I thought this would be a good add to the world of D&D Guides. Let me know what you think.
THE CASE AGAINST A BARBARIAN SPELL GUIDE:
Firstly, let’s get this out of the way: there is a reason why there isn't already a spell guide for Barbarians. While raging, Barbarians cannot cast spells, nor can they concentrate on spells. These are, obviously, big limitations for spellcasters. In addition, Barbarians benefit from STR, DEX and CON, already multiple ability-score dependent (MAD)… so adding a requirement for a mental stat is extremely so. All good reasons not to multiclass a Barbarian with a casting class.
THE CASE FOR A BARBARIAN SPELL GUIDE:
Although many Barbarian subclasses provide spells for Barbarians, the real point of this guide is for when you pick up spell slots via multiclassing. Most “Spellcasters” have class features that are not spells and thus can be used while raging with no problems. Channel Divinity, Smite, and Wild Shape, for examples. Dipping into a caster class to get these abilities gains you spell slots that just beg to be used. There are sometimes ways to utilize spell slots without casting spells, for example Moon Druids healing themselves in Wild Shape, or Paladins burning them on Divine Smites, all legal while raging. However, you can, and should, pick some spells too.
Secondarily, if you multi-class, then you are also going to inevitably reduce the number of rages per day you have, which means that you could have battles where you have no rages left. Spells become an option. In fact, a pocket concentration spell for these occasions to offset the lack of rage couldn’t hurt either, eh?
But really, there are spells that are actually worth casting as a Barbarian and, frankly, you realistically might actually cast... often even!
OK, so that is my sales pitch. We agree that spells on a barbarian are not optimal, but hopefully we can also agree that if you have a barbarian with spells known or prepared, you should try to optimize your picks.
SPELL GUIDE CONSIDERATIONS:
So what spells did I consider for the guide? Well, I think everyone can figure out that out-of-combat spells would always add value, so no barbarian specific guide needed for those. Just need to take into account what will probably be a low spellcasting ability score. Instead, I’m going to focus on spells that actually might have combat value for a barbarian, even with the big limitations.
Assumptions:
I’m going to assume that you are taking a good chunk of Barbarian levels, so I’m only going to look at spell levels 1-4 for now. (Although if you can get “wish”… well, pick “wish”!) Also, I’m going to assume that your spell casting stat will be 13, just enough to multiclass. Lastly, my assumption is that all barbarians are designed to take hits so that their party members don't.
Criteria:
At a high level, the following criteria help us evaluate what makes a good Barbarian spell.
Non-concentration - This way you can start raging without loosing a spell on which you are concentrating.
No saves or spell attacks - For two reasons. Firstly, this way your low spellcasting modifier doesn't matter. Secondly, if it requires an attack roll or save, then it is probably being cast in battle and that isn't great given the limitations.
Longer durations - This way you can potentially have the spell up and running prior to initiative and it won't mess with your action economy or ability to rage early in combat
Upcasts/scales - If you can get a great 1st level spell that scales, then maybe you can just stick with it when you get higher level spell slots. This way, you can grab more situational higher level spells until you get to a spell that is a worthy replacement.
"Synergy" - A catch all to say that it meshes well with the barbarian style of hitting things and getting hit back.
The recommended spells are all evaluated based on this criteria, but some spells are just so good that they deserve mention even if they conflict with these principles. All the spells on this list are worth considering, but within that filter I came up with this rating system: Amazing (****), Great (***), Good (**), Situationally Good (*)
THE GUIDE:
The following spell list includes the spells that I would say meet the criteria the best:
Armor of Agathys (1st)(****) - This spell upcasts so well that it might be the only spell you ever need to cast with your short rest Warlock slots no matter how many levels of Warlock you take. Rage only makes it better since the temp hit points, and thus damage output, last longer. It isn't a huge amount of hit points though, so they will go fast even with rage, but at least they do damage too.
Aid (2nd) (****) - 8 hour duration means you can basically always have it at the start of combat. Scales great as well so it is a perfect option for higher level spell slots. Helps some allies, but rage makes it better on you. These hit points don't do damage like Armor of Agathys, but they stack with AoA or other sources of Temporary Hit Points and they can be healed back, which is nice.
Goodberry (1st) (****) - Gets its own section, see below.
Warding Bond (2nd) (****)- You want to take the hits, but sometimes your friends get hit instead. With this, your friend gets resistance to damage, so they take 50% of incoming damage. That damage is also directed to you, but your resistance kicks in, potentially cutting your portion of the damage to 25% of the original damage. Not bad on any barbarian. However, on a level 14+ Zealot, this becomes amazing, because even at 0 hit points, why not take all the party damage?
Fire Shield (4th) (***) - The damage even stacks with Armor of Agathys… not a bad reason to take fiend or genie 7 warlock levels to get this bad boy. Although that 4th level slot makes it less attractive than other options, the more hit points you have (or get healed) just makes it last longer, which is very sweet. Unless they dispel it, creatures are going to have a bad day trying to chew through your hit points with multi attack.
Find Familiar (1st)(***) - An Owl using flyby "help" actions means you don’t need to recklessly attack if the risks of counterattacks are too high. If your enemies waste an attack killing off your Owl at least they weren't attacking you or your friends. Ouch, my half-orc tendencies are showing through here.
Find Greater Steed (4th) (***) - Yes please!
Mirror Image (2nd) (***) - You are designed to take hits, but even better if you can turn the hits to misses. Better than Blink (*) for a barbarian, since you want enemies to at least try to hit you instead of your friends.
