I would like to see in DnD One something for the Barbarian like the Warlocks Invocations. Call it like Extraordinary Prowess or Primal Adaptation, something like that, but basically give them some unique customizable ribbon features or additional options. This should make it so every Barbarian is a little different in expression at the table. This should also reinforce the narrative of this being someone who has such amazing physicality they are almost larger than life on the verge of magical like Jim said.
Ancestral guardian is one of my favorites. I like to play it as almost an Avatar State; your forebears come forth and impart your body with preternatural reflexes. They don't have to process nerve endings and perception. A thousand souls feel the entire battlefield and move you faster than thought.
David Drake's Lord of the Isles novel has a fun idea that could be used as an inspiration for barbarian narrative descriptions. The character Garric gets possessed by his warrior ancestor. At the beginning Garric blacks out and has no memory of winning a fight against numerous enemies, but eventually he connects to the spirit and can communicate with it out of combat.
I like the idea of taking the Martial Trance concept from Dwarf Fortress. Where a dwarf in combat might just slip into a fugue state, where they're harder to hit and better at attacking. You could easily reskin a Barbarian's rage as being an altered state of consciousness, where they're so focused on fighting, they tune out everything else, including pain. I can see that as something Dwarf civilizations would cultivate, like with an elite group of warriors trained to enter a Martial Trance. On the subject of changing the Barbarian, I'd like the Berserker's Frenzy ability to be tweaked. Getting an Exhaustion whenever you Frenzy is thematic enough. But it's a cost that greatly outweighs the benefits, given how debilitating Exhaustion is in 5e. It's very obviously a mechanic that was settled on during an early part of 5e's development, when Exhaustion functioned more like Fatigue from earlier editions. Now, it's really punishing. It's especially problematic because of Opportunity Cost. You're paying a premium for your subclass's primary mechanic. Unlike any other subclass, both in Barbarian and in other classes, where your "kit" is just given to you for free, as a function of being that subclass. Why would you go Berserker, when you can get extra attacks on a Bonus Action from the Storm Herald subclass _without_ taking Exhaustion?" If I were to change the Berserker, without removing its central theme, I'd make it so the character gets a number of Frenzies for free. But they can also go it in excess of that, at the cost of Exhaustion. So it's not a penalty for using your subclass's primary ability, it's you having license to dig even deeper, at a cost.
I think my issue with barbarians is lack of options of things to do in combat other than hit something or grab something. They should have cleave. They should have a leap attack. They should have options that they can consume a use of their rage feature to use.
Unless you’re only having 1-2 combats pre infinite rage, any features that consume rages will be really difficult to use. And how would it work after you’re constantly raging
@@bleddynwolf8463 The standard rage damage bonus is a somewhat unimpressive +2 dmg for quite a few levels (i assume the PHB table is still accurate for that and it's not been erratta'ed or ppl don't homebrew that much? though there's always STR and Dex finesse bonuses i suppose that add some more if you stat for it, but still...)
it seems like something(s) could easily be changed in the Barb so they make more sense at the very least (unarmored defense, i'm looking at you in particular, and i've written up several variants to replace/fix that already). As far as the rest of the class, either some options for re-arranging the order/level/timing you get certain of the sort of "meh" abilities that don't really seem to fit in anywhere precisely without an actual character build/theme/idea/personality/origin to help you guide where/when you'd want them, OR some tweaks/adjustments
8:25. I felt similarly until the Zealot in XGE. After I picked that book up I made up barbarian based on Lancelot at the end of the movie Excalibur. A dirty, failed paladin, hermit that fights with righteous fury. One of my favorite characters so far.
I think where unarmored defense shines with Barbs, and Monks is in unexpected combat situations that arise when the party is in downtime mode. If I'm a soldier or warrior I am not wearing my armor 100% of the time, so in the moments when I'm relaxing in a tavern then a fight breaks out that's where I see the value. Or maybe during a long rest while sleeping unarmored
Could work for some, but i really feel like it depends on the sub-class or if you multi-class, what weapons you use, your style of play and so many other things that it just doesn't fit right with the rest of the class as-is. it needs a tweak somehow imo. probably a tweak for each and every single new barb to have his pick of how to interpret/use/not-use, even maybe having a replacement for it after choosing your sub-class perhaps, or several choices of replacement at that time. i have a bunch of ideas of how to change Unarmor Def.
My favorite barbarian I've played was a pretty calm, intelligent man. Very tactical and respected, but once steel was drawn he COULDN'T keep his demeanor. His "Rage" was just getting lost in the fight.
As the leader of a town my berserker barbarian constantly had to "hold back" I'm bandits who were actually locals of the town. As a berserker you kind of have two stages of rage a primary rage and then a frenzied rage, making for fun rp and also a tough choice since frenzy = exhaustion.
I wish there were more non-magical themed subclasses. Berserker isn't that great. often times Battle rager has armor that isn't as good as your unarmored defense. The other ones all have animal spirits, ancestral spirits, gods, wild magic, elementals, lycanthropic heritage etc playing a role in your barbarian. So it would be nice if there were less overtly magical options.
Mechanically I really want more to encourage people to attack me. Concentration is such a target on your alies back, finding tactical choke points is good and granting the bad guys advantage is good too, but things like the optional rule for marking really makes them sing.
Might be cool to get a mind bond ability with a caster. Where in order to mess with their concentration an enemy has to make you loose yours. Idl how to do that without being broken or terrible. as either it doesn't work because you're always getting hit, or the caster essentially has advantage or better with you getting a high high ckn save they have to beat first. Maybe make it a number of uses per long rest. Be that proficiency or some mental stat from one of you.
I feel like "Rage" is a misnomer for the barbarian's core mechanic, although I don't have an alternative to suggest. Determination seems a better fit, but it definitely doesn't sound as cool.
I think it depends on the subclass if the Rage is magical. I think the base class, it isn't. I think the idea is just pushing yourself to incredible limits, like the grandmother who lifts the car off the child, or the maniac on PCP.
