In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5e), the Barbarian class is a fierce, primal warrior class renowned for their strength, stamina, and unwavering demeanor. Few classes are as capable of taking damage and dealing devastating blows as the Barbarian. An extensive examination of the 5e Barbarian class, including skills, subclasses, feats, and advice on how to create a Barbarian that is well-suited for any game, will be given in this guide.
5e Barbarian
A 5e Barbarian is a character class in the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5e). Barbarians are known for their incredible physical power, endurance, and primal rage. They specialize in melee combat, relying on brute strength and durability to fight enemies head-on. Barbarians are often depicted as fierce, wild warriors with a connection to their primal instincts, allowing them to enter a state of Rage during battle.
What is a Barbarian in 5e?
Barbarians are fierce warriors who rely on their sheer strength and toughness to overpower their enemies. Unlike more disciplined fighters who rely on precise tactics, Barbarians unleash their primal fury through Rage, increasing their ability to deal damage and resist incoming blows.
A Barbarian’s primary function is to be a front-line combatant. With a high hit point pool and an array of abilities focused on damage mitigation, Barbarians excel at soaking up enemy hits. Their unique class features, such as Rage and Unarmored Defense, allow them to take on multiple foes at once and remain standing.
Key Barbarian Features
- Hit Points: The Barbarian class has the highest hit dice in the game (d12), giving them a massive health pool.
- Rage: Boosts damage output and grants resistance to physical damage types (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing).
- Unarmored Defense: Allows a Barbarian to add their Constitution modifier to their Armor Class (AC) when not wearing heavy armor.
- Reckless Attack: Grants advantage on attack rolls at the cost of giving enemies advantage on attacks against the Barbarian.
- Danger Sense: Provides advantage on Dexterity saving throws against traps and spells that require you to dodge.
Building a Barbarian in 5e: Key Choices
When creating a Barbarian character, you’ll need to make several important decisions that will shape how your character performs in combat and roleplaying scenarios.
Choosing Your Race
Races play a significant role in shaping your Barbarian’s attributes, so it’s essential to choose wisely. Here are some great races for Barbarian characters:
Half-Orc
- Ability Score Increases: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution
- Relentless Endurance: When reduced to 0 hit points, you can drop to 1 hit point instead once per long rest.
- Savage Attacks: Extra damage on critical hits.
Goliath
- Ability Score Increases: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution
- Stone’s Endurance: You can reduce damage you take once per short rest, reflecting the Goliath’s natural toughness.
Mountain Dwarf
- Ability Score Increases: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
- Dwarven Resilience: Resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against poison.
Ability Scores
The two most critical ability scores for Barbarians are Strength and Constitution.
- Strength: This governs how well a Barbarian can hit enemies in melee combat and determines the amount of damage they can deal. Always make Strength your highest ability score.
- Constitution: Increases your hit points and contributes to your ability to withstand damage. This should be your second highest score.
Other scores, such as Dexterity (for initiative) and Wisdom (for saving throws), are also useful but secondary to Strength and Constitution.
Barbarian Class Features in Depth
Let’s break down the Barbarian’s core class features and how they function in 5e.
Rage (Level 1)
Rage is the hallmark of the Barbarian class. When you rage, you gain several benefits:
- Advantage on Strength checks and saving throws.
- Bonus damage to melee weapon attacks using Strength.
- Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Rage lasts for one minute and can be used a certain number of times per day, increasing as you level up.
Tactical Tip: Use Rage when you expect a tough fight or are about to be surrounded by multiple enemies. Since you gain resistance to physical damage, it greatly increases your survivability.
Unarmored Defense (Level 1)
Barbarians can forgo wearing armor, using their Constitution and Dexterity modifiers to determine their Armor Class (AC). This allows for more flexible builds since you aren’t reliant on armor to protect yourself.
Formula: AC = 10 + Dexterity modifier + Constitution modifier.
Reckless Attack (Level 2)
Reckless Attack allows you to gain advantage on your attack rolls for a round, at the cost of granting enemies advantage when they attack you.
Tactical Tip: Use Reckless Attack when you need to deal damage quickly or are confident in your ability to avoid attacks through high AC or Rage.
Danger Sense (Level 2)
Danger Sense gives you advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects you can see, such as traps or spells. This is invaluable in avoiding damage from traps and area-of-effect spells like Fireball.
Extra Attack (Level 5)
At 5th level, Barbarians gain the ability to make two attacks whenever they take the Attack action. This drastically increases their damage output and makes them even more effective in combat.
Barbarian Subclasses (Primal Paths)
When Barbarians reach level 3, they must choose a Primal Path—a subclass that further refines their abilities. Here are the most popular options and what they offer.
