Barbarian, "Old School" Variant (5e Class)

Barbarian, Old-School

This is a barbarian reminiscent of the one presented in AD&D's Unearthed Arcana. As with Fighter "old school" Variant (5e Class), this is a straightforward class with minimal options and no archetypes.

Creating a Barbarian

Prerequisites

A barbarian must be any non-lawful alignment and must be human.

Quick Build

You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Constitution or Charisma should be considered as a tertiary score. Second, choose the outlander background. Finally, your starting equipment is as follows: a broadsword, a shortbow, a handaxe, hide armor and an explorer's pack.

Class Features

As a Barbarian you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per Barbarian level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Barbarian level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
Tools: Herbalist Kit
Saving Throws: Constitution, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two from Medicine, Perception, Stealth, Survival, Athletics

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a broadsword and a shortbow or (b) a club and a lasso or (c) a scimitar and a lance
• (a) a handaxe or (b) two daggers or (c) a spear
• (a) leather armor or (b) hide armor
• explorer's pack

Table: The Barbarian

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Tribal Tongue, Nimble Defense, Detest Magic, Tribal Skill
2nd	+2	Hardiness, Great Leap
3rd	+2	Fast Movement, First Aid
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Outdoor Craft
6th	+3	Poison Resistance, Primal Attack
7th	+3	Instinctive
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Smell Magic
10th	+4	Hide in Natural Surroundings
11th	+4	Extra Attack (2)
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Summon Barbarians (1)
14th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
15th	+5	Summon Barbarians (2), Unsurprising Improvement
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Summon Barbarians (3)
18th	+6	Superior Resistance
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement, Summon Barbarians (4)
20th	+6	Extra Attack (3)

Tribal Tongue

You only know how to speak your tribal tongue and Common. You cannot read or write (but can learn to do so with the Training downtime activity). For each additional language you would know from your race or background, you instead gain a tool proficiency of your choice.

Tribal Skill

Choose one of the following proficiencies or features:

• Dog Tribe. Animal Handling proficiency
• River Tribe. Vehicles (Water) proficiency
• Mountain Tribe. Drum or horn proficiency; in addition, while outdoors, you can use a drum, horn, smoke signals or mirror flashes to communicate with members of barbarian tribes up to 5 miles away.
• Steppes Tribe. You automatically pass Constitution saving throws made to travel beyond 8 hours while make a forced march (PHB p. 181), and you can keep a fast pace (PHB p. 182) without penalty.
• Riders Tribe. It does not cost you movement to mount a creature (PHB p. 198); you add your proficiency bonus to Dexterity saving throws made to avoid falling off a mount; and when your mount is subject to an opportunity attack, you can choose whether you or your mount is the target.
• Raven Tribe. You can accurately mimic various sounds you have heard, including bird and other animal calls (or voices, under DM's authorization). A creature that hears the sounds you make can tell they are imitations only with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

Detest Magic

You cannot attune to magic items, and at 1st level you cannot use magic items at all. As you gain levels in barbarian, you tolerate different kinds of magic item, as shown below, although you still cannot attune to any.

• 2nd level: magic potions
• 8th level: magic weapons
• 12th level: magic armor
• 16th level: wondrous items

Nimble Defense

When you wear no armor or light armor, you add half your Dexterity modifier again to your AC.

When you wear medium armor, the maximum Dexterity modifier you add to your AC is 3 (instead of 2).

Hardiness

At 2nd level, you gain 4 additional hit points, plus 2 additional hit points for each level you gain on this class.

Great Leap

From 2nd level onwards, you can use a Bonus Action to make a mighty leap. You move up to half your movement speed without provoking opportunity attacks. This movement is considered fly movement, but you must end your turn on the ground or you fall.

In addition, your jump height and distance are doubled.

Fast Movement

At 3rd level, your movement speed increases in 10 feet if you are wearing light or no armor, or in 5 feet if you are wearing Medium armor.

First Aid

At 3rd level, you can bind wounds, ste sprains or broken bones and concoct natural antidotes and natural cures for diseases. You have a dice pool equal to three times your proficiency bonus. These dice are d6s and they recharge on a Long Rest.

As an Action, you can spend a die and tend to a creature's wounds, rolling it and restoring that creature hit points equal to the number rolled plus the target's Constitution modifier. If the creature is bleeding, diseased or poisoned, this instantly ends that condition on the creature.

If you use your First Aid during a short rest, you restore the maximum number of hit points, rather than rolling the die.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.

Outdoor Craft

Also at 5th level, you can mimic the effects of Locate Animal or Plants, only as a ritual. This is not a spell, thus not requiring the components, rather behaving as an natural instinct and prowess in detecting wildlife.

Primal Attack

Beginning at 6th level, your weapon attacks are considered magical for the purpose of bypassing resistances and immunities.

Poison Resistance

You have eaten many plants and animals throughout your life, which has given you an advantage in certain adversities.

At 6th level, you gain resistance to poison damage and Advantage on saving throws against the poisoned condition.

Unsurprising

You have survived many enemies and are always aware of your surroundings. From 7th level onwards, you are never surprised.

At 15th level, attacks made against you can never have Advantage.

Smell Magic

Starting at 9th level, you can cast detect magic as a ritual.

In addition, when you use Intelligence (Investigation) to determine if something is illusory, you are considered proficient in the Investigation skill and add double your proficiency bonus (instead of your normal proficiency bonus).

Hide in Natural Surroundings

Starting at 10th level, you can spend 1 minute creating camouflage for yourself. You must have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, and other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage.

Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try to hide by pressing yourself up against a solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as long as you remain there without moving or taking actions. Once you move or take an action or a reaction, you must camouflage yourself again to gain this benefit.

Summon Barbarians

Starting at 13th level, you can summon barbarians as a downtime activity. This takes 7 days, during which you must be in natural outdoor terrain, sending messengers and gifts, and preparing a staging camp.

At 13th level, your expenses are 100 gp, and you roll 1d6 on the following table to see who arrives at the staging camp. The expenses and number of rolls increases at 15th level (300 gp, two rolls), 17th level (1,000 gp, three rolls) and 19th level (3,000 gp, four rolls).

1—3 Eight tribal warriors
4. Two scouts
5. Two berserkers
6. One veteran

Each summoned group is also accompanied by two (commoners) who represent non-combatants such as thralls, guides, servants or soothsayers.

In addition, the groups are additionally equipped according to your tribe:

• Dog tribe: the first group arrives with two trained mastiffs.
• River tribe: all groups arrive by (or are carrying) canoes or other small portable water vehicles.
• Mountain tribe: each member of the first group are proficient with drums or horns and can communicate outdoors as described above.
• Steppes tribe: each member of all groups can travel outdoors as described above.
• Riders tribe: each member of all groups arrive on riding horses.

The summoned barbarians must have one stated purpose, such as to siege a location, serve in a battle, recover an item or rescue a person. They are loyal to you as long as you do not deviate from this purpose, and for a duration of a number of days equal to your barbarian level + your Charisma modifier. Summoning more barbarians within this duration considered deviating from the purpose.

Once you deviate from the stated purpose, the duration expires, or the purpose is resolved, the summoned barbarians disband and return to their tribes.

Superior Resistance

At 18th level, you have Advantage on saving throws against the following conditions: paralyzed, petrified, stunned, restrained.

In addition, you add your proficiency bonus on saves against spells that would cause you to transmute against your will (such as polymorph) or from the necromancy school.

Multiclassing

An old-school barbarian cannot multiclass.

0.00

(0 votes)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes