
Barbarian: Path of the Berserker
Path of the Berserker
Path of the Berserker
For some barbarians, rage is a means to an end— that end being violence. The Path of the Berserker is a path of untrammeled fury, slick with blood. As you enter the berserker’s rage, you thrill in the chaos of battle, heedless of your own health or well-being.
Subclass (Primal Path) of Barbarian
These formidable warriors draw power from their untamed, primal instincts. Fueled by raw emotions, they tap into a fierce rage that enhances their physical prowess, granting increased strength and endurance. With minimal armor and mighty weaponry, they fearlessly charge into battle, shrugging off blows that would cripple lesser fighters. Their unparalleled resilience allows them to endure extreme conditions and resist various effects. Barbarians possess unique paths that further shape their abilities, ranging from totemic connections with nature to embracing a berserker’s unbridled fury. While their rage can make them difficult to control outside combat, Barbarians make invaluable allies on the battlefield, where their ferocity and tenacity turn the tide in their favor, leaving foes trembling in the wake of their relentless onslaught.
Class Features
As a path of the berserker, you gain the following features.
Hit Points
Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield
Weapon: Martial Weapon, Simple Weapon
Saving Throw: Strength, Constitution
Skills: You have 2 of the following skills: Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, Survival.
Starting Gold
You start with 2d4 x 10 gold pieces (GP) unless you choose to take the equipment below
Starting Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) greataxe or (b) any martial melee weapon
- (a) (2x) handaxe or (b) any simple weapon
- explorer's pack
- (4x) javelin
Path of the Berserker Features Table
LVL | Pro+ | Features | Rages | Rage Damage |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | +2 | Rage, Unarmored Defense | 2 | +2 |
2nd | +2 | Reckless Attack, Danger Sense | 2 | +2 |
3rd | +2 | Frenzy, Primal Path | 3 | +2 |
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | +2 |
5th | +3 | Extra Attack, Fast Movement | 3 | +2 |
6th | +3 | Mindless Rage | 4 | +2 |
7th | +3 | Feral Instinct | 4 | +2 |
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | +2 |
9th | +4 | Brutal Critical (1 die) | 4 | +3 |
10th | +4 | Intimidating Presence | 4 | +3 |
11th | +4 | Relentless Rage | 4 | +3 |
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +3 |
13th | +5 | Brutal Critical (2 dice) | 5 | +3 |
14th | +5 | Retaliation | 5 | +3 |
15th | +5 | Persistent Rage | 5 | +3 |
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +4 |
17th | +6 | Brutal Critical (3 dice) | 6 | +4 |
18th | +6 | Indomitable Might | 6 | +4 |
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | +4 |
20th | +6 | Primal Champion | Unlimited | +4 |
Class Features at Level
Rage
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.
While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
- You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
- When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
- You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.
Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
Reckless Attack
You can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.
Danger Sense
You gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger.
You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
Frenzy
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one. When your rage ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion.
Primal Path
You choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage.
Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose to take one Feat instead of the ability score increase.
Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Fast Movement
Your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.
Mindless Rage
You can’t be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.
Feral Instinct
Your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.
Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.
Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose to take one Feat instead of the ability score increase.
Brutal Critical (1 die)
You can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
Intimidating Presence
You can use your action to frighten someone with your menacing presence. When you do so, choose one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature can see or hear you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to extend the duration of this effect on the frightened creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 60 feet away from you.
If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can’t use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.
Relentless Rage
Your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.
Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose to take one Feat instead of the ability score increase.
Brutal Critical (2 dice)
You can roll two additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
Retaliation
When you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.
Persistent Rage
Your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.
Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose to take one Feat instead of the ability score increase.
Brutal Critical (3 dice)
You can roll three additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
Indomitable Might
If your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.
Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose to take one Feat instead of the ability score increase.
Primal Champion
You embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.
Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Choose from the paths below. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.
Path of the Berserker
Path of the Celestial Guardian
Path of the Elemental Fury
Credits: SRD 5.1