5e Barbarian Guide

by Sky Knight

Barbarians are strong tanks and strong damage-dealers. Tanking is enabled by the highest hit
die of all classes, as well as damage resistance, from Rage. Damage-dealing is enabled by
Rage, again, as well as Reckless Attack, which synergizes with Great Weapon Master. All
subclasses are effective with heavy weapons, and other builds are viable, in most cases.

Purple ★★★★★ This feature is very strong, either in effectiveness or frequency of use.
Blue ★★★★ This feature is very effective or frequently useful.
Green ★★★ This feature is occasionally strong or somewhat frequently useful.
Orange ★★ This feature is occasionally useful.
Red ★ This feature does not increase your power.

If you are small, you get disadvantage with heavy weapons, thus you will have more success
with two weapons, or a weapon and a shield, depending on subclass.

Races
The first thing to say about races in 5e is that all races are viable with all classes, so if you don’t
want to optimize, don’t worry about it. If you do want to optimize, you’ll get value from any race
with a STR bonus, e.g. Mountain Dwarf, Human, Dragonborn, Half-Elf, or Half-Orc. Other useful
stats include DEX and CON. Another thing to consider is Gnome, who increases tank value with
Gnome Cunning. Continuing on the small theme, if you are a Halfling you gain synergy with
Reckless Attack, due to Lucky.

Class Features

Rage ★★★★★
This is where you get your tanking and damage-dealing. Twice per long rest, you gain
resistance to weapon damage, and a bonus to STR-based melee damage. You also get
advantage on STR checks and STR saving throws, which makes you a superior grappler. As
you gain levels, you get more uses of this feature, and your damage bonus increases.
Unarmored Defense ★★
If you really boost your DEX and CON, you can have an AC higher without armor than with
armor. STR is your most important stat, though, so generally you will do better with armor,
especially if you find magical versions.

Reckless Attack ★★★★

This is another reason to boost STR. You get advantage on STR-based melee weapon attacks.
Advantage is the key to power with Great Weapon Master. The drawback is that opposing
attacks get advantage, but it’s generally worth it, especially with the resistance you get from
raging. Also, increasing your attack capabilities makes you a better tank, because the enemy
can’t ignore you. If you don’t use a heavy weapon, you might not activate this feature as often.

Danger Sense ★★★★

You get advantage on DEX saves against things you can see. DEX effects can cause high
damage, so this feature is very beneficial.

Ability Score Improvement ★★★★

If you’re wielding a heavy weapon, your first choice here is Great Weapon Master. It is very
effective with Reckless Attack. If you’re grappling, Tavern Brawler is strong. Other than that, you
want to max STR, or you might take something like Polearm Master, Sentinel, or Shield Master.
CON improvements are worthwhile, also DEX if you’re going for Unarmored Defense. See the
5e Feat Guide.

Extra Attack ★★★★★

You are very good at hitting things, so hitting again is the best thing possible for you.

Fast Movement ★★★

You effectively position yourself before battle, though once the battle begins you tend to stay in
the middle. You are also effective at chasing down those who flee.

Feral Instinct ★★★

This further improves your combat positioning, though sometimes that will put you in the way of
allied spellcasting. You also can mitigate surprise.

Brutal Critical ★★★

If you’re using Reckless Attack, you’ll get a damage bonus on 9.75% of your attacks. If you take
3 levels of Champion Fighter, this feature is purple.
Relentless Rage ★★★★
This feature increases your tanking ability, because you can stay up even if you go to 0 hit
points.

Persistent Rage ★★
Your rage continues even if you don’t attack or take damage. Attacking, of course, is what you
do, so this feature is situational.

Indomitable Might ★★
Your STR checks are more effective, which improves grappling etc. If grappling is the focus of
your build, this is purple.

Primal Champion ★★★★★

You essentially get 4 ASIs at once, and your stats can go higher than 20.

Subclasses

Ancestral Guardian ★★★★★

Ancestral Protectors ★★★★★ Once per turn while raging, you can give an opponent
disadvantage on attacks against your allies, and your allies have resistance vs. those attacks.
This feature makes you a classic tank, because you are strongly incentivizing your opponent to
target you instead of your allies. The effect requires you to successfully attack, so builds that
allow bonus-action attacks gain value here, e.g. two-weapon fighting and Polearm Master. If you
are one of those lunatics who like to dump STR and go full DEX + CON, this is your best option,
because you can max out Unarmored Defense while drawing attacks. A shield can also have
value here, again for defense while drawing attacks. Basically all weapon options are viable.

Spirit Shield ★★★★★ Even a ranged build can work. You miss out on Brutal Critical, though,
so you might switch out after 5 or 6 levels. All of this is not to forget about heavy weapons, of
course, which remain strong. Anyway, this feature allows you to reduce damage to an ally as a
reaction, again while raging. You are not only a powerful tank, but also an effective healer.

