Barbarian 101

Welcome to Contact Other Player! My name is Millicent, and I am excited to share my knowledge and experience about Dungeons and Dragons 5e and other tabletop games! Thank you for subscribing, and I hope you enjoy the newsletter!

SMASH, CRASH, BANG.   

Barbarians are one of the best classes for players looking to destroy enemies. With resistance to damage and the ability to rage, Barbarians are a great class for players starting their D&D journey. Today we are going to cover the basic steps of playing a lower-level barbarian, without getting into subclasses and feats! 

Recommended Stats for a Barbarian 

Stats are one of the most vital parts of character creation. You can decide if your player character (Player Character) likes this or that; however, your stats help set you up for success or narratively relevant failure. I recommend having a high Strength and Constitution score as a Barbarian. When using common array stats, this is what I recommend. 

**A note, Barbarians do not HAVE to have low INT, WIS, or CHAR; however, with a melee-based fighting style, these stats often are a second thought. Consider giving your Barbarian higher secondary stats, but remember, strength allows you to crush in battle, and Constitution allows you to take a hit or seven!

Best and worst archetypes 

Barbarians are great when you have to fight and even better for roleplay, when played correctly. Two common tropes of Barbarian PCs include the wise warrior, aka the war veteran; this player character often has war stories and scars to match. They are familiar with a weapon, but with time and age, they have been set back at a lower level. Another Barbarian PC archetype is the revenge-driven Barbarian. This PC often has had promises broken, been failed by those closest to them, or has lost a loved one unjustly. This anger is the keystone for their rage and gives them a sense of justice. 

Why do you pick this class?  

The important thing to remember when making your Barbarian PC is figuring out where your rage comes from. If you are raging just to rage, Barbarian PCs can often feel two-dimensional in role-play situations. Anger can be pulled from many different places for PCs, whether it is from loss, disappointment, or fear. When playing a barbarian, try to find your keystone, the origin of the anger. 

Flowcharts are a great tool to help combat flow, as well as helping you understand how a turn is supposed to look.  I would recommend writing out a character-specific flowchart as you continue to play, so you get to know your specific character better!

Barbarians, when raging, are primetime frontline fighters. Their ability to rage gives them resistance (damage is halved) against any slicing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage. These resistances allow you to stay on the front line longer and take hits that would halve another player's hit points. This class allows you to deal out loads of damage, take a hit or twelve, and crush foes at a close range.  

Thank you for tuning into Barbarians 101. I hope you use these tips to crush your foes and hold up the battlefield’s front line! Next week, we will be covering The True BBEG, Scheduling. If you have any questions, please reach out and I will get to them in later newsletters!!

Best, Capital “W”, Wishes,

Millicent