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Web DM I was talking with my sister about this video as I was watching it, and when you started talking about how a barbarian could rage via a substance, I made the joke to her of, "Oh fuck, he's pulling out the special flask, he's gonna kill us all!" Her response was (& I think this would make a great character) "So their just Popeye." So I think that would be cool, to have a low Int, high Wis, Berzerker (or sea storm herald), with the sailor background.
Popeye is rather intelligent though. He tries to handle the situations with smarts and wit but when that doesn't work he gets out his can and deals with it through brute strength.
If you want to play a barbarian straight, it's worth considering that the word 'barbarian' originally basically just mean "someone who doesn't follow Greek/Roman societal norms." That taken into account, ask yourself WHY your character doesn't follow society's norms. Does your dwarven barbarian believe that slavish obedience to tradition is holding them back from being rid of the goblin threat forever? Does your elven barbarian reject the notion of distant observation, believing that they should use their power to direct the river's course rather than flow with it? Having an answer to that question, whatever it is, goes miles to differentiating your character from a 'standard' barbarian, even if everything else is the same.
A party member in my campaign plays a firbolg barbarian who fits this very well. Firbolgs are usually sorta gentle nature-loving magical folk, whereas she's shifty, hates mages to an irrational level (there is a reason for that mind you) and generally just is very non-traditional for a firbolg. She goes against the grain in a very obvious manner.
As well, I'd add that literary Conan was more of a thief than a barbarian, comic book Conan was more of a martial expert than a raging hulk. Cinematic Conan was a superheroic 'noble savage' who 'had a code'. Historical 'rage' was 3 parts fiction, 1 part drugs and alcohol. I view 'barbarism' as a socio-economic relationship normally, but within D&D I completely agree that you are a person who doesn't fit. My last barbarian was in fact a dwarven barbarian who began life as a miner, but when his clan failed to defend his family from rampagin orcs, flew into rages (plural) at the relative impotence he felt. In an attempt to calm his anger and forget he drank and drank and drank until it was an untenable addiction. He was shunned by his clan, 'lost his job' so to speak and fell down and out, which in most Dwarven cultures just isn't a thing you do. Nobody at my table really understood that I was making a literal murderhobo. He never called himself a barbarian, but that was his class whether he liked it or not. TL;DR -- I would only add that nobody who IS a barbarian is going to necessarily think of themself as a barbarian.
Had a Bladesinger Wizard like that... He was a janitor in a Wizard Academy...they required that all staff needed at least a basic understanding of magic. He would mop and sweep...then one day, he overhears a cabal of wizards plotting something sinister; so he swipes a spellbook and runs like hell. Now he lives in fear of them tracking him down. His "Bladesong" was just a quarterstaff he fashioned from a mop handle; and he'd run screaming while waving it around.
He gets afraid and kicks into fight or flight mode. He first looks for a way to flee but because he sees his party fighting he finds himself unable to abandon his comrades, and as such the only option left to him is to fight. He is still terrified but his nervous energy gives him the strength to fight on. I can think of a character who acts like this. The main character, Bai Xiaochun, from the xianxia novel A Will Eternal, is absolutely terrified of pain and death, as such he practices a method that supposedly would give him an eternal indestructible body when completed but allows him to tank an insane amount of damage until then and makes him very strong. He also later creates a technique relevant here, the technique summoned a massive dragon turtle. When he is confronted by the smallest bit of conflict he will instantly try to flee but if he is ever unable to flee, if he is cornered or his allies are in danger, he enters a state where he is absolutely fearless, charges in headfirst to crush whatever threat is in the way and becomes an utterly terrifying combatant. Later he also finds a reason that allows him to fight without becoming terrified, the only way to make sure that the people he cares about won't get hurt is to crush those who would harm them. On the way to coming to this realization, he despairs that people cannot seem to stop fighting, killing, and in general cause suffering. Eventually, he even tries to find a way to stop fighting forever, in the novel he does this by becoming a god. Motivated by fear Very tanky Very strong Has a technique that summons a sort of "totem" Enters a state similar to rage Initially, he was unable to "control" this state but he later learned to So writing a barbarian based on that would be relatively easy. They would be a cowardly person by nature who is unable to control their rage initially but later learns to control it out of a desire to protect their party/friends/loved ones. Initially, their goal would be to avoid combat but as they realize that they cannot avoid it, they start actively seeking it out in order to protect others from suffering. A flavored bear totem would work very nicely, flavor it as a dragon turtle. A divine beast that symbolizes courage, determination, longevity, power, success, and support. Very appropriate traits for a totem to have to person who wants all of those things themselves. Go full tank with a shield and sentinel and make it your focus in battle to protect your allies.
One spin you could add to the relation between the totem and rage is flipping their positions. The mourning Barbarian is in a perpetual state of grief-stricken rage and is only pulled out of if by focusing on his late daughter's ribbon, she wouldn't want him to carry on this way...
Mathias Andersen I'm already planning it. As the party searched the library, they heard a loud *BOOM* as a book is thrown across the room, hitting the wall with force "WHO WROTE YOUR MOM IN THE TOME OF TROGLODYTES?!"
Mathias Andersen I created a forest gnome totem barb moon druid. He was working on his doctorate when his class went on a wilderness survival trek through the woods, and he found that he proffered it to city living. After he got his doctorate he went into the woods and didn't come out for 30 years. He came back because he realized that he had gotten too out of touch with society. Also his accent morphed from Scottish to Jamaican over the course of 10 minutes.
Hey you’re right my current character in the campaign I’m in is based off of Kratos in GoW4. Shield/battleax combo. He doesn’t have a son, but he roars “BOY” to the young Tabaxi sorcerer...
I love the idea of choosing a barbarian with the sage background but little intelligence who keeps ending up in libraries in their post-rage confusion and can't understand why
This brings to mind a wizard who got their mind zapped by some extraterrestrial being from the far realm. Reduced to a simple-minded warmonger that only finds a fragment of clarity in their deepest rage, subconsciously vying to set themselves right.
The classic rage is something I imagine the barbarian needs to train to manifest almost in a military sense. Imagine a for example a drill sergeant just slapping and beating the living hell out off you both physically and mentally while the barbarian is not allowed to react. The sergeant then stops for a moment before going "Are you mad now?... No, you are mad NOW!" and the barbarian crawls through a tunnel of caltrops before you're allowed to unleash all your fury on the training dummy at the end. For a more primal barbarian from the outlands, it won't be a literal drill sergeant helping you train your rage but another mentor or even a tribe elder might fulfill the same role. The point is your helped in channeling rage but not allowed to unleash it until giving permission and that's how the barbarian can rage at will. For many barbarians, the secret is that they are always angry. The rage is simply them deciding to release control of their anger. The barbarian might the one capable of unleashing the most fury, but they're simultaneous the one with the most self control. It makes for a create contrast with for example the monk who needs to be calm and detached at all times whereas the barbarian can flick on whatever mood is needed.
I'm glad that you brought up non-traditional expectations for Barbarians. I'll give you two examples of Barbarians that have been played at our table. One my daughter played, and on I played. "Jinx" - This Gnome Barbarian was played in a seafaring steampunk setting, so already the expectations have changed. She was a Clan Crafter (specifically a steamfitter), and she resolved the class vs. background vs. setting thus: Jinx didn't like people. She was more at home among the machines, smoke, and steam. She understood them and felt that they understood her. However, she was short tempered and broke as many machines as she fixed. She had the expected "goggles" on her head, but called them her "rage goggles". You knew she intended to go into a rage when they got pulled down over her eyes and she yelled "Let's Do This!!!". She was known for rushing into battle with a massive pipe wrench (warhammer). She was awesome. What a great character. I love my daughter's creativity. "Gutwrench" - Gutwrench was a Half-Ogre, and had the outward appearance of what you'd expect for his race and class. However, what the rest of the party came to discover was that his constant hunger (typical of ogres) was channeled into a rather high skill of cooking. He had no qualms about turning whatever he found or killed into soups, chowders, ribs, and other meals. Because they were in the Underdark at the time (OotA campaign), finding food became a lot easier when you didn't ask questions about WHAT you were eating. What the rest of the party discovered far too late is that they had been eating every Kuo-Toa, giant insect, mushroom or whatever that Gutwrench could find. I can remember one moment where the party were being swarmed by Stirges. After the Wizard cast Sleep, they were intending to crush these creatures and leave them be. Gutwrench loudly proclaimed "No! You leave. I make HOT WINGS! You like!" (Which was done with Stirges, fish oil, spices, and flammable mushrooms they found earlier. I rolled a Crit on my cooking) When Gutwrench died, they didn't miss the warrior and his massive Great Axe ("Hunger"). They missed the meals and the variety. I hope to play a Dragonborn (White) Barbarian in STK at some point, who's focus will be a deep spirituality over death, survival, and the how the land makes the person. I have drawn him with a very "White Dragon"-like singular crest, and I can imagine that as a nasal sounding chamber these dragonborn use to "sing" or call to each other over long distances. Will he be a cold-breathing combat monster? Sure. But he'll be more remembered for eating meat frozen and raw, mourning his lost mate and young, and questioning social norms on what manners and possession are.
