Barbarian - Base Class

Duncehack Edition

So who are you?

Just some tosser with an over inflated sense of self importance.

Send verbal abuse via Minds.com

What is the Duncehack?

It emerged from a place of frustration. There's quite a number of areas where 5e could be improved but... it's not going to happen for various reasons.

The Duncehack is my attempt to fix these problems I have. Plan is to go through the whole game - all of it - and homebrew it into the game I think is should have been.

Feel free to disagree with me, but ultimately I think there's no harm in putting my thoughts out there, at the very least if even one DM decides to adopt these rules, then my job is done.

No DM Guild? No OGL Release?

I chafe under binding contracts and both of these are exactly that.

The DM Guild gives you more room to mess with established rules, but basically demands that all be under the service of flagship settings.

The SRD on the other hand gives more room for interesting settings but clamps down extremely hard on what established rules you're allowed to use. Their biggest contention is that they don't want someone to sell a sourcebook that removes the need for core books. Translation: they don't want Pathfinder to happen all over again.

More to the point, both assume money will change hands. I don't want money, I just want Wizards to fix their game.

Groundrules

Groundrules for the Duncehack are as follows:

• No Nerfs: the goal is to bring weaker archetypes on the level of the stronger ones.

• Remove Traps: incentives built into classes and archetypes should provide an active payoff, rather than be the suboptimal choice.

• Frontload Agency, Backend Power: Generally speaking, people like having more options to do things, rather than more raw power. As a design rule: things that feel like core class features, or are defining class mechanics, should happen in the first ten levels, sheer numeric increases in power should come after that.

No money changed hands here

This is a passion project. I want to keep it that way.

I also want to avoid legal issues for self-evident reasons.

No UA?

Too much changes between UA and official release.

The fewer corrections I have the do between UA changes, the better.

Obligatory Natural Crit Plug

http://www.naturalcrit.com/

Someone else made a thing that lets me make homebrews without having to post them on pastebin or something. They deserve a lot of credit for that.

Obligatory /tg/ Plug

The feedback I got from various Anons on this helped me build it into something that wasn't bad and stupid.

Special thanks to the anon who helped me out with the Storm Herald, I wouldn't have realised how much work it needed to be on par with the other archetypes had you not explained its failings, so thank you very much.

No Images?

Needed to get it under 8mb so I could upload it literally anywhere.

So what in Barbarian needs fixing?

Not much really, as Barbarians are one of the best rounded classes in the game.

The main thing is addressing the lack of parity between the archetypes, the base class is otherwise solid, though I think it could use some quality of life tweaks.

What Went Wrong?

Firstly, there's not much Barbarians as such need, as mentioned before it's the lack of parity between Barbarian archetypes that's the main concern (and that's handled over in the Archetypes writeup).

There are a couple of places where the main class could use some love, but please understand these are mere nitpicks - the dealbreakers are largely reserved for Rangers for me.

Worthless against ranged/fliers

While everything about the Barbarian design is screaming at them to run into melee and rip and tear, the fact of the matter is, sometimes that's just not an option. Maybe they're on a cliff, or they're flying, either way the Barbarian has nothing.

While you could easily levy that complaint at other classes, it feels a little disingenuious to do so. Monks have entire archetypes dedicated to playing the ranged game, moreover the ability to run up walls is a core class feature (9th level, as part of the writeup of Unarmoured Movement).

Paladins have built-in defensive utility with auras and spells that can be levied to support characters more suited to the task.

Fighters (and to an extent this applies to melee focused Rangers) can still apply their class features in a ranged battle even if their particular build makes it less effective to do so.

Barbarians have... martial weapon proficiency.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not advocating that they compete with Rangers for bow use, nothing that extreme at all. I'm more biased towards a Paladin approach, where even if they can't play the ranged game, they can still do something of value to the party.

Lack of (Out of Combat) Utility

Tasha's went a small ways toward ameliorating this, a couple extra skill proficiencies does wonders to a class otherwise bereft of them.

In saying that, outside of skill proficiencies and a couple very niche archetype features, the Barbarian still only brings smashing things to the table. Other classes (I'm looking at you Paladin), can match its damage output and have a utility portfolio worth mentioning.

Barbarians shouldn't be competing with Rogues for skills, but should offer more than moral support when it's not about to turn into a fight.

