D&D (2024) Barbarian (Playtest 7)

[doctorbadwolf]

IMO, the solution to the Bear is to eliminate it and instead roll resistance to all damage except psychic into the base Barbarian class. With more and more creatures doing elemental damage, the Barbarian's shtick of being a damage sponge is under serious threat, particularly at higher levels.

Bear doesn’t need to go anywhere to do that. Rage should have been res all damage (yea even psychic, your mind is just bright red wrath, what is a psychic effect even doing to you?) from the beginning, and Bear should give either extra HP, or an ability to protect allies, because that is a strong association in fantasy for a lot of people. Or bear makes you even stronger, giving you powerful build and you treat enemies as one size smaller when attempting to grapple, shove, trip, or otherwise body them.

Also morph Reckless attack into rage as a non option.
When you rage, your attacks(based on STR) have advantage, all attacks vs. you have advantage.

No. Nope. No thanks.

That is not the drama of it. The drama (and gameplay) of it is being willing to take hits to attract them away from your allies.

Not really. The primary drama of RA is that you are attacking without regard to your basic defense, and that has a potential cost.

That it protects your allies sometimes is incidental. Hell most Barbarians I’ve seen in play are not trying to protect anyone, they’re playing murder-boys.

 

[Kinematics]

Question on Battering Roots:

In addition to increasing your reach, it says you can activate Push or Topple even if you're using another mastery with that weapon. Does that mean I can use Push even if my weapon is Cleave, or does that mean I can use Push even after I've used Cleave?

In other words, is this just another weapon mastery option I can pick from, or do I get to use two weapon masteries on each attack? If the latter, this is a much nicer feature than it first appears.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Question on Battering Roots:

In addition to increasing your reach, it says you can activate Push or Topple even if you're using another mastery with that weapon. Does that mean I can use Push even if my weapon is Cleave, or does that mean I can use Push even after I've used Cleave?

In other words, is this just another weapon mastery option I can pick from, or do I get to use two weapon masteries on each attack? If the latter, this is a much nicer feature than it first appears.

I read it as additive -- you get push/topple in addition to the other mastery you are using [in that same attack].

 

[Stalker0]

I read it as additive -- you get push/topple in addition to the other mastery you are using [in that same attack].

Same. They already have fighter language for “replacing one mastery with another”. So to me if they aren’t calling out a replacement specifically it’s an add on