Path of the Berserker
The Path of the Berserker is perfect for Barbarians who want to embrace their Rage to its fullest extent.
Key Features:
- Frenzy: You can make an additional melee attack when you Rage, but after your Rage ends, you suffer a level of exhaustion.
- Mindless Rage: While raging, you cannot be charmed or frightened, making you a solid frontline defender.
- Retaliation: When you take damage, you can use your reaction to attack the enemy that hit you.
Tactical Tip: Berserkers deal a lot of damage but can burn out quickly due to exhaustion. Use Frenzy in shorter, intense fights.
Path of the Totem Warrior
The Totem Warrior offers versatility and enhances a Barbarian’s durability with animal-themed totems.
Key Features:
- Totem Spirit (Bear): While raging, you gain resistance to all damage except psychic.
- Aspect of the Beast (Eagle): You can dash as a bonus action, making you incredibly mobile in combat.
- Totemic Attunement (Wolf): While raging, allies have advantage on melee attack rolls against creatures within 5 feet of you.
Tactical Tip: The Bear totem makes you nearly invincible while raging, and the Wolf totem helps your allies in combat.
Path of the Ancestral Guardian
This subclass provides defensive support for your party by drawing on ancestral spirits to protect your allies.
Key Features:
- Ancestral Protectors: When you hit a creature while raging, it suffers disadvantage on attacks against targets other than you.
- Spirit Shield: You can use your reaction to reduce damage taken by an ally within 30 feet.
- Vengeful Ancestors: When you use Spirit Shield, the attacking creature takes force damage.
Tactical Tip: This path turns you into a protector for your team, drawing enemy attacks away from vulnerable allies.
Path of the Zealot
A divine-powered Barbarian with abilities that make them nearly impossible to kill in battle.
Key Features:
- Divine Fury: Adds extra radiant or necrotic damage to your attacks while raging.
- Fanatical Focus: You can reroll a failed saving throw once per rage.
- Rage Beyond Death: You can keep fighting even at 0 hit points while raging. You don’t fall unconscious until your Rage ends.
Tactical Tip: Zealots are fantastic for high-damage, reckless playstyles, and can survive situations that would kill other Barbarians.
Recommended Barbarian Feats
While ability score increases (ASI) are essential, taking feats can greatly enhance your Barbarian’s effectiveness. Here are some of the best feats for Barbarians:
Great Weapon Master
This feat allows you to take a -5 penalty to your attack roll to gain +10 to damage, making it one of the best feats for Barbarians focused on dealing massive damage.
Tough
Increases your hit point maximum by an amount equal to twice your level, making you even more resilient in combat.
Alert
Grants a +5 bonus to initiative and prevents you from being surprised, ensuring that you’re always one of the first to act in combat.
Sentinel
Allows you to stop enemies from moving past you by reducing their speed to 0 when you hit them with an opportunity attack, making it great for Barbarians who want to control the battlefield.
Barbarian Multiclassing Options
Multiclassing can enhance certain aspects of your Barbarian’s abilities. Here are a few popular multiclass options:
Barbarian/Fighter
Taking a few levels in Fighter can give you access to Action Surge, allowing you to take an extra action on your turn, which is perfect for Barbarians looking to deal even more damage.
Barbarian/Rogue
This combination grants the Sneak Attack ability, which can add extra damage to your attacks if you can meet the conditions (usually by having an ally adjacent to the target).
Barbarian/Druid
Combining Barbarian with Druid levels lets you access healing spells and the ability to Wild Shape into animals. This can give your Barbarian utility outside of combat.
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Conclusion
In D&D 5e, the Barbarian is a fantastic class that excels in both offense and defense and has powers that practically make them invincible in battle. The Barbarian has the means to be successful whether you decide to construct a simple damage dealer or a multipurpose tank that wards off attacks from your group.
You may make your Barbarian a formidable opponent on the battlefield by combining the appropriate feats, skills, and subclasses to give and take massive amounts of damage. So take out your weapon, let loose with your fury, and cut a route through your adversaries!
FAQs
What is the best race for a Barbarian in 5e?
Half-Orc and Goliath are two of the best options due to their Strength and Constitution bonuses, as well as abilities like Relentless Endurance and Stone’s Endurance that improve survivability.
What’s the most important ability score for a Barbarian?
Strength is the most important ability score, as it affects your melee attack rolls and damage. Constitution is a close second, increasing your hit points and durability.
Can Barbarians wear armor?
Yes, but Barbarians often prefer to go without heavy armor due to their Unarmored Defense feature, which allows them to use their Constitution and Dexterity modifiers to calculate AC.
