Path of the Berserker
For some barbarians, rage is a means to an end—that end being violence. The Path of the Berserker is a path of untrammeled fury, slick with blood. As you enter the berserker’s rage, you thrill in the chaos of battle, heedless of your own health or well-being.
Credits
- Artwork by SaraForlenza at DeviantArt.
Frenzy
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, your rage sends you into a vicious frenzy. When you use your Reckless Attack feature while raging, you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action before the end of your turn. Do not add your ability modifier to the damage of this bonus attack.
Intimidating Presence
Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one attack with an attempt to demoralize one humanoid you can see within 30 feet of you that can see and hear you. Make a Charisma (Intimidation) check contested by the target’s Wisdom (Insight) check. If your check succeeds, the target is frightened until the end of your next turn. If your check fails, the target can’t be frightened by you in this way for 1 hour.
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.
Pain Drinker
At 10th level, chaos and bloodshed invigorate you. When you start your turn and have taken damage since the end of your last turn, you regain hit points equal to your Rage Damage if you’re not incapacitated.
In addition, when you land a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.
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.
Revising the Berserker
This redesign of the Path of the Berserker is intended to make it more competitive with other barbarian subclasses and give it a more distinct identity.
- Frenzy has been changed in three ways. First, you get access to the bonus attack by using Reckless Attack, not for the entire rage. Second, you do not add your ability modifier to the bonus attack's damage. Third, you no longer suffer exhaustion.
- Intimidating Presence was turned into a 3rd level feature based on the Menacing feat from Unearthed Arcana. It now only affects humanoids, gives you proficiency in Intimidation, uses an attack instead of a whole action, and uses a skill check rather than a saving throw. You also can't use your action to extend its duration on subsequent turns.
- Pain Drinker has been added as the 10th level feature to provide some modest staying power in light of how the Path is now centered on frequently using of Reckless Attack.
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