Here Comes The Wild

[Amnoriath]

While the Totem Warrior may not really need it I find this sub class particularly fun to brew for as they are easy to make while still giving many varied options.


Totem Spirit


Python: While raging you gain Constriction. You may add your rage damage bonus to grapple checks as well as the damage from this feature. Immediately after making a successful grapple check you force the target to become restrained. You also deal 1d8+strength modifier bludgeoning damage after this check and each round you maintain the check. If you happen to have clothing with spikes on it the base damage grows to 2d6 dealing piercing and slashing damage as well. At level 11 the base damage is increased to 1d10(or 2d8 with spikes) and may be treated as magical for bypassing resistance. You may only constrict one creature at a time. If the target is larger than you must not move to maintain the effect.

Ape: While raging you become proficient in all improvised weapons. Such weapons deal damage as a Monk's martial arts of your equivalent Barbarian level. If you possess Tavern Brawler you may increase the damage die one step. You may pick up any such improvised weapon as part of any action so long as it is something you could wield effectively as a two-handed weapon or less. Additionally if an improvised weapon would be roughly consider a one handed weapon it can be used as a throwing weapon using your Strength as your to hit bonus at a range of 30/90 feet. You never suffer disadvantage for being threatened by someone in melee when throwing them. At level 6 they may be considered magical for bypassing resistance. You may choose to make a strength check to break the object on them when you missed them in melee. When successful you may re-roll the attack dealing piercing damage instead. At level 12 they may be treated as any kind of metal for the purposes of bypassing resistances or vulnerabilities. You may also choose to make a strength check to break the improvised weapon after a successful attack dealing its base die damage in piercing damage in addition to the normal damage. At level 17 their critical threat range increases by 1 as well as always having a +1 bonus when wielding them.(which may stack with Improved Critical) and you may choose break the object after.


Aspect of the Beast


Python: While prone you may move at your normal land speed and you do not suffer disadvantage on attack rolls made with one-handed melee weapons. This also means enemies do not gain advantage on you while in their reach. Additionally you may treat yourself as being half your size when moving through constrained spaces or for cover and obscurity.

Ape: You may choose to become proficient with a tool of your choice and may help anyone else proficient with any other set of tools as if you were proficient. Additionally you gain a climb speed equal to your land speed.


Totemic Attunement



Python: Your Feral Instinct feature even applies when you aren't raging and you may add 1/2 your proficiency bonus to Initiative checks. While raging you may use your bonus action to give yourself another opportunity attack which also may be used against any creature that has just stepped into your threatened area.

Ape: While raging you may initiate the Use Object action as a bonus action. Additionally, if you at or below half your hit points you add +2 to attack rolls and +2 to damage rolls.

[Amnoriath]

I also thought that some of the abilities given can be applied to a lot of animal abilities but of course not entirely so this gave me an idea of Alternative Animals. Animals that act like other ones for totems except for one key ability.


Alternative Animals:


Viper: If you would choose a Viper as your totem animal at the Totem Spirit you gain this feature while the rest of the features use the Python abilities.

While raging you gain a bite attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage. When the bite is successful in dealing damage a poison may be injected. The target must make a Constitution save (8+prof. bonus+ your con. modifier) or be poisoned for 1 minute and take 2d10+rage bonus poison damage, which increases by 1d10 at level 7, 12, and 18. If they are successful it only deals half damage. At level 11 the bite damage increases to 1d8 becoming magical for bypassing resistance. This poison can only be used once a round. Additionally as a bonus action you can apply a vial of poison of your choice without the risk of poisoning yourself, even to your bite attack. This automatically changes the delivery method to injury, but since you are putting it on recklessly it only lasts for 1d4+1 rounds.

Rhinocerous: You can declare yourself as having Rhinocerous as your totem using the Bear totem features until you reach Totemic Attunement in which you gain this instead.

While raging you may make a Charge against opponents. If you have moved 20 feet in a straight line and struck them with a melee weapon the opponent takes 2d6 points of extra damage and must succeed on a Strength save(8+prof. bonus+str. modifier) or be shoved 10 feet.

Bat: When you declare yourself as having a Bat as your totem animal you use the Eagle totem features except for Aspect of the Beast in which you gain this instead.

You do not need to be prone while sleeping and don't suffer disadvantage on Perception checks while sleeping. Additionally you gain Blindsight out to 40 feet so long as you are capable of hearing.

Dolphin: When you declare yourself as have a Dolphin as your totem animal you use the Wolf totem features except for Aspect of the Beast in which you gain this instead.

You gain a swim speed equal to your land speed and you can hold your breath for 10 minutes per point of constitution bonus before suffocating. Additionally no attack rolls or ability checks suffer disadvantage while being in or coming into the water.

[BRKNdevil]

At each level you gain an animal aspect, you can choose among all your choices. so i could be a bear, eagle, wolf barbarian.
At the 2 other points it has the lines "...You can choose the same animal you selected previously or a different one."
Besides that, I am finding these choices decently flavorful and interesting.