I'm starting a campaign soon, and I think I've figured out my character. Ancestral Guardian Barbarian: a rich little snot that constantly threatens to tell their father about this. Their powerful, spectral fatherm
I have this Barbarian PC, she's the child of an Amazon queen in exile who was herself a legendary hero. She also has the soldier background and actually has pretty crap stats, but being a Barbarian that doesn't really matter. Instead of Tattoos she had a history of scars all over her body and each one was a memory of a battle won against death. They made her pretty scary looking and conventionally unattractive, but to her they were trophies and a huge part of her identity. Then I was playing in a game and I lost my eye (as you do) and later after single handedly killing 12 Dureger (because my party got shit-kicked) I went to this magic pool and bathed in it and got magically healed regaining my eye, and also healing all of my scars. It really threw me for a loop, I was shocked that it happened and I had trouble imagining my character. Then I thought about how strange that would be, how it would feel to have your face and body suddenly changed particularly how it tied into her identity. It was a really cool moment where the PC and the player were in the same mindset in a really interesting way.
I've watched all of your class RP videos and just can't get enough. My new goal is to create a PC for each class with an idea/background, you didn't talk about! Harder than one would think!!
It really is harder than one would think. There have been quite a few ideas thrown around in this rp series that had me sitting at my desk like "oh shit, that sounds really cool".
Guild artisan Barbarian. I once made a dwarf who was a tavern keeper. One night some guests were getting too out of hand, and started wrecking his tavern (damned half-orc adventurers, always starting shit) so he snapped, grabbed a bat and started bashing. That's how he discovered his rage. People would be too afraid of him to go to his tavern anymore, so he had to close the activity and took on adventuring.
Allen Smithee I like it. Do you have some good back story for them?. I've played for 20 years now and some of the ideas they talk through, I've never even thought about. I love the creativity they have!
SnarkyRogue exactly my point. They have so many good ideas that I just sit back in my chair and write them down. I don't get a lot of PC time, but these would work great for all my NPCs. Sort of open the minds of my players for their next PC.
I love the idea of a scholar that finds a blade imbued with the souls of the warriors it has slain and when he wields it they take over and he becomes this insane rage-filled force of destruction and martial prowess! GAAHD you guys give me all the cool ideas!
I see the stereotype of barbs and say “How about nah.” I made a berserker barb, that was a samurai. He was sumo sized so he could only wear half plate. He was extremely honorable, had training in court practices, studied calligraphy, but had a terrible temper and unending hunger. This was Fukase Toru. Super serious sumo samurai. His rage stems from his hatred of being second best to his older brother, who is considered a master swordsman, and the fact that his older brother is trying to steal away Fukase’s love away from him.
Kratos in the newest game is a great take on barbarian with a charisma dump stat in my opinion. the guy is tough as nails and has rage up the yinyang but is such an abrasive person that no one likes him much. Barbarians are some of my favorite characters to play.
..And now I want to make my Aasimar Barbarian, make their 'totem' their kid's favorite bed-time story book. Give them a good Cha score, and have them gravitate towards kids while they're in civilization. Like going to an orphanage and reading the kids from the book. Or taking some time before a long rest,, and reading it to a little plushie. Sure, they're a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, but the heart's in the right place.
If you've ever read the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie - and you should - Logen Ninefingers is a great example of how to play a three-dimensional barbarian who isn't just a bundle of rage (all the time, anyway). His "rage" is more like an alternate personality, but it's that persona that people see in him. In reality, he isn't educated, but he has smarts and is a fairly nice guy who tries to do good, acts wiser than most of the other characters and speaks with the last spirits of the wild. Then when battle starts (sometimes) you just don't stand near him. Incidentally, I love to play a barbarian whose rage sometimes fails (a la Bruce Banner in Infinity War, or the aforementioned Logen). Love you guys, keep up the good work!
I actually played something similar in a Strahd campaign, it was fun to do but after the party wizard after he burning hands me and then insulted me, the wisdom save not hunt and beat his ass to death failed. After one blow that almost dropped him I got another burning hands to the face and died...
Playing a Path of Zealot Barbarian this Friday. Took inspiration from you guys and have the everdying warrior. Tribesman who is resurrected for a task and when the task is over, they return home to resume death until they are needed again. Can't wait to play it!
Pruitt said a throwaway comment around 14:35 ... "It's D&D -- who cares?" But that's actually pretty profound. I think we gamers often forget to just let it go and get crazy creative with D&D. We too often go straight from a book description or a fictional character instead of coming up with a wild idea of our own.
25:23 reminds me of an offbrand barbarian idea I have is one that as opposed to tanking damage they are so skilled with a weapon they can deflect it, and their rage is more a cool, calm, collected, battle trance. which I know fits fighter more but I love the barbarian abilities mechanically and want to flavor them differently I picture a ronin samurai that travels through the wild and challenges people to duels. wearing traditional samurai attire with no armor and is so skilled in the ways of the sword he can instinctively parry physical attacks to lessen the damage. and to make the character even more off brand I chose street urchin as his background for stealth and thievery and teifling as race being part Oni, their personal totem a hannya mask
I recently just made a barbarian concept actually. He's got the whole kind of cowboy western vibe going where he doesn't want to fight, but when pressed he just lets loose. Wields a great axe forged by a dead friend he calls "Peacekeeper."
strangely I like to look at some werewolf characters for barbarian inspiration. especially if the transformation happens when agitated and not under the full moon. something like Greymane who’s very respectful normally until things really go south and he goes ham
My Half-Orc Barbarian path of the beserker is a werewolf that murdered his whole family during his first full moon then chose to live in the wild alone for the next 20 years. He's a grizzled veteran and a rather tortured soul, although he's completly magic illiterate but has more practical knowledge on how to survive in the wild. I'd say he's a mix between Urdnot Wrex and Kratos.
I love the idea of an ancestral guardian barbarian that's a medium; they see the spirits of their people and look out for them, while in turn the spirits look out for the barb too. I like the idea that when raging, spirits begin to crowd into the barbarian and exercise their collective willpower to guard the barbarian and those the barbarian would wish to protect. My other favorite idea for a barbarian is in the zealot that's an even tempered priest of their god. Their totem would be a relic of their god or a symbol of their specific saint, and by praying on it, they could call either divine guidance or become a meat suit for their warrior saint. Both of my favorite ideas require losing some agency on the part of the character, but I really enjoy that aspect of barbarians and their rage in general.
I've always liked the rage mechanic as something other than just emotional fury. Like Altered Carbon's Envoy's "conscious willingness to do harm" that civilized people lack. Even a trained Fighter is squeamish about what a Barbarian is willing to do to prevail.
One of my favorite Barbarian builds is that when he rages it's more of a quiet focus. Suoer aware and super knowledgeable of weak points similar to Sherlock Holmes. That could he a high int barb
I thought it'd be funny to make an elf barbarian for a campaign, and through some character development and fighter levels became my favorite character I'd ever RP'd. Oh by the way, bear totem 1/2 damage barbaric rage and parrying battlemaster combo = god-tier multiclass
I always thought the girls from Claymore would make a cool barbarian concept (orphans implanted with demon's flesh that gives them superhuman strength, but threatens to turn them into mindless killing machines if they lose too much control).
