Barbarian
A tall human tribesman strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. He laughs as he charges toward the frost giant who dared poach his people’s elk herd.
A half-orc snarls at the latest challenger to her authority over their savage tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals.
Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another.
These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.
For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.
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.Quick Build
You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the outlander background.The Barbarian Table
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Rages | Rage Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Rage, Unarmored Defense | 2 | +2 |
| 2nd | +2 | Reckless Attack, Danger Sense | 2 | +2 |
| 3rd | +2 | Primal Path | 3 | +2 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | +2 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack, Fast Movement | 3 | +2 |
| 6th | +3 | Path Feature | 4 | +2 |
| 7th | +3 | Feral Instinct | 4 | +2 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | +2 |
| 9th | +4 | Brutal Critical (1 die) | 4 | +3 |
| 10th | +4 | Path Feature | 4 | +3 |
| 11th | +4 | Relentless Rage | 4 | +3 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +3 |
| 13th | +5 | Brutal Critical (2 dice) | 5 | +3 |
| 14th | +5 | Path Feature | 5 | +3 |
| 15th | +5 | Relentless Rage | 5 | +3 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +4 |
| 17th | +6 | Brutal Critical (3 dice) | 6 | +4 |
| 18th | +6 | Indomitable Might | 6 | +4 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | +4 |
| 20th | +6 | Primal Champion | Unlimited | +4 |
Barbarian
Hit Points
Hit Dice: d12 per Barbarian level
Hit Points at first Level: 12 + Con mod
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Con mod
Proficiences
Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, Martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Str, Con
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Survival.
Class Features
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.
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.Danger Sense
At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. The Path of the Berserker is detailed at the end of the class description, and additional primal paths are available in other sources. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.Fast Movement
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.Feral Instinct
By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls. Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.Brutal Critical
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack. This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.Relentless Rage
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.Brutal Critical
At 13th level, you can roll two additional weapon damage dice when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack. This increases to three additional dice at 17th level.Persistent Rage
Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.Brutal Critical
At 17th level, you can roll three additional weapon damage dice when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.Indomitable Might
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.Primal Champion
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.Starting Equipment
- (a) a greataxe or (b) any martial melee weapon
- (a) two handaxes or (b) any simple weapon
- An explorer’s pack and four javelins
Subclass Options
Primal Paths
Rage burns in every barbarian’s heart, a furnace that drives him or her toward greatness. Different barbarians attribute their rage to different sources, however. For some, it is an internal reservoir where pain, grief, and anger are forged into a fury hard as steel. Others see it as a spiritual blessing, a gift of a totem animal.Path of Blades
One of the earliest implements of warcraft was the blade. In its most primal state, it is used for stabbbing and slashing. In the wild, blades can be found in many things, be it a jagged stone or a rose's thorn. You have mastered the nature of blades.Path of Blood
The Path of Blood is a path taken by only the most ruthless and battle-hungry barbarians. They do not care when they shed their own blood - in fact, they use that energy to empower their rage even farther, using their suffering to inflict wounds upon their foes through magical bonds of blood. While at first glance the Path of Blood appears to be powered by the same forces as the Path of the Berserker, the Path of Blood is far more magical in nature. Bloodragers use their blood in a form of hemomancy - a magic that utilizes blood sacrifices.Path of Embers
Fire is a force of nature. Despite what many attempt throughout their lives, whether through bargains with unknowable creatures or magic, fire is very hard to tame. By its very nature, fire is chaotic, dangerous and unpredictable. Lighting a fire on the battlefield is just as likely to wipe you and your troops out as it is to harm your enemies. By following the Path of Embers, you have come to realize that fire is not meant to be restricted or captured to be used properly. It must be simply directed towards the enemy and left to do what it does best; destroy. Now, though, you have the same capability for destruction. Let the raging inferno inside you cause untold destruction, and revel in the pyre you have built for all.Path of Focus
Many barbarians use their raw rage and adrenaline to display martial prowess, but there are also some that see a higher value in the power of their fury. These barbarians, through training or cultural teachings, have learned to surpress some of the brutish natures of their rage and condense it down to give them greater focus and precision.Path of Frostbite
The cold is an ancient thing, an elemental force that drives bends all life to its unyielding will. Its power has been infused into giants. Dragons command winds that can freeze a man solid. And now, your fury has cracked the endless font of cold, primal and begun to bend it to your will.Path of Iron