Battle Focus - You become hyper focused on battle, through a hyper or hypo emotional state you're focus on battle narrows your concentration in combat. Anger, fear, joy, excitement, the zoomies, maybe you dissociate into an emotionless state, however you want to flavor your Focus that fits your character is up to you. Spirit's Call - Your ancestors or other spirit/s infuse you with their combat experience while enhancing your body, it takes your concentration to hold onto that knowledge or keep it from overwhelming you. Feral Brain - You alter your body and the way you think when you enter this state. You become more like the animal you are channeling (or at least how you perceive that animal) Magic Channel - A source of magic enhances your body and combat prowess. It takes focus to keep yourself infused with this magic or from the magic from overwhelming you.
I’m going to flavor barbarians to being epileptics in tribes where their fits aren’t interpreted as demonic possession. While watching this video I was reminded of an anecdote I heard about a young Turkish woman who came to the United States for college. She began having seizures during her first semester with no past history of epilepsy. It turned out that she was from a family of faith healers who are basically picked from youth for having seizures, but the lifestyle of the healers includes a daily regimen of foods and plant medicines which reduce or eliminate seizures.
I recently homebrewed a barb subclass based on the ability to manipulate the weave of space after a banishment spell cast upon him went awry... he was stuck in the space between spaces with rifts appearing and disappearing all around him, enraged to the extreme that he was stuck with no exit possible... with time his rage turned to focus and that focus let him see the weave of space allowing them to create a rift themselves once per rage for a 60ft teleport... using his new ability to get closer and closer to the bigger rifts appearing in the space between spaces until they came upon one of the bigger rifts and got thru escaping, now they wander the land trying to find thier way back home... at higher levels the control is much better allowing the barb to mitigate damage with defensive rifts around them in the form of temp hp each round, also extending the barb's attack range with mini rifts allowing them to attack in melee at a 30ft range... worked on this with my dm so it could actually be played, so b4 anyone tries to kill my fun, the dm approved it. I had alot of fun making this with the dm and I am very excited to play it in our next campaign :)
@@mohammadmurie thanks I can try to leave the abilities and lvls of said abilities as a comment when I get home from work, until then I can try and answer questions if u have anything specific u are curious about :)
@@mohammadmurie here you go Path of the Rift Walker v4 Barbarians who follow the Path of the Rift Walker are not your typical barbarian. They have honed their skills in walking that fine line between rage and serenity, so much so that not only can they see the weave of space around them, but they can use their rage to alter it as well. While raging, they can create rifts in the space around them that allow them great mobility and control of the battlefield. 3rd Rift Walker 6th Rift Striker 10th Improved Rift Walker 14th Rift Master Rift Walker: At 3rd level, your rage is so focused that you can create rifts in the weave of space large enough to move through. Once per rage, as a bonus action, you can create a rift next to you that exits at an unoccupied space you can see within range, allowing you to instantly move to that space. Note you must have at least 5’ of movement available to move through the rift, and the rift closes immediately behind you. The range of the rift is 60ft. Rift Striker: At 6th level, you can attack opponents at range through small, temporary rifts in space while raging. These attacks are made as normal melee attacks, and the target is considered to be in melee range for the attacks. These rifts open just long enough for each attack, so the barbarian does not threaten the target and is not considered to be within melee range of the target once the attacks are completed. The range of this ability is 30ft. Improved Rift Walker: At 10th level, your mastery over rifts grants improvements to your Rift Walking. The range of Rift Walking is now 120ft and is no longer limited by line of sight - you can step though a rift from your current location to any other unoccupied spot within range. You arrive at exactly the spot desired. It can be a place you can see, one you can visualize, or one you can describe by stating distance and direction. Additionally, you may choose ONE of the following effects when you Rift Walk: • Road Trip: You can bring one willing creature of your size or smaller who is carrying gear up to its carrying capacity. The creature must be within 5 feet of you when you use this ability. At level 15 this ability grows in power, allowing you to bring up to 6 creatures of your choice within 10ft of your rift. • Concussive Rift: You have learned to use your rifts to your advantage, causing them to unleash a concussive wave of force at either end of your rift forcing any creature of your choice within 5ft of the rift to make a strength saving throw against your DC (8+prof+str) or they take 2d8 force damage or half as much on a successful save. The damage of this increases to 4d8 at 15th level. • Healing Rift - Your rifts into the weave of space now touch the threads of time as well. When you rift walk, you can roll hit dice as if you had taken a short rest. These dice are removed from your hit dice total as normal. Rift Master: At 14th level, your experience with the weave of space has given you the ability to create mini rifts all around you to protect yourself - these mini rifts can redirect some of the damage you would otherwise take. Each round while you are raging, you gain temporary hit points equal to your barbarian level at the start of your turn.
I play a Mandalorian fighter-barbarian whose "rage" isn't actual anger, but him loving his job so much that he laughs at death's face (I've even renamed it on the sheet xD). Another guy I had was a Scourge Aasimar whose rage I always procced with Radiant Consumption (action and bonus action!), fluffing it as the character's Angelic Guide taking over (so, talking different, using a different language, fighting with different priorities, etc) and the righteous fury of the gods manifesting so hard it actually burned shit around him.
I'd love to see a version of the barbarian where they use their fuckton of hp and resistance to fuel all manners of stuff, like they are THAT intense (sort off narratively taking off from the Scourge Aasimar's Radiant Consumption? Like, they burn so hard and bright shit just *happens*)
Good stream Jim sorry I missed it. But I do love a good barbarian but I do admit I am more in love with the abilities and meta of the pathfinder 2e barbarian with there styles being broken into types of rage represented by different avatars of rage. Like a dragon barbarians rage is the rage related to pride and strong against a single opponent or how the animal styles turn you into a wild unarmed fighter living on instincts to drive it's attacks.