I really love the idea of having a zealot barbarian who doesn’t actually feel rage specifically, but instead he uses a battle chanting envelops themselves in the power through a sort of meditation.
I did see that but having multiple spirits in that way is fairly rare in Shaman King (Unless you're an Asakura) and the zealot skills seem easier to skin as things that Yoh/Len/other main characters use. Both definitely work though.
Painteagle Skald is a strong archetype to draw inspiration from. The big issue is concentration and spell casting while raging but you’re not raging all the time
I imagine a heavy metal vocalist who lets the music consume him. And sometimes, that music is made from the clanging of swords on armor and war cries. I think it would be more fun to play thematically than powerfully.
I had fun making a dex-based bardbarian for a high-level game (11 starting) who became a bard by accident more than choice - he hated bards, and was convinced to learn about them and ended up with a level in bard. Storm herald (tundra) so his rages were always calm and controlled. Eventually plan had been another level in bard and the Prodigy feat to boost both Deception and Persuasion and have a barbarian who tried to prevent fights before they happened. Story aside, even one level in bard is nice if only for healing word on allies. And one can never go wrong with vicious mockery.
I always thought a noble half-orc barbarian who whenever he rages let’s into his feral nature but is usually a well mannered diplomat would be a cool way to show a smart/wise/charismatic barbarian.
Even though the duo here sadly parted ways, it is still such a good resource to send new players about how thry could spice up their roleplay of a particular class. Please keep it up forever! ❤
So.. I've never really enjoyed strength based characters in games, when I played a barbarian last time, I ended up playing a Dex focused barbarian who's dump stat was strength. The idea for the character was essentially a wood elven wardancer, someone who didn't enter a rage but focused their mind into a battle trance, and rather then just being tough enough to shrug off attacks at half damage, I played it off as their fighting style was about moving in such a way where when in the trance her damage reduction came from her moving with the blade, letting it graze off and never hitting her with it's full impact.
Zoltri a DEX based Barbarian is a hard play, since the damage bonus only applies to STR attacks... If I were going DEX focus, I'd go Monk and get the other tricks that compliment the high DEX.
Oh I'm well aware. :) I'm honestly a big numbers player in most games, I love tinkering and finding weird ways to make something work. If you go and look around online, there's actually some pretty unique builds people have found for playing a Dex focused barb, the core idea is about focusing on mobility and group utility over your personal output, and just working the rage damage reduction to it's full potential. Is it better then the strength barb? No... Not really. Dex is a bit overpowered in 5e just because of how much you can get from it compared to the other stats, but it's a pretty minor advantage you gain compared to the massive disadvantage you face by gimping your own damage output in favor of helping the party. Although in truth I didn't end up playing a true Dex barb, when I presented what I was going to be doing to the DM, we ended up having a discussion and looking into what really happened if we just traded the word strength out for Dex for the low level barbarian skills (I was planning to go battle master in the later levels, so at most level 6-8 barb would of been my cap anyways.) And after looking it over.. we didn't really think it would cause a massive power swing for me, especially since I was playing mainly as a utility damage sponge focused more on crowd control, position manipulation and giving my party advantage on their hits rather then personal power. :)
DEX is important for every class in the game, for initiative if nothing else. Given the number of ways DEX affects a character, it is unarguably the most significant single stat in the game. BUT... That doesn't make it especially valuable to Barbarians. In fact, compared to other meleers, Barbarians don't benefit from it as much as many others. Barbarians benefit from relatively simple builds, which means there is usually plenty of room for maxing all 3 physical stats, which isn't the same as saying all 3 physical stats are equally important. STR and CON greatly outweigh DEX.
My favorite character i ever created was a barbarian/bard, and the idea behind the character was that he was a larger then life professional wrestler. He obviously had the grappler feat, and the entertainer background. His performance was his fighting, and the way I envisioned his rage wasnt him losing control in his passion, but it was him fully immersing himself in his character.
I have recently started listening to the full collection of Conan the Barbarian stories on Audible, so this video couldn't have been timed better. Some of the ideas you guys threw out there have inspired me to change one of my character concepts from a monk to a barbarian purely for the RP fun I can have with it. My half-orc seeking inner peace doesn't have to be some temple-raised stoic. Barbarian rages will make his struggles for self control seem much more real.
I made a Goliath Barbarian which became one of my best roleplayed characters I ever handled. Suruza'an "The Mountainback" was his name, named for his strength and for the Goliath markings on his back shaped like a mountain range. He first entered into the story by walking into the "Intro Tavern" all massive and close cloaked, the sound of his steps making the floorboards creak from his muscled weight. As he neared the bar he throws his cloak open revealing not patches of hide or common clothes but a set of clothes fit for a nobleman. In a voice fitting Kieth David he said "Tea, spot of lemon, please." I made a snooty Goliath Noble...who just happens to have a Bad Temper when he fights. I was going through playing a lot of noble bgs at that time.
I played a Warforged Barbarian that was super kind and friendly and didn’t really like fighting. He had a button on his chest that he would press that turned him into a monstrous robot of death. His name was Guardian and he is My favorite character to this day.
Often thought about something exactly like this, as either a monk, barbarian or a mixture of both. I'd imagine he never speaks, and when he rages a visor swings down over his head, stopping just before eyes, that has a pair of angry eyebrows on it. If he was to ever die, he would turn to the rest of the party, give a thumbs up, then fall over an ambiguously placed cliff, but not before taking the bbeg with him.
The idea of a barbarian who is just a nerd with anger issues is brilliant. Like Pip from the dodgeball episode of South Park, who is normally so polite and pleasant and just gets so pissed off by being insulted that he turns into a rage filled monster.
I've never really wanted to play a barbarian, now thanks to you guys I want to play a barbarian/Grave cleric who calls the sprits of the restless dead to help fuel his rage with theirs. Thanks guys, great stuff as always
Barbarian is one of my favorite classes, my favorite Barb I've made was an alchemist who chemically induced his rage, and when he leveled up and gained different abilities it was him tinkering and changing the formula. Thanks for the awesome video :)
How about the Bloody Nine from Abercrombie's First Law? That is my ideal of when something just takes over. Love that character! Pruitt and Davis, Love your vids. I'm in my mid 40's. Haven't played since my teens. I'm in China so would pretty much have to be the DM but your videos have me reminiscing and thinking to order all the 5e books and getting something going. Mid-life crisis? Perhaps. haha
DonPetexX He's not smart, really. He's clever and informed. Theres a difference. Dorian is a smart character, he understands the magic involved in turning back fucking time, if he were to try and explain the process that goes into that you'd need a doctorate in magic to even start comprehending what he was saying. Dorian as a wizard likely picks up CHA even though he doesnt need it stat wise. He's a noble, not a sage (ala Solas). Iron Bull is informed and clever. A lot of his knowledge comes more from understand people than from some higher intelligence. As a barbarian he picks up CHA & WIS. He's a spy, not a scholar.
Bolvai from thirteenth warrior was a smart and wise barbarian, he kept his own counsel but saw everything that happened around him. And when it was time to rend foes, he did it with gusto.
I had a charecter like that. A drow barbarian that was a caligrapher and was obsessed with draconic language but woul go into a rage when any art was destroyed or friends were threatened. Lol. He would also curse his opponents in complete draconic as he uses his opponents blood as ink and does not fully remember. Ahhh good times.😄
I had so much fun watching this. I just finished painting my first mini ever and wanted to make him a barbarian - this was perfect for inspiration on why he's a barbarian!
Now I have to make a "Focus" Barbarian themed around Wrath from FMA ... This is why i love this channel, I always get ideas for playing non stereotypical characters
Man your Thumbnail game is just amazing. Barbarians are why I always advocate for starting a game at level 1. I had not intention of playing a Totem Warrior, but after seeing so many situations where having speak with animals and damage resistance would come in handy it was the clear choice for me.
You just scared me a bit with that. I have a hexblade lock/totem barbarian in a party, whose totem animal is wolves and his hexblade weapon was given to him by Fenrir. So, hopefully my barlock doesn't try to let Fenrir possess him.
I know you are currently doing How to RP Classes at the moment. But after that, maybe a video on players that want to play a character with an unusual age. May RP as a child, someone really old for their race, or someone / thing that doesn't age and has seen civilizations come and go.
