Path of the Totem Warrior, Expanded (5e Subclass)
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Path of the Totem Warrior, expanded
- Barbarian
The original subclass of Totem Warrior has an incredibly small number of choices to choose from. Which, when considering the vastness of Dungeons & Dragons ecosystem, is inexcusable. Since 5th Edition seems to be the "create your own narrative" edition, I feel like offering more choices on this subclass, to encourage Barbarians to personalize their characters and add more flavor to their adventures, is paramount. Feel free to take any of these bases and twist, mold, splice - whatever it takes to fit them into your story in a desirable way. Many of these subclasses will require a variety of saving throws, the DC is equal to (10 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier).
Totem Spirit
At 3rd level you pick your first totem. The animal of the totem is a creature from which you draw inspiration and possibly base your philosophies of life around. You may even adopt physical characteristics based on the creature chosen. Keep in mind the chosen creature will not lock you into its path; you may pick different animals each milestone
- Bull: While raging your rage damage number can be used to subtract from your damage taken. This is done after Resistances.
- Rabbit: While raging you may leap as high as half your movement speed. Your fall damage is halved from what it would otherwise be without this totem's effects. If you fall the same distance as your full movement speed, you take no damage.
- Dragon: Refer to the Dragonborn table. You may pick one draconic element. While in a rage you will gain resistance to the element aligned there, and the first enemy you hit on your turn takes an additional 1d6 damage of that type.
- Lion: When you enter your rage, all creatures within 30 feet of you gain 1 point of Inspiration. Additionally while raging you gain advantage on all Charisma checks, and can forgo one attack to make a Intimidation check against an enemies Insight check. If your check wins the creature take psychic damage equal to your Rage Damage Bonus and is frightened of you until the start of your next turn, this counts as an attack for maintaining your rage.
- Jaguar: While raging you gain advantage in stealth checks. Your rage burns cold; you may hold your rage for three minutes without attacking or being attacked.
- Kraken: You may breathe underwater. Your swimming speed is that of your normal movement speed. While raging you may not be grappled underwater.
- Turtle: While raging, you gain an additional +3 to AC. While you are not raging, you still retain +1 to AC. This bonus extents into any form of incantation.
- Constrictor Snake: When you may grapple a number of medium sized creatures equal to your proficiency bonus, and you may now grapple a number of large sized creatures equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down. Additionally creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you when they enter your range.
- Griffon: While raging you may levitate and gain flight speed equal to your movement speed.
- Phoenix: If your hitpoints reach 0 while in a rage, you return to life with 1 hitpoint. You can use this feature only once, per short or long rest.
- Hyena: When you enter rage you start to laugh maddeningly and any enemey within 30 feet that can hear you needs to make a Constitution saving through (8+ proficiency bonus + Constitution modifier) or become frightened of you for 1 minute, the creature can repeat this saving throw each of its turns ending the effect on a sucess. In the dark the range is extended to 60ft. They are immune if they cannot hear you or are immune to being frightened.
Aspect of the Beast
At 6th level you gain yet another path option. Any path may be taken, regardless of your choice at 3rd level.
- Bull: While raging you are immune to 'charm' or 'frighten'. When a creature you can see attempts to instill either of these effects upon you, you may make 1 melee attack against them as a reaction. Additionally if you move 20ft or more towards a creature before attacking them they must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Bunny: While raging, when a creature makes an opportunity attack against you, you can use your reaction to make one opportunity attack against them. This attack has advantage and if it hits you knock the target prone.
- Dragon: The elemental damage dealt by your weapon ignores resistance to damage of that type. Additionally while raging you can forgo attacking when you use your Reckless Attack Feature, using your action to unleash either a 15ft cone or 30ftline (your choice) of energy the same type as the one you chose at first level. Creatures in that area must make a Dexterity Saving or take 3d6+your Rage Damage Bonus damage of the type you chose at 1st level, this damage ignores resistance. This damage increases to 4d6 at 10th level, 5d6 at 15th level, and 6d6 at 20th.