One of my favorite characters was a path of the totem warrior BarBEARian. She was raised by polar bears and traveled with her polar bear sister. She had average intelligence but low wisdom so the bear would sometimes have to advise her against bad ideas.
Berserker is a personal favorite of mine, and I think people really put the subclass down. I’ve had good use for all of its abilities, i think frenzy is crazy strong from levels 1-11 especially if you only use it once a day. And Intimidating Presence is almost like Swashbuckler’s Panache, and i like that it gives me an ability i can use in social encounters.
Berserker barbarian that freaks out and destroys all with the power of Panic. Immune to mind control because they're too freaked to pay attention to the bad guy's domination spell.
Hard agree on there needing to be different sources of rage. I once had a Barbarian who was a "sorcerer." Instead of learning to crafting the energy outward into spells, she essentially just plunged themselves into the raw energy and overclocked her body. Didn't change anything but was a more fun flavor for me. Wish that the wild magic barbarian was out at the time, would've gone with that instead of storm.
5:00 Barbarian should really be called something like berserker. And barbarian should be a background. 5:15 Except Conan doesn't do the whole rage thing. Conan is a rogue with a barbarian background.
He actually does go into a battle rage a few times in the books though, Conan only does it in two of his stories from what I remember and he only goes into that state when he is backed into a corner but he does do it. I agree that dnd Conan is mostly a fighter and rogue multiclass but I do think he has one or two levels of barbarian to.
@@smuggrog9821 technically true. it says something to the effect of his offensive being so strong that his enemies don't have a chance to deal him serious hurts, meanwhile he's making a bloody shambles of them all (i believe RA Salvator might have copied some of this in some Drizzt book fight descriptions too). I also imagine Conan as something of a tiger in that way that usually you don't see the first devastating hit, and by the time you do, he's so hard into offensive that it's like a steamrolling bull, or he's like what i imagine a Klingon using a bat'leth in real boarding actions would be like... all attack and efficient-kill, then move to the next guy... damn near impossible to stop before everyone else is dead and he slows down enough to feel his wounds and bleed to death from a thousand cuts or whatev. hehe
I personally always head-canoned that Rage was simply a magical adrenaline rush, called Rage because the people of the world didn't know better when they originally encountered it and named it.
I love Barbarians. My favorite was a scourge aasimar zealot barbarian. He had high consistent damage. He was one of those divinely inspired/controlled individuals. I wish some of the scaling was better over all for classes, but I feel it with barbarian subclasses. Currently playing a beast barbarian, and after 6th level their natural weapons don't scale anymore, no extra damage or boost to hit, meaning a core feature of the class ends up becoming obsolete. I'd also love to see a mage slayer archetype that brings us back to the origins of the barbarian. Have them sunder spells or magic weapons, or reflect them back with a swing of their weapon. I've homebrewed a subclass, but I would like to see something official.
i don't personally know how popular wrecking magic items is going to be, but i do like the idea of homebrew-modifying the beast barb for reasons you said.
@@Dack.howaboutyou wrecking magic items is usually not common unless a magic item is part of the plot, although I've broken some crystal balls and magal shards used to control elementals. With my homebrew barbarian he certainly uses his ability to cast dispel magic on hit quite often. I took inspiration from the blood hunter werewolf option. After 6th level the natural weapons become +1/+2/+3 to keep them somewhat relevant.
I'm planning to allow barbarians to keep their rage going by making Strength checks. Although, I'm placing a guideline of "difficult" to keep it from getting too gamified
i was thinking something along the same lines but maybe just like, "you can keep it going by slapping yourself around a bit for 1 damage" lol or maybe cutting, you know, sort of insane stuff like that :P Still not sure if the "barbarian class" should be this all-out-attack, crazy, uncivilized, berzerker though... like JD says, it seems like they're trying to cram too many things together at once, or not enough. I actually agree when he said something like "it could easily just be a sub-class of fighter", ranger, (rogue, monk, druid, or even bard).
I've actually ran with rage as more like the Speed force. Its a primal energy that Barbarians can tap into to accomplish their great feats of strength and resistance. Also I dislike the "barbarians don't learn how to fight." I think that the better barbarians I have played generally have had some combat training. Not regimented, not necessarily "formal soldier" training, but they have had some sort "You hold this weapon this way, and you use it against that weapon this way. If someone is wearing armor, you hit them in *these* places." Barbarians arent smart but they arent "Dumb", I think a great archetypical Barbarian personality is TFS's Goku. He is not winning ANY contest of intellect, but when it comes to his craft, fighting, yes he is very smart; he's spent his whole life learning to fight, and thinking about fighting, and fighting opponents very often to the death, or near death. He isnt the guy you turn to when you need math done, or when you have big philisophical questions. But he can tell you point by point what you are doing wrong and how you are about to get your shit wrecked.
Wolverine seems like a good way to spin a barbarian. Also I agree that Rage could be reflavored to any strong emotion. The main character in the Dresden Files often describes how emotions affect his spells - fear for his friends, guilt for putting them at risk, anger at being in the situation…
You have captured the barbarian in a way no one else has been able to articulate to me. It has been very difficult to break through that angry meathead stereotype for me and I think I'm finally able to enjoy this class on its own merit.
I played a High Charisma Goliath Barbarian named “Andre the Halfgiant” he was probably my favorite character. Having a mountain of a man negotiate payment or trying to take the peaceful route was great…. But you want to try and screw over his friends and you’d get thrown off a cliff. Lol
Do you mean that it has the current rules as written with a rider that your rage ends early unless you do attack, take damage, or etc. within a number of rounds equal to your proficiency bonus? That may work. If you are saying like old school Rage last a number of rounds equal to your proficiency mod, I am not sure I agree. Currently it last for 1 minute which is 10 turns. If you were going to do proficiency mod number of turns you could maybe to Proficiency Mod + CON Mod, with no limitations. That would early on be like 5 rounds by mid game would be like 8 and even though it is a shorter duration there would be no drawbacks. Also 10 rounds is a long combat early.
i agree, as long as we assume you mean that it lasts that long AFTER it would normally have cut off due to the conditions listed currently as a requirement to keep it going.