I want to say they touched a little bit on it in their dwarf episode. Also on their Lich episode. But yeah, a focus on it with the addition of, what is it like play as an 8 year old Half-Orc. Or a 1 month old humanoid magic/bio-weapon.
I love the idea of turning yourself over to something else when the barbarian rage kicks in. It actually makes me think of how the MCU version of Banner talks about The Hulk. This other entity that shares his mind and his life, and they are two distinct identities, and sometimes he can see from the passenger seat, and sometimes he can't. Makes me want to roll up that character.
I loved the idea of a spirit taking over your body, modifying your attacks and style of combat. I will do that when I get the chance of using my ancestral lizardfolk barbarian
I really liked this. I am playing an ancestral guardian half elf barbarian. She isn't stupid but she's not as bright in some areas (socializing mainly). She actually wants to become a hero to the lands and help people, but can't control her rage at the moment, so she tries to control it if she feels it stirring (doesn't want to accidentally hurt her party). It's been fun, I was worried she wasn't very "barbarian like" in her personality, but this video helped to show like, it's ok to do things different. Thanks~
Darkest Dungeon is one the best games I have played in years. I got some much inspiration from it as a DM, and also use its OST all the time on my table. I wish there was an official Darkest Dungeon setting for 5E.
I often hear people giving flack about the Battlerager Barbarian for just being a spikyboi but when you consider that in their setting they had to fight in confined tunnels, being a broad shouldered man coated in spikes had a lot of advantages. The enemy would have a hard time slipping past in a narrow tunnels and if they tried, they could just get body checked into a wall by a mass of blades and anger.
Want to know a wise Barbarian? The old male Barbarian from Diablo 3. That guy is the singular character that comes to my mind when I think about "A motherf*cking Barbarian".
The podcast Sneak Attack has one of the greatest against-type barbarians i have ever seen. An old, wise, retired knight (dragoon) whose rage comes from PTSD. And done tastefully. My favorite character in the wholr show
Wow, they really hit the nail on the head with "DMX Ruff Ryder Barbarian". Barbarian was my first character and my favorite class and they just make me question everything I know about them
Something I've always thought about with Barbarians (and this ties into the little extra bit at the end) was thinking about the rage as a curse, that instead of just getting crazy the magic warps them physically and that if someone sees that they maybe chased out of town or shunned from society. Similar to the Abomination from Darkest Dungeon, or (not so much in the shunning aspect) the Irish myth of Cuchulain with the warp spasm.
My half-orc barbarian and his parents owned at a small vineyard. After some of the town bigots got drunk and decided to burn it down (original, I know), he broke the field plow in half and used it to kill the culprits. He later sharpened and modified it so it functioned as a greataxe. A little play on the "swords to plowshares" idea... He also fancied himself a wine connoisseur.
Im making a charecter named Lyric. He is a College of Glamour bard who one day discoverd he had a passion for combat, and fought very barbarically. So he duel classes as a Path of the Juggernaut barbarian. He is a BARDbarian... Im super proud of him
I have a pocket pc I have yet to play (I'm keeping it for the correct group because it's pretty brooding and I can see that without the correct group it could cause a lot of tension) but she's a zerk barb from noble bloodline who's rage comes from a fiendish source. I created her as an exercise in trying to have her rage abilities come from something other than a "primal" connection with nature, etc. allowing her class abilities to make up for a stat distribution that favors mental/social bonuses. backstory: she came from a lower noble house and married into a mid-tier family of knights. court intrigue and blood feuds being what they are, a rival house of her husband's one day decides to get rid of their competition. summoning a fiend for the purpose of slaughter the rival house sends their summon to end their rival house's bloodline. the pc witnesses everyone in their estate be ripped apart by this fiend and while she lays bleeding out watches her husband be horrifically tortured before dying. the fiend revels in the idea of the wife of the knight watching as he mutilates her husband. he doesn't kill the pc outright because he thinks it would be hilarious if she were to survive and have to live with the memory of her entire house being slaughtered in front of her. luckily she is found by some retainers returning to the estate in the morning of the next day. this close call with death, and her intimate proximity to fiendish energy during her twilight, has somehow changed her. during the recovery process priests and clerics were brought in to help seal and control the fiendish energy that now lives within her (which also just happened to help keep her alive long enough to be rescued). her rage and anger is tied to this energy and is more brutal and violent than what is normally found in humanoids. months later, covered in scars and tattooed with ritual sigils and holy scripts, she leaves the estate with a single purpose: to find who did this to her family and make them pay.
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Web DM I was talking with my sister about this video as I was watching it, and when you started talking about how a barbarian could rage via a substance, I made the joke to her of, "Oh fuck, he's pulling out the special flask, he's gonna kill us all!" Her response was (& I think this would make a great character) "So their just Popeye."
So I think that would be cool, to have a low Int, high Wis, Berzerker (or sea storm herald), with the sailor background.
Popeye is rather intelligent though. He tries to handle the situations with smarts and wit but when that doesn't work he gets out his can and deals with it through brute strength.
Thaxsar Maybe dump Charisma, then.
the spirit was Sir Stewart, and the ectomancer was Morty. 😁
Another way to go with the ancestral guardian is Avatar style, they're all your past lives.
Barbarian with the Sailor background. He rages when he opens his Spinach Totem and eats the contents magically found within...
His warcry: "I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam!!!!"
Hell yeah!!!
"I have an intelligence of 6; I know what I'm doing."
Brian B. Haha, Grog is the best.
I would like to RAGE!
bidet fellow critters
Beep beep
I didn't say "I think my problems through."
I said "I rage and beat him to death."
If you want to play a barbarian straight, it's worth considering that the word 'barbarian' originally basically just mean "someone who doesn't follow Greek/Roman societal norms." That taken into account, ask yourself WHY your character doesn't follow society's norms.
Does your dwarven barbarian believe that slavish obedience to tradition is holding them back from being rid of the goblin threat forever? Does your elven barbarian reject the notion of distant observation, believing that they should use their power to direct the river's course rather than flow with it?
Having an answer to that question, whatever it is, goes miles to differentiating your character from a 'standard' barbarian, even if everything else is the same.
A party member in my campaign plays a firbolg barbarian who fits this very well. Firbolgs are usually sorta gentle nature-loving magical folk, whereas she's shifty, hates mages to an irrational level (there is a reason for that mind you) and generally just is very non-traditional for a firbolg. She goes against the grain in a very obvious manner.
Both these comments helped me put some things in perspective. Thanks guys!
Lol I’m making a Shifter (Beasthide) Path of the Beast Barbarian who goes by Chimera. And she’s and Athlete/gladiator type. 🤦🏽♀️
As well, I'd add that literary Conan was more of a thief than a barbarian, comic book Conan was more of a martial expert than a raging hulk. Cinematic Conan was a superheroic 'noble savage' who 'had a code'. Historical 'rage' was 3 parts fiction, 1 part drugs and alcohol. I view 'barbarism' as a socio-economic relationship normally, but within D&D I completely agree that you are a person who doesn't fit. My last barbarian was in fact a dwarven barbarian who began life as a miner, but when his clan failed to defend his family from rampagin orcs, flew into rages (plural) at the relative impotence he felt. In an attempt to calm his anger and forget he drank and drank and drank until it was an untenable addiction. He was shunned by his clan, 'lost his job' so to speak and fell down and out, which in most Dwarven cultures just isn't a thing you do. Nobody at my table really understood that I was making a literal murderhobo. He never called himself a barbarian, but that was his class whether he liked it or not. TL;DR -- I would only add that nobody who IS a barbarian is going to necessarily think of themself as a barbarian.
Marco and Louie, Barbarian brothers seeking to rescue a princess from an evil Turtle Dragon.
They activate their rage by consuming magic mushrooms.
This... This is just great.
Well I'm definitely putting this in my next campaign.
Redshroom gives you extra damage
Greenshroom gives you extra hp
Yellowshroom makes makes you gargantuan
I'd say the real rage comes from star power! They practically glow with violence, killing with a touch!
They generally use either a Maul, or Unarmed Strikes by leaping upon their foes.
Personally, I really want to run a Fear Barbarian. He doesn't enter into a battle frenzy, he's just really confused and panicked.
