Primal Instinct

People of towns and cities take pride in how their civilized ways set them apart from animals, as if denying one’s own nature was a mark of superiority. To a barbarian, though, civilization is no virtue, but a sign of weakness. The strong embrace their animal nature; keen instincts, primal physicality, and ferocious rage. Barbarians are uncomfortable when hedged in by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.

Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a berserk state where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir of fury only a few times without resting, but those few rages are usually sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise.

A Life of Danger

Not every member of the tribes deemed “barbarians” by scions of civilized society has the barbarian class. A true barbarian among these people is as uncommon as a skilled fighter in a town, and he or she plays a similar role as a protector of the people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don't have to.

Their courage in the face of danger makes barbarians perfectly suited for adventuring. Wandering is often a way of life for their native tribes, and the rootless life of the adventurer is little hardship for a barbarian. Some barbarians miss the close-knit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties.

Creating a Barbarian

When creating a barbarian character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common?

What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands by the promise of riches? Did you join forces with soldiers of those lands to face a shared threat? Did monsters or an invading horde drive you out of your homeland, making you a rootless refugee? Perhaps you were a prisoner of war, brought in chains to “civilized” lands and only now able to win your freedom. Or you might have been cast out from your people because of a crime you committed, a taboo you violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d12 per Barbarian level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per barbarian level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: None

• Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
• Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a greataxe or (b) any martial melee weapon
• (a) two handaxes or (b) any simple weapon
• An explorer's pack and four javelins

Rage

In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action. While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:

• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.

Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action. If you have not taken damage or attacked a hostile creature on a turn, you can use your bonus action to maintain your rage until the end of your next turn.

Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

Unarmored Defense

While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Reckless Attack

Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Fast Movement

Your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy armor.

Instinctive Pounce

When a creature ends its turn within 15 feet of you, you can use your reaction to move up to half your speed to a space closer to the creature. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.

Path of the Ancestral Guardian

Some barbarians hail from cultures that revere their ancestors. These tribes teach that the warriors of the past linger in the world as mighty spirits, who can guide and protect the living. When a barbarian who follows this path rages, the barbarian contacts the spirit world and calls on these guardian spirits for aid.

Barbarians who draw on their ancestral guardians can better fight to protect their tribes and their allies. In order to cement ties to their ancestral guardians, barbarians who follow this path cover themselves in elaborate tattoos that celebrate their ancestors’ deeds. These tattoos tell sagas of victories against terrible monsters and other fearsome rivals.

Restriction: Dwarves Only

Only dwarves can follow the Path of the Battlerager. The battlerager fills a particular niche in dwarven society and culture.

Your DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. The restriction exists for the Forgotten Realms. It might not apply to your DM's setting or your DM's version of the Realms.

Armor Training

When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor and you suffer no penalties from sleeping in armor.

Additionally, you are able to Rage while wearing heavy armor.

Battlerager Armor

When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use spiked armor as a weapon. construct spiked armor and use it as a weapon. Over the course of a long rest, you can create spiked armor using a set of armor and 10 gp worth of iron or steel. The armor retains all of its original properties and allows you to use any features that reference spiked armor.

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 attack rolls and damage rolls made with your spiked armor.

Additionally, when you use the Attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes 3 piercing damage 1d4 plus your Strength modifier piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds. At the start of each of your turns you can choose to inflict this damage on a creature that is grappled by you without requiring an action.

Enchanted Strikes

At 6th level, you have learned how to incorporate the innate magic of enchanted armor into your spikes. When you convert a suit of magic armor into spiked armor; your armor spike attacks, and damage you deal with your Battlerager features, counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Reckless Abandon

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

Battlerager Charge

Beginning at 10th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action while you are raging.

Spiked Retribution

Starting at 14th level, when a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the attacker takes 3 1d4 plus your Strength modifier piercing damage if you are raging, aren't incapacitated, and are wearing spiked armor.

Path of the Beast Features

Origin of the Beast

Form of the Beast

Starting at 3rd level when you enter your rage, you can transform, revealing the bestial power within you. Until the rage ends, you manifest a natural weapon. It counts as a simple melee weapon for you, and you add your Strength modifier to the attack and damage rolls when you attack with it, as normal.

You choose the weapon's form each time you rage:

Bite. Your mouth transforms into a bestial muzzle or great mandibles (your choice). It deals 1d8 piercing damage on a hit. Once on each of your turns when you damage a creature with this bite, you regain a number of hit points equal to your proficiency bonus, provided you have less than half your hit points when you hit.

