What are the Best Abilities for Barbarians in D&D?

The best abilities for Barbarians in D&D revolve around maximizing their damage output, durability, and utility both in and out of combat. Strength is paramount, followed closely by Constitution for survivability and Dexterity for Armor Class. Feats that enhance these core abilities, provide tactical advantages, or grant access to powerful combat maneuvers are crucial. Ultimately, a well-built Barbarian combines raw power with strategic choices to become a formidable force on the battlefield.

Understanding the Barbarian Class

The Barbarian is a class defined by its raw power, unbridled rage, and incredible resilience. They excel at melee combat, dealing massive damage while absorbing blows that would fell lesser warriors. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses is key to selecting the best abilities.

Core Barbarian Features

• Rage: This is the Barbarian’s signature ability, granting advantage on Strength checks and saving throws, a damage bonus to melee attacks, and resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
• Unarmored Defense: This allows the Barbarian to calculate their AC using their Dexterity and Constitution scores, making armor optional.
• Reckless Attack: This ability grants advantage on attack rolls but also gives enemies advantage on attacks against the Barbarian, making it a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

Top Ability Scores for Barbarians

Prioritizing the right ability scores is crucial for building an effective Barbarian.

Strength: The King of Combat

Strength is the most important ability score for a Barbarian. It directly impacts:

• Attack rolls with melee weapons
• Damage rolls with melee weapons
• Strength-based skill checks such as Athletics (used for grappling, climbing, and swimming)
• Carrying capacity

A high Strength score translates directly into greater damage output and improved combat effectiveness. Maximize this as a priority.

Constitution: The Foundation of Survivability

Constitution is equally vital, dictating the Barbarian’s hit points and their ability to withstand punishment. It directly impacts:

• Hit points (crucial for surviving in melee)
• Constitution saving throws (important for maintaining concentration on spells, resisting poisons, and avoiding other debilitating effects)

A high Constitution score ensures that the Barbarian can stay in the fight longer, soaking up damage and continuing to dish it out. It also synergizes perfectly with Unarmored Defense.

Dexterity: Balancing Offense and Defense

Dexterity is important for enhancing the Barbarian’s Armor Class (AC), initiative, and Dexterity saving throws. While not as crucial as Strength and Constitution, a decent Dexterity score provides significant benefits:

• Armor Class (AC), when using Unarmored Defense
• Initiative (determining turn order in combat)
• Dexterity saving throws (useful for avoiding area-of-effect spells and traps)

Wisdom and Intelligence: Handling Secondary Skills

Wisdom affects skills such as Perception and Insight, useful for detecting threats and understanding motivations. Intelligence is typically the least important ability score for a Barbarian, as it affects skills like Investigation and Arcana, which are less commonly utilized. Focus on minimum scores required for multiclassing.

Charisma: Leadership and Intimidation

Charisma affects skills such as Intimidation and Persuasion, useful for social interactions and controlling situations. While not as crucial as Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity, having a decent Charisma score can enhance role-playing opportunities and provide alternative solutions to problems.

Optimal Feats for Barbarians

Feats can significantly enhance a Barbarian’s capabilities, providing powerful combat options, improved survivability, and greater utility.

Great Weapon Master

Great Weapon Master is a cornerstone feat for Barbarians who wield heavy weapons. It allows you to:

• Take a -5 penalty to attack rolls to add +10 damage to successful attacks.
• Make an additional attack as a bonus action after scoring a critical hit or reducing a creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack.

This feat greatly increases the Barbarian’s damage output, making them a fearsome opponent.

Savage Attacker

Savage Attacker allows you to reroll the weapon damage dice during your turn. This helps to provide a more consistent damage output, and allows you to minimize lower damage rolls.

Polearm Master

Polearm Master is a powerful feat for Barbarians using polearms. It allows you to:

• Make an opportunity attack when a creature enters your reach.
• Use a bonus action to make an attack with the opposite end of the weapon, dealing less damage but providing extra attack opportunities.

This feat provides additional control over the battlefield and increases the Barbarian’s overall damage potential.

Sentinel

Sentinel is an excellent defensive feat that helps protect allies and control enemy movement. It allows you to:

• Make an opportunity attack when a creature within 5 feet of you attacks a target other than you.
• Reduce a creature’s speed to 0 when you hit it with an opportunity attack.
• Gain advantage on attack rolls against a creature within 5 feet of you if it attacks one of your allies.

This feat makes the Barbarian a formidable protector, forcing enemies to focus on them.

Tough

Tough grants the Barbarian an additional 2 hit points per level. This significantly increases their survivability, making them even harder to kill.

Resilient

Resilient allows you to gain proficiency in a saving throw of your choice. This can be particularly useful for improving Dexterity saving throws, which are a common weakness for Barbarians.

