D&D General Has D&D abandoned the "martial barbarian"?

[Faolyn]

Personally I think it's a minority. I think if there were barbarian subclasses that just were supernaturally strong, fast, and tough,they would be embraced by the community.

The question is
Why do the D&D designers completely abandon the concept after they make the berserker?

Because there's only so many ways you can smash the heck out of a person in a way that's sufficiently different enough to warrant a new archetype.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Right. So there has been quite a bit talk about Conan, and how he really doesn't much resemble the current D&D barbarian. But certainly Conan is the most iconic barbarian ever, so this doesn't seem right... So if one wanted to design a barbarian subclass that would let the D&D 5e barbarian better emulate Conan, what would that look like? I am not necessarily speaking about duplicating exact feats from the books, but more about emulating the generic version of the sort of barbarian Conan is: indomitable non-magical warrior that is resourceful and capable in many things outside of combat as well.

 

[Minigiant]

I always figured with the simplification of the combat system they had to give the barbarian something to give the class variety--'best at straight melee' is kind of the fighter's 'hat'.

The fighter's hat isn't "best at straight melee" anymore. As editions gone by, the fighter has become more a trained warrior to the barbarian's semi-trained brawny warrior.

The Fighter is the "Nurture over Nature" 90s-10's action hero.
The Barbarian is the "Nature over Nurture" 60s-80s action hero.

From 2e onward, parts of the "dumb warrior", "unrefined warrior", and "brutish warrior" was stripped away from the fighter. Fighters can e dumb but they are heavily martially trained dumb. No Og the former gang enforcer or Pete the farm boy here unless some master or knight takes them as a student.

So the Warrior of Raw Physicality is now unclaimed and ripe for the barbarian to take.

 

[Minigiant]

Because there's only so many ways you can smash the heck out of a person in a way that's sufficiently different enough to warrant a new archetype.

But they stopped at 2.

I'm sure there are more than 2 ways to smash ahead. There are tons of real world weapon arts before you touch fantasy ones.

Again it screams of "lack of desire to do the work" and taking the easy route.

 

[Northern Phoenix]

Right. So there has been quite a bit talk about Conan, and how he really doesn't much resemble the current D&D barbarian. But certainly Conan is the most iconic barbarian ever, so this doesn't seem right... So if one wanted to design a barbarian subclass that would let the D&D 5e barbarian better emulate Conan, what would that look like? I am not necessarily speaking about duplicating exact feats from the books, but more about emulating the generic version of the sort of barbarian Conan is: indomitable non-magical warrior that is resourceful and capable in many things outside of combat as well.

If you merged the Scout Rogue and Berserker Barbarian into one class, you'd get as decently close enough as i think you can without getting more complicated.

 

[Garthanos]

Right. So there has been quite a bit talk about Conan, and how he really doesn't much resemble the current D&D barbarian. But certainly Conan is the most iconic barbarian ever, so this doesn't seem right... So if one wanted to design a barbarian subclass that would let the D&D 5e barbarian better emulate Conan, what would that look like? I am not necessarily speaking about duplicating exact feats from the books, but more about emulating the generic version of the sort of barbarian Conan is: indomitable non-magical warrior that is resourceful and capable in many things outside of combat as well

Fighter subclass? Gygax often mentioned Conan as an inspiration for the fighter class.

 

[Garthanos]

The battlerager was a 4e build that particularly in its original form was pretty much hulkish barbarian this was before the 4e barbarian class came out. His rage sort of fluctuates via gaining temporary hit points when he was harmed (they gave him bonuses to his attack damage).

 

[Faolyn]

But they stopped at 2.

I'm sure there are more than 2 ways to smash ahead. There are tons of real world weapon arts before you touch fantasy ones.

Yeah, but how many of those are barbarian ways, and how many of them are fighter ways? Barbarians in D&D are Hulk Smash! people. Even if it's realistic for a barbarian to be a weapon arts master, it won't feel as right. There's only so far you can go before people start saying "it would be a great archetype for a fighter, but it's out of place for a barbarian."

 

[DEFCON 1]

Again it screams of "lack of desire to do the work" and taking the easy route.

Or they just don't have the same incessant need for more non-magical classes that other people seem to keep jonesing for.

D&D is a game of magic. Magical creatures, magical worlds, magical people. Magic is a part of everything that makes up D&D. Thus they probably just don't think they need to worry about continually ticking the "make another non-magical sub-class" box for those people who want to play "Middle-Earth" D&D without using all the other options from other designers/DMs Guild.

Isn't that why they have the OGL and the DMs Guild in the first place? So that players can get what they want in some form and fashion without WotC themselves having to do it if they have other things they'd rather work on?

 

[Minigiant]

Yeah, but how many of those are barbarian ways, and how many of them are fighter ways? Barbarians in D&D are Hulk Smash! people. Even if it's realistic for a barbarian to be a weapon arts master, it won't feel as right. There's only so far you can go before people start saying "it would be a great archetype for a fighter, but it's out of place for a barbarian."

Many.

Again. The fighter is now all partial weapons acedemics. They study battle mastery, arcane magic, magic runes, psychic powers, and magic arrows.

Because D&D fans refuse to allow an new warrior classes be norm, all the "Power of the Body" warrior tropes are homeless. Ripe for the barbarian.

The Berserker
The Tribal Chief
The Juggernaut
The Brutish Thug
The Monster Among Men
The Genetic Freak
The Savage
The Possessed Prodigy
The Bulky Bruiser
The Unstoppable Force

They aren't fighters because the fighter is too formal and refined in modern D&D. This leaves them in the hands of the barbarian.