How do you make a Barbarian interesting? :)

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Xetheral

Three-Headed Sirrush

• Apr 22, 2018

• #11

My favorite Barbarian was a multiclass Barbarian/Rogue with the Urchin background, with expertise in deception and athletics, and the Tavern Brawler feat. She wore dresses instead of armor, and carried no apparent weapons.

When combat broke out against intelligent foes, she would use deception to pretend to be a non-combatant and let the enemy bypass her (some enemies even tried to protect her). Once behind the enemy lines she would move up to the enemy leader or spellcaster or stragglers, take out a sharpened screwdriver (improvised dagger), and start a rage/grapple/reckless-attack/sneak-attack rampage.

 

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The Grassy Gnoll

Explorer

• Apr 22, 2018

• #12

I played a gnome Barbarian urchin - his rage was the simmering anger at being abandoned in a strange city bubbling up. He was basically Oliver Twist Your Head Off.

 

Leatherhead

Possibly a Idiot.

• Apr 22, 2018

• #13

LegionError121 said:

Out of all the different classes in D&D I come up with characters for I find the Barbarian is the hardest to avoid tropes with The hardest to do things differently with due to their angry destructive nature and violent tendancies So, anyone got any suggestions?
My only successful Barbarian so far was a Kenku from the tundra who speaks in the tongue of his dead clansman and wants to find a clan called "civilization"

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Well, considering it's literally impossible to avoid using tropes (at best, you are simply replacing one trope with another), just do whatever.

That said, I have a Barbarian Noble who is powered by the Spirit of Freedom, and the transient nature of that power waxes and wains at various times, because freedom doesn't like to be tied down.

 

CM

Adventurer

• Apr 22, 2018

• #14

Make it a gnome.

 

Lancelot

Adventurer

• Apr 22, 2018

• #15

Cubicle 7's Adventures in Middle Earth game (which is basically 5e D&D for Lord of the Rings) has a variant of the Barbarian class called the "Slayer". Just like regular D&D, you choose a "path" at 3rd level which further distinguishes your character. One of these is the "Rider" path, which actually caught me by surprise.

The path emulates a non-knight mounted warrior, similar to how Eomer is portrayed in the Lord of the Rings movies. It's spears-on-horseback, rather than Mongol/Saracen mounted archers. This was the first time I thought about barbarians as something other than foot-sloggers with two-handed weapons, wading in gore.

You could do something similar with basic D&D rules. Take the Mounted Combatant feat and a lance as a weapon, start out with a horse, but then take the Magic Initiate feat (!!!) at later levels for access to animal friendship, become buddies with a bear/rhino/t-rex... and then pose for a heavy metal album cover. For added coolness, give your new beast mount a cute name (like "Poopsie the War Rhino") and develop character-based objectives such as upgrading his saddle, building him an awesome stables, and be-decking him in the skulls of your enemies.

 

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Ganymede81

First Post

• Apr 22, 2018

• #16

Sheesh, you guys; there are plenty of ways to make a barbarian interesting without refluffing a barbarian into something rageless.

If it helps, try to imagine a barbarian of each of the PHB's backgrounds. Map out how a noble barbarian might be different from a charlatan barbarian or a sage barbarian. Challenge yourself to see how they might compare and contrast with one another.

 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator

Staff member

Supporter

• Apr 23, 2018

• #17

CM said:

Make it a gnome.

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No...Halfling.

Using 2-weapon fighting.

With clawed gauntlets.

 

Doug McCrae

Legend

• Apr 23, 2018

• #18

1. A former wizard who decided using magic was making them soft and decadent.
3. They're not a real barbarian, they just dress up as one for the tourists.
5. A barbarian who teaches apemen how to use fire, and make clothing and stone tools.
7. Gay Conan. His lover is an Elric analogue.
9. Conan's daughter.
11. A locathah or other fish-like humanoid. Not so much a barbarian as a garbarian.
13. A construct like Ganelon Silvermane from Giant of World's End, except they're more like Rocky from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Fairly similar to #4.

 

Last edited: Apr 23, 2018

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator

Staff member

Supporter

• Apr 23, 2018

• #19

A pacifist who wants to be left alone because he has an explosive temper.

“Don’t make me angry. Nobody likes me when I’m angry.”

 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator

Staff member

Supporter

• Apr 23, 2018

• #20

A warrior devoted to the gods of wrath and destruction, who considers his berserker rage “bestowing a divine gift” upon his foes.