Quick Links
As larger-than-life beings, giants are most known for their size, destructive capabilities, and ties to the elements inDungeons & Dragons. If you’ve ever wanted to be a giant and have reveled in these qualities, now’s your chance. Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants allows you to become the giant you’ve always wanted to be using the path of the giant barbarian subclass.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Ranger
From their immense power to their connection with runes, giants have a lot to offer. You can use their rune knowledge to your advantage to gain elemental aspects or imbue the literal aspects of a giant if you so choose. If you want to build the perfect path of the barbarian subclass, follow this guide.
Path Of The Giant Barbarian Features
What separates each class are the subclass abilities, and the path of the giant barbarian is effectively different than any of the other classes in a refreshing way.
You’ll need towait until higher levels to get the most out of the subclass, but it’s worth the investment, providing you with some abilities that can come in clutch when necessary.
Level Three Path Of The Giant Feature
You get two features at level three,Giant’s Power and Giant’s Havoc.
Use
Giant’s Power
Learn Giant as a language. If you already have it learn a different language. Learn either theThaumaturgy or Druid Craft cantrips.
You won’t take much from either of these aside from roleplay and out-of-combat situations.
Giant’s Havoc
Crushing Throw: While raging,add your rage damage to a successful thrown weapon attackusing Strength.
Giant Stature: Yoursize increases to large(if there’s room) and you gainfive feet of reach.
The extra damage is always nice; the amount will increase as you level up.
An extra five feet of reach can be helpful in combat, allowing you to hir from farther away. A larger size presents extra options for movement.
While useful, you may find these features situational. Stretching further means attacking from further away, and being larger isgreat for maneuverability and Strength checksto move things and other players and enemies.
Level Six Path Of The Giant Feature
WithElemental Cleaver, things finally start heating up when you reach level six. A very powerful barbarian feature, you caninfuse your weapon with a new damage type while raging. You can choose from the following:
Additionally, your weapon deals1d6 damage of the chosen type,gains the ability to be thrown, andreturns to youwhen it is thrown. you’re able to even change the damage type during a bonus action while raging.
You can throw your infused weapon a normal 20 feet and long-range 60 feet.
If there’s a reason to stick with this subclass, it’s Elemental Cleaver. Many barbarian builds will not have a way to deal with enemies resistant to melee damage.
The addition of elemental damage types means you’ll bedoing extra damage that’s less likely to be negated. you may even dealadditional damage to enemies that are vulnerableto your damage choice.
Being able tochange the damage type on the flymeans always being prepared and dealing extra damage while raging.
Combine this with the Crushing Throwfeature from level three, and you’re able to throw your infused weapon, adding your rage damage and your elemental 1d6, and the weapon will automatically return to you after.
It’s almost as if you’re giving your weapon additional magical properties you may adjust to whatever is necessary.
Level Ten Path Of The Giant Feature
Mighty Impelallows you tomove a creature smaller than you while raging. While they must be moved to an unoccupied space, they can do a contesting Strength check to prevent this. This includes enemies and allies.
This feature isgreat for reworking battle positioningwhen you need to. It’s a bonus action, so you can use it without fear of losing your action on that turn.
Similar to a fighter’s maneuvers,controlling the battlefield to your advantage can save your friends and destroy your foes. Move friends out of harm’s way and move enemies into line of sight for others.
Level 14 Path Of The Giant Feature
This feature is just a buff for all your other features. Making you larger, stronger, and more capable and allowing you to deal even more damage with your elemental-infused weapon.
If you don’t need the extra reach or extra damage, it may be wise toconsider multiclass options for your barbarian instead of moving furtherinto this subclass.
Best Species For Path Of The Giant Barbarian
While Monsters of the Multiverse allows you to create almost any character for any class with the opportunity to place ability scores wherever you need, it’s still a good idea to keep features and traits in mind when choosing a species.
Source Book
Goliath
The quintessential choice, these hulking characters make great use of their size. Your hardy nature may come in handy with the ability to acclimate to cold climates. Importantly your ability toreduce damage with Stone’s Enduranceis perfect for the tank role of barbarian.
Monsters of the Multiverse
Dwarf
So many options here benefit a barbarian.Dwarven Resilience gives advantage for saving throws against poison,and the extra weapon proficiencies provide great options for damage dealing. The sub-species options alsogive more health or more armor proficiency, both of which a barbarian can use.
