Barbarian 12 · Path of the Totem Warrior · Mountain Dwarf · The Lightbringers · CY 596
Current level highlighted. Links jump to the matching trait below. Red = Tom’s Rules · Blue = Totem Warrior · Gold = Feat
| Level | Class Features (PHB) | Class Features (Tom’s Rules) | Rages | Rage Dmg | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st |
Rage Unarmored Defense |
2 | +2 | Rage: resist B/P/S, adv. Str checks & saves, bonus dmg, 1 min. Unarmored: AC = 10 + Dex + Con. | |
| 2nd |
Reckless Attack Danger Sense |
2 | +2 | Reckless: adv. on first attack, but enemies adv. vs you until next turn. Danger Sense: adv. Dex saves vs seen traps/effects. | |
| 3rd |
Spirit Seeker Totem Spirit |
3 | +2 | Primal Path chosen. Spirit Seeker: ritual Beast Sense & Speak with Animals. Totem Spirit: choose Bear, Eagle, or Wolf. | |
| 4th | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | +2 | ||
| 5th |
Extra Attack Fast Movement |
3 | +2 | Attack twice per Attack action. +10 ft speed (not in heavy armour). | |
| 6th | Aspect of the Beast | 4 | +2 | Choose Bear, Eagle, or Wolf aspect for a non-combat benefit. | |
| 7th | Feral Instinct | 4 | +2 | Adv. on Initiative. If surprised at start, can rage to act normally on turn 1. | |
| 8th | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | +2 | ||
| 9th | Brutal Critical (1 die) | 4 | +3 | Crit with melee weapon: roll one extra weapon damage die. | |
| 10th | Spirit Walker | 4 | +3 | Ritual: Commune with Nature. A totem animal guides you. | |
| 11th | Relentless Rage | 4 | +3 | Drop to 0 hp while raging: Con save (DC 10, +5 each use per rage) to drop to 1 hp instead. | |
| 12th | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +3 | ||
| 13th | Brutal Critical (2 dice) | 5 | +3 | Crit with melee weapon: roll two extra weapon damage dice. | |
| 14th | Totemic Attunement | 5 | +3 | Choose Bear, Eagle, or Wolf totem for a powerful rage benefit. | |
| 15th | Persistent Rage | 5 | +3 | Rage ends only if you choose to end it or fall unconscious. | |
| 16th | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +4 | ||
| 17th | Brutal Critical (3 dice) | 6 | +4 | Crit with melee weapon: roll three extra weapon damage dice. | |
| 18th | Indomitable Might | 6 | +4 | Str check: use Str score if roll + Str modifier is lower. | |
| 19th | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | +4 | ||
| 20th | Primal Champion | Unlimited | +4 | +4 Strength, +4 Constitution. |
Every feature from Barbarian Class Features — PHB, Path of the Totem Warrior — PHB, Barbarian Class Features — Tom’s Rules and Path of the Totem Warrior — Tom’s Rules, collated together in level order. A feature that improves at later levels is listed under the level it is first gained, with its upgrades noted. Blue = Path of the Totem Warrior · Red = Tom’s Rules. The original chapters below are left intact.
You start with the following equipment, in addition to that granted by your background:
On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action. While raging and not wearing heavy armour, you have advantage on Strength checks and saves, gain a bonus to Strength-based melee damage (see table), and have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. You can’t cast or concentrate on spells while raging. Rage lasts 1 minute; it ends early if you fall unconscious or end a turn without having attacked a hostile creature or taken damage since your last turn (you can also end it as a bonus action). After spending all your rages for the day, you must finish a long rest.
| Level | Rages | Rage Damage | Level | Rages | Rage Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | +2 | 11th | 4 | +3 |
| 2nd | 2 | +2 | 12th | 5 | +3 |
| 3rd | 3 | +2 | 13th | 5 | +3 |
| 4th | 3 | +2 | 14th | 5 | +3 |
| 5th | 3 | +2 | 15th | 5 | +3 |
| 6th | 4 | +2 | 16th | 5 | +4 |
| 7th | 4 | +2 | 17th | 6 | +4 |
| 8th | 4 | +2 | 18th | 6 | +4 |
| 9th | 4 | +3 | 19th | 6 | +4 |
| 10th | 4 | +3 | 20th | Unlimited | +4 |
While not wearing armour, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
When you make your first attack on your turn, you can attack recklessly: gain advantage on Strength-based melee attack rolls this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.
You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects you can see, such as traps and spells. You can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated to gain this benefit.
You gain the ability to cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals, but only as rituals.
Choose a totem spirit and gain its feature (and acquire a physical totem object). You may take on minor physical attributes of your totem.
Starting when you choose the Berserker path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. For the duration of the rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns. If you use this feature more than once before a short rest you suffer a level of exhaustion. At 11th level you may frenzy twice before a short rest without exhaustion; at 17th level you no longer suffer exhaustion at all.