Barbarians on this path consider their weapons to be more than a means to an end. To them, they represent an ideal. In the same way formless ore endures the heat of the forge to be shaped into a tool of war, so too do these barbarians endure the heat of battle on the path of iron to become hardened warriors. These barbarians have a spiritual bond with their weapons that allows them to draw strength from the metal within. Naturally, they have great respect towards the smiths who forge them. To show their gratitude they wield their weapons with reverence, and in ways other barbarians cannot.Path of Least Resistance
For many barbarians, battle is chaotic-an untamed frenzy of bloodshed that they unleash upon their foes. For barbarians who adhere to the Path of Least Resistance, it is calculated deliberate, and systematic. Your rage grants you supreme insight into the most precise path to your quarry, as well as the unrivaled determination to execute your goals. Nothing stands in the way of your fervor.Path of the Arborous
While barbarians often find themselves respecting and emulating aspects of nature, especially the ferocity of its predators, some barbarians find a deeper connection. Those who follow the Path of the Arborous attempt to become one with its trees and plants, preferring the peace that it offers when violence is unneeded. Even so, just as treants and dryads will protect their homes to the death, they are capable of war when the need does arise. Their hides, tough as bark, and arms strong but flexible enough to crush and restrain, provide all the defense they need against most aggressors. A barbarian often follows this path when they have spent a large period of their life in forests or wilderness, and sometimes gain its abilities as a gift of fey or druidic magic. When you choose this path, it's wise to consider how your status as a plant-like individual expresses itself in your physicality. You can choose an option from the list below, or come up with something appropriate yourself.Path of the Accursed
There is a place beyond time, filled with malignant intelligence and ruinous intent. This is the Accursed Archive – the singular repository of all knowledge known to mortal men, populated with the darkest of secrets and the foulest of heresies. You managed to find a tome of these blighted mysteries and stepped through the door to nowhere that led to the Archive at some point in your past, yet your mind cracked under the weight of the knowledge contained within and the horrible vistas of forgotten power that stood just within your feeble mortal grasp. Now you have finally realized that the true source of your furious rage is both defiance and acceptance of the madness that lies within the Accursed Archive.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.Path of the Battlerager
Known as Kuldjargh (literally “axe idiot”) in Dwarvish, battleragers are dwarf followers of the gods of war and take the Path of the Battlerager. They specialize in wearing bulky, spiked armor and throwing themselves into combat, striking with their body itself and giving themselves over to the fury of battle.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.
Path of the Beacon
The Path of the Beacon serves as a calling for Barbarians who wish to act as a rallying point on the battlefield for all those they would fight alongside. Almost impossible to miss—even in the roiling turmoil of combat—these warriors blaze with glory, providing reprieve and assistance even in the darkest of moments. The light they create, however inspiring for their allies, can also serve as a terrifying weapon against their foes. Blinded and burnt, they have no choice but to quail under the might of the Beacon.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.Path of the Blazing Sun
There are many cultures, particularly in the harsh outlands that many barbarians call home, that revere the power of the sun. Barbarians who follow the Path of the Blazing Sun take this reverence a step further, and learn to how to transform and harness this power. These barbarians transform their rage into a dazzling display of magic, where powerful flames leap from their weapons and their movement becomes impossible to track as they disappear in a flash of light only to reappear moments later, ready to strike down their foes with radiant energy. Barbarians who draw on the power of the sun are versatile fighters, capable of clearing groups of enemies with ease. In a display of their reverence, these barbarians typically adorn themselves with tattoos and markings that represent the sun, and often adorn their clothing with these symbols as well.Path of the Blighted
The Path of the Blighted is a path of unholy origin, traced back to the same origin of the Blights: the Gulthias Tree. By gaining power from this evil source, you can channel your rage to shift your physical form, becoming a monstrous abomination of vines and branches. While transformed, you engulf and constrict your enemies as you tear them apart.Path of The Blood Drinker
It has long been known among many tribal warriors that no better path to power exists than consuming the blood of a conquered foe. Some practice ancient rituals and solemnly consume their foe's heart, while others simply guzzle blood like ale in a crazed frenzy, but any of the blood rituals these barbarians undertake can transform some into demonic killers that steal life and power from the blood on their blade. Many Blood Drinkers find that the blood ritual not only granted them great power, but also altered their body in a minor way. If your DM allows, you can choose up to one of the following signs of your blood ritual that you forever carry.Path of the Bonebreaker
Inspired by the legacy of their god of strength, Baghtru, some orcs hone their physical might and fury until they can emulate his prowess. Eschewing weapons in favour of their fists, these orcs are terrifying forces in combat, becoming capable of slaughtering dozens of enemies with naught but their bare hands. Once an exclusively Orcish tradition, the Path of the Bonebreaker has spread through other lands by rogue orcs and attempts to replicate the might of these barbarians. Disciples of other gods of strength can now be found following this path, along with pugilists and adventurers.Path of the Butcher