Player’s Handbook
Halfling
Aside from being adorable as a tiny species that can become a huge giant, the abilityHalfling Nimbleness will allow you to move through characters bigger than you. This creates evenmore positioning optionswhen used alongside your barbarian features.
you’re able to use yourNaturally Stealthy ability to surprise foes, evenhiding behind bigger alliesuntil you become huge yourself, or take your poison resistance from the other sub-species.
Dragonborn
Extra resistance to more damage typesthat aren’t physical is always helpful for a barbarian. Choose a breath weapon like Acid that’s not covered by your barbarian subclass for even more well-rounded elemental damage coverage.
Half-Orc
Relentless Endurance leaves you at one hit pointinstead of dropping you to 0.Savage Attacksadd evenmore damage to your critical hits.
Orc
Along with Relentless Endurance, you get to count as one size larger.Adrenaline Rushallows you todash as a bonus action, which isgreat for positioning yourself in useful tank positions. You alsogain temporary hit pointswhen using this feature.
Best Ability Score Placement For Path Of The Giant Barbarian
Strength and Constitutionshould be yourhighest stats. You’ll want to deal a high amount of damage and have considerable health for survival.
You’ll be close to the enemy on most occasions, though you’ll have a bit more reach with the subclass options available.
You canuse your thrown weapon options until you get in range, then use all your strength to attack while relying on your hit points to stay alive and defend your party.
Intelligence, Charisma, and Dexterityare all optionalafter this.Dexteritywill be useful for armor as it helpscalculate your armor classif you don’t have armor innately.
Remember that as a barbarian, you getUnarmored Defense,meaning when you aren’t wearing armor, yourAC is calculated using your Dexterity and Constitutionmodifier, another reason you want to keep your Dexterity relatively high.
Some better armor choices require a minimum strength to wear, so be sure you’re strong enough to calculate a high AC with enough Dexterity to keep that number high.
Charisma can be used for intimidationif that’s the kind of character you want to play. WhileIntelligence and Wisdom are dump statsunless you’re spellcasting, Charisma may afford more roleplay opportunities with Charisma-based skills.
If you’re using the average Ability Score spread, you’ll have a set of stats that should look similar to this:
17 (+2)
15 (+1)
13
12
8
10
Alternatively,Wisdom based skills such as Survival and Perceptioncan also be usefulfor a Barbarian instead of Charisma-based skills. In this case, switch your Charisma and Wisdom stats and give the higher value to Wisdom.
Best Feats For Path Of The Giant Barbarian
When leveling up your giant barbarian, you’ll want to invest in some feats that will help your ability scores and give you advantages in your playthrough. Here are the best feat options to consider.
Source
Strike of the Giants
Imbue your weapon with even more damage types. These include options such asforce,psychic, and more physical melee damage on top of the already available types. Some of the types also have additional benefits, such asmaking you invisible to your enemyorreducing their speed to zero.
Bigby Presents: Glory Of The Giants
Durable
Gain more hit pointswhen using Hit Dice andincrease your Constitutionability score.
Grappler
Since you’ll be using your features to move other creatures a lot and may end up grappling them, you’ll gainadvantage against grappling themand can restrain them.
Great Weapon Master
This works whether you score a critical hit or reduce an opponent to zero hit points. You’ll be able tomake another bonus action attackafter this, gaining a free extra attack. you may choose to add to the attack’s damage with a small penalty when rolling to hit.
Resilient
A great way toadd more resistances to yourself. Especially useful for abilities and saving throws dealing with magic.
Martial Adept
Add even moreBattle Master archetype maneuversto your arsenal with this feat. Combine your chosen maneuvers with your giant barbarian features to have even more control over the battlefield.
Shield Master
As a bonus action, you’re able to attempt to shove a creature after your attack. This pairs well with your ability to move the battlefield in your favor.
Add your AC to a Dexterity save from a spell,giving you an easy way to get a bit of an advantage against being hit by magic. You can alsoreduce your damage to zero with a Dexterity save using your shieldinstead of taking half damage.
Best Starting Equipment For Path Of The Giant Barbarian
Depending on your background options and what you’re allowed to start with, you’ll want to get starting equipment that focuses on your strongest stats and proficiencies.
The Greataxeyou can start with isone of the best weapons for dealing damagein the game and shouldonly be replaced if you want a versatile weaponto wield with one hand or two.
Thetwo hand axesare also a great choice as theycan be thrown so that you’re able to take advantage of features given by your subclass. They still do decent damage but don’t return to you. However, you can handle that issue when you level up.
Anexplorers packis fine, as it will essentially have the most useful items already given to you.
