Player's Handbook
For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.
The Barbarian | |||||
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Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Rages | Rage Damage | Weapon Mastery (One D&D) |
1st | +2 | Rage, Unarmored Defense, Weapon Mastery (One D&D) | 2 | +2 | 2 |
2nd | +2 | Reckless Attack, Danger Sense | 2 | +2 | 2 |
3rd | +2 | Primal Path, Primal Knowledge | 3 | +2 | 2 |
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | +2 | 3 |
5th | +3 | Extra Attack, Fast Movement | 3 | +2 | 3 |
6th | +3 | Path feature | 4 | +2 | 3 |
7th | +3 | Feral Instinct, Instinctive Pounce | 4 | +2 | 3 |
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | +2 | 3 |
9th | +4 | Brutal Critical (1 die) | 4 | +3 | 3 |
10th | +4 | Path feature | 4 | +3 | 4 |
11th | +4 | Relentless Rage | 4 | +3 | 4 |
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +3 | 4 |
13th | +5 | Brutal Critical (2 dice) | 5 | +3 | 4 |
14th | +5 | Path feature | 5 | +3 | 4 |
15th | +5 | Persistent Rage | 5 | +3 | 4 |
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +4 | 4 |
17th | +6 | Brutal Critical (3 dice) | 6 | +4 | 4 |
18th | +6 | Indomitable Might | 6 | +4 | 4 |
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | +4 | 4 |
20th | +6 | Primal Champion | Unlimited | +4 | 4 |
Multiclassing and the Barbarian. You must have a Strength score of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.
Creating a Barbarian
To create a Barbarian, consult the following lists, which provide your Primary Ability, Hit Points, and proficiencies. If you’re making a level 1 character, also consult the “Starting Equipment” section, and if you’re using the multiclassing rules, see “Multiclassing and the Monk” above.
Then look at the Barbarian table to see the class features you get at each level in this class. The descriptions of those features appear in the “Barbarian Class Features” section.
Primary Ability
Your primary ability is Strength. When you choose this class at 1st level, you increase your Strength by 2.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per barbarian level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per barbarian level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
• (a) a greataxe or (b) any martial melee weapon
• (a) two handaxes or (b) any simple weapon
• An explorer's pack and four javelins
Barbarian Class Features
As a Barbarian, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified levels in this class. These features are listed on the Barbarian table.
Level 1: 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.
Level 1: 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.
Level 1: Weapon Mastery (One D&D)
Your training with weapons allows you to use the Mastery property of two kinds of Simple or Martial Melee Weapons of your choice, such as Greataxes and Handaxes. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can practice weapon drills and change one of those weapon choices.
When you reach certain levels in this class, you gain the ability to use the Mastery properties of more kinds of weapons, as shown in the Weapon Mastery column of the Barbarian table.
Using Weapon Mastery Properties
If you’re wielding a Weapon and have learned its Mastery Property, you are able to use that mastery property every time you make an attack with the weapon, no action required.
Different mastery properties have different triggers. For example, Cleave requires you to hit a creature with a melee attack roll while Graze triggers when you miss a creature with an attack roll.
Level 2: 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.
Level 2: 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.
Level 3: Primal Path
You choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.
Official Subclasses | |
---|---|
Path | Source |
Ancestral Guardian |
XGE |
Battlerager | SCAG |
Beast | TCE |
Berserker | PHB |
Giant | BP:GG |
Storm Herald | XGE |
Totem Warrior | PHB |
Wild Magic | TCE |
Zealot | XGE |
Unofficial Subclasses | |
Demon Soul |
3rd Party |
Level 3: Primal Knowledge (Optional)
When you gain this feature and again at 10th level, you gain proficiency in one skill of your choice from the list of skills available to barbarians at 1st level.
Level 4: Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, 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.
Level 5: Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Level 5: Fast Movement
Your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy armor.
Level 7: 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.
Level 7: Instinctive Pounce (Optional)
As part of the bonus action you take to enter your rage, you can move up to half your speed.
Level 9: Brutal Critical
You can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.
Level 11: 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.
Level 15: Persistent Rage
Your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.
Level 18: 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.
Level 20: 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.