Path of the Totem Warrior, Expanded (5e Subclass)
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Path of the Totem Warrior, Expanded[edit]
- 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.
Totem Spirit[edit]
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 for each milestone
- Bull: While raging, when you take damage, you can reduce the damage you take by your Rage damage.
- Bunny: 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. You take no damage if you fall the same distance as your full movement speed.
- 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. If you already have resistance to that element, you become completely immune.
- Lion: While you are raging, if you move at least 10 feet straight toward a creature then hit it with a melee attack in the same turn, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The DC for the saving throw is 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Strength modifier.
- Jaguar: While raging, you gain advantage on 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.
- Snake: You can substitute your weapon's damage type for poison. In addition, while raging, every first melee attack dealt within your turn deals an additional 1d6 poison damage.
- Griffon: While raging, you may levitate and gain a flight speed equal to your movement speed.
- Phoenix: If your hit points reach 0 while in a rage, you return to life with 1 hit point. You may do so again after finishing a short or long rest.
- Hyena: When you enter a rage, you laugh maddeningly. Any hostile creature within 30 feet that can hear you need to make a Wisdom saving throw (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become frightened. In the dark, the range is extended to 60ft, and they are immune if they cannot hear you.
Aspect of the Beast[edit]
At the 6th level, you gain yet another path option. Any path may be taken, regardless of your choice at the 3rd level.
- Bull: While raging, you cannot be frightened or charmed. If you are forced to make a saving throw that would cause these conditions, your rage damage is doubled until the end of your next turn.
- Bunny: While raging, you may triple your walking speed.
- Dragon: Refer to the Dragonborn table. You may pick one draconic element. While in a rage, you can imbue that element into your weapon, replacing the damage type with that element.
- Lion: While raging, as a bonus action, you make a melee weapon attack against a prone target.
- Jaguar: While raging your critical hit range is expanded to 19-20.
- Kraken: While raging, organic or ethereal tentacles sprouting from your chosen place. You can attempt to grapple enemies up to a size larger than yourself without negatives. In addition, you have advantage on all Strength (Athletics) made to grapple creatures of your size or smaller.
- Turtle: While raging, you may sacrifice the movement of the following round and gain advantage on all saving throws, excluding death saving throws.
- Snake: While raging you gain advantage in all grappling checks. You may grapple without having a free hand. While grappling, you may inflict 1d4 poison damage at the start of your turn. You do not have to halve your speed to move enemies one size smaller than yourself.
- Griffon: While raging, choose two saving throws. You count as proficient in these for the duration of the rage.
- Phoenix: If you reach 0 hit points while in a rage, whoever dealt the last blow to you, their hit points decrease equal to double the damage you received in that round.
- Hyena: Your predatory instincts have been honed so that it can take advantage of pack tactics. While raging, you have advantage on attacks against targets that are 5ft within an ally.
Totemic Attunement[edit]
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: When take this path you grow horns to gore with. While you are raging and you move at least 10ft in a straight line, you can make a gore attack as part of your attack action, dealing 1d8 + Strength modifier and knocking them prone on a hit. They can only be knocked prone if the target is one size smaller or larger than you.
- Bunny: While raging, you may use your bonus action to instead make another move action.
- Dragon: Refer to the Dragonborn table. You may pick one draconic element. While in a rage, you deal 2d10 extra damage on melee weapon attacks, of a type based on the element you chose.
- Lion: While raging, when you are hit by a melee attack, you may use a reaction to make a single attack against the creature which attacked you.
- Jaguar: 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. Your rage damage is now your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier.
- Kraken: While raging, while grappling a creature, at the start of your turn you deal 1d10 + your Strength modifier magical bludgeoning damage to them.
- Turtle: You forsake your Fast Movement feature and gain an additional +2 AC in perpetuity.
- Snake: While raging, if an enemy uses a reaction or enters your throwing or striking distance, you may use a reaction of your own to perform an attack against them.
- 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 at 3rd level, when you use that feature your hitpoints instead become half your maximum. Otherwise, you gain the original feature only.
- Hyena: Your predatory instincts are further honed as you unleash certain scavenger traits. You have advantage on attacks against targets below half their hitpoints.
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