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A Path Of The Beast barbarian draws off the animalistic power within to transform their own bodies into fearsome living weapons. Your natural weapons grow from your very skin each time you rage, and as you grow more powerful you become a force of nature without relying on weapons – you are the weapon.
This is one of the most dangerous melee classes in Fifth EditionDungeons & Dragons.You have variable combat strategies and physical enhancements that you can change every day. This makes you a multifaceted fighter and traveler. This class works best with maximized damage and a strong bond with your allies.
Features Of A Path Of The Beast Barbarian
The Path of the Beast barbarian offers natural weapons, magical capabilities at level six, curse-infliction at level ten, and the ability to empower allies with temporary hit points and extra damage at level fourteen.
Form Of The Beast
When you choose the Path of the Beast atthird level, your body manifests a natural weapon each time you raise. These weapons count as simple melee weapons, and you can choose from three potential weapons each time you rage.
Yourtaildeals 1d8 piercing damage on a hit and has a reach of ten feet. If a creature you can see within ten feet of you hits you with an attack,you can use your reaction to add a 1d8 bonus to your ACfor that attack. Similar to the Shield spell, this weapon is a good defensive option and has the added benefit of a long reach.
Bestial Soul
At sixth level,these natural weapons count as magical.They can overcome resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.
Also at sixth level, you can alter your form and choose one of three improvements at the end of every short or long rest:
Infectious Fury
At tenth level, you can curse a creature when you hit them with your natural weapons. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. The target of this attack makes a Wisdom saving throw against your Constitution DC. If they fail, you can choose which effect they suffer:
Call The Hunt
At fourteenth level, you can use your rage to bolster your allies.When you rage, you can choose a number of creatures equal to your Constitution modifier within 30 feet.Each of these creatures gains five temporary hit points.
In addition, once on each of their turns when once of your chosen creatures deals damage with an attack,they can add an extra 1d6 to the damage they deal.
Best Ability Scores For A Path Of The Beast Barbarian
As a Path of the Beast barbarian,your highest ability score should be Strength.The Path of the Beast is designed to do heavy melee damage, so you’ll want to do everything you may to maximize that impact.Your Constitution should be the next highest stat.
As a frontliner, you’ll end up taking a lot of damage, so you’ll need to be tough as nails.
Your Dexterity should be strong as well; you can boost your Armor Class and give yourself some more mobility. You may not need your Charisma frequently, butit’ll come in handy to have a solid Charisma,so you can roll well on Intimidation.
In terms of lower ability scores,you can have a low Wisdom and a lower Intelligence.Neither of these will come in handy for anything except saving throws, of which Wisdom saving throws are more common, so feel free to let Intelligence be your very lowest ability score.
Best Species For A Path Of The Beast Barbarian
Thehalf-orcbarbarian is a classic for a reason. Playing as a half-orc will increase your Strength score by two and your Constitution by one.
You’ll also getproficiency with Intimidation, a bonus to your critical hitswith the Savage Attacks feature, and the Relentless Endurance feature that allows you toremain at one hit point when you would have been reduced to zero.A Half-Orc lends itself to any kind of barbarian, so it’s definitely a species worth considering.
Duergarare the dwarves of the Underdark and have several great features that work with the Path of the Beast barbarian. Your duergar magic feature will give you access to theEnlarge/Reduce spell.Enlarging yourself in combat will give you advantages with Strength and will alsoadd 1d4 bonus damage to your natural weapons.
Since you can attack multiple times with your claws,you can apply bonus damage more than once per turnto make for some pretty fearsome fighting. As a duergar, you also gainadvantage against being poisoned, charmed, and stunned.All of these will definitely come in handy during combat.
Aminotaurhas the same ability score increases as a Half-Orc and is just as terrifying to behold.Minotaur’s horns count as natural weaponsand deal 1d6+ your Strength modifier on a hit. This may seem like a hat on a hat, but the natural weapons you gain as a Path of the Beast barbarian only manifest when you rage whereas your minotaur horns are with you always.
As a minotaur,you can get away without carrying a weaponat all.
These horns have their own creative uses, allowing you toattack as a bonus actionif you use the Dash action. They also allow you topush a creature ten feet as a bonus actionif you hit them with an attack (provided they fail a Strengths saving throw against your Strength save DC). The minotaur also allows you to gain proficiency with the Intimidation skill, which is good for any barbarian to have.
Best Feats For A Path Of The Beast Barbarian
For a Path of the Beast barbarian, top feats areSlasherfor added damage and control with slashing attacks,Sentinelfor battlefield control,Cheffor extra healing, andGift of the Chromatic Dragonfor versatile offensive and defensive options.
Description
Slasher
Slasher lets you increase your Strength by one.When you deal slashing damage with an attack, you’re able to reduce their speed by 10 feetuntil the start of your next turn. Also, when you score a critical hit against a creature,they have disadvantage on all attack rollsuntil the start of your next turn.
As a Path of the Beast barbarian,your highest damage-dealer will be your claws, which deal slashing damage. Since you can attack twice with these claws each turn, you’ll be able to use these benefits very frequently.
Sentinel
Sentinel allows you totake opportunity attacks against creatures even if they Disengagebefore leaving your threatened area. If you hit with an opportunity attack,the creature’s speed becomes zero.In addition, if a target within five feet of you attacks a target other than you,you can attack them as a reaction.
This is a great feat for any Barbarian;you can trap your enemies in meleewith you and protect your allies at the same time.
Chef
Chef lets youincrease your Constitution score by one,and gives you proficiency with chef’s tools. You can alsoprepare food to give extra hit pointsto yourself and your allies during short rests, and prepare food during long rests that gives temporary hit points when eaten.
As a Barbarian, you’ll be grateful for the extra healing whenever you can get it. As a chef you cangenerate spare hit points for yourself throughout the dayand benefit your allies as well.
Gift of the Chromatic Dragon
This feat gives you the Chromatic Infusion ability, which lets youinfuse a simple weapon to deal 1d4additional acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage for one minute. You also gain the Reactive Resistance ability, which allows you touse your reaction to give yourself resistanceto any of those damage types when you take the triggering damage.
This is a goodbalance between offensive and defensivefighting, since you can use elemental damage to further wound your enemies or to defend yourself. If you infuse your claws with an extra damage,you can use it twice each turn and deal an extra 2d4 every round.