I think barbs should be able to heal by eating, like the lizard man. Like imagine being low health and instead of hitting a monster you bite in and swallow a chunk and absorb a d6 of hp
Obviously 4 days after the video, but... Alternative names for Rage: Battle Surge Combat Trance Fighting Spirit Maximum Effort Off the top of my head. Edit: + Adrenaline Rush
Really i feel martials in 5e Really suck and barbarian sucks the most. At least fighters get some intresting stuff barbarians can essentially only be played one way and then what they do every round is the same thing. I rage (if I'm not raging) and I attack recklessly with my GWM great axe. I played a barbarian as my first 5e character and I felt it was so boring. Of course I tried to build a viking style sword and board barbarian and it didn't work for crap. But my problem may partially have been a DM who really didn't like me trying to play a barbarian who wasn't Grog Strongjaw.
Again, as I've said before, the solution is to steal from 4th edition for the martial classes. They get two powers that can only be used once per round, one power that can be used every encounter, and a daily power that's once every 24 hours, along with some "utility" powers that can only be used outside of combat. Then you have the martial class pick their "martial arts style" to gain a selection of choices if round, encounter, and daily powers they'll get over time as they level up. For the barbarian their "rage" would just be an encounter power, where you get bonus strength and temporary HP for 1 minute every combat encounter. When the rage is over, they can fall back on their daily powers (those they still have) and their once-per-round powers. It still wouldn't be as powerful a the 20-something spells the mystic classes get, but it would give them some potential beyond just "hit stuff with weapon" or the "you get spells with this sub-class" thing that 5e is doing right now. If only 4th edition wasn't so hated by fans.
A storm rages outside, but we do not say the sky is mad. Is the ocean mad when there are raging waves? If a war is raging on, is everyone unreasonably mad, or is there fear, greed, lust, power hunger mixed in? The problem isn't the word "rage", it is the conceptualization of it that is failing. A raging lunatic might be cackling with eyes wide, hand helds to the sky in insane glee. Barbarians battle rage. They become the tempest, the burning fire, the center of great fury and action. Maybe angry, but perhaps bloodlusted, perhaps laughing like a lunatic. Rage isn't a one dimensional word for anger. That exists and it's "Anger".
I have a chaos witch npc in my campaign. She's an elven princess that lives far away from the capital because of her chaos magic. Every time she casts a spell I roll on the wild magic sorcerer table, and every time she takes any other action I roll on the wild magic barbarian table. Her girlfriend is the keeper of souls for the orc barbarian tribe they live with. A warlord stat block with all the features from ancestral guardian. The girlfriend's brother is the chief of the barbarian tribe. A warlord with all the features from Zealot Barb, with the theme being he draws his powers from the living members of the tribe. There's also an elven vizier tasked with teaching and guarding the princess, but unlike all scheming evil stereotype viziers he spends most of his time flirting with big muscular shirtless orcs. These 4 npcs and the orc tribe they lead are meant to be allies of the party, but if first contact goes wrong the players may side with the clearly racist human prince wanting to marry the princess just to get the logging rights for her people's sacred forests, the cliche scheming evil vizier plotting to assassinate the prince, and the clueless body guard. If the players make the chaos witch and her orcs an enemy she is more than ready to throw down.
if you mean Pruit, he's been doing more backstage stuff for a year or so. They have a vid about it on here somewhere. Here i found the video for you: ua-cam.com/video/RUOF3sybD8U/v-deo.html He's got a "real job" in addition to WebDM an said something about just needing a break from the "on video time" he was putting in since it "was just 'not something he was looking forward to doing' as much lately" (or something to that effect; i'm paraphrasing, so don't take my word for it, watch the video yourself ;)).
I dislike the concept of a base barbarian as a "tank". A shirtless guy with a big weapon? Thats not a tank thats a glass cannon that hits like a truck. Barbarians survivability should be reduced and damage increased. Also given ability to affect the battlefield through their sheer power.
:) i certainly agree that what you say should be more of an option than the confused mix-up that the class is currently. I don't think it would even be that difficult to fix either! This vid inspired me and i've written up a bunch of different ways to alter some of the basic abilities to be more in line with each other, as well as other options that move features/abilities around to different levels or in/out of sub-classes etc... but i think what i would choose would come down to working on the character with my GM and/or party in some sort of session-zero style way (even if i was the GM, not just the Barb player).
I should stop watching dnd content.... It just makes me want to play again... And i have no friends..... And my family is always "too busy". And roll 20 just feels empty..... I hate life.
I would like to see in DnD One something for the Barbarian like the Warlocks Invocations. Call it like Extraordinary Prowess or Primal Adaptation, something like that, but basically give them some unique customizable ribbon features or additional options. This should make it so every Barbarian is a little different in expression at the table. This should also reinforce the narrative of this being someone who has such amazing physicality they are almost larger than life on the verge of magical like Jim said.
I read 'magical like Jim' as if Jim were innately magical and I think that checks out lol
Ancestral guardian is one of my favorites. I like to play it as almost an Avatar State; your forebears come forth and impart your body with preternatural reflexes. They don't have to process nerve endings and perception. A thousand souls feel the entire battlefield and move you faster than thought.
Audio was so much better this video. Last few I had to max out everything to hear then commercials would bust my ear drums lol
David Drake's Lord of the Isles novel has a fun idea that could be used as an inspiration for barbarian narrative descriptions. The character Garric gets possessed by his warrior ancestor. At the beginning Garric blacks out and has no memory of winning a fight against numerous enemies, but eventually he connects to the spirit and can communicate with it out of combat.
