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Bardbarian

By February 2, 2018September 10th, 2022Barbarian

Primal Path
Comments from the Finger: In my mind, the Muscle Wizard barbarian eventually gets bored with his grift and tries out some other classes. Here’s one of them:

Path of the Bardbarian

You’re a bard! You heard somewhere that bards get all the girls, so you picked up a lute, a dumb feathered hat, and a bunch of sheet music (which you can totally read). Now you’re definitely a bard, just one with spectacular biceps and very large axe. People sometimes forget that fact, so you like to play them a song called “Break All Their Bones” to jog their memories.
     Your performances never fail to get standing ovations, and no one ever heckles you (and escapes alive), so your musical genius is simply undeniable. You’ve written dozens of songs that will likely live through the ages: “The Sound of a Spine Cracking in Half”, “Puny Man Screams for Mercy”, and “Applaud, Damn You”, to name a few. In short, you’re basically the greatest bard in history, and no one with intact bones will dispute this fact.

Hack of all Trades
Starting at 3rd level, because you’re already the greatest bard in history (and no one will tell you otherwise), you have “proficiency” with every musical instrument. As a result, you advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks made while you perform with one of these instruments.
     Additionally, if someone questions your bardic genius, you can instantly fly into a rage for 1 round. This rage can’t be extended and does not count against your total number of Rages following a long rest.

“Inspiration”
At 3rd level, you can inspire your allies (through violent coercion) to fight better. You can use your bonus action to grant allies within 5 feet of you a 1d4 bonus to attack rolls until the beginning of your next turn. If one of your allies that received this bonus scores a critical miss on an attack roll during its duration, you deal 1d4 damage to that ally.
     While you are raging, the range of this ability increases to 10 feet and its bonus increases to 1d6.

“Song of Rest”
By 6th level, you’ve mastered a song that makes people go to sleep, played with an exotic instrument called ‘choking’. You can use your action to cause a humanoid you are grappling to make a Constitution saving throw (DC equal 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, the creature is knocked unconscious for 1 minute. It can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, regaining consciousness on a success.

“Countercharm”
Starting at 10th level, you know exactly how to shake off a charm: a sharp blow to the head. You can use your action to grant you and allies within 10 feet of you advantage on saving throws against spells until the beginning of your next turn.

Rock and a Bard Place
By 14th level, your allies are more afraid of you than death. You can use your action to punch the heart of a creature that is dying or had died within the last minute. That creature returns to life with 1 hit point. Once you use this ability to revive a creature, you can’t revive it again for 24 hours.
 
 

 

 

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