D&D 5E Barbarian Paths

[Pantalaimon]

Hey there.
Kind of new to Dungeons and Dragons.
Just started a new campaign with some friends and have been researching a lot on this topic.
Just got to level 2 Barbarian and still can't decide between Berserker or Bear Totem Warrior. It'll be a bit before Lv 3, but I want to be sure of my choice when I get there. In terms of character development, my character is set for Berserker by default, but I've set up a failsafe so it's also perfectly fine to go Totem Warrior if she chooses to do so.
My party is mostly long range- Ranger(Archer), Cleric, Wizard, Rogue(mainly uses Crossbow. Infrequently melees), and I play the tank, a Barbarian.
I seem to be soaking up and mitigating damage pretty well and the damage I deal in return attracts a fair bit of attention to me.
I'm pretty attracted to the damage Berserker deals, but exhaustion is a little terrifying as I still value role playing. That much damage is wonderful, but virtual immortality is also very, very enticing as a Bearbarian.
I know the DM's style is the deciding factor but from all of your experiences, how often would I expect non-physical damage over the course of a campaign? My DM will adapt to whatever I choose, as well.
I'm planning on picking up Great Weapon Master at Lv 4, also. I think this will help me use bonus actions when not in Frenzy, and do a ton of damage via power attack when in Frenzy.
I'll be taking GWM if I go Bear, as well.
Is the Berserker path really a trap?
I've read that people suggest Polearm Master to imitate Frenzy, but I've already picked that up in my first campaign for my Paladin and didn't want to just play the same character, again.

TL;DR
Which path: Berserker or Bear Totem Warrior?
Is Berserker really terrible?
Does Bear Totem do considerably less damage compared to other classes?

 

[PnPgamer]

Berserker is viable, but it has an ability which overlaps with the great weapon master feat, but has added negative side effects. This is the reason why totem barbarian, especially the bear path is considered more effective.

In the end it should be fine regardless of your choice.

 

[Eejit]

Berserker is fine. GWM is still very useful, one of the features overlaps for the probably 1 fight per day you'll Frenzy.

Mindless Rage is superb for a tank, it's a match for Bearbarian survivability IMO.

If you get to high enough level Retaliation synergises really well with Sentinel in order to remain sticky.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

In a campaign I ran, a player went with the bear totem and he did well by that. Except for when I got devious and threw creatures at them that dealt psychic damage. With reckless attack, they were a force to be reckoned with.

As for the berserker, that level of exhaustion, with disadvantage on ability checks, can get nasty.

 

[Mephista]

It should be noted that -BEAR- is considered stronger than Berzerker, but only when comparing level 3, and not necessarily Wolf, Panther, or Eagle. Levels 6 and 10 are more powerful (combat wise) for the Berzerker, and level 14 is roughly on par (Berzker deals more damage, Bear encourages opponents to attack her). Immunity to charm and being freightened can be pretty huge benefit - that encompasses the overwhelming majority of mind control effects, and prevents a large source of Rage-ending magic from hitting you. And Intimidating Presence is a pretty kick ass social ability. Meanwhile, Totem barbarian grants a few scounting abilities, which can be rather lackluster given the lack of stealth abilities that really make other scouts shine. Your party already has both a Ranger and Rogue, which means that you really won't help them that much when it comes to wilderness survival, and you're a detriment when it comes to being stealthy.

Also, to be honest... I'm not impressed with Bear's resistances. Yes, its nice if you run into elemental, necrotic or poison damage (the three most common types of non-physical damage). But they're rare enough, and you have enough HP, that generally you don't need the extra resistances. Meanwhile, I've had a lot of success with using GWM on a Berzerker - you save Frenzy for a Big Bad, like running into a solo giant that needs to go down ASAP. Works great.

In short, I recommend Berzerker in this case.


Oh, one more thing. As for that comment about valuing roleplaying... Exhaustion will actually -increase- your role playing opertunities as well. Or don't you think that the big strong warrior exhausted after a brutal fight can't generate some interesting situations?

 

[iserith]

I'm pretty attracted to the damage Berserker deals, but exhaustion is a little terrifying as I still value role playing.

What do you mean?

My DM will adapt to whatever I choose, as well.