Animate Dead (3rd) (**) - I mean… right? Long lasting friend to join you in combat and soak up hits. If you get lucky with undead fortitude rolls, a zombie can potentially soak up several hits and stay at 1 hp. Or you can grab a skellie to give you some ranged damage. Win either way.
Cure Wounds (1st)(**) - I like Goodberry much better (see below) but saving compatriots from death is worth dropping rage. Because you can drop rage as a bonus action and cast this in the same round I rank it better than Healing Word (*) for a barbarian.
False Life (1st)(**) - I’d rather have Armor of Agathys or Aid, but rage still makes these temp hit points last even longer.
Freedom of Movement (4th) (**) - Most buffs have decent effects, but this one has 6 different effects and they are all decent… so it adds up to be very solid. Even so, it is technically situational. If you have a 4th level pick to spare, this is a good option.
Longstrider (1st) (**) - With your Fast Movement plus this, *you* are a ranged weapon! So much movement, you will be able to run right past the front line and harass the squishiest in the back before they know what happened.
Find Steed (2nd) (**)- Easier to find than a Greater Steed, but also not as awesome. Still good though. These can take hits too, although not big ones, which make them better than a Phantom Steed (*), which I consider to be out-of-combat mounts.
Fortune’s Favor (2nd) (**)- This is a good spell, but since it is wizard-only most Barbarians won't have access to it. It never hurts to have up for when somebody crits you, but it really shines if you save it for those pesky saving throws.
Gift of Alacrity (1st) (**)- Wizard only again, which gives me heartburn, but this is a 1st level spell worth having. Its utility on a Barbarian is questionable, since you probably have a decent DEX and already have advantage on Initiative so this is a bit of overkill. However, going first can be a big benefit so maybe its worth a little overkill.
Death Ward (4th)(**)- How can my half-orc barbie with relentless endurance and relentless rage get one more option for not going to zero hit points? Or more seriously, how do you reproduce relentless rage when you only took 7 levels in Barbarian? Answer to both: Death Ward. 8 hour duration... cast this every day for breakfast with Aid and who cares that you can't cast in combat? The only bummer is that this requires 4th level slots.
Situational Honorable Mentions
The following spells were more situational and thus didn't make the above list. However, if I had picks left and these were available, I would grab them:
(1st) (*) If you lose initiative and get attacked before you can rage, if rage drops unexpectedly or if you are out of rages to begin with, reaction spells like Absorb Elements, Shield, Silvery Barbs, or even Hellish Rebuke are all fun surprises to have in your back pocket.
Magic Missile (1st) (*) - You will probably always have something better to do with your action. However, if you need to do ranged damage, it helps that these always hit even with a crap casting stat. Oh, and they do force damage which can overcome some pesky resistances/immunities. My barbarian found a wand of magic missiles which he put it to good use.
Misty Step (2nd), Thunder Step (3rd) and Dimension Door (4th) (*) are pretty awesome for closing distances and getting into trouble faster. These spells just complicate the action economy... but sometimes you need to prioritize getting to a location fast! Worth mentioning that misty step's bonus action to cast can be a problem if you need to use a bonus action to stop raging first.
Feather Fall (1st) (*) - This one was recommended in the comments, and if you need it, you need it; so it is hard to argue. Since you can't cast while raging, if you are pushed off a cliff while raging then this isn't as useful. However, if the fall is more than 500 ft then the drop will take more than a turn (per Xanathar's), so your rage will either naturally drop or you can use your bonus action to stop raging. Then you can cast this. Much more useful if you fall while notraging to begin with.
Plant Growth (3rd) (*) - I don’t recommend the barbarian be in charge of battlefield control, but this one is rare because it reduces movement with no saving throw or concentration. "I'm not stuck in these weeds with you. YOU ARE STUCK IN THESE WEEDS WITH ME!" Note: RAW even with the Freedom of Movement buff, these plants are slowing you down.
Concentration Spells
These might be worth having “just in case” you are out of rages for the day. Caveat: I plan on getting hit a lot, so even when not raging, I don't count on being able to maintain concentration long, so that makes this list even more situational. You would really have to decide if it is worth the spell slot and action economy considering the spell may drop very quickly.
Bless (1st) (*) - Arguably the best buff in the game, as valuable at level 20 as level 1, so having it in your arsenal couldn’t hurt. The action to cast hurts, but for many battles that might not be a problem. It helps with attacks and also saves, a barbarian weakness, so it is really hard to say no to this. Since it also helps friends, even if drops fast, it has a fair shot at having had a positive impact on a few rolls.
Expeditious Retreat (1st) (*)- The concentration angle of this makes me want to rate it lower than Longstrider, but the extra movement can be awesome if you need it. It can last 10 minutes, which can be a long time, but even if you only keep it up for a single round, it could be incredibly useful. My barbarian would assume the word "retreat" is intended to mean that the enemy will retreat when they see how blazingly fast he charges at them.
Protection from Evil and Good (1st) (*)- Even if not out of rages, this concentration spell is worth having because Barbarians are notoriously weak at saving throws that can take them out of the combat entirely. This spell is good enough that, against the right opponent, you might just choose to forgo raging for this. I still think this is only an honorable mention, however, because, if our job is to soak up damage, then we will also be making the concentration saving throws. This spell is infinitely better if we can convince a party member to cast it on us instead.