Mobile

Mobile increases the Barbarian’s movement speed and allows them to avoid opportunity attacks when they attack a creature. This provides greater tactical flexibility and allows the Barbarian to reposition quickly.

Best Barbarian Subclasses and Abilities

Barbarian subclasses (Primal Paths) offer unique features that further define their play style.

• Path of the Totem Warrior: Offers enhanced durability and utility through totemic spirits, such as the Bear Totem for resistance to all damage types (except psychic) while raging.
• Path of the Zealot: Provides divine fury, adding radiant or necrotic damage to attacks and making the Barbarian a fearsome warrior for their deity.
• Path of the Berserker: Allows for Frenzy, granting an additional attack each turn while raging but causing exhaustion afterward. This is a high-risk, high-reward option for maximizing damage output.
• Path of the Storm Herald: Grants elemental powers tied to the environment, allowing the Barbarian to unleash bursts of fire, lightning, or cold damage.
• Path of the Beast: Allows the Barbarian to manifest bestial features during rage, such as claws, bite, or tail, providing unique combat options.
• Path of the Wild Magic: Introduces an element of chaos, causing random magical effects during rage. This can be both beneficial and detrimental.

Optimizing for Damage and Survivability

The key to building a great Barbarian is to balance damage output with survivability. High Strength and Constitution, coupled with the right feats and subclass features, can create a character who is both a fearsome attacker and a resilient defender. Consider your play style and party composition when making your choices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Should I prioritize Strength or Constitution for my Barbarian?

Both are crucial. Strength directly impacts your attack and damage rolls, while Constitution affects your hit points. Aim for high scores in both, prioritizing Strength slightly for damage output.

2. Is Dexterity important for a Barbarian?

Yes, Dexterity contributes to your AC (if you are not wearing heavy armor), initiative, and Dexterity saving throws. Aim for a decent score, but don’t prioritize it over Strength or Constitution.

3. What armor should a Barbarian wear?

Many Barbarians prefer to use no armor to benefit from the Unarmored Defense feature. However, if your Dexterity and Constitution scores are not high enough, medium armor can be a viable option.

4. Is Great Weapon Master a must-have feat for Barbarians?

Great Weapon Master is a powerful feat that greatly increases damage output, but the -5 attack penalty can be significant. Assess your hit chance and consider whether the increased damage is worth the risk.

5. How does Rage work with spellcasting?

While raging, you cannot cast spells or concentrate on spells. Barbarians are primarily martial combatants, not spellcasters.

6. What are some good weapons for Barbarians?

Greatswords, greataxes, and mauls are excellent choices for Barbarians, especially when combined with the Great Weapon Master feat. Polearms are also effective, particularly with the Polearm Master feat.

7. How can I improve my Barbarian’s saving throws?

The Resilient feat allows you to gain proficiency in a saving throw of your choice. You can also seek out magic items that grant bonuses to saving throws.

8. What is the best Barbarian subclass?

The best Barbarian subclass depends on your play style. Totem Warrior offers great survivability, Zealot provides additional damage, and Berserker maximizes damage output at a cost.

9. How does Reckless Attack work?

Reckless Attack grants advantage on attack rolls but also gives enemies advantage on attacks against you until your next turn. Use it strategically when you need to ensure a hit.

10. Can a Barbarian multiclass effectively?

Yes, Barbarians can multiclass effectively, especially with classes like Fighter (for Action Surge and fighting styles) or Rogue (for Expertise in skills).

11. How does Rage interact with Unarmored Defense?

Rage does not directly interact with Unarmored Defense, but both contribute to the Barbarian’s survivability. Rage provides resistance to damage, while Unarmored Defense provides a decent AC without armor.

12. What are some good skills for Barbarians?

Athletics (for grappling and physical challenges), Perception (for detecting threats), and Intimidation (for controlling situations) are all valuable skills for Barbarians.

13. How does the Berserker’s Frenzy feature work?

Frenzy allows you to make an additional attack each turn while raging, but it causes one level of exhaustion after the rage ends. Use it sparingly, as exhaustion can be debilitating.

14. What is the purpose of Rage Beyond Death?

Rage Beyond Death (a high-level Barbarian feature) allows you to continue fighting even when reduced to 0 hit points while raging. You must succeed on a Constitution saving throw each turn to continue fighting, but failure results in death.

15. What are some magic items that are good for barbarians?

Belts of Giant Strength are especially useful for those who have lower rolls for strength, but overall, magic weapons (e.g., sword of sharpness, weapon of warning), magic armor (e.g., plate armor of resistance, cloak of protection) and items that boost saves (e.g., amulet of health).

By focusing on Strength and Constitution, selecting the right feats, and choosing a subclass that complements your play style, you can build a truly formidable Barbarian who can dominate the battlefield and overcome any challenge.