I like the idea of taking the Martial Trance concept from Dwarf Fortress. Where a dwarf in combat might just slip into a fugue state, where they're harder to hit and better at attacking. You could easily reskin a Barbarian's rage as being an altered state of consciousness, where they're so focused on fighting, they tune out everything else, including pain. I can see that as something Dwarf civilizations would cultivate, like with an elite group of warriors trained to enter a Martial Trance.
On the subject of changing the Barbarian, I'd like the Berserker's Frenzy ability to be tweaked. Getting an Exhaustion whenever you Frenzy is thematic enough. But it's a cost that greatly outweighs the benefits, given how debilitating Exhaustion is in 5e. It's very obviously a mechanic that was settled on during an early part of 5e's development, when Exhaustion functioned more like Fatigue from earlier editions. Now, it's really punishing.
It's especially problematic because of Opportunity Cost. You're paying a premium for your subclass's primary mechanic. Unlike any other subclass, both in Barbarian and in other classes, where your "kit" is just given to you for free, as a function of being that subclass. Why would you go Berserker, when you can get extra attacks on a Bonus Action from the Storm Herald subclass _without_ taking Exhaustion?"
If I were to change the Berserker, without removing its central theme, I'd make it so the character gets a number of Frenzies for free. But they can also go it in excess of that, at the cost of Exhaustion. So it's not a penalty for using your subclass's primary ability, it's you having license to dig even deeper, at a cost.
39:45 Yeah I played my barbarian in curse of Stradh and all of the sudden everything started dealing some kind of damage that my rage didn't work on.
I think my issue with barbarians is lack of options of things to do in combat other than hit something or grab something. They should have cleave. They should have a leap attack. They should have options that they can consume a use of their rage feature to use.
Unless you’re only having 1-2 combats pre infinite rage, any features that consume rages will be really difficult to use. And how would it work after you’re constantly raging
@@bleddynwolf8463 Considering you're only getting infinite rage at 20, that's not much of an issue.
@@bleddynwolf8463 The standard rage damage bonus is a somewhat unimpressive +2 dmg for quite a few levels (i assume the PHB table is still accurate for that and it's not been erratta'ed or ppl don't homebrew that much? though there's always STR and Dex finesse bonuses i suppose that add some more if you stat for it, but still...)
it seems like something(s) could easily be changed in the Barb so they make more sense at the very least (unarmored defense, i'm looking at you in particular, and i've written up several variants to replace/fix that already). As far as the rest of the class, either some options for re-arranging the order/level/timing you get certain of the sort of "meh" abilities that don't really seem to fit in anywhere precisely without an actual character build/theme/idea/personality/origin to help you guide where/when you'd want them, OR some tweaks/adjustments
8:25. I felt similarly until the Zealot in XGE. After I picked that book up I made up barbarian based on Lancelot at the end of the movie Excalibur. A dirty, failed paladin, hermit that fights with righteous fury. One of my favorite characters so far.
I think where unarmored defense shines with Barbs, and Monks is in unexpected combat situations that arise when the party is in downtime mode. If I'm a soldier or warrior I am not wearing my armor 100% of the time, so in the moments when I'm relaxing in a tavern then a fight breaks out that's where I see the value. Or maybe during a long rest while sleeping unarmored
Could work for some, but i really feel like it depends on the sub-class or if you multi-class, what weapons you use, your style of play and so many other things that it just doesn't fit right with the rest of the class as-is. it needs a tweak somehow imo. probably a tweak for each and every single new barb to have his pick of how to interpret/use/not-use, even maybe having a replacement for it after choosing your sub-class perhaps, or several choices of replacement at that time. i have a bunch of ideas of how to change Unarmor Def.
My favorite barbarian I've played was a pretty calm, intelligent man. Very tactical and respected, but once steel was drawn he COULDN'T keep his demeanor. His "Rage" was just getting lost in the fight.
Sounds like Logen Ninefingers to me! Love it
As the leader of a town my berserker barbarian constantly had to "hold back" I'm bandits who were actually locals of the town. As a berserker you kind of have two stages of rage a primary rage and then a frenzied rage, making for fun rp and also a tough choice since frenzy = exhaustion.
@@Retlaw32 thought the same thing. The moon must love them
I wish there were more non-magical themed subclasses. Berserker isn't that great. often times Battle rager has armor that isn't as good as your unarmored defense.
The other ones all have animal spirits, ancestral spirits, gods, wild magic, elementals, lycanthropic heritage etc playing a role in your barbarian. So it would be nice if there were less overtly magical options.
Mechanically I really want more to encourage people to attack me. Concentration is such a target on your alies back, finding tactical choke points is good and granting the bad guys advantage is good too, but things like the optional rule for marking really makes them sing.
Might be cool to get a mind bond ability with a caster.
Where in order to mess with their concentration an enemy has to make you loose yours.
Idl how to do that without being broken or terrible. as either it doesn't work because you're always getting hit, or the caster essentially has advantage or better with you getting a high high ckn save they have to beat first.
Maybe make it a number of uses per long rest. Be that proficiency or some mental stat from one of you.
As a DM I'd probably stick it on a pair of magic items you both have to attune too.
Maybe necklaces or diadems/crowns.
I feel like "Rage" is a misnomer for the barbarian's core mechanic, although I don't have an alternative to suggest. Determination seems a better fit, but it definitely doesn't sound as cool.
Battle Trance perhaps?
@@LemanRussVanquisher Grit?
yea :// ) i feel its an epithet aesthetique ov a pending ab-cool queue
I think it depends on the subclass if the Rage is magical. I think the base class, it isn't. I think the idea is just pushing yourself to incredible limits, like the grandmother who lifts the car off the child, or the maniac on PCP.
I been really looking forward to seeing all these class videos can't wait for the next one thanks Jim
Battle Focus - You become hyper focused on battle, through a hyper or hypo emotional state you're focus on battle narrows your concentration in combat. Anger, fear, joy, excitement, the zoomies, maybe you dissociate into an emotionless state, however you want to flavor your Focus that fits your character is up to you.
