Base Class: Barbarian
Dragonslayers are barbarians trained to harness a specific element and fight beasts larger and more powerful than them.
This subclass is a Quixotic-Dragon production.
In order to help us improve it, please take a moment to rate it and comment your answers to the following questions:
- Is this subclass unique enough to be justified as its own thing?
- Is there anything about this subclass that doesn't fit the balance established by Wizards of the Coast?
- If so, what?
- Is there any terminology or phrasing that made this subclass confusing or difficult to understand?
- Are there any changes you would make in order to make the subclass more fun or easier to play?
- Are there any other notes or improvements you would make to this class that were not mentioned in these questions?
Thank you for taking part in our creative process! We hope to have a refined version available soon!
Dragon Fury
Starting at 3rd level, while raging you emanate an aura in a 10-foot radius, and gain resistance to the damage type related to the dragon you choose on the Dragonborn table. You can also speak, read, and write Draconic. Additionally, choose one of the following:
Draconic Aura. Any enemy that ends its turn in your aura takes damage of your element equal to 2 + your barbarian level divided by 4.
Draconic Bombardment. Applies to all damage types except Acid and Poison. At the end of each of your turns, you can choose a creature in your aura, other than yourself. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. The target takes 2d6 damage of your element on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a successful one. This damage increases to 3d6 at 10th level and 4d6 at 15th level.
Draconic Legacy
At 6th level, when you enter your rage, you can imbue your weapons with the damage type you chose on the Dragon Fury table. For 1 hour, your weapon attacks deal magical damage of that type instead of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
At 14th level, weapon attacks with this feature ignore resistance, but not immunity, to the damage type of your Draconic Fury.
Consume Element
Starting at 3rd level, as an action, you can consume your own element to regain health. As a reaction to being hit with your element, you can use a bonus action to nullify damage dealt equal to 1d10 + your barbarian level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
If this ability is used to nullify damage dealt by a dragon, it does not count has having used the ability for purposes of recharging.
Starting at 6th level, you regain HP equal to the damage nullified by this ability when you use it.
Retaliation
Starting at 10th level, when you use Consume Element, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
Draconic Freedom
Beginning at 14th level, you gain the ability to sprout a pair of draconic wings from your back, gaining a flying speed equal to your current speed. You can create these wings as a bonus action on your turn. They last until you dismiss them as a bonus action on your turn. You can’t manifest your wings while wearing armor unless the armor is made to accommodate them, and clothing not made to accommodate your wings might be destroyed when you manifest them.
Additionally, while raging, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and gain immunity to your chosen element.
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Posted Feb 2, 2026Hey,
I really like this subclass and would just suggest a few things:
- I think you should organize the subclass by level (move Consume Element towards the top next to Dragon Fury)
- For Consume Elements, I would consider rewriting the entire thing as it is a bit confusing on how the ability works. first you state that it is an action, then a reaction, then a bonus action
It is clear that the ability you wanted this to be a damage reduction ability so I would just rewrite it as the following text (feel free to steal this):
"Starting at 3rd level, your connection to the natural elements of dragons have taught you to endure and prosper from elements others would avoid.
As a reaction when taking damage of the same type you chose on the Dragon Fury table, you can choose to reduce that damage by 1d10 + your barbarian level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
At 6th level, you regain hit-points equal to the damage nullified by this ability when you use it.
If this ability is used to nullify damage dealt by a dragon, it does not count has having used the ability for purposes of recharging."
- Retaliation ability that gives you a free attack should just be part of the same reaction given by Consume Elements. It could look something like, "Starting at 10th level, when you use the Consume Elements reaction to reduce damage, you can make one weapon attack as part of that same reaction."
- Draconic Freedom: I would personally write this ability as follows:
"Starting at 14th level, when you rage you gain the ability to sprout a pair of draconic wings from your back, gaining a flying speed equal to your current speed. You can create these wings as part of your rage and they last until your rage ends or you dismiss them as a free action. You can’t manifest your wings whilst wearing armor unless the armor is made to accommodate them, and clothing not made to accommodate your wings might be destroyed when you manifest them.
Additionally, while raging, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and gain immunity to your chosen element."
this subclass is supercool and if you were to post this class, I would show the Dragonborn table and the element paired with each dragon type, that way if someone wanted to play this subclass but wasn't a Dragonborn, they could easily access that said list.
Lastly, if you wanted to implement an unarmed combat boost, you could play around with some type of dice that deals the element type you chose whenever you make an unarmed attack.
Best of luck, I know I am definitely late to the party lol
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Posted May 19, 2020I'm honestly not sure what this comment means, sorry. Are you suggesting that we add an unarmed combat boost? They do still get the rage damage bonuses from base barbarian. We thought it would be redundant, but we'll take it into consideration in version 2.
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Posted May 18, 2020An Unarmed combat boost?