Hex (1st) (*) and Hunter’s Mark (1st) (*) - You are not using your bonus action to rage, so you might as well use it to boost your damage. Hex is situationally slightly better since it can also make your target an easier grapple target, useful since you won't have the rage bonus to athletics checks.
Summon/Conjure XXX (various, 3rd level and up) (*)- Hard to justify higher level slots for such situational spells. However, if you can’t rage, bring friends. At least if they get hit instead of you, no concentration check is required.
Goodberry
Goodberry (1st) (****) is a good spell for anyone to cast. Burn all your unused spell slots at the end of the day and start the day with a pouch full of them. You can eat them while raging. You can also give them to friends if you want, but you are fast, so you can run to your fallen allies and shove berries in their face if they are about to fail their death saves. The best part is that this healing doesn't require you to drop rage to cast as you cast it earlier. Prior to level 15 it is possible, but perhaps complicated, to do this and not have rage drop, but once you get "persistent rage" that downside goes away, which is why Goodberry outshines any other healing spell for barbarians. However, this isn't why Goodberry gets its own section.
At level 14, Zealot barbarians get "rage beyond death." Going to zero hit-points while raging no longer causes them to fall unconscious. They make death saving throws but even if they fail, they don't die until their rage falls. So here is the situation. You are at zero hit points and you fail your death saving throws. You are running on borrowed time; when rage falls, you die. If rage is about to fall, but you have an action... eat a good berry. That 1 Hit Point resets those death saves and you went from instant death to... just fine. Fine? 1 hit point? Well, yeah. For a level 14+ Zealot, 1 Hit Point is pretty much all you need.
Cantrips
No cantrips made my list. My recommendation is to choose cantrips with out-of-combat utility (e.g. Minor Illusion or Guidance.) My favorite thematic cantrip for a Barbarian is, perhaps counterintuitively, Friends... because it is a pretty reliable way to piss people off and start fights. :)
As people seem to react poorly to my stance on cantrips, here is some rationale. Although Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade might be decent to have, given that you can't use them while raging, I find that they are extremely unlikely to be useful. Likewise, attack cantrips won't find much use, but they are also based on a mental stat (attack or save DC) which will probably be pretty low unless you have figured out a way to boost your mental stat (e.g. Headband of Intellect or Hex Warrior). As pointed out in the comments, the Aberrant Dragonmark feat, which makes CON the casting stat, is the exception, and is a decent way to grab a long range cantrip (Chill Touch or Fire Bolt) as STR barbarians don't always have great ranged options.
I am replying to my thread first just in case I need some space to add an appendix later.
However, just to add a little value, I am really considering a Centaur Barbarian/Ranger with a base movement of 40", movement buffs from each subclass, and access to Longstrider to embody the "I am the ranged weapon!" philosophy. However, it will probably lose out to my Wild Magic Barbarian/Genie Warlock just because I like the color and the backstory better. It can't always be about optimization ;)
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Appendix 1. Class Synergy
Here are my ruminations on which classes are best to mix with barbarians... from a Spell Castingperspective.
Class
Spellcasting Synergy Rating
Spell Casting Specific Observations
Artificer
Good
INT has very view side benefits. Not sure that the abilities mix well with a Barbie, but it is better than WIZ in terms of subclass synergy. In terms of spells, however: Aid, Longstrider, False Life, Freedom of Movement… honestly not bad. Battle Smith gets Warding Bond (and eventually Fire Shield). The comments are mentioning that the spell storing item is good for a barbarian because you can give your spells to other people. Definitely worth mentioning, but I'm less of a fan for two reasons: firstly it is a deep investment (11 levels of artificer), and secondly, the number of uses is based on INT, which for my barbie isn't going to be great.
Bard
Good
Bard abilities (expertise, bardic inspiration, flourishes...) synergize nicely with Barbarian. Would be Poor, but with Tasha's expanded spell list you get Aid and Mirror Image which are big improvements.
Cleric
Decent
Cleric is a good option because the non-spell options, like Channel Divinity, often synergize well. The spell list, however, is lackluster for a Barbie. Other than Warding Bond, it doesn't have strong combat options and is heavy in concentration spells. However, ritual casting, the ability to change the spell list on a long rest and options that are very strong in utility make it not horrible. Cure wounds, healing word and non-rage options like Bless and Prot from Evil/Good are standouts for a Barbarian.
Druid
Poor*
There are very nice subclass synergies here... and I might even recommend a barbarian/druid multiclass. This guide is about spellcasting however, and frankly, the druid spell list just isn't a great selection for a barbarian. Goodberry is awesome but not reason enough for me to rank it higher. *A few of the subclasses add a spell that is worth considering, but in the case of Spores (Animate Dead) and Wildfire (Fire Shield) you get them pretty late levels. Circle of the Land (Coast) gets Mirror Image, Misty Step and Freedom of Movement, so I guess I would say it wins.
Fighter
Nope
Fighter + Barbarian is great but non-casting subclasses are probably better choices. If you go Eldritch Knight, the spell list can be restrictive. Typical EK standouts like Shield and Counterspell are not very good for a raging barbarian since they are unable to cast while raging.
Paladin
Great
Using slots for smites is a great option, so it frees you to pick more situational spells - and there are good ones like Bless. On top of that, the rest of the spell list has some standouts, like Aid and Find Greater Steed. Now pick a subclass: Oathbreakers get Animate Dead, Conquest gets Armor of Agathys, Crown gets Warding Bond. Hard to go wrong.