Spirit's Call - Your ancestors or other spirit/s infuse you with their combat experience while enhancing your body, it takes your concentration to hold onto that knowledge or keep it from overwhelming you.
Feral Brain - You alter your body and the way you think when you enter this state. You become more like the animal you are channeling (or at least how you perceive that animal)
Magic Channel - A source of magic enhances your body and combat prowess. It takes focus to keep yourself infused with this magic or from the magic from overwhelming you.
I’m going to flavor barbarians to being epileptics in tribes where their fits aren’t interpreted as demonic possession. While watching this video I was reminded of an anecdote I heard about a young Turkish woman who came to the United States for college. She began having seizures during her first semester with no past history of epilepsy. It turned out that she was from a family of faith healers who are basically picked from youth for having seizures, but the lifestyle of the healers includes a daily regimen of foods and plant medicines which reduce or eliminate seizures.
I recently homebrewed a barb subclass based on the ability to manipulate the weave of space after a banishment spell cast upon him went awry... he was stuck in the space between spaces with rifts appearing and disappearing all around him, enraged to the extreme that he was stuck with no exit possible... with time his rage turned to focus and that focus let him see the weave of space allowing them to create a rift themselves once per rage for a 60ft teleport... using his new ability to get closer and closer to the bigger rifts appearing in the space between spaces until they came upon one of the bigger rifts and got thru escaping, now they wander the land trying to find thier way back home... at higher levels the control is much better allowing the barb to mitigate damage with defensive rifts around them in the form of temp hp each round, also extending the barb's attack range with mini rifts allowing them to attack in melee at a 30ft range...
worked on this with my dm so it could actually be played, so b4 anyone tries to kill my fun, the dm approved it.
I had alot of fun making this with the dm and I am very excited to play it in our next campaign :)
I absolutely love that and wish to hear more
@@mohammadmurie thanks I can try to leave the abilities and lvls of said abilities as a comment when I get home from work, until then I can try and answer questions if u have anything specific u are curious about :)
@@ticozayas6430 ok thanks probably would have to ask the questions after knowing more about what the features are but still thanks
@@mohammadmurie here you go
Path of the Rift Walker v4
Barbarians who follow the Path of the Rift Walker are not your typical barbarian. They have honed their skills in walking that fine line between rage and serenity, so much so that not only can they see the weave of space around them, but they can use their rage to alter it as well. While raging, they can create rifts in the space around them that allow them great mobility and control of the battlefield.
3rd Rift Walker
6th Rift Striker
10th Improved Rift Walker
14th Rift Master
Rift Walker: At 3rd level, your rage is so focused that you can create rifts in the weave of space large enough to move through. Once per rage, as a bonus action, you can create a rift next to you that exits at an unoccupied space you can see within range, allowing you to instantly move to that space. Note you must have at least 5’ of movement available to move through the rift, and the rift closes immediately behind you. The range of the rift is 60ft.
Rift Striker: At 6th level, you can attack opponents at range through small, temporary rifts in space while raging. These attacks are made as normal melee attacks, and the target is considered to be in melee range for the attacks. These rifts open just long enough for each attack, so the barbarian does not threaten the target and is not considered to be within melee range of the target once the attacks are completed. The range of this ability is 30ft.
Improved Rift Walker: At 10th level, your mastery over rifts grants improvements to your Rift Walking. The range of Rift Walking is now 120ft and is no longer limited by line of sight - you can step though a rift from your current location to any other unoccupied spot within range. You arrive at exactly the spot desired. It can be a place you can see, one you can visualize, or one you can describe by stating distance and direction.
Additionally, you may choose ONE of the following effects when you Rift Walk:
• Road Trip: You can bring one willing creature of your size or smaller who is carrying gear up to its carrying capacity. The creature must be within 5 feet of you when you use this ability. At level 15 this ability grows in power, allowing you to bring up to 6 creatures of your choice within 10ft of your rift.
• Concussive Rift: You have learned to use your rifts to your advantage, causing them to unleash a concussive wave of force at either end of your rift forcing any creature of your choice within 5ft of the rift to make a strength saving throw against your DC (8+prof+str) or they take 2d8 force damage or half as much on a successful save. The damage of this increases to 4d8 at 15th level.
• Healing Rift - Your rifts into the weave of space now touch the threads of time as well. When you rift walk, you can roll hit dice as if you had taken a short rest. These dice are removed from your hit dice total as normal.
Rift Master: At 14th level, your experience with the weave of space has given you the ability to create mini rifts all around you to protect yourself - these mini rifts can redirect some of the damage you would otherwise take. Each round while you are raging, you gain temporary hit points equal to your barbarian level at the start of your turn.
@@ticozayas6430 thank you after work I will take a more in depth look at it
I play a Mandalorian fighter-barbarian whose "rage" isn't actual anger, but him loving his job so much that he laughs at death's face (I've even renamed it on the sheet xD).
Another guy I had was a Scourge Aasimar whose rage I always procced with Radiant Consumption (action and bonus action!), fluffing it as the character's Angelic Guide taking over (so, talking different, using a different language, fighting with different priorities, etc) and the righteous fury of the gods manifesting so hard it actually burned shit around him.
I'd love to see a version of the barbarian where they use their fuckton of hp and resistance to fuel all manners of stuff, like they are THAT intense (sort off narratively taking off from the Scourge Aasimar's Radiant Consumption? Like, they burn so hard and bright shit just *happens*)
Good stream Jim sorry I missed it. But I do love a good barbarian but I do admit I am more in love with the abilities and meta of the pathfinder 2e barbarian with there styles being broken into types of rage represented by different avatars of rage. Like a dragon barbarians rage is the rage related to pride and strong against a single opponent or how the animal styles turn you into a wild unarmed fighter living on instincts to drive it's attacks.