Aaaand I have my next character
Had a Bladesinger Wizard like that...
He was a janitor in a Wizard Academy...they required that all staff needed at least a basic understanding of magic.
He would mop and sweep...then one day, he overhears a cabal of wizards plotting something sinister; so he swipes a spellbook and runs like hell.
Now he lives in fear of them tracking him down.
His "Bladesong" was just a quarterstaff he fashioned from a mop handle; and he'd run screaming while waving it around.
Mabye he rage to hide his fear, that he is aggressive and loudy to because he doesnt want people to know that he is scared
He eviscerates his enemies with his razor sharp axe-iety.
He gets afraid and kicks into fight or flight mode. He first looks for a way to flee but because he sees his party fighting he finds himself unable to abandon his comrades, and as such the only option left to him is to fight. He is still terrified but his nervous energy gives him the strength to fight on.
I can think of a character who acts like this. The main character, Bai Xiaochun, from the xianxia novel A Will Eternal, is absolutely terrified of pain and death, as such he practices a method that supposedly would give him an eternal indestructible body when completed but allows him to tank an insane amount of damage until then and makes him very strong. He also later creates a technique relevant here, the technique summoned a massive dragon turtle. When he is confronted by the smallest bit of conflict he will instantly try to flee but if he is ever unable to flee, if he is cornered or his allies are in danger, he enters a state where he is absolutely fearless, charges in headfirst to crush whatever threat is in the way and becomes an utterly terrifying combatant. Later he also finds a reason that allows him to fight without becoming terrified, the only way to make sure that the people he cares about won't get hurt is to crush those who would harm them. On the way to coming to this realization, he despairs that people cannot seem to stop fighting, killing, and in general cause suffering. Eventually, he even tries to find a way to stop fighting forever, in the novel he does this by becoming a god.
Motivated by fear
Very tanky
Very strong
Has a technique that summons a sort of "totem"
Enters a state similar to rage
Initially, he was unable to "control" this state but he later learned to
So writing a barbarian based on that would be relatively easy. They would be a cowardly person by nature who is unable to control their rage initially but later learns to control it out of a desire to protect their party/friends/loved ones. Initially, their goal would be to avoid combat but as they realize that they cannot avoid it, they start actively seeking it out in order to protect others from suffering.
A flavored bear totem would work very nicely, flavor it as a dragon turtle. A divine beast that symbolizes courage, determination, longevity, power, success, and support. Very appropriate traits for a totem to have to person who wants all of those things themselves. Go full tank with a shield and sentinel and make it your focus in battle to protect your allies.
That thumbnail changed my life, i just havent figured out if the change was good or bad yet
One spin you could add to the relation between the totem and rage is flipping their positions. The mourning Barbarian is in a perpetual state of grief-stricken rage and is only pulled out of if by focusing on his late daughter's ribbon, she wouldn't want him to carry on this way...
*cough* Asura's Wrath *cough*
I like it.
goddamit now i want to make Conan the librarian as an NPC in my campaign.
I played a months-long game with a Forest Gnome Barbarian named Conan the Librarian
Mathias Andersen
I'm already planning it.
As the party searched the library, they heard a loud *BOOM* as a book is thrown across the room, hitting the wall with force "WHO WROTE YOUR MOM IN THE TOME OF TROGLODYTES?!"
Better yet, have him be actual Conan, just reired.
*retired
Mathias Andersen I created a forest gnome totem barb moon druid. He was working on his doctorate when his class went on a wilderness survival trek through the woods, and he found that he proffered it to city living. After he got his doctorate he went into the woods and didn't come out for 30 years. He came back because he realized that he had gotten too out of touch with society. Also his accent morphed from Scottish to Jamaican over the course of 10 minutes.
Kratos will inspire many this season of D&D. Roaring, "BOY" when he rages.
Omg, the new god of war is just a new two player dnd game with a kid and his dad who’s playing an older version of his first dnd character
holy shit yes please
mom is the DM..... this makes too much sense
Harden your heart to their suffering, Boy!
Hey you’re right my current character in the campaign I’m in is based off of Kratos in GoW4. Shield/battleax combo. He doesn’t have a son, but he roars “BOY” to the young Tabaxi sorcerer...
You know who's a smart barbarian? Hank McCoy, the Beast!
I love the idea of choosing a barbarian with the sage background but little intelligence who keeps ending up in libraries in their post-rage confusion and can't understand why
I LOVE BOOKS SO MU-where am I, and what in God's name is the Catcher in the Rye?
This brings to mind a wizard who got their mind zapped by some extraterrestrial being from the far realm. Reduced to a simple-minded warmonger that only finds a fragment of clarity in their deepest rage, subconsciously vying to set themselves right.
The classic rage is something I imagine the barbarian needs to train to manifest almost in a military sense. Imagine a for example a drill sergeant just slapping and beating the living hell out off you both physically and mentally while the barbarian is not allowed to react. The sergeant then stops for a moment before going "Are you mad now?... No, you are mad NOW!" and the barbarian crawls through a tunnel of caltrops before you're allowed to unleash all your fury on the training dummy at the end.
For a more primal barbarian from the outlands, it won't be a literal drill sergeant helping you train your rage but another mentor or even a tribe elder might fulfill the same role. The point is your helped in channeling rage but not allowed to unleash it until giving permission and that's how the barbarian can rage at will. For many barbarians, the secret is that they are always angry. The rage is simply them deciding to release control of their anger.
The barbarian might the one capable of unleashing the most fury, but they're simultaneous the one with the most self control. It makes for a create contrast with for example the monk who needs to be calm and detached at all times whereas the barbarian can flick on whatever mood is needed.
Similar to how I play my current barbarian
I'm glad that you brought up non-traditional expectations for Barbarians. I'll give you two examples of Barbarians that have been played at our table. One my daughter played, and on I played.
"Jinx" - This Gnome Barbarian was played in a seafaring steampunk setting, so already the expectations have changed. She was a Clan Crafter (specifically a steamfitter), and she resolved the class vs. background vs. setting thus:
Jinx didn't like people. She was more at home among the machines, smoke, and steam. She understood them and felt that they understood her. However, she was short tempered and broke as many machines as she fixed. She had the expected "goggles" on her head, but called them her "rage goggles". You knew she intended to go into a rage when they got pulled down over her eyes and she yelled "Let's Do This!!!". She was known for rushing into battle with a massive pipe wrench (warhammer). She was awesome. What a great character. I love my daughter's creativity.
"Gutwrench" - Gutwrench was a Half-Ogre, and had the outward appearance of what you'd expect for his race and class. However, what the rest of the party came to discover was that his constant hunger (typical of ogres) was channeled into a rather high skill of cooking. He had no qualms about turning whatever he found or killed into soups, chowders, ribs, and other meals. Because they were in the Underdark at the time (OotA campaign), finding food became a lot easier when you didn't ask questions about WHAT you were eating. What the rest of the party discovered far too late is that they had been eating every Kuo-Toa, giant insect, mushroom or whatever that Gutwrench could find.
I can remember one moment where the party were being swarmed by Stirges. After the Wizard cast Sleep, they were intending to crush these creatures and leave them be. Gutwrench loudly proclaimed "No! You leave. I make HOT WINGS! You like!" (Which was done with Stirges, fish oil, spices, and flammable mushrooms they found earlier. I rolled a Crit on my cooking)
When Gutwrench died, they didn't miss the warrior and his massive Great Axe ("Hunger"). They missed the meals and the variety.
I hope to play a Dragonborn (White) Barbarian in STK at some point, who's focus will be a deep spirituality over death, survival, and the how the land makes the person. I have drawn him with a very "White Dragon"-like singular crest, and I can imagine that as a nasal sounding chamber these dragonborn use to "sing" or call to each other over long distances. Will he be a cold-breathing combat monster? Sure. But he'll be more remembered for eating meat frozen and raw, mourning his lost mate and young, and questioning social norms on what manners and possession are.
great post ty vry much
r.i.p. Chef Wrench
Great characters!
This. This is why I love dnd.
Your daughters cool 😎
A good version for a smart Barbarian would be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character or a more modern example a Bruce Banner hulk character.
