The Better Battlerager

Ever thought “Hmm, I want to play Battlerager, but I want it to not be hot garbage”? Well, here’s an updated and better version that should hopefully make your spiky, battle hungry Barbarians more terrifying on the battlefield

Brutal Intimidation

Your armor strikes terror into the hearts of creatures, for fear of being impaled on your spiked armor. Beginning at 3rd level, as you enter Rage, you can attempt to strike fear into the heart of a creature. Choose one creature within 30ft of you and they roll a Wisdom (8 + proficiency + STR) saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened of you for one minute and the creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of their turn each turn. Creatures that are immune to frightened are immune to this effect. Your Intimidation skill is also doubled while wearing Spiked Armor.

Battlerager Armor

When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use spiked armor (see the “Spiked Armor” sidebar) as a weapon.

While you are wearing spiked armor and are raging, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack with your armor spikes against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the spikes deal 1d4 piercing damage. You use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls. This damage increases as you level up, to 2d4 piercing at 6th level, 3d4 at 10th level and 4d4 at level 14.

Additionally, when you use the Attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes 3 piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds. At higher levels, the damage increases to 6 piercing at level 6, and 9 piercing at level 10.

If you end up acquiring a magical suit of Spiked Armor, all of your Spiked Armor damage becomes magical to overcome resistances.

SPIKED ARMOR

Spiked armor is a rare type of medium armor made by dwarves. It consists of a leather coat and leggings covered with spikes that are usually made of metal.
Cost: 75 gp
AC: 14 + Dexterity modifier
Stealth: Disadvantage 
Weight: 45 lb.

Reckless Abandon

Beginning at 6th level, when you use Reckless Attack while raging, you also gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) plus your proficiency. They vanish if any of them are left when your rage ends.

Line Breaker

Beginning at 10th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action while you are raging. While dashing this way, you do not provoke opportunity attacks from enemies you pass. In addition, each enemy you pass by must make a Dexterity (8 + proficiency + STR) saving throw or take damage equal to your grapple bonus damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful save (rounded up).

Spiked Retaliation

Starting at 14th level, when a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the attacker takes 9 + rage damage piercing damage if you are raging, aren’t incapacitated, and are wearing spiked armor.