- Lion: While raging allies within 30 feet of you have advantage on Strength, Dexterity and Constitution saving throws. This counts as an attack for the purposes of maintaining rage.
- Jaguar: While raging, the crit range for any Reckless Attack is treated as a 19-20.
- Kraken: With organic or ethereal tentacles sprouting from a place of your choosing, you may attempt to grapple enemies up to a size larger than yourself. You also gain a +2 bonus to all Grapple checks.
- Turtle: While raging you may sacrifice the movement of the following round and gain advantage on all saving throws, excluding death saving throws.
- Constrictor Snake: While raging, once per turn when you hit a creature with an attack it must make a strength saving throw. A creature that fails this saving throw is grappled by you, and while grappled takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Strength modifier + your Rage Damage Bonus at the start of each of its turns. Additionally physical damage inflicted by your body or grapple is considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances.
- Griffon: Gain two proficiency in two additional saving throws.
- Phoenix: If you reach 0 hitpoints while in a rage, whomever dealt the last blow to you receives double the damage you received in that round.
- Hyena: Your predatory insticts come out as you rage as a result when you reduce an enemy to 0 hitpoints or less you regain hp equal to your Barbarian level+ your Constitution Modifier.
Totemic Attunement
At 14th level you arrive at the final steps of your primal soul searching; here you chose a final totem. This totem, as before, can be chosen regardless of previous choices.
- Bull: While raging you can now choose to go into a blind rage, you are constantly under the effects of reckless attack and your rage damage bonus and damage reduced by your rage damage bonus are doubled, if you activate this effect during a rage you suffer one point of exhaustion when your rage ends.
- Bunny: While raging, you may use your action to move once more. If all you did in the action was move, you may gain another free action.
- Dragon: While raging you now gain immunity to the damage type you chose at 1st level. If you are choosing this option without already having resistance you only gain resistance. Additionally when you enter your rage you can choose to transform into a Huge Dragon, your statistics remain the same except you gain A Tail attack that does 2d8 damage and has a range of 15ft, a bite that does 1d12 damage, and a Claw attack that does 1d10 damage. Once per turn when you hit with your tail a creature must make a strength saving throw against a DC equal to 10 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier or be knocked prone, or if you hit with your claws you may make another claw attack as a bonus action, or if you hit with your bite a creature must make a Strength saving throw or be grappled, you can only use one of these abilities per turn. When you transform into a dragon in this way you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed and your claw, bite, and tail attacks are considered magical. You have one use of this ability and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
- Lion: Your ability to bolster your allies through example is unmatched, once per turn when you hit a creature using your Reckless Attack feature all attacks made against that creature have advantage until the start of your next turn.
- Jaguar: While raging your powerful attacks crack the defense of opponents, when you score a critical hit while raging the creature subtracts your rage damage bonus from their AC until the start of your next turn.
- Kraken: If you have an enemy grappled you may begin suffocating or bludgeoning them with your tentacles. Each round causing 1d12 damage, plus your strength modifier.
- Turtle: You forsake your Fast Movement feature and gain an additional +2 AC in perpetuity .
- Constrictor Snake: While raging, any creature that fails to escape your grapple takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Barbarian Level, and you may grapple 1 huge sized creature. Additionally any creature you hit with an opportunity attack must make a Strength Saving throw or be either Grappled or knocked Prone (your choice).
- Griffon: Your flight speed triples if you had picked Griffon at the third level, otherwise you simply gain that totem. You may no longer be blinded while in a rage.
- Phoenix: If you have taken Phoenix as your totem in the 3rd level you may now recover another half of your hitpoints as bonus hitpoints. Otherwise, you get the original effect only.
- Hyena: Your thirst for blood becomes greater as you rage, you want to kill anything and everything, deal as much damage as possible to accomplish this. While raging, you may attack three times in a single attack action.
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