## Path of the Riastrad For some barbarians, the power of their rage develops beyond the limits of what their body can contain. The Path of the Riastrad is a specialized progression tree for barbarians that substitutes the typical barbarian rage skill for a high risk, high reward Warp Spasm skill that twists the barbarian's form into impossible, terrible shapes; physical manifestations of the barbarian's endless battlelust.

### Warp Spasm Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, your rage still confers bonus rage damage as normal, but no longer confers resistance to bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage or gives advantage on strength checks and saving throws. Your rage instead now confers 2 effects to your character from the Warp Spasm Effect Table as well as 1 effect from the Side Effects table below. If the rolls for the 2 effects are identical, reroll the 2nd effect until you get a different result.

### Flux Overdrive Beginning at 6th level, your body begins to adapt to the effects of your Warp Spasm as you learn how to use your shifting physiology to defend yourself, as well as gain the ability to push your body beyond its absolute limits. Entering your Warp Spasm Rage now grants temporary hitpoints equal to twice your barbarian level. When the last temporary hitpoint from this feature is lost, all creatures within 5 feet of you must make a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed back 5 feet and knocked prone. Additionally, while raging you are now able to cast a limited version of Freedom of Movement on yourself as a bonus action once per day. The effect of this spell ends when your rage ends. After casting the spell, damage received will cause your hit point maximum to lower along with your current hitpoints until your next long rest, at which point it will reset to its normal value.

### Warp Strike Beginning at 10th level, your battle prowess gives you a level of control over the nature of your rage-warped form, as well as the ability to inflict others with the side effects of your rage. You gain the ability to Warp Strike 3 times per day. On a successful attack against an enemy, you may either choose to reroll a Warp Spasm effect of your choice currently active on yourself or to confer a negative effect to the enemy struck by your attack, rolled on the Side Effect table. These effects end when your rage ends.

### Flux Mastery Beginning at 14th level, you have mastered the change brought on by the Warp Spasm. Once per rage, as a bonus action you may either roll an additional Warp Spasm effect on yourself, allowing for 3 simultaneous active Warp Spasm effects, or you may reroll the currently active side effect for your rage.

##### Path of the Riastrad Features | Barbarian Level | Feature | |:----:|:-------------| | 3rd | Warp Spasm | | 6th | Flux Overdrive | | 10th | Warp Strike | | 14th | Flux Mastery |

"...The first warp-spasm seized Cúchulainn, and made him into a monstrous thing, hideous and shapeless, unheard of. His shanks and his joints, every knuckle and angle and organ from head to foot, shook like a tree in the flood or a reed in the stream. His body made a furious twist inside his skin, so that his feet and shins switched to the rear and his heels and calves switched to the front... On his head the temple-sinews stretched to the nape of his neck, each mighty, immense, measureless knob as big as the head of a month-old child...His mouth weirdly distorted: his cheek peeled back from his jaws until the gullet appeared, his lungs and his liver flapped in his mouth and throat, his lower jaw struck the upper a lion-killing blow, and fiery flakes large as a ram's fleece reached his mouth from his throat..." -Thomas Kinsella, *The Táin*

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##### Warp Spasm Effects | d20 | Effect | |:----:|:-------------| | 1 | Every muscle in your body stretches and shifts, growing outwards. Your size becomes Large, you gain advantage on strength checks and saving throws, and your attacks do an additional 1d4 damage. | | 2 | Fiery flakes as large as a ram's fleece spew out of your throat. Gain fire breath weapon per the Dragonborn racial feature. If you *are* a Dragonborn, this still allows for the use of your racial breath weapon as normal.| | 3 | One arm becomes long, sinewy and tightly muscled. Gain +2 strength and an extra 5 feet of reach. | | 4 | Your hair bristles into razor sharp spikes. A creature that touches the barbarian or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 1d10 piercing damage.| | 5 | Your kneecaps shift backwards inside your legs; making them digitigrade. +2 Dexterity, speed increases by 15. | | 6 | Your back muscles knot and twist themselves into the shape of a demon's face. +2 to attack rolls, and rage bonus damage is doubled. | | 7 | Your triceps muscles triple in size. Thrown weapon normal and long range value is tripled. | | 8 | You grow large, clawlike hands and feet with 7 digits per limb. Speed increased by 5, unarmed attacks do 1d4 extra slashing damage and you gain a climb speed equal to your walking speed. | | 9 | The skin on your face peels back, exposing your skull and muscle tissue. At the start of your rage, any creature you are facing that can see you within 60 feet must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute, save ends. | | 10 | Your back muscles and spinal cord twist and turn in fury, increasing your swing speed. Gain 1 extra attack per turn. | | 11 | Your head begins glowing with a brilliant light. Any ally within 60 feet of this light gains 5 temporary HP once per rage. You can also force 1 enemy as a bonus action to make a DC 14 Constitution save or be blinded for 1 round. | | 12 | One leg becomes impossibly dense and muscled. + 2 dexterity, jump height is tripled. | | 13 | Your trapezius and shoulder muscles warp and expand to form a dense muscular covering over your upper body. You are immune to critical hits, and your strikes are considered critical on a 19 or a 20. | | 14 | The veins under your skin begin to blacken and pulse erratically. As a reaction when you take piercing or slashing damage, you cause black blood to spray from your wound, each creature within 5 feet of you takes 2d6 poison damage. | | 15 | Your skeleton thickens and forms protective bone-spur structures. +2 AC and advantage on grapple checks.| | 16 | Your flesh begins to roil, with new skin quickly covering wounds. Gain regeneration 4 once per turn. | | 17 | Your heart triples in size, and becomes visible on the outside of your chest. Gain the effects of the Haste spell for the duration of the rage. | | 18 | Your muscles rearrange themselves in a more resilient pattern. Gain resistance to all nonmagical damage.| | 19 | Your brainstem expands along your spine, covering your back muscles with brainlike matter. Gain immunity to psychic damage and resistance to elemental damage. | | 20 | You may roll twice and select either result as your warp spasm effect. |

##### Side Effects | d12 | Effect | |:----:|:-------------| | 1 | You lose the ability to discern friend from foe. At the start of every turn during your rage, make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. A failed save compels you to move up to your speed towards the nearest living creature you can see and make at least 1 melee attack. | | 2 | Your feet and shins switch to the rear and your heels and calves switch to the front. Speed reduced by 15. | | 3 | One of your eyes gets sucked into your skull while the other pops out and falls along your cheek. Vision is halved, and you have disadvantage on ranged attacks. | | 4 | Your lungs flap out of your throat. Take 1 point of exhaustion. If you rage for 4 or less consecutive rounds, this point of exhaustion is lost when your rage ends.| | 5 | Your liver is exposed. Gain vulnerability to piercing. | | 6 | Your body structure destabilizes. Gain vulnerability to force damage. | | 7 | An artery bursts. At the start of your rage, take 2d10 piercing damage | | 8 | Your eardrums are turned inside out. You are deafened. | | 9 | A spout of blood shoots continuously out of the top of your head. At the beginning of your turns, make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, take 1d6 piercing damage. | | 10 | Your higher brain functions shut down. You have disadvantage on Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws, and can no longer comprehend any languages. | | 11 | You may roll on the side effects table twice and use either result. | | 12 | No side effect. |

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