Likely doesn't matter what you choose then - so choose whatever you think will be fun for everyone and help contribute to an exciting, memorable story.

TL;DR
Which path: Berserker or Bear Totem Warrior?
Is Berserker really terrible?
Does Bear Totem do considerably less damage compared to other classes?

I had a player take Eagle Totem. His shtick was to be able to grapple and prone enemies, then drag them around the battlefield into advantageous positions for the party. (Proning might not be too great for you given the many ranged PCs in your party.) Mobility and control was high and useful. Additional features like the eagle vision and rituals proved quite useful during the campaign.

 

[Pantalaimon]

What do you mean?

My bad. I totally meant ability checks and such.
What I was going for with that statement was just that exhaustion affects perception, insight, and my ability to lie- I have a surprisingly high Charisma stat of 14 (rolled pretty well) which is great because my character is essentially a compulsive liar- of which can be alleviated by being very, very cautious of when to Frenzy.
That's basically what I meant by 'role-playing'.

Everyone's comments have been tremendously helpful, as well.

 

[iserith]

My bad. I totally meant ability checks and such.
What I was going for with that statement was just that exhaustion affects perception, insight, and my ability to lie- I have a surprisingly high Charisma stat of 14 (rolled pretty well) which is great because my character is essentially a compulsive liar- of which can be alleviated by being very, very cautious of when to Frenzy.
That's basically what I meant by 'role-playing'.

Unless your DM asks for an ability check for just about anything that smells like an ability check could apply (if lying, then Deception check!) without considering the efficacy of your goal and approach and/or narrates outcomes for failed checks that are not fun, I wouldn't worry about it.

A long rest will sort out that exhaustion as will greater restoration, when your party's cleric reaches 9th level.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

As [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION] has stated... if your DM is going to adapt to your choice, then ignore all the 'numbers stuff' and go with what seems coolest for your character. Her personality, goals, attitudes about life, etc. should pretty much point her into the 'correct' path for her as a character. You say she's a pathalogical liar, I'd go with Berzerker...unless your DM is keen on helping you create a new Totem animal path (maybe Snake? or Rat? ...the whole "liar" thing seems to be a big part of her personality, so a 'deceptive, forked-tongue' Snake Totem could be pretty cool...or a 'crafty, self-survival' type of Rat Totem could likewise be interesting, especially if your PC's spend a lot of time in cities or city-type adventuers).

Go with what you think your character would do/choose. The thing with 5e is that it is VERY adaptive to pretty much anything. A DM can easily compensate for anything you, the player, throw at him...which basically means that all your min/maxing and "what is better" choices are going to have a net result of Zero. If you end up with a min/maxed monster with a bajillion HP's and obscene DPS...your DM will just put more monsters with higher AC, HP's, resistances and Damage Dealing...which will nix all your "number crunching", effectively. The added downside to that is that now you have spent all your time and effort on "mechanical considerations" and have a lot more numbers to keep track of, and likely less interesting character personality traits (at least, that's been my experience).

Go with your gut. Think about your character, choose what fits her. Let the mechanics work themselves out on their own...they are the things that won't matter in the long run.

Players won't remember "from a year ago, when you had that character with AC 19, 115hp and did 2d6+12 damage", but they will remember "from a year ago, when you had that barbarian woman who was a pathological liar, who we did that Snake Totem path for and she ended up working for, like 4 different factions...and ended up screwing all of them over and having to run off into the Dark Mountains to become a hermit?".

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Endur]

I play a bear barbarian (currently level 6).

We do a lot of perception checks, negotiations, etc. and frenzy exhaustion disadvantage would have been painful for those.

Also, probably half the time I would have had a bonus attack from frenzy if I was a berserker, I got a bonus attack from GWM anyways. If I had been a berserker, mindless rage would have been useful. Mindless Rage and Retaliation look like the best abilities of the berserker.

On the negative side of things, I've gotten probably zero benefit from the resistance to non-physical damage from being bear.

On the plus side for a totem warrior, I have used "Speak with Animals" in every single game session so far. Commune with Nature at 10th level looks awesome.

I agree with taking GWM to get the -5/+10 and extra attack for your bonus action when you crit or drop an enemy. I'm not a fan of the polearm master feat for barbarians.