Butchery is the natural profession to practice alongside traditional adventuring, because when it comes down to it they’re rather the same thing aren’t they? Burst into a room, tear some poor creature from head to toe with a gigantic axe and make a rather fine living out of it.Path of the Caldera
When it comes to comparing the outlets of rage for Mother Nature herself, nothing holds a candle to the sheer destructive power of a volcanic eruption. Barbarians of the Path of the Caldera would be inclined to agree, emulating and recreating its effects upon the world. The battlefield itself warps to match their temper, spreading smoke and lava to confound their foes, culminating in the magnums opus of the Caldera, an unmatched explosion of overwhelming heat. Barbarians who follow this path exhibit traits of the volcanic origin of their abilities in their rage, physical manifestations that serve as a warning for that which is to come. You can choose traits yourself, or roll on the table below.Path of the Celestial Avatar
Some barbarians revere the celestial spirits that roam the lands and skies, and seek them out to be their guides and personal connection to the divine. A few barbarian clans have pre-established connections to celestial spirits, and for those clans taking this path is merely proving yourself worthy of that creature’s power. For many barbarians, however, taking this path requires them to search far and wide for a celestial willing to let them become an avatar. Most any celestial creature is capable of granting a barbarian this path. The most common among these are unicorns, couatls, and low-ranking angels, who accept righteous barbarians as their avatars—extensions of their power that help them carry out their divine will. For some barbarians that take this path, their rage becomes reminiscent of divine possession—In rage, their personality can take on some of the attributes of their celestial guide’s personality.Path of the Comet
Blasting across the battlefield in a shell of fire and ice, barbarians who follow the path of the comet are blessed with tremendous speed and power. As with the celestial voyagers that pass overhead, so too do these warriors put on brilliant displays, engraved in the hearts and minds of those that witness them.Path of the Courageous Heart
For some adventurers, their internal reservoir of fearlessness and gallantry might border closer to foolhardiness. An intrepid do-gooder might take the first step down this path by complete accident, meddling in affairs they ought not and finding themselves unable to turn back. Their impromptu effectiveness in battle isn’t due to anger but rather matching pluck, tenacity, or stubbornness to shrug off the worst the enemy has to offer. These brawlers might not be as graceful as trained fighters, but they're guardians of the weak, and what they lack in polish they make up for in valor.Path of the Crescendo
Those who follow the Path of the Crescendo use simple, well-practiced movements to rain blow after blow on their enemies in devastating cadence. The drums of war pound to the tempo of these barbarians' hearts, who constantly build to the next hammerblow.Path of the Cyclone
The Path of the Cyclone is one that needs to be seen in action to be believed. The Barbarians that follow it are a flighty lot, often moving from place to place without rhyme or reason. On the battlefield, however, they can never seem far away enough, hounding their opponents with an inexorable onslaught of razor sharp winds, turning the area around them into an inhospitable zone of carnage. Those who walk this Path enjoy freedom above most other things, perhaps a reflection of its supposed origin from the Elemental Plane of Air. Barbarians of this path, especially its air genasi members, often have strange wind based quirks about them, which you can choose from the table below.Path of the Dawn Herald
For barbarians that follow the Path of the Dawn Herald, their rage is not the conduit for their martial prowess in battle, and they instead channel the light of the world, allowing it to shine through them as they decimate the battlefield. Most train alongside paladins and clerics, empowering their strikes with bursts of radiant light.Path of the Dead
Barbarians who walk the Path of Death tread the forbidden road that straddles the lands of the living and the dead. Warriors who walk this path gain strange and unnerving abilities, and are found more commonly in societies near Shadow Crossings, where the need for those who can calm the unquiet dead is great indeed.Path of the Deathsworn
The Deathsworn are Barbarians that dedicate their whole lives to Death and how to best balance on the thin line that separates the living from...the rest. Deathsworn Barbarians form small tribes. They cherish Undeath and believe it is the ultimate state of being. They often worship a Lich, a Dracolich or other similar creatures.Path of the Deephunter
Deephunter Barbarians relish in the piercing silence and harsh darkness of the Underdark, emulating its influence when they allow their rage to flow through them. A Deephunter instils fear in his or her victim by isolating them from their senses, releasing the true primal soul inside the target, providing an intensely satisfying kill.Path of the Dragon Heart
In some places, dragons are as gods to mortals, and the mighty warriors of the dragonborn people seek to emulate them. Some gain the dragon's wisdom, and with it a mind sharp enough to cut like a blade. But others gain the dragon's heart, and the strength to become a lords of the heavens and earth.Restriction: Dragonborn Only Only dragonborn how have take the barbarian class may choose the Path of The Dragon's Heart. In the world that this is built for, the methods of emulating an dragon are achievable only to those who bear a likeness to them. Also, One of the features in this subclass only affects a racial feature from the dragonborn race.
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