Path of the Primal Warrior

This Homebrew is experimental. Its ability to balance with official content is unknown, terminology and wording may be misleading, and it may be updated suddenly. Consult your DM before using as a player, consider its effects on your campaign before using as a DM. Comments and advice on this Homebrew are welcome and requested.

Barbarians are often far more connected to nature than the average adventurer. The Path of the Primal Warrior takes this connection and expands it. Some followers of the Path of the Primal Warrior is attached to a Druid Circle, acting as an agent of nature. Other followers are warriors dedicated to aiding their Tribe's Shaman. Still others are merely madmen who have had an epiphany of their connection to nature.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the druid spell list.

Cantrips

You learn two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. You learn an additional druid cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots

The Primal Warrior Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your druid spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell entangle and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast entangle using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher

You know three 1st-level druid spells of your choice.

The Spells Known column of the Primal Warrior Spellcasting table shows when you learn more druid spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the druid spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your druid spells, since your magic draws upon your devotion and attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a druid spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spellcasting while Raging

Normally, when under the effects of your Rage feature, you can't cast or concentrate on spells. However, you can cast a spell you gain from this subclass if it fits one of two of the following categories:

• The Spell uses a Bonus Action or Reaction and does not require Concentration or a Material component.
• The Spell uses an Action, deals damage, and does not require Concentration or a Material component.

A spell that you learn from any other source still can't be cast while you are in a Rage, nor can you cast a spell you gained from this subclass, while in a Rage, if the spell does not fit into the above categories.

Primal Warrior Spellcasting

Primal Smite

Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal acid damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an aberration or a construct, to a maximum of 6d8.

Wild Shape

Starting at 6th level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You can use this feature once. You regain your use when you finish a short or long rest.

Your barbarian level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. At 6th level, for example, you can transform into any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower that doesn’t have a flying or swimming speed.

Beast Shapes

You can stay in a beast shape for a number of hours equal a quarter of your barbarian level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
• When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.
• You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.
• Unlike the Druid version of this Feature, the creature you choose must always be one that doesn’t have a flying or swimming speed. You also don't stack the Primal Warrior version of the Wild Shape Feature with the Druid version of the Wild Shape Feature, but you may have and use both.

Improved Primal Smite

By 10th level, you are so suffused with the might of nature that all your melee weapon strikes carry primal power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 acid damage.

Natural Wrath

Starting at 14th level, when you enter into a rage you gain the following benefits:

• You gain resistance to Acid and Poison damage.
• You grow thorns, whenever a creature within 5 feet of you strikes you with a melee attack, they take Piercing damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.