Claws. Each of your hands transforms into a claw, which you can use as a weapon if it's empty. It deals 1d6 slashing damage on a hit. Once on each of your turns when you attack with a claw using the Attack action, you can make one additional claw attack as part of the same action.

Tail. You grow a lashing, spiny tail, which deals 1d8 1d10 piercing damage on a hit and has the reach property. If a creature you can see within 10 feet of you hits you with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to swipe your tail and roll a d8, applying a bonus to your AC equal to the number rolled, potentially causing the attack to miss you.

Bestial Soul

At 6th level the feral power within you increases, causing the natural weapons of your Form of the Beast to count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

You can also alter your form to help you adapt to your surroundings. When you finish a short or long rest, choose one of the following benefits, which lasts until you finish your next short or long rest:

• You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and you can breathe underwater.
• You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
• When you jump, you can make a Strength (Athletics) check and extend your jump by a number of feet equal to the check's total. You can make this special check only once per turn.

Infectious Fury

Starting at 10th level, when you hit a creature with your natural weapons while you are raging, the beast within you can curse your target with rabid fury. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus) or suffer one of the following effects (your choice):

• The target must use its reaction to make a melee attack against another creature of your choice that you can see.
• The target takes 2d12 psychic damage.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Shape of the Beast

At 10th level, you have gained more control of the beast within. As a bonus action, you can switch to another natural weapon from your Form of the Beast feature.

Call the Hunt

At 14th level, the beast within you grows so powerful that you can spread its ferocity to others and gain resilience from them joining your hunt. When you enter your rage, you can choose a number of other willing creatures you can see within 30 feet of you equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of one creature).

You gain 5 temporary hit points for each creature that accepts this feature. Until the rage ends, the chosen creatures can each use the following benefit once on each of their turns: when the creature hits a target with an attack roll and deals damage to it, the creature can roll a d6 and gain a bonus to the damage equal to the number rolled.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Path of the Berserker Features

Frenzy

Starting when you choose this path at 3rd Level, you can go into a Frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one. When your rage ends, you suffer one level of Exhaustion (as described in Conditions).

Quick Recovery

When you chose this path at 3rd level, you can recover quickly from exhaustion. Whenever you finish a short rest you can reduce your exhaustion level by 1.

You can use this feature once per long rest.

Mindless Rage

Beginning at 6th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.

Intimidating Presence

Beginning at 10th level, you can use your action to frighten someone with your menacing presence. When you do so, choose one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature can see or hear you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 10 + one half your barbarian level) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to extend the duration of this effect on the frightened creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 60 feet away from you.

If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can't use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.

Retaliation

Starting at 14th level, when you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you. you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.

Path of the Bruiser Features

Gentle Fist

Through rigorous training you have toned your body into that of a beast, with strength much greater then the average person.

Starting when you join this path at 3rd level, you become proficient with unarmed strikes. Your unarmed strikes use a d4 for their damage roll. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target.

If you did not already count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift, you do so now.

Raging Demon

Also at 3rd level you've learned to channel your rage to the very extremities of your limbs.

While raging, the damage die of your unarmed strike increases to a d6 and increases further at specific levels; a d8 at level 6, d10 at level 10, and a d12 at level 14. You can add your rage damage to unarmed strikes you make using your strength.

Brute Force

Beginning at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances to non-magical attacks and damage. Also any creature that would have immunity to your unarmed strikes (bludgeoning damage) has a resistance to them instead.

Martial Fury

As your rage further grows, you gain an untamed strength, increasing your fighting knowledge and prowess subconsciously. At level 6 you gain these benefits while you are raging:

• When you make a successful shove attempt, the target of your shove takes damage equal to your unarmed strike damage die (bludgeoning), additionally if you chose to shove the target a distance you can increase that distance by 5 feet.

• When you hit a creature, of equal or lesser size, with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to shove the target prone, or a distance.

• You gain the AC benefit of having a shield if you are currently grappling a target of at least size small, or larger. This benefit is only applied if you do not have a shield currently equipped.

Overwhelming Pressure

Even when you hold your rage back, your fury reveals itself to creatures as an otherworldly aura surrounding your body. At 10th level you become proficient in Intimidation (Charisma) checks if you aren't already, and you can add your Strength modifier as a bonus to these checks.

Additionally, your blood boils with a fierceness, helping purge effects that would otherwise keep you away from battle. You gain advantage on saving throws against effects that would cause you to be frightened, paralyzed, or restrained.