MrAltereg0 I'm wanting to do Just that for the Curse Of Strahd campaign I'm about to start playing
I'm starting a campaign soon, and I think I've figured out my character. Ancestral Guardian Barbarian: a rich little snot that constantly threatens to tell their father about this. Their powerful, spectral fatherm
I have this Barbarian PC, she's the child of an Amazon queen in exile who was herself a legendary hero. She also has the soldier background and actually has pretty crap stats, but being a Barbarian that doesn't really matter. Instead of Tattoos she had a history of scars all over her body and each one was a memory of a battle won against death. They made her pretty scary looking and conventionally unattractive, but to her they were trophies and a huge part of her identity. Then I was playing in a game and I lost my eye (as you do) and later after single handedly killing 12 Dureger (because my party got shit-kicked) I went to this magic pool and bathed in it and got magically healed regaining my eye, and also healing all of my scars. It really threw me for a loop, I was shocked that it happened and I had trouble imagining my character. Then I thought about how strange that would be, how it would feel to have your face and body suddenly changed particularly how it tied into her identity. It was a really cool moment where the PC and the player were in the same mindset in a really interesting way.
I've watched all of your class RP videos and just can't get enough. My new goal is to create a PC for each class with an idea/background, you didn't talk about! Harder than one would think!!
DM Vane acolyte barbarian? City watch barbarian?
It really is harder than one would think. There have been quite a few ideas thrown around in this rp series that had me sitting at my desk like "oh shit, that sounds really cool".
Guild artisan Barbarian.
I once made a dwarf who was a tavern keeper. One night some guests were getting too out of hand, and started wrecking his tavern (damned half-orc adventurers, always starting shit) so he snapped, grabbed a bat and started bashing.
That's how he discovered his rage.
People would be too afraid of him to go to his tavern anymore, so he had to close the activity and took on adventuring.
Allen Smithee I like it. Do you have some good back story for them?. I've played for 20 years now and some of the ideas they talk through, I've never even thought about. I love the creativity they have!
SnarkyRogue exactly my point. They have so many good ideas that I just sit back in my chair and write them down. I don't get a lot of PC time, but these would work great for all my NPCs. Sort of open the minds of my players for their next PC.
I love the idea of a scholar that finds a blade imbued with the souls of the warriors it has slain and when he wields it they take over and he becomes this insane rage-filled force of destruction and martial prowess! GAAHD you guys give me all the cool ideas!
Colin Bremner That is an amazing idea, I may work up something like that eventually, myself.
Mordiveer sounds like a Hexblade in ways.
I see the stereotype of barbs and say “How about nah.” I made a berserker barb, that was a samurai. He was sumo sized so he could only wear half plate. He was extremely honorable, had training in court practices, studied calligraphy, but had a terrible temper and unending hunger. This was Fukase Toru. Super serious sumo samurai. His rage stems from his hatred of being second best to his older brother, who is considered a master swordsman, and the fact that his older brother is trying to steal away Fukase’s love away from him.
Kratos in the newest game is a great take on barbarian with a charisma dump stat in my opinion. the guy is tough as nails and has rage up the yinyang but is such an abrasive person that no one likes him much.
Barbarians are some of my favorite characters to play.
..And now I want to make my Aasimar Barbarian, make their 'totem' their kid's favorite bed-time story book.
Give them a good Cha score, and have them gravitate towards kids while they're in civilization.
Like going to an orphanage and reading the kids from the book. Or taking some time before a long rest,, and reading it to a little plushie.
Sure, they're a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, but the heart's in the right place.
This community is so great, as I'm watching there are no dislikes. You two truly are amazing.
-your friendly tank main
Pruitt! I greatly appreciate your OPM shirt. It is 10/10!
"I have an intellegence of six, I know what I'm doing"
If you've ever read the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie - and you should - Logen Ninefingers is a great example of how to play a three-dimensional barbarian who isn't just a bundle of rage (all the time, anyway). His "rage" is more like an alternate personality, but it's that persona that people see in him. In reality, he isn't educated, but he has smarts and is a fairly nice guy who tries to do good, acts wiser than most of the other characters and speaks with the last spirits of the wild. Then when battle starts (sometimes) you just don't stand near him.
Incidentally, I love to play a barbarian whose rage sometimes fails (a la Bruce Banner in Infinity War, or the aforementioned Logen).
Love you guys, keep up the good work!
Agreed! Even in the books you see how it looks when he hasn't dealt damage or taken it and loses the rage.
I actually played something similar in a Strahd campaign, it was fun to do but after the party wizard after he burning hands me and then insulted me, the wisdom save not hunt and beat his ass to death failed. After one blow that almost dropped him I got another burning hands to the face and died...
Playing a Path of Zealot Barbarian this Friday. Took inspiration from you guys and have the everdying warrior. Tribesman who is resurrected for a task and when the task is over, they return home to resume death until they are needed again. Can't wait to play it!
7:00 That image... is glorious. I love it. The horror of the brutality mixed with poise and indifference... Gah. I'm doing that.
Pruitt said a throwaway comment around 14:35 ... "It's D&D -- who cares?" But that's actually pretty profound. I think we gamers often forget to just let it go and get crazy creative with D&D. We too often go straight from a book description or a fictional character instead of coming up with a wild idea of our own.
25:23
reminds me of an offbrand barbarian idea I have is one that as opposed to tanking damage they are so skilled with a weapon they can deflect it, and their rage is more a cool, calm, collected, battle trance. which I know fits fighter more but I love the barbarian abilities mechanically and want to flavor them differently
I picture a ronin samurai that travels through the wild and challenges people to duels. wearing traditional samurai attire with no armor and is so skilled in the ways of the sword he can instinctively parry physical attacks to lessen the damage.
and to make the character even more off brand I chose street urchin as his background for stealth and thievery and teifling as race being part Oni, their personal totem a hannya mask
I recently just made a barbarian concept actually. He's got the whole kind of cowboy western vibe going where he doesn't want to fight, but when pressed he just lets loose. Wields a great axe forged by a dead friend he calls "Peacekeeper."
Excuse me nurse, can you check my temperature... Because.. I, uh. I think I got Jan Michael Vincent, fever. Hahaa
I’m a simple man: I see Ben Swolo, I like.
Same tbh fam
They've changed it, though. I wonder why
strangely I like to look at some werewolf characters for barbarian inspiration. especially if the transformation happens when agitated and not under the full moon. something like Greymane who’s very respectful normally until things really go south and he goes ham
My Half-Orc Barbarian path of the beserker is a werewolf that murdered his whole family during his first full moon then chose to live in the wild alone for the next 20 years. He's a grizzled veteran and a rather tortured soul, although he's completly magic illiterate but has more practical knowledge on how to survive in the wild. I'd say he's a mix between Urdnot Wrex and Kratos.
I love the idea of an ancestral guardian barbarian that's a medium; they see the spirits of their people and look out for them, while in turn the spirits look out for the barb too. I like the idea that when raging, spirits begin to crowd into the barbarian and exercise their collective willpower to guard the barbarian and those the barbarian would wish to protect.
My other favorite idea for a barbarian is in the zealot that's an even tempered priest of their god. Their totem would be a relic of their god or a symbol of their specific saint, and by praying on it, they could call either divine guidance or become a meat suit for their warrior saint. Both of my favorite ideas require losing some agency on the part of the character, but I really enjoy that aspect of barbarians and their rage in general.
I've always liked the rage mechanic as something other than just emotional fury. Like Altered Carbon's Envoy's "conscious willingness to do harm" that civilized people lack. Even a trained Fighter is squeamish about what a Barbarian is willing to do to prevail.
Swollen Pruitt is best Pruitt
Smart Barbarian = I read all of the books at the library of Alexandria...and then I burnt it to the ground.
One of my favorite Barbarian builds is that when he rages it's more of a quiet focus. Suoer aware and super knowledgeable of weak points similar to Sherlock Holmes. That could he a high int barb
The dad with the ribbon thing. Jeez, Pruitt, right in the feels, man.
I thought it'd be funny to make an elf barbarian for a campaign, and through some character development and fighter levels became my favorite character I'd ever RP'd.
Oh by the way, bear totem 1/2 damage barbaric rage and parrying battlemaster combo = god-tier multiclass
Good tip! I overlooked this.