One of my favorite characters was a path of the totem warrior BarBEARian. She was raised by polar bears and traveled with her polar bear sister. She had average intelligence but low wisdom so the bear would sometimes have to advise her against bad ideas.
My favorite barbarian archetype, the sorcerer barbarian; aka, the Anakin Skywalker
Berserker is a personal favorite of mine, and I think people really put the subclass down. I’ve had good use for all of its abilities, i think frenzy is crazy strong from levels 1-11 especially if you only use it once a day. And Intimidating Presence is almost like Swashbuckler’s Panache, and i like that it gives me an ability i can use in social encounters.
Berserker barbarian that freaks out and destroys all with the power of Panic. Immune to mind control because they're too freaked to pay attention to the bad guy's domination spell.
Hard agree on there needing to be different sources of rage. I once had a Barbarian who was a "sorcerer." Instead of learning to crafting the energy outward into spells, she essentially just plunged themselves into the raw energy and overclocked her body. Didn't change anything but was a more fun flavor for me. Wish that the wild magic barbarian was out at the time, would've gone with that instead of storm.
I think the DND one crit mechanics really bring brutal critical to the top of the table when it comes to crits.
I love the barbarian power fantasy
5:00 Barbarian should really be called something like berserker. And barbarian should be a background.
5:15 Except Conan doesn't do the whole rage thing. Conan is a rogue with a barbarian background.
He actually does go into a battle rage a few times in the books though, Conan only does it in two of his stories from what I remember and he only goes into that state when he is backed into a corner but he does do it. I agree that dnd Conan is mostly a fighter and rogue multiclass but I do think he has one or two levels of barbarian to.
@@smuggrog9821 technically true. it says something to the effect of his offensive being so strong that his enemies don't have a chance to deal him serious hurts, meanwhile he's making a bloody shambles of them all (i believe RA Salvator might have copied some of this in some Drizzt book fight descriptions too). I also imagine Conan as something of a tiger in that way that usually you don't see the first devastating hit, and by the time you do, he's so hard into offensive that it's like a steamrolling bull, or he's like what i imagine a Klingon using a bat'leth in real boarding actions would be like... all attack and efficient-kill, then move to the next guy... damn near impossible to stop before everyone else is dead and he slows down enough to feel his wounds and bleed to death from a thousand cuts or whatev. hehe
I like the barbarian look on you, hope fall is treating you well
I personally always head-canoned that Rage was simply a magical adrenaline rush, called Rage because the people of the world didn't know better when they originally encountered it and named it.
Heck yeah! New Web DM.
ikr, i had to sign in to like it just for the thumbnail alone too!
I love Barbarians. My favorite was a scourge aasimar zealot barbarian. He had high consistent damage. He was one of those divinely inspired/controlled individuals.
I wish some of the scaling was better over all for classes, but I feel it with barbarian subclasses. Currently playing a beast barbarian, and after 6th level their natural weapons don't scale anymore, no extra damage or boost to hit, meaning a core feature of the class ends up becoming obsolete.
I'd also love to see a mage slayer archetype that brings us back to the origins of the barbarian. Have them sunder spells or magic weapons, or reflect them back with a swing of their weapon. I've homebrewed a subclass, but I would like to see something official.
i don't personally know how popular wrecking magic items is going to be, but i do like the idea of homebrew-modifying the beast barb for reasons you said.
@@Dack.howaboutyou wrecking magic items is usually not common unless a magic item is part of the plot, although I've broken some crystal balls and magal shards used to control elementals. With my homebrew barbarian he certainly uses his ability to cast dispel magic on hit quite often.
I took inspiration from the blood hunter werewolf option. After 6th level the natural weapons become +1/+2/+3 to keep them somewhat relevant.
Man that RIP warlord made my heart sink. I loved those folks.
I'm planning to allow barbarians to keep their rage going by making Strength checks.
Although, I'm placing a guideline of "difficult" to keep it from getting too gamified
i was thinking something along the same lines but maybe just like, "you can keep it going by slapping yourself around a bit for 1 damage" lol or maybe cutting, you know, sort of insane stuff like that :P
Still not sure if the "barbarian class" should be this all-out-attack, crazy, uncivilized, berzerker though... like JD says, it seems like they're trying to cram too many things together at once, or not enough. I actually agree when he said something like "it could easily just be a sub-class of fighter", ranger, (rogue, monk, druid, or even bard).
I've actually ran with rage as more like the Speed force.
Its a primal energy that Barbarians can tap into to accomplish their great feats of strength and resistance.
Also I dislike the "barbarians don't learn how to fight." I think that the better barbarians I have played generally have had some combat training. Not regimented, not necessarily "formal soldier" training, but they have had some sort "You hold this weapon this way, and you use it against that weapon this way. If someone is wearing armor, you hit them in *these* places."
Barbarians arent smart but they arent "Dumb", I think a great archetypical Barbarian personality is TFS's Goku. He is not winning ANY contest of intellect, but when it comes to his craft, fighting, yes he is very smart; he's spent his whole life learning to fight, and thinking about fighting, and fighting opponents very often to the death, or near death. He isnt the guy you turn to when you need math done, or when you have big philisophical questions. But he can tell you point by point what you are doing wrong and how you are about to get your shit wrecked.
Wolverine seems like a good way to spin a barbarian.
Also I agree that Rage could be reflavored to any strong emotion. The main character in the Dresden Files often describes how emotions affect his spells - fear for his friends, guilt for putting them at risk, anger at being in the situation…
Intimidation should be based on str for Barbarians.
You have captured the barbarian in a way no one else has been able to articulate to me. It has been very difficult to break through that angry meathead stereotype for me and I think I'm finally able to enjoy this class on its own merit.
I played a High Charisma Goliath Barbarian named “Andre the Halfgiant” he was probably my favorite character. Having a mountain of a man negotiate payment or trying to take the peaceful route was great…. But you want to try and screw over his friends and you’d get thrown off a cliff. Lol
Totally agree Rage should get the Paladin Oath 5e treatment and let it be fluffable.