Unrivaled Strength

Reaching the peak of your fury, your rage aura leaks and extends itself along the length of your body, strengthing your muscles and giving you superhuman reflexes. At level 14 you gain these benefits while you are raging:

• You count as one size larger for the sole purposes of grappling.

• When a creature within 5 feet of you misses you with a melee attack, as a reaction, you can attempt to grapple the creature if you have a free hand available.

• When a creature would hit you with a single target ranged spell or ranged weapon attack (barring saving throws), you can interpose a creature you are grappling inbetween you and the attack, using your reaction. Make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the grappled creature's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the creature chooses which to use). If you succeed, the ranged attack hits the grappled creature instead.

Path of the Storm Herald Features

Storm Aura

Starting at 3rd level, you emanate a stormy, magical aura while you rage. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. This aura increases in size to 15 feet at 6th level, 20 feet at 10th level, 25 ft at 14th level, and 30 ft at 20th level.

Your aura has an effect that activates when you enter your rage, and you can activate the effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action. Choose desert, sea, or tundra. Your aura’s effect depends on that chosen environment, as detailed below. You can change your environment choice whenever you gain a level in this class. If your aura's effects require a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.

Desert. When this effect is activated, all other creatures of your choice in your aura take 2 fire damage equal to your proficiency modifier each. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3 at 5th level, 4 at 10th level, 5 at 15th level, and 6 at 20th level.

Sea. When this effect is activated, you can choose one other creature you can see in your aura. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. The target takes 1d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d6 at 10th level, 3d6 at 15th level, and 4d6 at 20th level.

Tundra. When this effect is activated, each creature of your choice in your aura gains 2 temporary hit points, as icy spirits inure it to suffering. The temporary hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3 at 5th level, 4 at 10th level, 5 at 15th level, and 6 at 20th level.

Storm Soul

At 6th level, the storm grants you benefits even when your aura isn't active. The benefits are based on the environment you chose for your Storm Aura.

Desert. You gain resistance to fire damage, and you don't suffer the effects of extreme heat, as described in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Moreover, as an action, you can touch a flammable object that isn't being worn or carried by anyone else and set it on fire.

Sea. You gain resistance to lightning damage, and you can breathe underwater. You also gain a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Tundra. You gain resistance to cold damage, and you don't suffer the effects of extreme cold, as described in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Moreover, as an action, you can touch water and turn a 5-foot cube of it into ice, which melts after 1 minute. This action fails if a creature is in the cube.

Shielding Storm

At 10th level, you learn to use your mastery of the storm to protect others. Each creature of your choice has the damage resistance you gained from the Storm Soul feature while the creature is in your Storm Aura.

Raging Storm

At 14th level, the power of the storm you channel grows mightier, lashing out at your foes. The effect is based on the environment you chose for your Storm Aura.

Desert. Immediately after a creature in your aura hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes fire damage equal to half your barbarian level**, or half as much on a success.**

Sea. When you hit a creature in your aura with an attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone, as if struck by a wave.

Tundra. Whenever the effect of your Storm Aura is activated, you can choose one creature you can see in the aura. That creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw, or its speed is reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn, as magical frost covers it.

Path of the Totem Warrior Features

Spirit Seeker

Yours is a path that seeks attunement with the natural world, giving you a kinship with beasts. At 3rd level when you adopt this path, you gain the ability to cast the Beast Sense and Speak with Animals spells, but only as rituals, as described in chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook.

Totem Spirit

At 3rd level, when you adopt this path, you choose a totem spirit and gain its feature. You must make or acquire a physical totem object, an amulet or similar adornment, that incorporates fur or feathers, claws, teeth, or bones of the totem animal. At your option, you also gain minor physical attributes that are reminiscent of your totem spirit. For example, if you have a bear totem spirit, you might be unusually hairy and thick-skinned, or if your totem is the eagle, your eyes turn bright yellow.

Your totem animal might be an animal related to those listed here but more appropriate to your homeland. For example, you could choose a hawk or vulture in place of an eagle.

Bear. The spirit of the bear makes you tough enough to stand up to any punishment. While raging, you have resistance to all damage except psychic damage.

Eagle. The spirit of the eagle makes you into a predator who can weave through the fray with ease. While you're raging and aren't wearing heavy armor, other creatures have disadvantage on opportunity attack rolls against you, and you can use the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn.

Elk. The spirit of the elk makes you extraordinarily swift. While you're raging and aren't wearing heavy armor, your walking speed increases by 15 feet.