Missed opportunity for BarBRAINian. That said, loved the video as always
I always thought the girls from Claymore would make a cool barbarian concept (orphans implanted with demon's flesh that gives them superhuman strength, but threatens to turn them into mindless killing machines if they lose too much control).
I feel like they are battlemasters with only 1 manuever
29:43
Q: “When was the last time your Barbarian raged?”
A: “Well, I was really busy the last few months man gimme some slack!”
I really love the idea of having a zealot barbarian who doesn’t actually feel rage specifically, but instead he uses a battle chanting envelops themselves in the power through a sort of meditation.
When you were talking about a barbarian being taught/ controlled by a spirit master I was just thinking SHAMAN KING!!
This would also be a fun spin on the path of the zealot.
More like a spin on the path of the ancester guardian, since the barbarian is the summoner, not the ghost.
I did see that but having multiple spirits in that way is fairly rare in Shaman King (Unless you're an Asakura) and the zealot skills seem easier to skin as things that Yoh/Len/other main characters use. Both definitely work though.
What about the high charisma Bard-Barian?
Painteagle Skald is a strong archetype to draw inspiration from. The big issue is concentration and spell casting while raging but you’re not raging all the time
I imagine a heavy metal vocalist who lets the music consume him. And sometimes, that music is made from the clanging of swords on armor and war cries. I think it would be more fun to play thematically than powerfully.
Also, if you do a bugbear monstrous race, you could do a Bard-Bearian.
Painteagle who wants to write about someone else’s battles, UWAAA!!!
I had fun making a dex-based bardbarian for a high-level game (11 starting) who became a bard by accident more than choice - he hated bards, and was convinced to learn about them and ended up with a level in bard. Storm herald (tundra) so his rages were always calm and controlled. Eventually plan had been another level in bard and the Prodigy feat to boost both Deception and Persuasion and have a barbarian who tried to prevent fights before they happened.
Story aside, even one level in bard is nice if only for healing word on allies. And one can never go wrong with vicious mockery.
Kevin Sorbo's Hercules is a great barbarian.
He-man is another great example. View the transformation as the rage machanic.
I always thought a noble half-orc barbarian who whenever he rages let’s into his feral nature but is usually a well mannered diplomat would be a cool way to show a smart/wise/charismatic barbarian.
Just a Manatee
Pick up a few levels in samurai for synergy and now you get a bonus to your persuasion based on your wis
Even though the duo here sadly parted ways, it is still such a good resource to send new players about how thry could spice up their roleplay of a particular class. Please keep it up forever! ❤
So.. I've never really enjoyed strength based characters in games, when I played a barbarian last time, I ended up playing a Dex focused barbarian who's dump stat was strength. The idea for the character was essentially a wood elven wardancer, someone who didn't enter a rage but focused their mind into a battle trance, and rather then just being tough enough to shrug off attacks at half damage, I played it off as their fighting style was about moving in such a way where when in the trance her damage reduction came from her moving with the blade, letting it graze off and never hitting her with it's full impact.
Zoltri a DEX based Barbarian is a hard play, since the damage bonus only applies to STR attacks... If I were going DEX focus, I'd go Monk and get the other tricks that compliment the high DEX.
Oh I'm well aware. :) I'm honestly a big numbers player in most games, I love tinkering and finding weird ways to make something work.
If you go and look around online, there's actually some pretty unique builds people have found for playing a Dex focused barb, the core idea is about focusing on mobility and group utility over your personal output, and just working the rage damage reduction to it's full potential. Is it better then the strength barb? No... Not really. Dex is a bit overpowered in 5e just because of how much you can get from it compared to the other stats, but it's a pretty minor advantage you gain compared to the massive disadvantage you face by gimping your own damage output in favor of helping the party.
Although in truth I didn't end up playing a true Dex barb, when I presented what I was going to be doing to the DM, we ended up having a discussion and looking into what really happened if we just traded the word strength out for Dex for the low level barbarian skills (I was planning to go battle master in the later levels, so at most level 6-8 barb would of been my cap anyways.) And after looking it over.. we didn't really think it would cause a massive power swing for me, especially since I was playing mainly as a utility damage sponge focused more on crowd control, position manipulation and giving my party advantage on their hits rather then personal power. :)
Funny, that's exactly how I envision playing a Barb. Lots of grapples and knockdown.
Dex is still pretty important for barbs.
DEX is important for every class in the game, for initiative if nothing else. Given the number of ways DEX affects a character, it is unarguably the most significant single stat in the game.
BUT... That doesn't make it especially valuable to Barbarians. In fact, compared to other meleers, Barbarians don't benefit from it as much as many others. Barbarians benefit from relatively simple builds, which means there is usually plenty of room for maxing all 3 physical stats, which isn't the same as saying all 3 physical stats are equally important. STR and CON greatly outweigh DEX.
I had a character in a story I wrote: he was basically a barbarian that used grief instead of rage when he went berserk.
"DO NOT disturb my CIRCLES!"
-Archimedes, fighting without doning armor
I have a Barbarian Bugbear that goes into a rage from laughing too much. Basically a laughing fit. And only something sad can get him out of it. XD
MrDougieWeasel like the floating laughing scene in Mary Poppins. I like it
Scholar Barbarian makes me think of "The Librarian" from Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels.
Urchin background. Grew up in street kids gang. Rage came from his constant hunger and deprivation. He has gotten used to the rush of fear.
High key excited for the ranger episode of this series!!!
My favorite character i ever created was a barbarian/bard, and the idea behind the character was that he was a larger then life professional wrestler. He obviously had the grappler feat, and the entertainer background. His performance was his fighting, and the way I envisioned his rage wasnt him losing control in his passion, but it was him fully immersing himself in his character.
I have a character concept for a Barbarian..one who is basically a monk, mastering his body and mind to push himself to the limit in battle.
I love that you guys still roll stat, just sayin (not sayin).
I have recently started listening to the full collection of Conan the Barbarian stories on Audible, so this video couldn't have been timed better. Some of the ideas you guys threw out there have inspired me to change one of my character concepts from a monk to a barbarian purely for the RP fun I can have with it. My half-orc seeking inner peace doesn't have to be some temple-raised stoic. Barbarian rages will make his struggles for self control seem much more real.
I made a Goliath Barbarian which became one of my best roleplayed characters I ever handled. Suruza'an "The Mountainback" was his name, named for his strength and for the Goliath markings on his back shaped like a mountain range. He first entered into the story by walking into the "Intro Tavern" all massive and close cloaked, the sound of his steps making the floorboards creak from his muscled weight. As he neared the bar he throws his cloak open revealing not patches of hide or common clothes but a set of clothes fit for a nobleman. In a voice fitting Kieth David he said "Tea, spot of lemon, please."
I made a snooty Goliath Noble...who just happens to have a Bad Temper when he fights. I was going through playing a lot of noble bgs at that time.
29:47 "When did you pop your fury?" Pretty good joke that slipped under the radar.
Logen Ninefingers from the First Law series is a great inspiration for a more clever barbarian whose rage is actually a detriment to him.
I played a Warforged Barbarian that was super kind and friendly and didn’t really like fighting. He had a button on his chest that he would press that turned him into a monstrous robot of death. His name was Guardian and he is My favorite character to this day.
Often thought about something exactly like this, as either a monk, barbarian or a mixture of both. I'd imagine he never speaks, and when he rages a visor swings down over his head, stopping just before eyes, that has a pair of angry eyebrows on it. If he was to ever die, he would turn to the rest of the party, give a thumbs up, then fall over an ambiguously placed cliff, but not before taking the bbeg with him.
Conan the Librarian: Hears talking "Enough talk!" Throws knife at the person talking.
The idea of a barbarian who is just a nerd with anger issues is brilliant. Like Pip from the dodgeball episode of South Park, who is normally so polite and pleasant and just gets so pissed off by being insulted that he turns into a rage filled monster.
I've never really wanted to play a barbarian, now thanks to you guys I want to play a barbarian/Grave cleric who calls the sprits of the restless dead to help fuel his rage with theirs. Thanks guys, great stuff as always
Barbarian is one of my favorite classes, my favorite Barb I've made was an alchemist who chemically induced his rage, and when he leveled up and gained different abilities it was him tinkering and changing the formula. Thanks for the awesome video :)
How about the Bloody Nine from Abercrombie's First Law? That is my ideal of when something just takes over. Love that character!