17:15 Yeah that really hampers your ability to be a smart outdoorsy type.
I think having rage last as many rounds equal to your proficiency bonus, and then it refreshes with the current conditions would be a pretty easy fix
Do you mean that it has the current rules as written with a rider that your rage ends early unless you do attack, take damage, or etc. within a number of rounds equal to your proficiency bonus? That may work. If you are saying like old school Rage last a number of rounds equal to your proficiency mod, I am not sure I agree. Currently it last for 1 minute which is 10 turns. If you were going to do proficiency mod number of turns you could maybe to Proficiency Mod + CON Mod, with no limitations. That would early on be like 5 rounds by mid game would be like 8 and even though it is a shorter duration there would be no drawbacks. Also 10 rounds is a long combat early.
i agree, as long as we assume you mean that it lasts that long AFTER it would normally have cut off due to the conditions listed currently as a requirement to keep it going.
I think barbs should be able to heal by eating, like the lizard man. Like imagine being low health and instead of hitting a monster you bite in and swallow a chunk and absorb a d6 of hp
Hi, how is the kickstarter going? I asked a question several days ago and no answer.
Wow 😳 hot takes in this vid lol
Barbar go bonk
How can it be uncontrollable rage when you can decide when to Rage? It's more like combat instinct
Obviously 4 days after the video, but...
Alternative names for Rage:
Battle Surge
Combat Trance
Fighting Spirit
Maximum Effort
Off the top of my head.
Edit: + Adrenaline Rush
Really i feel martials in 5e Really suck and barbarian sucks the most. At least fighters get some intresting stuff barbarians can essentially only be played one way and then what they do every round is the same thing. I rage (if I'm not raging) and I attack recklessly with my GWM great axe.
I played a barbarian as my first 5e character and I felt it was so boring. Of course I tried to build a viking style sword and board barbarian and it didn't work for crap.
But my problem may partially have been a DM who really didn't like me trying to play a barbarian who wasn't Grog Strongjaw.
Again, as I've said before, the solution is to steal from 4th edition for the martial classes. They get two powers that can only be used once per round, one power that can be used every encounter, and a daily power that's once every 24 hours, along with some "utility" powers that can only be used outside of combat. Then you have the martial class pick their "martial arts style" to gain a selection of choices if round, encounter, and daily powers they'll get over time as they level up. For the barbarian their "rage" would just be an encounter power, where you get bonus strength and temporary HP for 1 minute every combat encounter. When the rage is over, they can fall back on their daily powers (those they still have) and their once-per-round powers.
It still wouldn't be as powerful a the 20-something spells the mystic classes get, but it would give them some potential beyond just "hit stuff with weapon" or the "you get spells with this sub-class" thing that 5e is doing right now. If only 4th edition wasn't so hated by fans.
I wish rage damage doubled with crits
A storm rages outside, but we do not say the sky is mad. Is the ocean mad when there are raging waves? If a war is raging on, is everyone unreasonably mad, or is there fear, greed, lust, power hunger mixed in? The problem isn't the word "rage", it is the conceptualization of it that is failing. A raging lunatic might be cackling with eyes wide, hand helds to the sky in insane glee.
Barbarians battle rage. They become the tempest, the burning fire, the center of great fury and action. Maybe angry, but perhaps bloodlusted, perhaps laughing like a lunatic.
Rage isn't a one dimensional word for anger. That exists and it's "Anger".
I have a chaos witch npc in my campaign. She's an elven princess that lives far away from the capital because of her chaos magic. Every time she casts a spell I roll on the wild magic sorcerer table, and every time she takes any other action I roll on the wild magic barbarian table.
Her girlfriend is the keeper of souls for the orc barbarian tribe they live with. A warlord stat block with all the features from ancestral guardian. The girlfriend's brother is the chief of the barbarian tribe. A warlord with all the features from Zealot Barb, with the theme being he draws his powers from the living members of the tribe.
There's also an elven vizier tasked with teaching and guarding the princess, but unlike all scheming evil stereotype viziers he spends most of his time flirting with big muscular shirtless orcs.
These 4 npcs and the orc tribe they lead are meant to be allies of the party, but if first contact goes wrong the players may side with the clearly racist human prince wanting to marry the princess just to get the logging rights for her people's sacred forests, the cliche scheming evil vizier plotting to assassinate the prince, and the clueless body guard. If the players make the chaos witch and her orcs an enemy she is more than ready to throw down.
What happened to your friend and comrade?
if you mean Pruit, he's been doing more backstage stuff for a year or so. They have a vid about it on here somewhere. Here i found the video for you: ua-cam.com/video/RUOF3sybD8U/v-deo.html
He's got a "real job" in addition to WebDM an said something about just needing a break from the "on video time" he was putting in since it "was just 'not something he was looking forward to doing' as much lately" (or something to that effect; i'm paraphrasing, so don't take my word for it, watch the video yourself ;)).
@@Dack.howaboutyou 🥲 I love Pruit.
Get rid of warlock, when the only difference between Wizard and Sorcerers is metamagic??? Who are you kidding???
I dislike the concept of a base barbarian as a "tank".
A shirtless guy with a big weapon? Thats not a tank thats a glass cannon that hits like a truck.
Barbarians survivability should be reduced and damage increased. Also given ability to affect the battlefield through their sheer power.
:) i certainly agree that what you say should be more of an option than the confused mix-up that the class is currently. I don't think it would even be that difficult to fix either! This vid inspired me and i've written up a bunch of different ways to alter some of the basic abilities to be more in line with each other, as well as other options that move features/abilities around to different levels or in/out of sub-classes etc... but i think what i would choose would come down to working on the character with my GM and/or party in some sort of session-zero style way (even if i was the GM, not just the Barb player).
I should stop watching dnd content.... It just makes me want to play again... And i have no friends..... And my family is always "too busy". And roll 20 just feels empty..... I hate life.