Barbarian (Path of the Runic Warrior)

---

---

Overview & Creation

Level	Prof. Bonus	Features	Rages	Rage Damage
1st	+2	Rage, Unarmored Defense	2	+2
2nd	+2	Reckless Attack, Danger Sense	2	+2
3rd	+2	Primal Path	3	+2
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3	+2
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Fast Movement	3	+2
6th	+3	Path feature	4	+2
7th	+3	Feral Instinct	4	+2
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	+2
9th	+4	Brutal Critical	4	+3
10th	+4	Path feature	4	+3
11th	+4	Relentless Rage	4	+3
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5	+3
13th	+5	Brutal Critical	5	+3
14th	+5	Path feature	5	+3
15th	+5	Persistent Rage	5	+3
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5	+4
17th	+6	Brutal Critical	6	+4
18th	+6	Indomitable Might	6	+4
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	6	+4
20th	+6	Primal Champion	Unlimited	+4

 

---

Class Features

Rage

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 all 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

Starting at 2nd level, when you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during that turn, but attack rolls against you are rolled with advantage until the beginning of your next turn.  

Danger Sense

At 2nd level, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps or spells. You do not gain this benefit if you are blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.  

Primal Path

At 3rd level, 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.

• Path of the Ancestral Guardian
• Path of the Battlerager
• Path of the Berserker
• Path of the Storm Herald
• Path of the Totem Warrior
• Path of the Zealot

 

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. You can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.  

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.  

Fast Movement

Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy armor.  

Feral Instinct

By 7th level, 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.  

Brutal Critical

Beginning at 9th level, 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.  

Relentless Rage

Starting at 11th level, 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.  

Persistent Rage

Beginning at 15th level, your rage ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.  

Indomitable Might

Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.  

Primal Champion

At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

---

Starting Equipment

You may pick either (a) or (b):

• (a) a greataxe or (b) any martial melee weapon
• (a) two handaxes or (b) any simple weapon
• An explorer's pack and four javelins

  Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment from your class and background, and start with 2d4 x 10 gp.

---

Subclass Options

Path of the Runic Warrior

Runic Protection

At 3rd level, while you're raging, you take half damage from spells and your fists are considered magical weapons.  

Magical Absorbtion

Beginning at 6th level, if you are raging and are hit by a cantrip, you gain half a point of magical energy. For every additional level of the spell you were hit by, gain an additional half a point of magical energy. Spells that affect an area only give half the magical energy, rounded up to the nearest half. You can expend points of magical energy to gain the following affects for one turn:

• You can expend one point of magical energy to gain an additional 5ft of movement.
• You can expend one point of magical energy to increase the damage of Strength Weapons by +3.
• You can expend two points of magical energy to gain temporary hp equal to your barbarian level.
• You can expend two points of magical energy to increase your AC by 1 until the start of your next turn.
• You can expend two points of magical energy to increase your Strength Checks by 1, should you increase your strength by more than 5, take a point of exhaustion. You may use this ability before your roll for a Strength Check.
• You can expend magical energy up to a spells level to negate the effect of a spell that would only target you.

Magical Protection

At 10th level, while raging, you gain advantage on all spell saves.  

Magical Reflection

At 14th level, when targeted by a magical spell, you may use magical energy equal to the spells level, to reflect the spell back at the caster. You use your Strength modifier as your spellcasting modifier.