Pruitt and Davis, Love your vids. I'm in my mid 40's. Haven't played since my teens. I'm in China so would pretty much have to be the DM but your videos have me reminiscing and thinking to order all the 5e books and getting something going. Mid-life crisis? Perhaps. haha
The second you guys mentioned a smart or charismatic barbarian I thought of The Iron Bull from dragon age Inquisition
DonPetexX
He's not smart, really. He's clever and informed. Theres a difference.
Dorian is a smart character, he understands the magic involved in turning back fucking time, if he were to try and explain the process that goes into that you'd need a doctorate in magic to even start comprehending what he was saying. Dorian as a wizard likely picks up CHA even though he doesnt need it stat wise. He's a noble, not a sage (ala Solas).
Iron Bull is informed and clever. A lot of his knowledge comes more from understand people than from some higher intelligence. As a barbarian he picks up CHA & WIS. He's a spy, not a scholar.
Heimskr, Prophet of Talos yeah you're right I should have expressed my self more clearly my bad
I didn't even think about how Ben solo is just a smart barbarian, making a super interesting dnd character, thank you pruiittttttt
Sailor background with a can of spinach totem.
Bolvai from thirteenth warrior was a smart and wise barbarian, he kept his own counsel but saw everything that happened around him. And when it was time to rend foes, he did it with gusto.
I'd love to see Rage used as a role-playing skill. Perhaps to highten skills like an artist or scientist who trips out for inspiration.
I had a charecter like that. A drow barbarian that was a caligrapher and was obsessed with draconic language but woul go into a rage when any art was destroyed or friends were threatened. Lol. He would also curse his opponents in complete draconic as he uses his opponents blood as ink and does not fully remember. Ahhh good times.😄
"When did you pop your fury?"
I like your take. reminds me of how I made my zealot of the wind, aspect of a calm breeze than a raging storm (used thunder instead of radiant damage)
I had so much fun watching this. I just finished painting my first mini ever and wanted to make him a barbarian - this was perfect for inspiration on why he's a barbarian!
Now I have to make a "Focus" Barbarian themed around Wrath from FMA ... This is why i love this channel, I always get ideas for playing non stereotypical characters
Man your Thumbnail game is just amazing. Barbarians are why I always advocate for starting a game at level 1. I had not intention of playing a Totem Warrior, but after seeing so many situations where having speak with animals and damage resistance would come in handy it was the clear choice for me.
Genius thumbnail
hexblade + barb? Actual patron possession?? hmmmmmm
Keith Pitts
Hexblade/Zealot
You just scared me a bit with that. I have a hexblade lock/totem barbarian in a party, whose totem animal is wolves and his hexblade weapon was given to him by Fenrir. So, hopefully my barlock doesn't try to let Fenrir possess him.
The way Jim Davis describes Focus-Rage inspires me. Sherlock the Barbarian sounds like a fun option for more social/puzzley games!
I know you are currently doing How to RP Classes at the moment. But after that, maybe a video on players that want to play a character with an unusual age. May RP as a child, someone really old for their race, or someone / thing that doesn't age and has seen civilizations come and go.
IcyHaze02 They kind of touch on it in their elf episode, but yeah. That would be petty cool.
I want to say they touched a little bit on it in their dwarf episode. Also on their Lich episode. But yeah, a focus on it with the addition of, what is it like play as an 8 year old Half-Orc. Or a 1 month old humanoid magic/bio-weapon.
I love the idea of turning yourself over to something else when the barbarian rage kicks in. It actually makes me think of how the MCU version of Banner talks about The Hulk. This other entity that shares his mind and his life, and they are two distinct identities, and sometimes he can see from the passenger seat, and sometimes he can't. Makes me want to roll up that character.
I loved the idea of a spirit taking over your body, modifying your attacks and style of combat. I will do that when I get the chance of using my ancestral lizardfolk barbarian
I really liked this. I am playing an ancestral guardian half elf barbarian. She isn't stupid but she's not as bright in some areas (socializing mainly). She actually wants to become a hero to the lands and help people, but can't control her rage at the moment, so she tries to control it if she feels it stirring (doesn't want to accidentally hurt her party). It's been fun, I was worried she wasn't very "barbarian like" in her personality, but this video helped to show like, it's ok to do things different. Thanks~
I’m surprised you didn’t bring up Logan ‘Nine-fingers,’ from the First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Best Raging Barbarian I can think of.
Darkest Dungeon is one the best games I have played in years. I got some much inspiration from it as a DM, and also use its OST all the time on my table.
I wish there was an official Darkest Dungeon setting for 5E.
I often hear people giving flack about the Battlerager Barbarian for just being a spikyboi but when you consider that in their setting they had to fight in confined tunnels, being a broad shouldered man coated in spikes had a lot of advantages. The enemy would have a hard time slipping past in a narrow tunnels and if they tried, they could just get body checked into a wall by a mass of blades and anger.
Conan the Librarian what is best in life?
Outsmart your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their theses!
Joe Abercrombie has given us a good, modern take on the barbarian in Logen Nine-Fingers from his First Law books. Good, dark fantasy adventure novels.
Want to know a wise Barbarian? The old male Barbarian from Diablo 3. That guy is the singular character that comes to my mind when I think about "A motherf*cking Barbarian".
The podcast Sneak Attack has one of the greatest against-type barbarians i have ever seen. An old, wise, retired knight (dragoon) whose rage comes from PTSD. And done tastefully. My favorite character in the wholr show
Wow, they really hit the nail on the head with "DMX Ruff Ryder Barbarian". Barbarian was my first character and my favorite class and they just make me question everything I know about them
Something I've always thought about with Barbarians (and this ties into the little extra bit at the end) was thinking about the rage as a curse, that instead of just getting crazy the magic warps them physically and that if someone sees that they maybe chased out of town or shunned from society. Similar to the Abomination from Darkest Dungeon, or (not so much in the shunning aspect) the Irish myth of Cuchulain with the warp spasm.
My half-orc barbarian and his parents owned at a small vineyard. After some of the town bigots got drunk and decided to burn it down (original, I know), he broke the field plow in half and used it to kill the culprits. He later sharpened and modified it so it functioned as a greataxe.
A little play on the "swords to plowshares" idea... He also fancied himself a wine connoisseur.
Pruitt looking like s n a c k
Im making a charecter named Lyric. He is a College of Glamour bard who one day discoverd he had a passion for combat, and fought very barbarically. So he duel classes as a Path of the Juggernaut barbarian. He is a BARDbarian... Im super proud of him
I have a pocket pc I have yet to play (I'm keeping it for the correct group because it's pretty brooding and I can see that without the correct group it could cause a lot of tension) but she's a zerk barb from noble bloodline who's rage comes from a fiendish source. I created her as an exercise in trying to have her rage abilities come from something other than a "primal" connection with nature, etc. allowing her class abilities to make up for a stat distribution that favors mental/social bonuses.
backstory:
she came from a lower noble house and married into a mid-tier family of knights. court intrigue and blood feuds being what they are, a rival house of her husband's one day decides to get rid of their competition. summoning a fiend for the purpose of slaughter the rival house sends their summon to end their rival house's bloodline. the pc witnesses everyone in their estate be ripped apart by this fiend and while she lays bleeding out watches her husband be horrifically tortured before dying. the fiend revels in the idea of the wife of the knight watching as he mutilates her husband. he doesn't kill the pc outright because he thinks it would be hilarious if she were to survive and have to live with the memory of her entire house being slaughtered in front of her. luckily she is found by some retainers returning to the estate in the morning of the next day.
this close call with death, and her intimate proximity to fiendish energy during her twilight, has somehow changed her. during the recovery process priests and clerics were brought in to help seal and control the fiendish energy that now lives within her (which also just happened to help keep her alive long enough to be rescued). her rage and anger is tied to this energy and is more brutal and violent than what is normally found in humanoids. months later, covered in scars and tattooed with ritual sigils and holy scripts, she leaves the estate with a single purpose: to find who did this to her family and make them pay.