Ranger
Good
I really like the buffs, Darkvision, Longstrider, Freedom of Movement are standouts. Burning unused spell slots for Goodberry before a long rest means that you don't feel like your slots go to waste.
Rogue
Poor
Arcane Trickster can get you Mirror Image, so a step up over Eldritch Knight, but I would just pick a different subclass frankly.
Sorcerer
Poor*
I'm not sure that there is a lot synergy with a barbarian here from a base class / subclass perspective. Metamagic is lackluster on a barbarian though you could get creative with Twin perhaps. The spell list isn't great for a barbarian… Mirror Image is here and that is basically it. (*) Clockwork Soul is the exception. You can tailor the spell list and get much better spells from the Abjuration and Transmutation list... which includes Aid and Armor of Agathys, so that is pretty sweet.
Warlock
Great
Armor of Agathys! Mirror image. Great. Combined with non-spell based subclass abilities that can synergize well; I like this a lot. Take 7 levels in fiend or genie and at 5th grab the "undying servitude" invocation, now you have Animate Dead each long rest and on a short rest you have Armor of Agathys (upcast to 4th level) and Fire Shield. I'm having a hard time thinking of a better situation for a spellcasting barbarian. Since I would not count on Thirsting Blade for my extra attack, I would probably forgo Pact of the Blade and go with Chain to get the super Find Familiar (already a great spell with an amazing boost, but also great spellcaster flavor). Tome is not much use in combat. Talisman gets an honorable mention for the 7th level invocation as it helps with a barbarian weak spot, saves.
Wizard
No comment
I'll come clean, the wizard spell list is actually great for a barbarian. However, the wizard base and subclass abilities really don't synergize with a barbarian, like at all. Combined with the worst hit points in the game, I really can't see rating the wizard that high at all as a multiclass option, even with a strong spell list. Find a different way to get the spells, in my opinion. The only "wizard only" spells on my list are Gift of Alacrity and Fortune's Favor, and War Magic and Divination have some great abilities that barbarian could use, but there are significant downsides. Some like the idea of bladesinger, but I don't think it blends well with a barbarian as it is very bonus action hungry to setup.
I'm a little disappointed this thread wasn't about spells for barbarians to cast using something like the 'Aberrant Dragonmark' Feat. Perhaps something to add to your list since it si only cantrips and first-level sorcerer spells.
of course barbarians are MAD. rage is a core feature
second. wrong. i already knew i wanted a barbarian spell guide so thank you very much.
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I'd add Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade... until you get multiple attacks, they are a great addition in those cases that you don't want to Rage.
Blindness/Deafness, Expeditious Retreat, and Protection from Good/Evil all have solid utility, as well... particularly Protection, as it shores up a big weakness for most Barbarians.
Lastly, I've been playing a Barbarian/Lock, and a Barbarian/Cleric for some time now, and really enjoy them both... especially the BarLock... it's just too much RP fun.
Really, the only spellcaster I just cant see adding to Barbarian is either Artificer or Wizard... although I'm sure that there's a way to make it work.
I'm a little disappointed this thread wasn't about spells for barbarians to cast using something like the 'Aberrant Dragonmark' Feat. Perhaps something to add to your list since it si only cantrips and first-level sorcerer spells.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll put some thought into it and see if I can add anything of value to that question. However, the real question is, if you can't take one of the spells above... should you take that feat at all? Anyway, I'll put some thought into it.
I'd add Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade... until you get multiple attacks, they are a great addition in those cases that you don't want to Rage.
They aren't as useful to a barbarian as they would be to a different kind of 'gish in terms of replacing extra attack because you cannot cast them while raging... and that is a huge limitation. So they are only valuable in round 1, prior to raging, or if you are out of rages... that is so very niche that it didn't feel like it warranted a recommendation over something like Minor Illusion or Guidance, for example. I mean, if you get cantrips, you might as well pick these, but not sure that they are "recommendations" per se and I wouldn't go out of my way to get them. I'm contrasting this with a melee rogue, for example, where I might actually go out of my way to grab these cantrips. For a barbarian, there really isn't a replacement for just getting Extra Attack... at least the way I see it. I'm open to more feedback if you want to try and sell me again :)
Blindness/Deafness, Expeditious Retreat, and Protection from Good/Evil all have solid utility, as well... particularly Protection, as it shores up a big weakness for most Barbarians.
Expeditious Retreat and Protection from Evil/Good are both very good situational adds. Again, concentration is a bummer, but both are very situationally useful and in situations that are bound to come up. I agree. I will add them. (Edit: Done!)
On the other hand, while the non-concentration part is very nice, and I love the spell, I feel that Blindness/Deafness is best left for the non-barbarian casters. I would think it way to situational that I would not be raging and would want to spend my action on this spell. The main reason is my pitiful save DC would mean that it would very rarely, if ever, actually work. I would think that if I was going to try a spell with a save DC, I would do one that affected multiple creatures so that I have better odds at at least affecting one... don't you think? That said... I think this is an underrated spell.
I meant in place of one of the other spellcasting options. There is the additional benefit with the feat of spending hit dice to deal damage or gain temp HP. While not a proper substitute for multiclassing, taking aberrant dragonmark to cast sorcerer spells using your Con as your spellcasting mod, would be a good option if you wanted to have spells and be a full barbarian.
Lastly, I've been playing a Barbarian/Lock, and a Barbarian/Cleric for some time now, and really enjoy them both... especially the BarLock... it's just too much RP fun.
