Barbarians are savage warriors who deal out powerful blows from their mighty weapons. They charge from foe to foe and seldom feel the pain of an enemy's strike. For barbarians' foes, the moments of greatest terror come when barbarians call upon primal forces to lend power to their raging spirits. These rages, although temporary, give a barbarian incredible powers, a combination of skill, willpower, and a legacy of ancient tribal rituals.
As a barbarian, you possess a link to powerful nature spirits and other primal forces bound to the warriors of your tribe by the songs and totems of your legacy. These spirits lend great power to your rages, transforming you into a devastating force on the battlefield while you wield them. As you increase in power, these rages transcend mortal limitations, manifesting directly as waves of elemental power or gifting you with supernatural recuperative powers.
When the heat of battle is upon you, how will you respond? With a sudden charge that fells with one mighty swing of your weapon, or with a prolonged rage that leaves destroyed foes in your wake?
Class Traits
Role: Striker. You use powerful two-handed weapons to deal serious damage to your enemies. Your physical power and daunting presence can cause foes to cower before you, and you can temporarily increase your abilities by harnessing great bursts of terrifying rage. Depending on your choice of class features and powers, you lean toward either defender or leader as a secondary role. Power Source: Primal. You are a primal champion, a warrior devoted to the natural world and an embodiment of your tribe's fierce traditions. Key Abilities: Strength, Constitution, Charisma Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide Hit Points at 1st Level: 15 + Constitution score Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose three trained skills at 1st level. |
Creating a Barbarian
You can choose any barbarian powers you like for your character, though many barbarians favor one of two different builds: the rageblood barbarian and the thaneborn barbarian. All barbarians rely on Strength. Barbarians also benefit from a high Constitution or
Charisma, depending on which expression of the class they favor. This preview presents the rageblood barbarian.
Rageblood Barbarian
You can withstand great deals of physical punishment, especially when in the throes of rage. At higher levels, your powers, particularly your rages, visibly manifest the spirits sacred to your tribe. Strength should be your highest ability score, since you use it for your attacks, but make Constitution a close second. Charisma might be your third-best score, especially if you want to use some powers designed for the thaneborn barbarian build. Choose the Rageblood Vigor form of Feral Might. Rageblood barbarians lean toward defender as a secondary role.
Suggested Feat: Weapon Focus
Suggested Skills: Athletics, Endurance, Perception
Suggested At-Will Powers: howling strike, recuperating strike
Suggested Encounter Power: avalanche strike
Suggested Daily Power: bloodhunt rage
Barbarian Overview
Characteristics
You combine powerful melee attacks with an excellent ability to absorb damage. You gain tremendous bursts of power through mighty rages.
Religion
Most barbarians revere the primal spirits of the natural world rather than calling on the gods of the Astral Sea. Some barbarians don’t see conflict between the gods and the primal spirits and therefore honor deities of nature or warfare in addition to the primal spirits. These barbarians often revere Kord, Melora, Avandra, or the Raven Queen. Evil or chaotic evil barbarians turn to Gruumsh or, more rarely, Bane or Zehir.
Races
Goliaths are ideal rageblood barbarians. Dragonborn make excellent thaneborn barbarians. Half-orcs are often barbarians but don't favor either of the two types. Dwarf and shifter barbarians tend to be rageblood barbarians, while halfling and half-elf barbarians choose the thaneborn path.
Barbarian Class Features
Barbarians have unusually high hit points for their role, making them more durable than other strikers. In addition, barbarians have three class features.
Feral Might
Barbarians connect with the natural world in a variety of ways. Some barbarians grow so hardened to physical punishment that they find it easier to simply absorb, rather than avoid, attacks. Others are living examples of the power of one's will to shape one's fate.
This preview presents the Rageblood Vigor option, which provides bonuses to certain barbarian powers, as detailed in those powers.
Rageblood Vigor
You gain the swift charge power. In addition, whenever you reduce an enemy to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal
to your Constitution modifier. The number of temporary hit points equals 5 + your Constitution modifier at 11th level and 10 + your Constitution modifier at 21st level.
Rage
Your daily attack powers are known as rages, and they allow you to unleash powerful bursts of emotion, willpower, and primal energy. Each rage starts with a powerful attack and then grants an ongoing benefit until the rage ends.
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Rampage
Once per round, when you score a critical hit with a barbarian attack power, you can immediately make a melee basic attack as a free action. You do not have to attack the same target that you critically hit.
Character Classes |
Player's Handbook | Cleric ✦ Fighter ✦ Paladin ✦ Ranger ✦ Rogue ✦ Warlock ✦ Warlord ✦ Wizard |
Player's Handbook 2 | Avenger ✦ Barbarian ✦ Bard ✦ Druid ✦ Invoker ✦ Shaman ✦ Sorcerer ✦ Warden |
Player's Handbook 3 | Ardent ✦ Battlemind ✦ Monk ✦ Psion ✦ Runepriest ✦ Seeker |
Setting-Specific | Artificer (Eberron Player's Guide) ✦ Swordmage (Forgotten Realms Player's Guide) |
Character Classes |