Big, hulking feral monster hidden behind flesh and bone, what else can be used to summarise a barbarian in D&D? Capable of big damage, and being able to take it too. As the first class alphabetically, not regarding the supplementary Artificer, the Barbarian serves as a great class for those starting out with the TTRPG, and a personal favourite of mine. Fifth Edition saw the Barbarian go from a magic-hating brute to a class of enjoyment and embrace of things that were once alien to barbarians, like literacy. These toughies are best to play when using Fifth Edition,
Whereas paladins have divine magic, and monks have spiritual guidance, and fighters have finesse, Barbarians will have their enemies squished under their greataxes and battlehammers within two actions! To put it simply, the purpose of being a barbarian is to be the tank for the rest of your party. At Level 1 of being a barbarian, a character will be given a hit dice of a d12, meaning they could handle a Power Word Kill at level 10 with just a constitution modifier of +2. When it comes to proficiencies, it is easy to see why Barbarians are known for hitting things good and not much else, they are given only two skills to pick from, being;
- Animal Handling
- Athletics
- Intimidation
- Nature
- Perception
- Survival
Now, it may seem like not a lot of choice, but still, the Barbarian does allow itself a broad sense of ideas on what a barbarian is. You can pick the two stereotypical options, being Athletics and Intimidation. Run in, shout, and repeat. Although, a barbarian, having come from primal instincts, may be better suited to the likes of Survival, Nature, or Animal Handling. It can make for well-oriented ideas of barbarians, but the rest of this article will focus on the traditional idea of a barbarian.
Also, at level 1, the key component to the barbarian is revealed as a feature. The rage, anger boiling the blood of a maddened one in combat, within ‘Primal Ferocity’. Allowing for advantage (which means to roll twice and to take the higher roll) on strength checks and saving throws, as well as bonuses to your damage, as well as resistances to the usual forms of physical damage. Rage is a key feature that separates barbarians from the other classes, and scales in its use with the level of your character! Going from +2 to +4 with your damage rolls may not seem like a lot, but with the Reckless Attack feature at second level, allowing for advantage on attack rolls, at the cost of attack rolls against yourself being made with advantage, it can make or break a fight.
The image of a barbarian is usually a nomadic warrior without armour, and unarmoured defence emphasises this. It allows for barbarians to get a higher Armour Class thanks to simply being a barbarian, bringing forward the ‘Tank’ aspect to this class. Although, not much else in the department of defence is needed as a barbarian. Great Axes and mauls require two hands to be used with efficiency, and having a shield only weakens what could be a rather violent foe for the enemies. As the barbarian levels up, their physical capabilities are furthered to extreme scale, especially at fifth level. An extra attack is given for these hulking brutes to use, along with Fast Movement, making these warriors just as agile as they are deadly. Further, these behemoths gain brutal criticals, dealing even more damage than they were already capable of. Damage can become insurmountable, these unconquerable juggernauts boasting their strength to a degree that’d overwhelm any poor kobold found by them.
When it comes to high-level experiences as the Barbarian, it does begin to slowly rely on the subclass you pick, but those few and far between new abilities do make their impact. Relentless Rage at Level 11 is just spitting in the face of death and choosing to not die. Persistent Rage makes the ability have only one limit, that being the Barbarian needs to stay conscious in order to be raging. Although, what I believe to be one of the most astonishing abilities that really cements the barbarian as a high-roller colossus is known as Indomitable Might. This 18th-level ability guarantees a success for many checks regardless of what you roll. Essentially, if your total for a strength check (this includes athletics!) is less than your strength score, you can use that score in place of the total. With strength being integral to your character as a barbarian, a feature like this one can only enforce an idea of an unstoppable force. Lastly, for the core features of a barbarian, you are able to exceed the ability score limit of a 20 and have your strength and constitution become unmatched in all the planes. Truly, barbarians are a simple fact of being able to hit people better than anybody else, and take anyone’s hits with no care.
In conclusion, Barbarians are the deadliest brute force you can pick within the core classes. Constantly hitting, and making sure you won’t need to hit your target twice. Below, is a short, more specific explanation of a good place to start off for beginners.
The recommended race for a barbarian is Half-Orc. An easy choice, as it gives boosts to your strength, along with the added bonus of gaining proficiency in intimidation. Soldier as a background is perfect for a barbarian, along with folk hero being a good choice. Choice between the two won’t matter too much. For standard array, the key form of choosing starting abilities, prioritise in this order;
- Strength
- Constitution
- Dexterity
- Wisdom
- Charisma
- Intelligence
Half-Orc, strength as the prioritised ability, along with soldier as a background can ensure that being an axe-wielding maniac will work. Your enemies will shiver and even if your allies won’t admit it, they’re happy with a half-orc shield to keep them from dying. Just make sure not to get attacked by any psionic enemies.
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