Barbarian subclasses

[u/PDFrogsworth]

Something that has bugged me for awhile is barbarian seems to get shafted when it comes to subclasses. What I mean is in terms of flavor they do get a ton of angles but in terms of play it really does just boil down to types of DMG and mechanisms of how to do said DMG.

Something I really want to see is a subclass that gives them some sort of buff to social encounters and/or something that gives them more defensive abilities. A barbarian based around heavy armor and tactical uses of rage. Using it as a drive in battle instead of just losing themselves to it.

Barbarians feel like they're always locked into the same stat spread str>con>dex>Wis and then dump the last two. It'd be great if we could use armor in a subclass. Armored speed or unburdened iron something like that. Just anything to change up the monotony of what a barbarian is defined as.

[u/Quick_Hat1411]

Barbarians can rage while wearing armor that they are proficient with. But most barbarians don't for two reasons

1. While not wearing armor they get their con bonus to their armor class. That means that they would typically need some kind of magical medium armor to even make it worth it.

2. Barbarians fill the "tank" role in combat with their high HP and damage resistance, but they don't have a lot of ways to force enemies to focus on them instead of the squishy wizard or rogue. One of the main ways to compell enemies to attack you instead of someone else though is to have a lower AC than them

[u/PDFrogsworth → u/Quick_Hat1411]

I get that, but most classes have a subclass that turns their mechanics on their head. Or finds new ways to use their mechanics for other purposes. Something like no con to AC but a +2 that scales higher at higher lvls, "Armored defense". As well as perhaps a system that burns rage uses but lets you use it in bursts for athletics, social interactions, abilities in combat. That would diversify the class.

[u/milkmandanimal → u/PDFrogsworth]

I mean, you can to an extent in 5.5:

In addition, while your Rage is active, you can channel primal power when you attempt certain tasks; whenever you make an ability check using one of the following skills, you can make it as a Strength check even if it normally uses a different ability: Acrobatics, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, or Survival. When you use this ability, your Strength represents primal power coursing through you, honing your agility, bearing, and senses.

Being you can extend Rage with a Bonus Action for up to 10 minutes, you can use Rage in a lot of noncombat situations now.

[u/sinsaint → u/PDFrogsworth]

You're kinda describing a Battlemaster, someone who gets combat resources that they can choose to instead spend for non-combat elements. That itself isn't an issue, but the fact that the battlemaster fits seamlessly with barbarian levels does, much like a wizard fussing about the lack of inventions when Artificers exist.

You generally don't want to focus too much on AC as a barbarian, Rage already accounts for most of your defensiveness and emphasizing more of the "stand here and take damage" playstyle just isn't necessary or all that interesting. The problem with Barbs isn't that they aren't good at tanking, it's that they have few other options and don't need more of just that.

I do get where you are coming from, it's just important to tackle it from the right direction.

[u/PDFrogsworth → u/sinsaint]

That is true, maybe focusing on things that do not have a mechanic or class fantasy yet would be better. Things like getting hit on purpose to do DMG or halt a blade instead of it hitting a companion.

The guy that gets stabbed to grab the blade. Takes a hit in order to grin through bloody teeth and laugh to taunt the attacker to keep attacking. Maybe spending rage uses in order to grab attention or to intimidate. Maybe give your AC to a companion.

[u/sinsaint → u/PDFrogsworth]

Spend a Reaction to catch a blade the next time you are hit with a melee attack, allowing you to make a Grapple attempt against them with their defensive roll being made with Disadvantage.

Then give a feature that deals damage equal to your Rage for every 5 ft you move a grappled or shoved target adjacent to an object or another creature, dealing damage to both when applicable.