Consult the Spirits ★★ Once per short, rest, you can cast augury or clairvoyance. Both spells
provide good information, but at this level the power gain is minor.

Vengeful Ancestors ★★★★ This effect supercharges your Spirit Shield. Enemies really don’t
want to attack allies.
Battlerager ★★★
Battlerager Armor ★★★★ There is a type of armor you can buy, called spiked armor. While
wearing it and raging, you can use a bonus action to attack with your spikes. The other thing
this armor does is add damage to your successful grapple checks. Thus this subclass is
fantastic for grappling: Since you already have the bonus attack, you don’t need Tavern Brawler.
Similarly, you don’t need two weapons, or Polearm Master, or Shield Master. If you wield a
heavy weapon, Great Weapon Master remains viable.

Reckless Abandon ★★★ This is a minor upgrade to Reckless Attack, which increases the
synergy with Great Weapon Master.

Battlerager Charge ★★ While raging, you can dash as a bonus action. Most of the time, you
want to attack, so this feature is situational.

Spiked Retribution ★★ This feature deals a small amount of damage to nearby enemies who
hit you while you are raging.

Berserker ★★
Frenzy ★★★ You can make bonus-action attacks when you rage. The drawback is you get a
level of exhaustion. For many players, that feels bad, but even if you only use it once per day,
you are quite a devastating combatant against bosses. The benefit of this feature over the
Battlerager feature is that this feature allows an attack with your weapon, which combines well
with Great Weapon Master. As with Battlerager, two-weapon fighting and feats that grant bonus
actions have low value. In a campaign with few fights per long rest, this feature is purple. If an
ally has greater restoration, you also gain value.

Mindless Rage ★★★ You get immunity to charm and fear while raging, which increases your
tank value.

Intimidating Presence ★ You can cause creatures to be frightened of you. The problem is that
this feature requires your action, which is better used to attack.

Retaliation ★★★ You can use your reaction to attack a nearby creature who damages you.
Again, we have synergy with Great Weapon Master.
Storm Herald ★★★
Storm Aura ★★★★ Choose desert, sea, or tundra. You create an elemental effect when you
rage, and you can repeat the effect each turn as a bonus action:

●​ Desert ★★★★ You deal fire damage to an area.

●​ Sea ★★★ You deal lightning damage to one target.

●​ Tundra ★★★ You give allies temporary hit points.

The value of these effects is that they do not require actions, thus can be applied in the same
turn as attacks. As with Battlerager and Berserker, two-weapon fighting and feats that grant
bonus actions are redundant; therefore your strongest combat options are heavy weapons and
grappling.

Storm Soul ★★ You gain a resistance and other effects, according to your storm type.

Shielding Storm ★★ You can extend your resistance to allies.

Raging Storm ★★★ You add an additional effect to your storm aura. Desert ★★★ can deal
damage to an enemy who hits you, sea ★★★★ can knock down an enemy you attack, and
tundra ★★★★ can reduce an enemy’s speed to zero.
Totem Warrior ★★★★★
Spirit Seeker ★★ You can cast beast sense and speak with animals as rituals. Both effects are
quite situational.

Totem Spirit ★★★★★ Choose Bear, Eagle, Elk, Tiger, or Wolf. You gain added benefits
when you rage:

●​ Bear ★★★★★ Your resistance now includes all damage types except psychic.

●​ Eagle ★★ You can evade opportunity attacks, and dash as a bonus action.

●​ Elk ★★★ Your speed increases, helping you engage or chase down enemies.

●​ Tiger ★ Your jumping distance increases.

●​ Wolf ★★★★★ Allies have advantage on melee attacks against nearby enemies.

Bear is strong because there are many high-damage elemental effects that do not require attack
rolls. Eagle is situational because it conflicts with your tanking function. Wolf is very strong if you
have allies who fight in melee. All options work with any weapon setup.

Aspect of the Beast ★★★ You again choose Bear, Eagle, Elk, Tiger, or Wolf. It doesn’t have
to be the same as your previous choice:

●​ Bear ★★ You gain increased carrying capacity and advantage on various STR checks.

●​ Eagle ★★ You gain extremely effective eyesight.

●​ Elk ★★ You and your companions gain doubled travel speed.

●​ Tiger ★★★ You gain two skill proficiencies.

●​ Wolf ★★ You can track and move stealthily at increased speeds.

Most of these effects are situational, thus are rated orange, but if those situations apply to you
then they become green or blue. Eagle ignores disadvantage in dim light, which has strong
value in a sneaky party. Elk is very beneficial if your campaign features long journeys, but at
high levels fast travel is easy to achieve. Tiger is a good choice if nothing else seems
worthwhile.