Really, the only spellcaster I just cant see adding to Barbarian is either Artificer or Wizard... although I'm sure that there's a way to make it work.
I agree. I cannot see a Barbie + Artificer or Wizard making sense (edit: though an Artificer has a better spell list and synergy in my mind). I hear a lot of talk about Druid and Paladin mixes, but I'm not as much of a fan. I like Warlock and Cleric. Also, I think Ranger and Bard have some unexpectedly good synergies too, especially with the Tasha's rework of Ranger. Maybe I should add a section on the pros/cons of each multiclass from a spell choice perspective... if I ever get any time. [Edit: I did it!]
I meant in place of one of the other spellcasting options. There is the additional benefit with the feat of spending hit dice to deal damage or gain temp HP. While not a proper substitute for multiclassing, taking aberrant dragonmark to cast sorcerer spells using your Con as your spellcasting mod, would be a good option if you wanted to have spells and be a full barbarian.
I'll think more on it. Mentioning the various feats that allow spellcasting is a reasonable appendix maybe. However, I think the above assessment still stands since you still cannot cast spells or concentrate while raging.
That particular feat does potentially give you a decent DC, so that is a difference worth considering but it doesn't avoid the core problem that my choices were designed to work around: rage. Edit: And I don't see a spell on the sorcerer 1st level list that has a DC or spell attack that I really value more than the spells above.
I guess I would consider a ranged damage cantrip, since barbarians sometimes have crap ranged options and having one based on CON wouldn't be bad. Use it while they are out of range and then rage when they come closer. In terms of 1st level spells, what do you think? Can you think of an exception to the above list?
With a single first-level spell, it is going to be hard to pick. Off the top of my head, I would say Sleep. You are going to be in Melee combat with the creatures anyway, It is a decent way to disable an area of creatures to be taken out one by one. You just cast sleep, Rage, and slaughter the ones that are awake before taking out the ones that are asleep. Color spray would work similarly but would only last a round of combat before it wore off and would serve mostly to help your melee allies if there are any. When paired with Metamagic Adept quicken spell both of these options become a lot more Viable as well.
Perhaps I am just describing a very specific build for a barbarian though and it might not be something necessitating further discussion.
With a single first-level spell, it is going to be hard to pick. Off the top of my head, I would say Sleep. You are going to be in Melee combat with the creatures anyway, It is a decent way to disable an area of creatures to be taken out one by one. You just cast sleep, Rage, and slaughter the ones that are awake before taking out the ones that are asleep. Color spray would work similarly but would only last a round of combat before it wore off and would serve mostly to help your melee allies if there are any.
Here is my evaluation of those spells from a Barbarian caster perspective, see if you agree:
Sleep/Color Spray. Pros: hits multiple creatures; no save; no concentration. Cons: action to cast; useless after early levels unless upcast, and yet scale badly when upcast.
My analysis: These spell are awesome at level 1 and get very unreliable by level 3 and are really useless after that. For a barbarian caster in general, by the time you could add them to your spell list, they already might not be worth casting. Now, if you are getting this via a level 1 feat then the tactic would work, but you sacrifice action. Better if a team mate cast it for you I think. But you are now stuck with sleep for 20 levels and and after a few levels it will feel like a waste and you will never use it. Lost opportunity to have shield or expeditious retreat or other situational spells where at least the situation would continue to come up all the way to level 20.
When paired with Metamagic Adept quicken spell both of these options become a lot more Viable as well.
I'm not sure why you say this, so I'd be curious to hear the explanation. I would not use 1 feat to get sleep at all. But I definitely wouldn't double down and take a second just to cast sleep as a bonus action. Firstly, casting it as a bonus action means I can't rage on round 1. But more importantly, two feats means you are at least 4th level... maybe 8th level. Even at 4th level, CR 4 creatures have 50-100 hit points on average... so casting Sleep (note: as a 1st level spell since you cannot even upcast) is never going to put anything to sleep on round 1. Maybe on round 4 when it is next to death anyway, but at that point you are hopefully raging so that isn't really a good tactic, just run over and kill it. So I cannot envision a build where tactic would ever work at all.
Perhaps I am just describing a very specific build for a barbarian though and it might not be something necessitating further discussion.
I guess so, though I worry I'm missing something so feel free to inform me if I am. It does feel niche.
First off, this guide is a great idea. So tired of min-maxers hogging the discusssion space.
Now, I'd like to add a bit to this list:
Grease - It's a 1st level non-concentration spell that causes opponents to fall prone in a 10'X10' square. IOW, it reduces the pathing of enemies trying to get around the Barb. And if they wander into the Grease-d area anyway, you probably get advantage to hit them.
Feather Fall - Hmmmm, do a lot of Barbarians take Athletics as a skill? Yes. So Barbarians are better a grappling than most other classes. IOW, the Barb can now tackle people off of high ledges and not deal with fall damage themselves.
Thunder Step/Misty Step - This is for getting out of bad situations after your rage ends prematurely for whatever reason and you don't desire (or can't) go into rage again. Alternatively, use this spell against Wizards who like using Force Cage or "Wall of" spells to get past the obstruction before Turn up the Beat Down.
I avoided recommending grease since it is a save and my dc is poor. Also 10 sq.ft is not a great AOE; Even a prone creature can stand up and move out of the area. However, non-concentration does make it a reasonable choice to have for the situational use.
I'd add Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade... until you get multiple attacks, they are a great addition in those cases that you don't want to Rage.
