickles, light hammers, clubs and other crap weapons that nobody ever uses. OP wants to be a goblin, so lower str bonus so it's even worse . Certain monsters will only take half damage since there's no magic upgrades.
The hard truth is, no. You can't make a viable goblin brawler without monk or UA. The best answer is to fluff a monk into a useful character.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
I want a barbarian (or fighter, up for class change) that is a proper brawler. He is adept at fighting with his fists, but none of that wisdom monastary crap that comes with the monk. I know there is tavern brawler, but my character is for level one and I kinda wanna play a goblin (so no human variant). Any suggestions?
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
That's hard. Tavern brawler or monk is the only real way.
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Not true at all. Without Tavern Brawler or Monk, your unarmed attacks will deal 1+Str damage. A raging goblin barbarian with 14 Str would deal 5 damage (1 + 2 Str + 2 Rage) at 1st level vs. a monk with 16 Dex dealing 1d6+3 (~7 damage), and you have advantage on your Strength (Athletics) checks to grapple, so you'd actually beat a Monk in a straight contest. They get a bonus unarmed strike, but you'll eventually pick up extra attack, and you have damage resistance and tons of hp to keep you alive while you're pummeling your target to death, and you can pick up a shield if you want to give yourself higher AC to boot. As you level, assuming you scale, by 20th level you'd have 24 Str, and would deal 12 damage (1 Base + 7 Str + 5 Rage) while raging, while a monk with 20 Dex would deal 1d10 + 5 (~11 damage), so pure Barbarian actually trumps Monk as a brawler. Pick up a proficiency in Athletics, and you can out-grapple a monk, as you have advantage on your Strength checks while raging. Pick up Tavern Brawler at level 4, and you're off to the races.
This isn't to say that having a battleaxe in your hand won't let you do MORE damage, but again, unarmed barbarian is perfectly viable.
There are several racial options that have unarmed attacks that deal between 1d4 and 1d6 damage.
If you are set on being a goblin, you can ask your dm if they would allow the Class Feats Variant Unearthed Arcana. In that UA, there is a new fighting style for Fighter/Ranger/Paladin that lets you use your fists for d6, or if you have nothing in your hands you can do a d8. You could use 1 level in fighter and then multiclass back to barbarian.
For Racial options, there is little better than the Grung for a brawler. Poison skin is just a nasty little surprise.
It was written up as a semi-pro playable race here: http://citrusbolt.net/files/dnd/One Grung Above.pdf
It has two weakness. 1) Water Dependency and 2) All touching poisons. Including friendly touch spell, such as Cure Wounds. A cleric that tries to use Cure Wounds on you must make a save or be poisoned, unless they are immune to poison. Use Healing Word instead.
The UA Unarmed Fighting style is probably the best way to do this idea. It's a Fighter feature rather than a Barbarian, but if your DM allows UA features it could be worth the multiclass dip. Maybe just two levels of fighter to get the fighting style and Second Wind. Anyway, here's how Unarmed Fighting works:
Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8.
When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.
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Honestly, without the UA fighting style (and even with it really) brawling isn't very good. A standard unarmed attack is basically a 1d1 attack, which no matter /how/ strong you are is worse than a weapon. Any weapon. That's not viable, that's flat out bad.
Tavern brawler (can't get it til level 4) brings that up to a d4 weapon, equal to sickles, light hammers, clubs and other crap weapons that nobody ever uses. OP wants to be a goblin, so lower str bonus so it's even worse . Certain monsters will only take half damage since there's no magic upgrades.
The hard truth is, no. You can't make a viable goblin brawler without monk or UA. The best answer is to fluff a monk into a useful character.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Yeah. That’s why I keep going back to a 2 level dip for Variant Ranger on a Monk. It just fits so well.
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thats....not a very nice thing to do to your DM. I can see that combo pumping out a good deal of damage.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
A Valour Bard with expertise in Athletics.
But I’m not doing it to the DM, I’m doing it to the Monsters. 😜
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