Lack of Build Expression

Other classes have some level of internal choices built in, even if they're largely limited. Between spells, fighting styles, or just the choice between Dexterity or Strength focus, there's at least a meaningful difference between two players' characters.

For Barbarians however there's your Archetype. You could call your weapon a meaningful choice at a stretch, but even then there's only about three options worth considering.

Class Features

As a Barbarian, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d12 per Barbarian level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per Barbarian level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armor: light armor, medium armor, shields, greatshields
• Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: One of: Herbalism Kit, Brewer's Tools, Woodcarver's Tools, Leatherworker's Tools, Cook's Utensils

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• Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
• Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Survival.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a greataxe or (b) any martial melee weapon
• (a) any two simple weapons or (b) hide armor and shield
• (a) a battleaxe or (b) two handaxes
• Tools of a kind you are proficient with
• An explorer's pack, and five javelins

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 or thrown weapon attack, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll. This bonus increases as you level, becoming +3 at 5th, +4 at 9th, +5 at 13th, and +6 at 17th.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
• Bonus action weapon attacks from two weapon fighting, or bonus weapon attacks imparted by a property of the weapon, may be made in the same bonus action as Rage, or as any Rage-based features (such as the extra bonus action attack provided by the Berzerker's Frenzy feature, or the Storm features in the Storm Herald primal path).

If you are able to cast spells, you can't cast them or concentrate on them while raging.

Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.

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

Fighting Style

You gain a fighting style of your choice.

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.

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.

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 weapon attack rolls during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Primal Knowledge

When you reach 3rd level and again at 10th level, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice from the list of skills available to barbarians at 1st level.

In addition, during a short or a long rest, you and friendly creatures taking the rest with you, gain +5 to Passive Perception and Stealth, as you use your primal understanding to help lay camp away from the threats in the wild.

Primal Path

At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage from the list of available paths. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement

At 4th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th and 19th levels you gain +2 to one ability score, or +1 to two ability scores. You cannot raise an ability score above 20 this way.

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.

Instinctive Pounce

At 7th level, as part of the bonus action you take to enter your rage, you can move up to half your speed.

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 weapon attack.

This increases to two additional dice at 11th level, three additional dice at 13th level, four additional dice at 15th level, and five 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.

In addition, you restore one usage of your rage feature on a short rest.

Indomitable Might

Beginning at 13th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than half your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

This feature uses your full strength score instead once you reach 18th 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.

Unstoppable Force

At 17th level, if you fail your Relentless Rage saving throw, you may spend a reaction to pass instead and reset the DC to 10.

You regain usage of this feature after you finish a long rest.

Remorseless Strike

At 18th level, you can channel your rage into a finishing blow. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can end your rage to turn the hit into a critical hit.

You cannot enter Rage again in the same turn as you use this feature.

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.

Changelist and Rationale

To keep track of the changes from the official writeup.

Proficiencies

• Added Greatshields (to futureproof on equipment changes in the rest of the hack).
• Added a choice of tool proficiency - One of: Herbalism Kit, Brewer's Tools, Woodcarver's Tools, Leatherworker's Tools, Cook's Utensils

Equipment

• Added the line "(a) any two handaxes or (b) hide armor and shield"
• Added the line "(a) a battleaxe or (b) two handaxes"
  • These two lines replace the previous version of "(a) two handaxes or (b) any simple weapon"
• Added "Tools of a kind you are proficient with"
• Added an extra Javelin (if Paladins get 5, why don't Barbarians?)

Fighting Style

• Added at first level.

Rage

• Changed the rage damage bonus from 2-4, to 2-6.
• Cleared redundant wording of "Strength based melee weapons".
• Allowed offhanding alongside rage based features.

Reckless Attack

• Changed the wording to allow for any weaponry.

Primal Knowledge

• Added +5 to Passive Perception and Stealth when making short or long rests.

Ability Score Increase

• An extra ASI at 10th level.

Brutal Critical

• Increases its extra dice at 11th and 15th levels (total of 5 extra dice).

Relentless Rage

• Also gives one usage of rage back on a short rest.

Indomitable Might

• "Moved" to 13th level (in reality, a "half-strength version" was introduced at 13th, and the PHB version at 18th is unchanged.

Unstoppable Force

• Added at 17th level.

Remorseless Strike

• Added at 18th level.