They aren't as useful to a barbarian as they would be to a different kind of 'gish in terms of replacing extra attack because you cannot cast them while raging... and that is a huge limitation.
I'd argue that those two are bad for a barbarian because they can't be used with two-handed weapons.
Why isn't artificer a good combo? Make your own magic items seems quite nice and doesn't affect rage. Even a lot of the subclasses seem to work just fine in rage? And their lack of spells removes a lot of the problem with the DC.
Wizard might be a bit harder though. If you aim for out of combat things illusionist seems fine, many of the more fun illusions only require a DC when interacted with, so the low DC isn't necessarily a problem. In combat, mirror images are fun.
Divination wizard also good outside combat, and in combat having some choice of changing your or other peoples results is nice.
I'm sure a few others would work as well, maybe necromancer but haven't read that particular one in a while.
Why isn't artificer a good combo? Make your own magic items seems quite nice and doesn't affect rage. Even a lot of the subclasses seem to work just fine in rage? And their lack of spells removes a lot of the problem with the DC.
Wizard might be a bit harder though. If you aim for out of combat things illusionist seems fine, many of the more fun illusions only require a DC when interacted with, so the low DC isn't necessarily a problem. In combat, mirror images are fun.
Divination wizard also good outside combat, and in combat having some choice of changing your or other peoples results is nice.
I'm sure a few others would work as well, maybe necromancer but haven't read that particular one in a while.
On the barbificer (artibarb?) making a ring of spell storing, if possible, would even let you use all your spells even though you rage, just through someone else.
Perhaps you could even give it to your homunculus, but not sure on that one
I ranked artificer as “good” in the appendix, so I guess you are referring to a comment I made in response to a different question. This is a spell guide and I think that Artificer’s are a decent choice from a spell choice perspective. I definitely think you can make a build. However, I stand by the comment about synergy. On the surface it seems like a barbarian can benefit from taking a few levels of artificer but there is a *lot* of artificer subclass abilities that require a good INT. So I still say, not as good of a synergy as other choices… but overall “good”. So we agree.
THE CASE AGAINST A BARBARIAN SPELL GUIDE:
Firstly, let’s get this out of the way: there is a reason why there isn't already a spell guide for Barbarians. While raging, Barbarians cannot cast spells, nor can they concentrate on spells. These are, obviously, big limitations for spellcasters. In addition, Barbarians benefit from STR, DEX and CON, already multiple ability-score dependent (MAD)… so adding a requirement for a mental stat is extremely so. All good reasons not to multiclass a Barbarian with a casting class.
THE CASE FOR A BARBARIAN SPELL GUIDE:
Although many Barbarian subclasses provide spells for Barbarians, the real point of this guide is for when you pick up spell slots via multiclassing. Most “Spellcasters” have class features that are not spells and thus can be used while raging with no problems. Channel Divinity, Smite, and Wild Shape, for examples. Dipping into a caster class to get these abilities gains you spell slots that just beg to be used. There are sometimes ways to utilize spell slots without casting spells, for example Moon Druids healing themselves in Wild Shape, or Paladins burning them on Divine Smites, all legal while raging. However, you can, and should, pick some spells too.
Secondarily, if you multi-class, then you are also going to inevitably reduce the number of rages per day you have, which means that you could have battles where you have no rages left. Spells become an option. In fact, a pocket concentration spell for these occasions to offset the lack of rage couldn’t hurt either, eh?
But really, there are spells that are actually worth casting as a Barbarian and, frankly, you realistically might actually cast... often even!
OK, so that is my sales pitch. We agree that spells on a barbarian are not optimal, but hopefully we can also agree that if you have a barbarian with spells known or prepared, you should try to optimize your picks.
SPELL GUIDE CONSIDERATIONS:
So what spells did I consider for the guide? Well, I think everyone can figure out that out-of-combat spells would always add value, so no barbarian specific guide needed for those. Just need to take into account what will probably be a low spellcasting ability score. Instead, I’m going to focus on spells that actually might have combat value for a barbarian, even with the big limitations.
Assumptions:
I’m going to assume that you are taking a good chunk of Barbarian levels, so I’m only going to look at spell levels 1-4 for now. (Although if you can get “wish”… well, pick “wish”!) Also, I’m going to assume that your spell casting stat will be 13, just enough to multiclass. Lastly, my assumption is that all barbarians are designed to take hits so that their party members don't.
Criteria:
At a high level, the following criteria help us evaluate what makes a good Barbarian spell.
The recommended spells are all evaluated based on this criteria, but some spells are just so good that they deserve mention even if they conflict with these principles. All the spells on this list are worth considering, but within that filter I came up with this rating system: Amazing (****), Great (***), Good (**), Situationally Good (*)
THE GUIDE:
The following spell list includes the spells that I would say meet the criteria the best:
Situational Honorable Mentions
The following spells were more situational and thus didn't make the above list. However, if I had picks left and these were available, I would grab them:
Concentration Spells
These might be worth having “just in case” you are out of rages for the day. Caveat: I plan on getting hit a lot, so even when not raging, I don't count on being able to maintain concentration long, so that makes this list even more situational. You would really have to decide if it is worth the spell slot and action economy considering the spell may drop very quickly.