Spirit Walker ★★★ You can cast commune with nature as a ritual. This is a good way to get
information.
Totemic Attunement ★★★★ You again choose Bear, Eagle, Elk, Tiger, or Wolf, and again it
can be different from previous choices:

●​ Bear ★★★★ Nearby enemies have disadvantage on attacks against allies.

●​ Eagle ★★★ You can fly in short bursts.

●​ Elk ★★★★ You can knock enemies prone, and deal damage, as a bonus action.

●​ Tiger ★★★ You gain a bonus-action charge attack.

●​ Wolf ★★★★ You can knock enemies prone as a bonus action.

As with Totem Spirit, these effects only apply while you are raging, though of course at high
levels you are raging in almost every battle. Bear is a valuable tank effect. Eagle has value
against flying opponents, of course, and is beneficial for positioning. The other three use bonus
actions, thus conflict with two-weapon fighting, and feats that grant bonus actions. Tiger
synergizes with Great Weapon Master. Elk and Wolf both knock enemies prone, but Elk allows a
save, while Wolf requires a successful attack. Elk can be applied before the Attack action, thus
can allow you to avoid Reckless Attack, while still getting advantage on your attacks. Wolf is
strong if you have allies who fight in melee, though it has diminishing returns with Wolf from
Totem Spirit.

Zealot ★★★★★
Divine Fury ★★★★★ Once on each of your turns while raging, you get a damage bonus
when you hit with an attack. Polearm Master has synergy here, as does fighting with two
weapons, because you can attack with your bonus action. The more you attack, the lower the
chance that you will miss with everything. This feature also synergizes with Reckless Attack.
The damage scales with your level, so it becomes quite powerful.

Warrior of the Gods ★★ If an ally has revivify, this is pretty great.

Fanatical Focus ★★★★★ Once per rage, you can reroll a saving throw. Comparable effects
on other classes only work once per long rest, so this is fantastic. It is especially useful against
charm and fear effects, for example, which are kryptonite for non-Berserkers.

Zealous Presence ★★★★★ Once per long rest, you can give you entire party advantage on
attacks and saving throws for a turn. That is ridiculously powerful, and it works as a bonus
action.

Rage Beyond Death ★★★★ You do not die from hit point loss while raging, nor do you lose
consciousness. With strong features across the board, and features that scale, you are very
effective at high levels.
Appendix: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Beast ★★★★
Form of the Beast ★★★★★ When you rage, you transform your body, gaining one of the
following natural attacks:

●​ Bite ★★★ 1d8 piercing, plus hit point gain if you have less than half hit points
●​ Claws ★★★★ 1d6 slashing, plus once-per-turn additional attack
●​ Tail ★★★★★ 1d8 piercing with reach, and +1d8 AC on reaction

One use for all of these weapons is on a grapple build. You can grapple an enemy and attack,
potentially while holding a shield. You might take the Shield Master feat, to shove enemies to
the ground with your bonus action. Alternatively, with Claws, you can get 4 attacks in a turn at
level 5:

1.​ While holding a light weapon, attack with a claw.

2.​ Make your additional claw attack.
3.​ Draw or pick up an additional light weapon.
4.​ Engage in two-weapon fighting.
5.​ Next turn, you can drop a weapon and repeat the process.

This sort of wackiness is what this subclass is for, it seems. The final possibility is to use a
standard weapon setup with Tail, using Tail only for the defensive bonus.

Bestial Soul ★★★★ Your natural attacks count as magical, and you can gain swimming,
climbing, and jumping features.

Infectious Fury ★★★ You get a pretty strong bonus to your natural attacks, potentially
causing your target to attack an ally or to take 2d12 psychic damage. Uses are limited, though,
to a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, per long rest.

Call the Hunt ★★★★ When you enter a rage, you can gain temporary hit points, and give
allies a 1d6 bonus to attack damage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus, per long rest.
Wild Magic ★★★★
Magic Awareness ★★★ This is a limited detect magic. It does have a larger radius, but it only
lasts for an action, and it is blocked by full cover. You can use it a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus, per long rest.

Wild Surge ★★★★ You create magical effects when you enter rage. Most of the effects are
quite beneficial. Many of them allow bonus actions, so you are advised to not base your
character on abilities that use bonus actions. Also, it is good to be near enemies when you rage,
because many of the effects involve nearby creatures.

Bolstering Magic ★★★★★ You can give allies spell slots, a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus, per long rest. On average, you will return a level-1, level-2, and level-3 spell
slot. That is a lot of value. Then at level 9 you add another spell slot, at level 13, etc. You can
also grant bonuses to attack rolls and ability checks.

Unstable Backlash ★★★ You can reroll your Wild Surge effect when you take damage or fail
a saving throw. Sometimes there will be benefit.

Controlled Surge ★★★ The way Wild Surge works is you roll on a table. Now with this
feature you roll twice, and choose the one you want. If you roll doubles, you can choose any
option.

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