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Barbarians who take the path of the storm herald inDungeons & Dragonsuse the power of nature to control the battlefield to hinder their foes and protect their allies. This class is built around choosing between one of three different elemental auras to control the battlefield.
Compared to other barbarians, you have more ways to attack than just hit hard, and even some minor support options, giving you a slightly more versatile role than the traditional tank. However, you lack the elemental damage capabilities and crowd-control options that spellcasters have, leaving you vulnerable while enemies target your more fragile allies.
Path of the Storm Herald Class Features
All the effects you get from this subclass are dependent on the aura you choose when you first take it at the third level. They all focus on one damage type, allowing extra options to inflict damage to that type and granting resistance to it.
Desert
Desert aura is primarily built around fire damage. To start with, you’re able to damage everyone within a certain range, doing more damage as your level increases.
This damage will include allies, so be careful with its usage.
Eventually, yougain fire resistanceand a modified hellish rebuke that allows you to damage creatures that fail a dexterity saving throw after attacking you.
Desert aura is thebest for handling several enemies, having more options to deal damage but also potentially harming your allies.
Sea
Sea aura focuses onlightning damageand doesmore damagethandesert auraat the expense of only targeting one enemy of your choosing.
You can force a creature to make astrength-saving throw, knocking them prone if they fail and requiring them to spend an action getting up.
This is better forfocusing on one particular enemyyou want to deal with, often bosses.
Tundra
Tundra is more focused oncold damageandsupport, allowing you to grant allies temporary hit pointswhen you enter a rage, and allowing you to reduce the speed of enemies who fail a strength saving throw.
This is helpful forkeeping your allies nearby and protecting them,so it’s more support-based.
Deciding Which Storm Aura To Choose
Which storm aura you choose will mostly depend on what you want to do. If you’re going torun in and deal with a bunch of enemieson your own, Desert is best.
If you want to focus on punishing one particular opponent as much as possible, Sea will work.
Finally, Tundra is what you should go with if you’redealing with a lot of allies who have low HP and will die easily.
None are objectively the best, butSea does align more with the traditional way of playing a barbarianbecause it harmonizes with theirtypical themes of resilienceandferocity.
Best Stats For A Storm Herald Barbarian
Any saving throw caused by your aurawill be calculated by your Constitution modifier,so you want that to be as high as you can make it, so enemies don’t succeed in their rolls.
The next best should beStrengthfor yourattacks. This approach makes sure that you maximize your aura’s effectiveness and your combat prowess, making you astrong force in battle.
Benefit of investing
Constitution
To use your storm aura to its greatest effect, having a high Constitution will help you make saving throws hard to beat. Increasing your HP will also help you survive longer.
Strength
If you take Sea or Desert aura, you don’t need your strength to be your number one priority since you have extra damage options, but you still want this to be high.
Dexterity
Dexterity determines your armor class, and the higher this is, the more difficulty opponents will have hitting you at all.
Wisdom
Wisdom isn’t necessary for a barbarian, but it comes up a lot as a saving throw, so it’s worth investing a little.
Charisma
Unless you need Charisma for class skills, it will come up the most when you’re roleplaying and talking to NPCs. Depending on how you want to play your character, you may or may not need this.
Intelligence
Intelligence almost never comes up for barbarians, so if you’re basing stats just on your class, you can dump this one, and it won’t hurt your damage output.
Best Species For A Storm Herald Barbarian
If character lore isn’t your top priority, the best way to choose a species is based on the class features and bonuses that help your best stats.
Benefits
Dwarf
Mountain Dwarf will increase both your most useful stats, strength and constitution, as well as let you resist poison damage.
Halfling
Halflingsget theLuckyfeat bydefault, letting themrerollwhen they roll a one, making them very useful. Take thestout halflingsubspecies to improve yourStrength.
Human
Humans can choose between anextra feator improve any two stats of your choosing, making this a good option to round out any stats you want.
Dragonborn
Dragonborn are very useful for a barbarian as it gives you anextra resistanceand a ranged weapon on top of the strength boost. Make sure your draconic ancestry doesn’t grant you a redundant resistance.
Gnome
All gnomes get advantage onWisdom, Intelligence,andCharismasaving throws against magic, letting you handle mages easier. Take the rock gnome subspecies for aboosttoconstitution.
Half-Orc
This class is pretty much built to be barbarian. It improves yourstrengthandconstitution, you cantankattacksthat would otherwise knock you out, and your critical hits do more damage.
Best Feats For A Storm Herald Barbarian
Mage Slayer
Barbarians and mages are natural enemies, though the resistance you gain through your aura will help on that front.
you may be even more of a problem by messing up their ability to concentrate on spells andimmediately making an attackwhenever a nearby mage casts a spell.
Sentinel
Thishelps you cover alliesby allowing you to attack enemies who attack nearby allies, thus it synergizes very well if you pick Tundra as your aura.
Tough
You can increase your ability to tank every level by taking this feat and gaining two hit points every level. It’s very good if you want to try anddraw attacks from a lot of enemies.
NEXT:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Path Of The Berserker Barbarian