Goodberry
Goodberry (1st) (****) is a good spell for anyone to cast. Burn all your unused spell slots at the end of the day and start the day with a pouch full of them. You can eat them while raging. You can also give them to friends if you want, but you are fast, so you can run to your fallen allies and shove berries in their face if they are about to fail their death saves. The best part is that this healing doesn't require you to drop rage to cast as you cast it earlier. Prior to level 15 it is possible, but perhaps complicated, to do this and not have rage drop, but once you get "persistent rage" that downside goes away, which is why Goodberry outshines any other healing spell for barbarians. However, this isn't why Goodberry gets its own section.
At level 14, Zealot barbarians get "rage beyond death." Going to zero hit-points while raging no longer causes them to fall unconscious. They make death saving throws but even if they fail, they don't die until their rage falls. So here is the situation. You are at zero hit points and you fail your death saving throws. You are running on borrowed time; when rage falls, you die. If rage is about to fall, but you have an action... eat a good berry. That 1 Hit Point resets those death saves and you went from instant death to... just fine. Fine? 1 hit point? Well, yeah. For a level 14+ Zealot, 1 Hit Point is pretty much all you need.
Cantrips
No cantrips made my list. My recommendation is to choose cantrips with out-of-combat utility (e.g. Minor Illusion or Guidance.) My favorite thematic cantrip for a Barbarian is, perhaps counterintuitively, Friends... because it is a pretty reliable way to piss people off and start fights. :)
As people seem to react poorly to my stance on cantrips, here is some rationale. Although Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade might be decent to have, given that you can't use them while raging, I find that they are extremely unlikely to be useful. Likewise, attack cantrips won't find much use, but they are also based on a mental stat (attack or save DC) which will probably be pretty low unless you have figured out a way to boost your mental stat (e.g. Headband of Intellect or Hex Warrior). As pointed out in the comments, the Aberrant Dragonmark feat, which makes CON the casting stat, is the exception, and is a decent way to grab a long range cantrip (Chill Touch or Fire Bolt) as STR barbarians don't always have great ranged options.
I am replying to my thread first just in case I need some space to add an appendix later.
However, just to add a little value, I am really considering a Centaur Barbarian/Ranger with a base movement of 40", movement buffs from each subclass, and access to Longstrider to embody the "I am the ranged weapon!" philosophy. However, it will probably lose out to my Wild Magic Barbarian/Genie Warlock just because I like the color and the backstory better. It can't always be about optimization ;)
----------------
Appendix 1. Class Synergy
Here are my ruminations on which classes are best to mix with barbarians... from a Spell Casting perspective.
Class
Spellcasting Synergy Rating
Spell Casting Specific Observations
I'm a little disappointed this thread wasn't about spells for barbarians to cast using something like the 'Aberrant Dragonmark' Feat. Perhaps something to add to your list since it si only cantrips and first-level sorcerer spells.
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ok
first a pun
of course barbarians are MAD. rage is a core feature
second. wrong. i already knew i wanted a barbarian spell guide so thank you very much.
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I'd add Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade... until you get multiple attacks, they are a great addition in those cases that you don't want to Rage.
Blindness/Deafness, Expeditious Retreat, and Protection from Good/Evil all have solid utility, as well... particularly Protection, as it shores up a big weakness for most Barbarians.
Lastly, I've been playing a Barbarian/Lock, and a Barbarian/Cleric for some time now, and really enjoy them both... especially the BarLock... it's just too much RP fun.
Really, the only spellcaster I just cant see adding to Barbarian is either Artificer or Wizard... although I'm sure that there's a way to make it work.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll put some thought into it and see if I can add anything of value to that question. However, the real question is, if you can't take one of the spells above... should you take that feat at all? Anyway, I'll put some thought into it.
They aren't as useful to a barbarian as they would be to a different kind of 'gish in terms of replacing extra attack because you cannot cast them while raging... and that is a huge limitation. So they are only valuable in round 1, prior to raging, or if you are out of rages... that is so very niche that it didn't feel like it warranted a recommendation over something like Minor Illusion or Guidance, for example. I mean, if you get cantrips, you might as well pick these, but not sure that they are "recommendations" per se and I wouldn't go out of my way to get them. I'm contrasting this with a melee rogue, for example, where I might actually go out of my way to grab these cantrips. For a barbarian, there really isn't a replacement for just getting Extra Attack... at least the way I see it. I'm open to more feedback if you want to try and sell me again :)
Expeditious Retreat and Protection from Evil/Good are both very good situational adds. Again, concentration is a bummer, but both are very situationally useful and in situations that are bound to come up. I agree. I will add them. (Edit: Done!)
On the other hand, while the non-concentration part is very nice, and I love the spell, I feel that Blindness/Deafness is best left for the non-barbarian casters. I would think it way to situational that I would not be raging and would want to spend my action on this spell. The main reason is my pitiful save DC would mean that it would very rarely, if ever, actually work. I would think that if I was going to try a spell with a save DC, I would do one that affected multiple creatures so that I have better odds at at least affecting one... don't you think? That said... I think this is an underrated spell.
I meant in place of one of the other spellcasting options. There is the additional benefit with the feat of spending hit dice to deal damage or gain temp HP. While not a proper substitute for multiclassing, taking aberrant dragonmark to cast sorcerer spells using your Con as your spellcasting mod, would be a good option if you wanted to have spells and be a full barbarian.
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I agree. I cannot see a Barbie + Artificer or Wizard making sense (edit: though an Artificer has a better spell list and synergy in my mind). I hear a lot of talk about Druid and Paladin mixes, but I'm not as much of a fan. I like Warlock and Cleric. Also, I think Ranger and Bard have some unexpectedly good synergies too, especially with the Tasha's rework of Ranger. Maybe I should add a section on the pros/cons of each multiclass from a spell choice perspective... if I ever get any time. [Edit: I did it!]