[Amnoriath]

At each level you gain an animal aspect, you can choose among all your choices. so i could be a bear, eagle, wolf barbarian.
At the 2 other points it has the lines "...You can choose the same animal you selected previously or a different one."
Besides that, I am finding these choices decently flavorful and interesting.

1. I understand that, which is why I said the Totem warrior may not actually need them. The idea of the Alternative animals is that if an animal is could be quite similar to what is there except for a very key and distinctive difference I thought it would be far easy not just for me to make but the player to say, "Hey, I'll just swap this for that,"
2. Otherwise, how do they stack up balance wise?

[Black Mage]

For the Ape Totem Spirit ability, I'd cut the part where it gets actual magical enhancement bonuses. Counting as magical for purposes of resistance/immunity is fine, but I'm not sure any class actually gets actual +1/+2/+3 bonuses like that. By 20th level, the barbarian would be +3 higher than anyone else (and they're already +2 higher because they break the strength cap).

[Amnoriath]

For the Ape Totem Spirit ability, I'd cut the part where it gets actual magical enhancement bonuses. Counting as magical for purposes of resistance/immunity is fine, but I'm not sure any class actually gets actual +1/+2/+3 bonuses like that. By 20th level, the barbarian would be +3 higher than anyone else (and they're already +2 higher because they break the strength cap).

Well, as classes they don't but non-attuned magical weapons do and at that those higher levels you are beyond very rare so at some point you ought to get magical weapons that match that.

[Black Mage]

The problem is the system is designed around the idea that PCs don't need magic items. Sure, they're nice, but you can go all 20 levels without getting one, or only getting a single +1 sword. Having a barbarian class ability just arbitrarily give you a +3 weapon (a +3 chair leg, at that) is just silly and doesn't fit.

[BRKNdevil]

agreed, didn't notice that the first time through. I could understand if you had to spend some sort of resource to gain that though but the barbarian doesn't really have any resources to spend.

[Ralanr]

If you there was a hyena totem what do you think it would do? I'd imagine using the laugh for a bonus or advantage on intimidation to be one of the abilities.

[Amnoriath]

The problem is the system is designed around the idea that PCs don't need magic items. Sure, they're nice, but you can go all 20 levels without getting one, or only getting a single +1 sword. Having a barbarian class ability just arbitrarily give you a +3 weapon (a +3 chair leg, at that) is just silly and doesn't fit.
In all honesty that assertion is very dubious. Pretending that at level 17 they won't have a decent if not special magical weapon is like saying that a Paladin won't use his smite feature even though he has smite spells or a flat 1d8 after level 10. The only thing this edition did was not make magical items readily available, the DM is instead encouraged to either make them or at least up the chances in certain encounters or raids. It isn't that I wouldn't change it to something else but this just seems to be the simplest.
Though how about instead we keep it at 1 but later they can make a strength check to break the improvised weapon to either reroll an attack or additional damage?

[Amnoriath]

agreed, didn't notice that the first time through. I could understand if you had to spend some sort of resource to gain that though but the barbarian doesn't really have any resources to spend.

He spends 17 levels of barbarian.

[Composer99]

In all honesty that assertion is very dubious. Pretending that at level 17 they won't have a decent if not special magical weapon is like saying that a Paladin won't use his smite feature even though he has smite spells or a flat 1d8 after level 10.

Speaking of dubious assertions.

The game assumes no magic items (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20120702) for its basic combat maths.

It's one thing to assume that the majority of PCs will reasonably have magic items by the time they hit level 17; if nothing else they're guaranteed to playing published material to date (that I am aware of).

It's another thing to build magic item progression into class features for using improvised weapons, especially for a class that already gets to break the maths (by going over the ability score cap).

[Amnoriath]

Speaking of dubious assertions.

The game assumes no magic items (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20120702) for its basic combat maths.

It's one thing to assume that the majority of PCs will reasonably have magic items by the time they hit level 17; if nothing else they're guaranteed to playing published material to date (that I am aware of).

It's another thing to build magic item progression into class features for using improvised weapons, especially for a class that already gets to break the maths (by going over the ability score cap).
1. Barbarians gets an effective +2 weapon bonus with 2 maybe 3 attacks and 40 health as its capstone. Alternatively a fighter has 2 more attacks and 2 action surges. Paladins are adding a few d8's on top of smite spells..etc. This isn't breaking the math, they only get to hit a little more reliably as a standard. I am just making sure that improvised weapons has some kind of advantage or equal against the non-attuned weapon possibilities out there.
2. Now, with that being said how does this idea sound? "Though how about instead we keep it at 1 but later they can make a strength check to break the improvised weapon to either reroll an attack or additional damage?"

[Amnoriath]

Alright I changed the Ape Totem spirit feature.