D&D 5E Ultimate Barbarian....should I multiclass?

daddystabz said:

Our local D&D 5e group just leveled up to lvl 5 last night and I play a Human Barbarian in that game. To build the ultimate melee beast do you think I should stay Barbarian all the way or do you think it would be advantageous at some point to multiclass?

If so, when should I and what should I multiclass into?

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First thing: Be realistic about how long the campaign will run. Some groups do campaigns that go on for years and years, but that's extremely rare. In 27 years of gaming, I have never once seen a campaign go all the way; a campaign that lasted 10 levels was impressive, let alone 20. The only games that even got close to 20 were those that started in the upper teens.

Second thing: Even if you do honestly believe the campaign will last to 20, don't base your build on being awesome at level 20. Limping through 95% of the game in order to rock the last 5% is silly. I'd recommend against any build that requires more than 1-2 levels of "suckage" before the payoff. It's simply too high a price for too uncertain a reward.

It's not a bad idea to go into fighter, but do it for the immediate benefits: Fighting style right away, Action Surge at level 2, martial archetype at 3, feat at 4. The Champion is worth some thought if you're a half-orc (that expanded crit range plus the half-orc's ability is pretty nice, and Brutal Critical later on), but after thinking about it I'm going to agree with the recommendation of Battlemaster for accuracy.

My Goliath build is 5 lev barbarian totem bear, 4 lev fighter 2 two-handed fighting style Champion, equipped with +2 great axe, bracers of defense, Belt of hill giant (will update belt once I get better one) and planning to get a cloak of displacement to nullify Reckless attack advantage. Took Resiliant feat in Dex and Great weapon mastery. now will be boosting my constitution to max. The classic

Generally speaking, get 6 barbarian levels first (to get the lvl 6 totem ability - immunity to fear/charm for Frenzied Berserker), then 4 levels of fighter for the fighting style, action surge, fighter path, and a feat. Then go barbarian the rest of the way to 20.

Specific builds may use a different mix, but that one works for most barbarians.

It was a big debate in my head to go 6 lev barbarian or go straight to multi-class. It was lev 6 totem eagle to see in dim light instead of being blind in caves and dungeon and the extra rage or get the two-handed fighting style and second wind sooner. I finally went the way I said above.

Thierry Fournier said:

It was a big debate in my head to go 6 lev barbarian or go straight to multi-class. It was lev 6 totem eagle to see in dim light instead of being blind in caves and dungeon and the extra rage or get the two-handed fighting style and second wind sooner. I finally went the way I said above.

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The Totem Barbarian level 6 abilities generally aren't as good as the other barbarian paths, so that makes sense.

Caliban said:

The Totem Barbarian level 6 abilities generally aren't as good as the other barbarian paths, so that makes sense.

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This. if I was a Berserker, I'd go straight to 6 for the fear and charm immunities, then go into fighter. Same for Ancestral Guardians Barb for Spirit Shield. Any other flavor I'd go Barb 5 for extra attack then 2-4 levels of fighter before going back to Barb.

Barb9/Fighter11 is the best IMO

I especially like the synergy Champion gives you. Two fighting styles, double crit opportunity, and even Remarkable Athlete. You can max str and still have 3 feats. I think GWF and defense(if using armor) or Archery(if no armor) are the obvious choices. Of course Battlemaster would be great too.

From the Barb side, you'd get the extra 10ft movement, advantage on Initiative, 4 rages per rest, +3 to rage damage, and Brutal Critical.

Here are a couple other off the wall ideas.

If you rolled for stats and have a good Char(prob 16 or better), you could take 3 or 4 levels of Paladin of Devotion to get a fighting style, some extra healing, and be able to add your char mod to attack rolls not to mention a few spells you could use when not raging. I've seen a 20 Char Devotion Pally completely negate the -5 to hit from the GWM feat and he was ridiculous. It may even be worth it to take 6 levels of Pally for Aura of Protection and even more healing. Lay on Hands is 5hp per level. Also, you get that sweet sweet Divine Smite which you could use while raging and never cast a single spell haha.

And here is an even more off the wall idea,

If you have a good Wis(16 or higher), you could take 9 levels of Cleric(War, Tempest, or even Life) and be able to cast Greater Restoration on yourself after Frenzy Raging. Obviously, this would be best if you do not already have a party member capable of casting this. If you do, this is not so great. I know at this point, you'd basically be a Holy Cleric with anger issues but I see this build having tremendous RP potential. You would be much more well rounded as a character and have much more to do outside of combat. 11 levels of Barb would still make you a beast IN combat. War Cleric lets you get that bonus attack meaning you wouldn't have to frenzy so quick. Tempest lets you clear most of the battlefield before you even need to rage. Life is hilarious as the mean raging Barbarian heals all of his buddies after he just killed all of the bad guys.



and mark my words, one of these days, I am going to play a Wizard/Barbarian. I will play him as a straight wizard until he is attacked at which point the light switch will be flipped and he will lose his **** and go crazy lol. I know this character will have to have rolled stats to not be completely terrible, but he'll be fun for sure.

If you have at least a 13 charisma you could multiclass into Warlock - cast Armor of Agathy and then Rage, using the Resistance you gain to amplify the effects of the spell. You wouldn't be able to use Hex while raging, but that just means you can use Armor of Agathys in two fights before you rest. And if you are a Fiend Patron and go 10 levels of Warlock, you can give yourself Resistance to Psychic damage (not bad if you are a Bear Totem).

I like the idea of the Demon Spirit Rager.

jgsugden said:

The 20th level Capstone is a nice coda, but it means little as you're going to be using it for only a few sessions before the game ends - if you ever get there. And, the chance you find a belt of Giant Strength that matches or exceeds that 24 strength is not something to ignore.

Regardless, if you want to be the ultimate melee beast, barbarian is not the way to go. Barbarian is actually one of the least effective classes for total damage potential. You're better off with a ranger, fighter or paladin. All three can outclass the barbarian. The ultimate melee build IMHO, is Ranger 5, then Fighter 4, then Rogue 11. You can do a sick amount of damage per turn with that combination without using up any depleting resources like spells or action surge - which can really take you over the top.

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"Barbarian is actually one of the least effective classes for total damage potential."

...All I can do is laugh at that.