The Dino-barian - A new barbarian path

[Caliban]

Don't forget the big drawback of turning into a T-Rex: you can no longer clap your hands! Devastating.

I'd be more concerned about the 10th level ability, it seems overpowered as most other barbarian 10th level abilities are not that useful. Maybe something more along the line of intimidating presence where you can use your action to look at somebody within 30 feet and scream "Rawr!". They then fall into a fit of laughing, can no longer use bonus actions or reactions and have disadvantage on saves. On subsequent turns you can yell "Rawr!" again to continue the laughter.

It uses an action, is moderately useful but doesn't give you a bonus attack which is pretty huge.

Yeah, I'm planning on changing it to some thing like that, called "The King's Speech". Just don't have time right now, I'm at work.

 

[Caliban]

You asked for feedback, and were given (IMO) accurate feedback. It's not an issue of magic-rich, or magic-poor, it's a question of the relative strength of this option as opposed to other options.

And I acknowledged it. But feedback isn't a one-way street.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Look, I'm not saying you don't have a valid point, the abilities may be a bit too good and I'll adjust it later today when I have time. But seriously, you are wildly exaggerating how good they are.

Plus I disagree about the magic item thing. Every game I've played in, the players can expect a reasonable amount of magic items, especially by lvl 14. The game I'm running is no exception. I'm not going to balance the path around a hypothetical magic poor game that I'm not running or playing. I'll balance it around the type of game I expect to be played and if someone wants to run a magic poor game they can make adjustments as they see fit.

Sorry, I don't wanna sound like I'm knocking your archetype down. I really like it in concept and it seems very cool. But if you look at how this archetype stacks up against the other archetypes, the abilities are too powerful.

Some suggestions I'd have to reign it in are:

1) Make It's Good To Be King a polymorph effect rather than wildshape. Especially since the activation is linked to rage, there's no reason the barbarian should keep their mental stats or class abilities while in T-Rex form.

2) Make It's Good To Be King a once per long rest ability.

3) Hail To The King really needs to be a ribbon ability. Maybe the ability to communicate with Dinosaurs, or having Dinosaurs require a Wisdom save in order to attack you.

4) Feast on the Fallen shouldn't be in there. Barbarian archetypes only really grant one true ability at 3rd level. Those that grant more (Totem Barbarian, Battlerager) are really minor ribbon abilities that make sense to the archetype but don't necessarily grant any combat advantage.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Caliban]

*grin* Pedantry alert! Feedback is, in fact, a one-way street. You can look it up (it's the return of information). Perhaps you meant that you were hoping for a dialogue.

To the extent you agree with the feedback you were given, and that the level 10 and 14 abilities might be a little out of wack, I look forward to your further iterations and improvements, upon which we can deliver additional feedback.

Well in this context I meant something more like a feedback loop, or brainstorming. Feedback, debate, adjustment, repeat, and eventually playtest.

I'm thinking of something like:

10th - The Kings Speech: You may use your strength modifier on persuasion and intimidate checks, or the ability to roar and frighten hostile creatures within 30 feet or something.

14th - restrict it to once per long rest. You really shouldn't need a T-Rex more than once a day anyway.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

10th - The Kings Speech: You may use your strength modifier on persuasion and intimidate checks

That seems fine. It especially works in consideration that this is probably the archetype of the tribal chief, and strength being valued has learned to utilize their strength to sway the opinion of others.

14th - restrict it to once per long rest. You really shouldn't need a T-Rex more than once a day anyway.

I still think changing it to a polymorph effect rather than a wildshape effect is more appropriate, but it definitely helps to bring it more in line with other archetypes.

 

[Caliban]

I've updated the original post with my changes. The Feast of the Fallen ability is removed, and some of the names have been moved around or changed.

Feast of the Fallen was part of my original brainstorming for this path, but it's not really thematically consistent with the other abilities. Now I want to write up a "Path of the Ghoul" that uses it.