5e Barbarian Class and Subclass Improvements

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5e Barbarian Improvements

Barbarian Class

Rage

(1st-level Barbarian feature)

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.

  • You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

  • When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll. This bonus increases as you level.

  • You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

  • If your Strength Score is equal to 20 or higher you may ignore the heavy property of weapons.

  • If your Constitution Score is equal to 20 or higher you use heavy armour when raging.

  • 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.

Once you have raged the maximum number of times for your barbarian level, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again. You may rage 2 times at 1st level, 3 at 3rd, 4 at 6th, 5 at 12th, 6 at 17th and unlimited times at 20th level.

Primal Knowledge*

(3rd-level Barbarian feature)

When you reach 3rd level and again at 10th level you gain a skill of your choice from the following: Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Survival or a tool from the following: Cook’s Utensils, Leatherworker’s Tools, Wavers Tools or Woodcarver’s Tools.

Initiative Pounce

(7th-level Barbarian feature)

At 7th level as part of your bonus action when entering your rage you can up to half your speed.

Barbaric Endurance

(9th level Barbarian feature)

You can exchange your bouts of ferocity to instead nurture the wounds of your body when you complete a short rest if you expended one or more hit dice, you can also expend a rage, doing so grants you additional hit points equal to half your Barbarian level (rounded up) + Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) if you expended more than three or more hit dice you regain twice as many hit points listed in this feature. You may use this feature four times, getting all uses back after completing a long rest.

Key

Purple- Added or Changed text

Black*-Completely Reworked feature

5e Barbarian Improvements

Barbarian Subclasses

Primal Path: Berserker Barbarian

Frenzy

(3rd-level Path feature)

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 and you went into a Frenzy, roll a Constitution saving throw DC 15. On a failure you gain 1 level of exhaustion.

Mindless Rage

(6th-level Path feature)

You can't be charmed or frightened whilst in a Frenzy Rage. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect ends if it was caused by a spell equal to your proficiency modifier or lower, if it isn’t ended, it is suspended for the duration of the rage.

Overwhelming Intimidation*

(10th-level Path feature)

When you score a critical hit against a creature with a melee attack. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. If the creature is immune to being frightened you gain this knowledge. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, it is immune to this effect until you complete a long rest. When you can’t frighten a creature with this feature, you may add an additional Brutal Critical dice instead to your critical hits.

Retaliation

(14th-level Path feature)

When you take damage from a creature that is within melee distance. You can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature. This attack may benefit from your Reckless Attack if it was used during your turn.

Primal Path: Beast Barbarian

Form of the Beast

(3rd-level Sublcass feature)

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. When you damage a creature with this bite using the Attack Action, 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 1d8 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 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.

(No Further Changes to the Subclass)

Primal Path: Storm Herald

Storm Aura

(3rd-level Path Feature)

You emanate a stormy, magical aura while you rage. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.

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 complete a long rest.

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, each creature of your choice in your aura takes 2 fire damage each. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3 at 5th level, 4 at 9th level, 5 at 13th level, and 6 at 17th 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 9th level, 3d6 at 13th level, and 4d6 at 17th 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 9th level, 5 at 13th level, and 6 at 17th level.

Additionally once per turn as a free action you can soak the storm power and amplify it. Amplifying it increases the Desert and Tundra by effect 1, and the Sea by 1d6. You take 1d12+3 each time you amplify the aura. The damage dealt is Fire if Desert, Lightning if Sea and Cold if Tundra. You may only amplify the effect once at this level, the amount you can amplify increases as you gain Barbarian levels: 2 at 6th level, 3 at 10th, 4 at 14th.

5e Barbarian Improvements

Barbarian Subclasses

Storm Soul

(6th-level Path Feature)

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.

Storm Callers

(10th-level Path Feature)

All creatures can join your rites of stormy fury weather friend or foe. When you activate your Storm Aura, each creature of your choice has the damage resistance you gained from the Storm Soul feature while the creature is in your Storm Aura. Additionally at the end of your turn, if you amplified your Storm Aura you may choose one enemy creature within your aura. That creature makes a Constitution saving throw equal to your Storm Aura’s saving throw DC. On a failure the creature is cloaked in stormy elements and any damage dealt to you by the Storm Aura including when you amplified it earlier, is aslo dealt to that chosen creature. As soon as an affected enemy creature ends it's turn outside your Storm Aura the stormy elements end on that creature.

Raging Storm*

(14th-level Path Feature)

The power of the storm you channel grows mightier, and you hit with a mighty fury of an unrelenting nature. The effect is based on the environment you chose for your Storm Aura. The first time you hit a creature with a strength based melee attack within your aura you may choose one of two benefits depending on your Aura. If you amplify your Storm Aura you may choose both benefits on the next attack you make.

Desert.

  • Fire swells around the target creature makes a dexterity saving throw on a failure the creature takes fire damage equal to rage bonus + half your barbarian level.
  • The clothes and skin of the creature starts to glow hotter and hotter, the target makes a Constitution saving throw on a failure they have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of your next turn.

Sea.

  • Lightning splits and strikes from your weapon the target creature and another two enemies within your Storm Aura take lightning damage equal to your rage bonus.
  • The fury of the sea brings your weapon with a wave’s crashing force. The target creature must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Tundra.

  • That target 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.
  • Ice breaks their form and hardens your own. Decrease their AC by 1 and increase your AC by 1 until the start of your next turn.

When you amplify you may choose to infuse another storm to channel temporarily. Choose on of the other two storm you don't have active then roll 2d12+6 of that Storm’s Aura damage. You may choose to replace any of the attack benefits with that of another Storm Aura

Primal Path: Totem Warrior Barbarian

Totem Spirit*

(3rd-level Path [Totem] Feature)

Bear. While raging, you have resistance from all attacks except poison and psychic damage. At 14th level you become resistant to all damage except poison and psychic damage while raging. The spirit of the bear makes you tough enough to stand up to any physical punishment.

(No Further Changes to the Subclass)

 

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