Snake. The spirit of the snake empowers your attacks with deadly precision. When you make a melee weapon attack with a weapon that has the finesse property and use your Dexterity for the attack and damage roll, you add your rage damage as if you had attacked using Strength. Additionally, once per turn you can deal an additional 1d6 damage when you attack with a weapon using your Dexterity instead of Strength.

Tiger. The spirit of the tiger empowers your leaps. While raging, you can add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 3 feet to your high jump distance. As a bonus action you can attempt to grapple a creature.

Wolf. The spirit of the wolf makes you a leader of hunters. While you're raging, your friends have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you that is hostile to you.

Aspect of the Beast

At 6th level, you gain a magical benefit based on the totem animal of your choice. You can choose the same animal you selected at 3rd level or a different one.

Bear. You gain the might of a bear. Your carrying capacity (including maximum load and maximum lift) is doubled, and you have advantage on Strength checks made to push, pull, lift, or break objects.

Eagle. You gain the eyesight of an eagle. You can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty, able to discern even fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you. Additionally, dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks.

Elk. The elk spirit helps you roam far and fast. Whether mounted or on foot, your travel pace is doubled, as is the travel pace of up to ten companions while they're within 60 feet of you and you're not incapacitated (see chapter 8 in the Player's Handbook for more information about travel pace). The spirit of the elk makes you weary of predators. You have advantage on perception checks while you are keeping watch during a short or a long rest.

Snake. You gain the heightened senses of a serpent. You have blindsight out to a range of 10 feet. If you already have blindsight, the range of your blindsight increases by 10 feet. Additionally you have advantage on Dexterity checks made while raging.

Tiger. The cat spirit hones your survival instincts. You gain proficiency in two skills from the following list: Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, and Survival. The spirit of the tiger empowers your leaps. You can add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 3 feet to your high jump distance.

Wolf. You gain the hunting sensibilities of a wolf. You can track other creatures while traveling at a fast pace, and you can move stealthily while traveling at a normal pace (see chapter 8 for rules on travel pace).

Spirit Walker

At 10th level, you can cast the Commune with Nature spell, but only as a ritual. When you do so, a spiritual version of one of the animals you chose for Totem Spirit or Aspect of the Beast appears to you to convey the information you seek.

Path of Wild Magic Features

Wild Surge

Starting when you chose this path at 3rd level, the magical energy roiling inside you sometimes erupts from you. When you enter your rage, roll on the Wild Magic table to determine the magical effect produced.

If the effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.

Magic Awareness

Additionally when you chose this path at 3rd level, you can open your awareness to the presence of concentrated magic as an action. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any spell or magic item within 60 feet of you that isn't behind total cover. When you sense a spell, you learn which school of magic it belongs to.

Path of the Zealot Features

Divine Fury

Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can channel divine fury into your weapon strikes. While you're raging, the first creature you hit on each of your turns with a weapon attack takes extra damage equal to 1d6 + half your barbarian level. The extra damage is necrotic or radiant; you choose the type of damage when you gain this feature.

Warrior of the Gods

At 3rd level, your soul is marked for endless battle. If a spell, such as Raise Dead, has the sole effect of restoring you to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn't need material components to cast the spell on you.

Fanatical Focus

Starting at 6th level, the divine power that fuels your rage can protect you. If you fail a saving throw while you're raging, you can re-roll it, and you must use the new roll. You can use this ability only once per rage.

Words of the Fallen

At 10th level, you gain the ability to request the divine source of your power to shunt a spirit back into its corpse to provide you information. When you do so, you cast the Speak with Dead spell, without using a spell slot or Material Components and subject the spirit to the effects of the Zone of Truth spell. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells. After you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Zealous Presence

At 10th level, you learn to channel divine power to inspire zealotry in others. As a bonus action, you unleash a battle cry infused with divine energy. Up to ten other creatures of your choice within 60 feet of you that can hear you gain advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Rage Beyond Death

Beginning at 14th level, the divine power that fuels your rage allows you to shrug off fatal blows.

While you're raging, having 0 hit points doesn't knock you unconscious. You still must make death saving throws, and you suffer the normal effects of taking damage while at 0 hit points. However, if you would die due to failing death saving throws, you don't die until your rage ends, and you die then only if you still have 0 hit points.

Rage

• Barbarian can maintain their rage as a bonus action on their turn, even if they have not attacked a hostile creature or taken damage.

Ability Score Increase

• Added the Proficiency Versatility from the Class Features UA

Fast Movement

• Changed Fast Movement name to Barbaric Speed
• Added the Instinctive Pounce from the Class Features UA as an option

Barbarian Paths

• Added homebrew path: Path of the Bruiser