Path of the Totem Warrior, expanded (5e Subclass)

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.

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.
• 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. 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. 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 Strength saving throw is 8 + proficiency modifier + Strength modifier.
• 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.
• Snake: You gain the option to substitute your weapon's damage type for poison. In addition, while raging, every first melee strike dealt within your turn gains an additional 1d6 poison damage.
• 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 + charisma modifier) or become frightened. 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'. Attempts to instill either in you give you double the rage damage in your next turn.
• Bunny: While raging you may triple your movement speed.
• Dragon: Refer to the Dragonborn table. You may pick one draconic element. While in a rage you will gain the ability to imbue that element into your weapon, replacing the damage type to that element.
• Lion: While raging you can use your bonus action to perform an additional attack
• Jaguar: While raging your critical range is expanded from 18 through 20. In your rage you may re-roll Natural 1s in your attempt to hit up to your Strength modifier (mim of 1) uses restore on a long rest.
• 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.
• Snake: While raging you gain advantage in all grappling checks. You may grapple without having a free hand. While grappled you may inflict 1d4 poison damage per turn. You do not have to halve your speed to move enemies one size smaller than yourself.
• 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 if an enemy within your movement speed is at half health or bleeding then you attack them with adavantage.

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: Your rage damage is replaced by your barbarian level + half your rage damage at the current level.
• 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: Refer to the Dragonborn table. You may pick one draconic element. While in a rage you will gain the ability to gain that element's dragonbreath. It deals 2d10 damage plus your constitution modifier. This may be done once per round.
• Lion: While raging you may use your reaction when attacked to launch a melee attack against the attacking creature.
• Jaguar: While raging all your damage dice are maximized for melee attacks.
• Kraken: If you have an enemy grappled you may begin suffocating or bludgeoning them with your tentacles. Each round causing 1d10 damage, plus your strength modifier.
• 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 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. Your rage damage is now 8 + your proficiency + your strength modifier.

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Character Options → Subclasses