Increase one ability score by 2, or two ability scores by 1 each (or take a feat). You can’t raise a score above 20 with this feature.
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action.
Your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armour.
Gain a magical benefit based on a totem animal of your choice (same as before or different):
You ignore your first failed death save. If you suffer a critical hit while unconscious or roll a 1 on a death save and use this ability, it counts as only one failed death save. At 14th level you ignore two failed death saves. Once used, you must take a long rest before using it again.
Spend an action to call upon your totem spirit for investigation. Treat this as the Guidance cantrip, but it targets only yourself and may only be used on a subsequent Nature, Insight, Perception, or Survival roll, or a nature-related Wisdom roll.
You have advantage on initiative rolls. If you are surprised at the start 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 that turn.
Once on your turn, if you move more than half your speed toward an enemy no more than one size larger than you, when you hit you can elect to also shove it. On a success it moves up to 10′ away and you may follow if you have movement. At 13th level you no longer need to move toward an enemy to cause this effect.
You can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a melee critical hit. This increases to two dice at 13th level and three dice at 17th level.
As a bonus action, call on your totem spirit to manifest as an incorporeal image. While manifested you may use your reaction to shield an ally within 30 feet who takes damage, reducing the damage by 2d6 (3d6 at 13th level, 4d6 at 17th level). The spirit can remain for up to 10 rounds. Once used, you must thank the spirit and finish a short rest before using it again.
You can cast Commune with Nature as a ritual. A spiritual version of one of your chosen totem animals appears to convey the information you seek.
As a bonus action, summon your totem spirit to assist you and a number of creatures within 60 feet equal to your proficiency bonus. The benefits last 1 minute. Affected creatures gain temporary hit points equal to 2× your barbarian level, and you choose whether the spirit also grants advantage on Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma ability checks and saving throws. Once used, recharge on a long rest.
While raging you are invigorated by defeating foes. When you reduce a foe to 0 hp you gain temporary hit points equal to your barbarian level, lasting 1 minute.
If you drop to 0 hit points while raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to drop to 1 hit point instead. Each use after the first raises the DC by 5; it resets to 10 on a short or long rest.
As a bonus action you can shout a war cry. You and any chosen creatures within 30 feet who can hear you become immune to fear (ending any current fear effect) and may immediately use their reaction to move toward a hostile creature. You and your allies also gain a bonus to Strength-based melee weapon damage equal to half your rage bonus (round up), stacking with rage damage. The bonus and fear immunity last a number of rounds equal to your Constitution bonus (minimum 1). Once used, recharge on a short rest.
Gain a magical benefit based on a totem animal of your choice:
Your rage ends early only if you fall unconscious or choose to end it.
At the end of a battle where you did not run away, and you were conscious and in combat when it ended, you may spend 3 rounds (not raging) surveying the carnage — moving among the fallen, assisting allies, and speaking of the victory. Doing so recovers enough hit points to bring you to three quarters of your maximum. Once used, recharge on a long rest.
If your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.
Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4, and your maximum for those scores becomes 24.
Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of dwarven nature.
As a mountain dwarf, you’re strong and hardy, accustomed to a difficult life in rugged terrain. You’re probably on the tall side (for a dwarf), and tend toward lighter coloration.
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
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 armour:
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 number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.
| Level | Rages | Rage Damage | Level | Rages | Rage Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | +2 | 11th | 4 | +3 |
| 2nd | 2 | +2 | 12th | 5 | +3 |
| 3rd | 3 | +2 | 13th | 5 | +3 |
| 4th | 3 | +2 | 14th | 5 | +3 |
| 5th | 3 | +2 | 15th | 5 | +3 |
| 6th | 4 | +2 | 16th | 5 | +4 |
| 7th | 4 | +2 | 17th | 6 | +4 |
| 8th | 4 | +2 | 18th | 6 | +4 |
| 9th | 4 | +3 | 19th | 6 | +4 |
| 10th | 4 | +3 | 20th | Unlimited | +4 |
While you are not wearing any armour, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
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 melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.
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.
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armour.
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.
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.
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.
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.
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.
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.
The Path of the Totem Warrior is a spiritual journey, as the barbarian accepts a spirit animal as guide, protector, and inspiration. In battle, your totem spirit fills you with supernatural might, adding magical fuel to your barbarian rage. Most barbarian tribes consider a totem animal to be kin to a particular clan. In such cases, it is unusual for an individual to have more than one totem animal spirit, though exceptions exist.
Yours is a path that seeks attunement with the natural world, giving you a kinship with beasts. At 3rd level when you adopt this path, you gain the ability to cast the Beast Sense and Speak with Animals spells, but only as rituals, as described in the rules on spellcasting.
At 3rd level, when you adopt this path, you choose a totem spirit and gain its feature. You must make or acquire a physical totem object — an amulet or similar adornment — that incorporates fur or feathers, claws, teeth, or bones of the totem animal. At your option, you also gain minor physical attributes that are reminiscent of your totem spirit. For example, if you have a bear totem spirit, you might be unusually hairy and thick-skinned, or if your totem is the eagle, your eyes turn bright yellow.
