D&D 5E Are Barbarian’s “Meh”

[Al2O3]

I'm not sure if I've retired a barbarian, but I've certainly decided not to play one.

For me the problem is that the mechanics don't support the story I expect.

I see barbarian and rages, I think of an aggressive damage dealer who can also handle taking a beating.

My problem is that in my experience the barbarians are damage sponges that don't really ever do noteworthy amounts of damage without the great weapon master feat.

A paladin with smites have large spikes with lots of damage that feel good, and with high AC they can also take care of lots of incoming damage.

Both fighters and barbarians also come with a lack of intrinsic support for out-of-combat situations. Other classes have spells, charisma or class features that really help out of combat. Barbarians and fighters get situational ribbons.

I'm not saying that barbarians or fighters can't be fun to play, but they require more work in terms of making a backstory to compensate.

 

[Li Shenron]

Boring characters are because of boring players. If there was an issue with class design, it would have come up a lot in 5 years and millions of players.

 

[Zardnaar]

I generally regard barbarians as meh totem being an exception.

Compared to fighters, paladin's and rangers they're a bit meh IMHO.

 

[Jd Smith1]

This'll happen when you play a monopoly piece with combat stats vs playing a character.

This is so true.

My group has a Barbarian (I don't allow multi-class). With Great Weapon Master he is an engine of destruction, but he can only Rage three times before a long rest, so he has to invest those opportunities carefully, because long rests only come once a day, and all too often the party can't afford to take to take a long rest because facing organized opposition, it would mean giving the enemy time to dig in and prepare.

Outside of combat, he's the best role-player.

 

[delphonso]

Literally just texted my GM about retiring the Barbarian I'm playing. Here's why:

I built an optimized Half-orc Barbarian with a Greataxe. He's got a strong personality and I enjoy him as a character. But, the party is two new players with a newish GM (I've been GMing for ages, this is the first time I'm actually playing 5e as a player). The newbie party are always itching for a fight, and don't have a lot of RP experience. Scenes are very short and conversations end on punchlines.

Now, I'm loving this, but boy - hopping from fight to fight has really worn me out. I've done everything I've wanted (crit for preposterous damage on an owlbear, slayed 2 hobgoblins a turn for three turns with GWM, etc.) all at 4th level. Sure, I'll get two attacks next turn, but so what?

Basically, the issue I see is that almost all of the Barbarian abilities are passive, especially Totem. Reckless attack might as well also be passive, as you basically always use it if there are less than 4 enemies around you. So in combat, which is most of the time, I'm making no decisions.

The Barbarian is super fun, but that's a short-lived fun, I think. If it's a combat heavy game, I want more options like a Paladin or Swords Bard.

 

[Leatherhead]

I got an Eagle Totem Barbarian up to level 11, then the campaign stalled out. I was having fun all the way, but I would preface that by saying after level 7 I stopped doing sensible tactics in combat. The allure of flying at level 14 kept me going, but after a certain point it was more of a test to see what kind of crazy things I could live through.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I got an Eagle Totem Barbarian up to level 11, then the campaign stalled out. I was having fun all the way, but I would preface that by saying after level 7 I stopped doing sensible tactics in combat. The allure of flying at level 14 kept me going, but after a certain point it was more of a test to see what kind of crazy things I could live through.

That is the best way to play a barbarian: never count the odds; attack, attack, attack. It also fits well with the berserker-style rules.

The player running a barbarian in my current group gave his PC a low IQ and Wisdom, and boosted CHAR. (we use the point buy system). Makes for an excellent PC with rich role-play opportunities.

 

[Shiroiken]

I suppose it depends on the players; we've had a barbarian in just about every campaign in 5E, and no ones complained. The barbarian has often been the last man standing to prevent a TPK, simply due to the amount of damage they can absorb. Using Great Weapon Master and Reckless Attack, they deal a crapload of damage every round. Overall they're a great class, but they can be overly simple to play.

 

[Delazar]

I'm having a blast with my barbarian!

We're playing through Princes of the Apocalypse, and we decided each character would have an elemental theme. So I picked Water.

I'm Zadas Sunumath, Triton Zealot of POSEEEEEEEEEIDOOOON! (that's what I scream every time I crit)

For some time I was using a Megalodon Jaw as an axe, recently I switched to an anchor (refluffed greataxe) that has been enchanted by some dwarven ghost.

Zadas is a bit of a womanizer, and he likes to perform "the dance of the seven sharks" for his paramours. The dance involves the use of his triton abilities (fog cloud, wall of water). Wall of Water also came in handy when facing a couple of nasty fire elementals.

Once I befriended a shark in a dungeon, and he became my pet "Crimson Tide". Now we're about to begin our final battle against the prophet of Earth, and I'm charging into battle riding a hulking crab! (a commoner we saved recently, and that our druid polymorphed to make him useful in battle)

I love to use my Athletics to do crazy stunts, like once we were hunting a manticore for some sky-knights, and I just jumped off a cliff and ONTO the manticore, then proceeded to subdue it.

We're level 12, and I know I'll miss him when this is over. Hopefully I can play him again in some other campaign, and go all the way to level 20.

"You haven't lived, if you haven't lived Recklessly"
- Zadas, just before using Reckless Attack

 

[Wiseblood]

I'm having a blast with my barbarian!

We're playing through Princes of the Apocalypse, and we decided each character would have an elemental theme. So I picked Water.

I'm Zadas Sunumath, Triton Zealot of POSEEEEEEEEEIDOOOON! (that's what I scream every time I crit)

For some time I was using a Megalodon Jaw as an axe, recently I switched to an anchor (refluffed greataxe) that has been enchanted by some dwarven ghost.

Zadas is a bit of a womanizer, and he likes to perform "the dance of the seven sharks" for his paramours. The dance involves the use of his triton abilities (fog cloud, wall of water). Wall of Water also came in handy when facing a couple of nasty fire elementals.

Once I befriended a shark in a dungeon, and he became my pet "Crimson Tide". Now we're about to begin our final battle against the prophet of Earth, and I'm charging into battle riding a hulking crab! (a commoner we saved recently, and that our druid polymorphed to make him useful in battle)

I love to use my Athletics to do crazy stunts, like once we were hunting a manticore for some sky-knights, and I just jumped off a cliff and ONTO the manticore, then proceeded to subdue it.

We're level 12, and I know I'll miss him when this is over. Hopefully I can play him again in some other campaign, and go all the way to level 20.

"You haven't lived, if you haven't lived Recklessly"
- Zadas, just before using Reckless Attack

You missed a chance to name your shark Chum.