I'll think more on it. Mentioning the various feats that allow spellcasting is a reasonable appendix maybe. However, I think the above assessment still stands since you still cannot cast spells or concentrate while raging.
That particular feat does potentially give you a decent DC, so that is a difference worth considering but it doesn't avoid the core problem that my choices were designed to work around: rage. Edit: And I don't see a spell on the sorcerer 1st level list that has a DC or spell attack that I really value more than the spells above.
I guess I would consider a ranged damage cantrip, since barbarians sometimes have crap ranged options and having one based on CON wouldn't be bad. Use it while they are out of range and then rage when they come closer. In terms of 1st level spells, what do you think? Can you think of an exception to the above list?
With a single first-level spell, it is going to be hard to pick. Off the top of my head, I would say Sleep. You are going to be in Melee combat with the creatures anyway, It is a decent way to disable an area of creatures to be taken out one by one. You just cast sleep, Rage, and slaughter the ones that are awake before taking out the ones that are asleep. Color spray would work similarly but would only last a round of combat before it wore off and would serve mostly to help your melee allies if there are any. When paired with Metamagic Adept quicken spell both of these options become a lot more Viable as well.
Perhaps I am just describing a very specific build for a barbarian though and it might not be something necessitating further discussion.
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Here is my evaluation of those spells from a Barbarian caster perspective, see if you agree:
Sleep/Color Spray. Pros: hits multiple creatures; no save; no concentration. Cons: action to cast; useless after early levels unless upcast, and yet scale badly when upcast.
My analysis: These spell are awesome at level 1 and get very unreliable by level 3 and are really useless after that. For a barbarian caster in general, by the time you could add them to your spell list, they already might not be worth casting. Now, if you are getting this via a level 1 feat then the tactic would work, but you sacrifice action. Better if a team mate cast it for you I think. But you are now stuck with sleep for 20 levels and and after a few levels it will feel like a waste and you will never use it. Lost opportunity to have shield or expeditious retreat or other situational spells where at least the situation would continue to come up all the way to level 20.
I'm not sure why you say this, so I'd be curious to hear the explanation. I would not use 1 feat to get sleep at all. But I definitely wouldn't double down and take a second just to cast sleep as a bonus action. Firstly, casting it as a bonus action means I can't rage on round 1. But more importantly, two feats means you are at least 4th level... maybe 8th level. Even at 4th level, CR 4 creatures have 50-100 hit points on average... so casting Sleep (note: as a 1st level spell since you cannot even upcast) is never going to put anything to sleep on round 1. Maybe on round 4 when it is next to death anyway, but at that point you are hopefully raging so that isn't really a good tactic, just run over and kill it. So I cannot envision a build where tactic would ever work at all.
I guess so, though I worry I'm missing something so feel free to inform me if I am. It does feel niche.
First off, this guide is a great idea. So tired of min-maxers hogging the discusssion space.
Now, I'd like to add a bit to this list:
Grease - It's a 1st level non-concentration spell that causes opponents to fall prone in a 10'X10' square. IOW, it reduces the pathing of enemies trying to get around the Barb. And if they wander into the Grease-d area anyway, you probably get advantage to hit them.
Feather Fall - Hmmmm, do a lot of Barbarians take Athletics as a skill? Yes. So Barbarians are better a grappling than most other classes. IOW, the Barb can now tackle people off of high ledges and not deal with fall damage themselves.
Thunder Step/Misty Step - This is for getting out of bad situations after your rage ends prematurely for whatever reason and you don't desire (or can't) go into rage again. Alternatively, use this spell against Wizards who like using Force Cage or "Wall of" spells to get past the obstruction before Turn up the Beat Down.
Great ideas!
I avoided recommending grease since it is a save and my dc is poor. Also 10 sq.ft is not a great AOE; Even a prone creature can stand up and move out of the area. However, non-concentration does make it a reasonable choice to have for the situational use.
I never really thought about multiclassing into a caster class with a barbarian. Great idea!
I'd argue that those two are bad for a barbarian because they can't be used with two-handed weapons.
Why isn't artificer a good combo? Make your own magic items seems quite nice and doesn't affect rage. Even a lot of the subclasses seem to work just fine in rage? And their lack of spells removes a lot of the problem with the DC.
Wizard might be a bit harder though. If you aim for out of combat things illusionist seems fine, many of the more fun illusions only require a DC when interacted with, so the low DC isn't necessarily a problem. In combat, mirror images are fun.
Divination wizard also good outside combat, and in combat having some choice of changing your or other peoples results is nice.
I'm sure a few others would work as well, maybe necromancer but haven't read that particular one in a while.
On the barbificer (artibarb?) making a ring of spell storing, if possible, would even let you use all your spells even though you rage, just through someone else.
Perhaps you could even give it to your homunculus, but not sure on that one
I ranked artificer as “good” in the appendix, so I guess you are referring to a comment I made in response to a different question. This is a spell guide and I think that Artificer’s are a decent choice from a spell choice perspective. I definitely think you can make a build. However, I stand by the comment about synergy. On the surface it seems like a barbarian can benefit from taking a few levels of artificer but there is a *lot* of artificer subclass abilities that require a good INT. So I still say, not as good of a synergy as other choices… but overall “good”. So we agree.