Your totem animal might be an animal related to those listed here but more appropriate to your homeland. For example, you could choose a hawk or vulture in place of an eagle.
At 6th level, you gain a magical benefit based on the totem animal of your choice. You can choose the same animal you selected at 3rd level or a different one.
At 10th level, you can cast the Commune with Nature spell, but only as a ritual. When you do so, a spiritual version of one of the animals you chose for Totem Spirit or Aspect of the Beast appears to you to convey the information you seek.
At 14th level, you gain a magical benefit based on a totem animal of your choice. You can choose the same animal you selected previously or a different one.
House rules that modify or supplement the PHB entries above.
Disregard the phrase “on your turn” at the end of the first sentence in each instance of this class feature. This change applies to Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, and the College of Valor.
The fourth paragraph now reads: “Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious. If your turn ends and you haven’t taken damage or used your action to attack, dash toward, or search for a hostile creature since your last turn, then your rage ends. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.”
At 6th level, once per long rest you may recover a single use of rage over a short rest. This increases to twice per long rest at 12th level.
You ignore your first failed death save. If you suffer a critical hit while unconscious or roll a 1 on a death save and you use this ability, it will count as only one failed death save. Once you reach 14th level you ignore two failed death saves. Once you have used this ability you must take a long rest before you can use it again.
You can push past your enemies. Once on your turn, if you move more than half your speed toward an enemy who is no more than one size larger than you, when you hit you can elect to also shove it. If you succeed they move up to 10′ away and you may follow them if you have sufficient movement. At 13th level you do not have to move toward an enemy to cause this effect.
Change the initial DC to 5, and the DC reduces by 5 to a minimum of 5 whenever you commence a rage.
Add a paragraph: Whether raging or not, the barbarian fights with fury and hits with extra ferocity, adding an extra 1d6 damage to any melee weapon attacks.
Your battle cry encourages your allies. As a bonus action you can shout a war cry. You and any creature within 30 feet that you choose and can hear you becomes immune to fear (any current fear effect is ended), and may immediately choose to use their reaction to move towards a hostile creature. You and your allies also gain a bonus to all melee weapon damage rolls if the attack uses Strength. The bonus is equal to half your rage bonus (round up) and stacks with any rage damage bonus. The damage bonus and immunity to fear last for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution bonus (minimum 1). You may not use this ability again until you have taken a short rest.
At the end of a battle where you did not run away, and you were conscious and in combat when the battle ended, you may spend 3 rounds while not raging surveying the scene of carnage. You may do no more than move amongst the fallen enemies, assist fallen allies, and speak of the battle just won. By doing so you recover enough hit points to bring you to three quarters of your maximum. You may not use this ability again until you have taken a long rest.
Add a sentence: when your rage would naturally end, if the barbarian is still in combat they may extend their rage for up to one extra minute or until the combat ends by making a DC 15 Constitution saving throw.
House rules that modify or supplement the PHB entries above.
Bear. While raging, you have resistance to all damage except Radiant, Necrotic, and Psychic damage.
In addition to the PHB version: you may also cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals in the normal fashion once each. The ability to cast them normally returns after a long rest.
You can spend an action to call upon your totem spirit for help with tasks of investigation. Treat this in all ways as if casting the Guidance cantrip, but it can only target yourself and may only be used on a subsequent Nature, Insight, Perception, or Survival roll, or a Wisdom roll that relates to nature.
You can use a bonus action to call on your totem spirit to provide protection to those you defend. Your spirit manifests as an incorporeal image of your totem animal. While it is manifested you may use your reaction to have it shield an ally within 30 feet who takes damage. The spirit reduces damage taken by 2d6 (at 13th level: 3d6; at 17th level: 4d6). Your totem spirit can remain for up to 10 rounds. Once you have called upon your spirit shield you may not do so again until you have thanked the spirit and finished a short rest.
As a bonus action you can summon your totem spirit to assist you and a number of creatures within 60 feet equal to your proficiency bonus. The spirit appears as a visible aura with the spectral appearance of the creature it represents. The benefits of the totem last for one minute. The affected creatures gain temporary hit points equal to 2× your barbarian level. Further, each time you invoke the spirit you choose whether they also grant advantage on Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma ability checks and saving throws. Once you have used your Summon Totem ability you may not do so again until you have finished a long rest.
Starting when you choose the Berserker path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns. If you use this feature more than once before you finish a short rest you suffer a level of exhaustion. At 11th level you may use your frenzy ability twice before you finish a short rest without suffering a level of exhaustion. At 17th level you no longer suffer exhaustion when you enter a frenzy.
While raging you are invigorated by defeating foes. When you reduce a foe to 0 hp you gain temporary hit points equal to your barbarian level. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute.