Bar-BEAR-ian Tank Build

[Flashfletch]

**EDITED WITH ADJUSTMENTS AND CORRECTIONS**

Dwarven Bar-BEAR-ian Tank
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Hill Dwarf Barbarian (Totem Warrior) 20
Armor Class 30 (shield+5, Dex+5, Con+8, RoP+1, CoP+1)
Hit Points 365 (20d12+220((Con+Hill Dwarf+Tough)) Hit Die)
Proficiency Bonus +6
Speed 35 ft
Size Medium
Initiative+4
Alignment Whatever strikes your fancy
Languages Common, Dwarvish

Ability Scores
Strength 20 (+5); add proficiency bonus to saves
Dexterity 20 (+5); add shield bonus to saves
Constitution 26 (+8); add proficiency bonus to saves
Intelligence 12 (+1)
Wisdom 18 (+4); add proficiency bonus to saves
Charisma 8 (-1)

Attacks
Melee Attack: Dwarven Thrower (+14 to hit; 1d8+8 bludgeoning; 2d8+8 thrown; +1d8 vs Giant) x2

Skills: Athletics, Intimidation, Perception, Survival

Tool Proficiencies
Brewer Supplies

Equipment shield+3, Dwarven Thrower, Ring of Protection, Cloak of Protection, Manuel of Bodily Health, Manual of Quickness of Action.

Race - Hill Dwarf
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light and in darkness as though it were dim light. When you do so, your vision is in black and white.
Dwarven Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
Stonecunning: Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Dwarven Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

Background- Whatever
Whatever takes your fancy. I took Soldier.


Class- Barbarian (Totem Warrior)

Rage: You can enter a rage as a bonus action.
While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Unarmored Defense: While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
Danger Sense: You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
Primal Path: Totem Warrior
Spirit Seeker: You gain the ability to cast the beast sense and speak with animals spells, but only as rituals.
Totem Spirit- Bear: While raging, you have resistance to all damage except psychic damage.
Feat – Tough: Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to twice your level when you gain this feat. Whenever you gain a level thereafter, your hit point maximum increases by an additional 2 hit points.
Extra Attack: When you take the attack action, you get 2 attacks.
Fast Movement: Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.
Aspect of the Beast- Bear: You gain the might of a bear. Your carrying capacity (including maximum load and maximum lift) is doubled, and you have advantage on Strength checks made to push, pull, lift, or break objects.
Feral Instinct: you have advantage on initiative rolls and if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.
Feat – Shield Master

• You can add your shield bonus to dex saves or other harmful effects that target only you;
• When you make a dex save against a spell that does half dmg on a successful save, you can use your reaction to take 0 dmg instead;
• When you take the attack action, you can use your bonus action to shove a creature 5 feet with your shield.
Brutal Critical (3 dice): You can roll three additional weapon damage dice when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
Spirit Walker: you can cast the commune with nature spell, but only as a ritual. When you do so, a spiritual version of one of the animals you chose for Totem Spirit or Aspect of the Beast appears to you to convey the information you seek.
Relentless Rage: If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.
Totemic Attunement-Bear: While you’re raging, any creature within 5 feet of you that’s hostile to you has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than you or another character with this feature. An enemy is immune to this effect if it can’t see or hear you or if it can’t be frightened.
Feat- Resilient Wisdom:
• Increase the chosen ability score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability.
Indomitable Might: your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.
Primal Champion: Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

Proficiencies: All armor and shields. Simple and Martial Weapons. Strength, constitution, Dexterity (Resilient Feat) saving throws.

Saving Throws:
Str +13
Dex +7 (+12 with Shield Master)
Con +16
Int +3
Wis +12
Cha +1

2 Ability Adjustments went to Boost Dex to 20 and Wis to 18


This build makes you nearly impossible to hit, while taking half damage from everything save Psychic. If you can get Shield of Faith and Haste cast on you that would give you an AC- 34. If you get any more Stat Boosts from epic boons to increase your Con up to 30 that would give you 405hp and if you can keep going and increase your dex, you could increase your AC even more. And even in death with Relentless Rage to keep going. You have more hit points than most boss monsters and can take no damage on all successful Dex Saves with Shield Master and Half on a fail (Half of Half actually because of Bear Totem). Your main weakness are any spells that have you make Wis, Int, or Cha saves. Also you don’t deal a lot of damage but can force enemies to focus on you with Totemic Attunement So your Damage Dealer or Glass cannon can deal the damage While you soak the hits.

This build was built on a Higher Array of 18, 16, 15, 15, 12, 8 (For a Standard Array, Sacrifice Str for Con and Dex)

Hope you enjoy this, Its my first real 5e Build and would love feedback.

Thanks!

[trctelles]

Not sure if the math is off or just a typo, but Barbarians have a d12 hit dice, not d10 as you statted (20d10*)

Is a pretty basic build, but it's a good one =)

[Mister_Squinty]

Armor Class 29 (shield+3, Dex+4, Con+8, RoP+1, CoP+1)

How are you getting +8 CON bonus to AC? If I'm reading your math right, your CON should be 22, based off the Barbarian capstone and the Manual of Bodily Health. That's an Unarmored AC bonus of +6

Hit Points 365 (20d10 Hit Die)

Barbarians use d12 Hit Die. Being a Hill Dwarf and with your CON bonus, it would be 20xd12+140

Speed 25 ft. (your speed is not reduced by heavy armor)

Speed should be 35 ft.

[Specter]

Pick Resilient (WIS) over Resilient (DEX).You can already resist most damage, but youvdefinitely want more resistance against charming, spells and such.

[Nidgit]

Your Barbearian isn't a true bear unless he's big and hairy and in to smaller dudes.

[Flashfletch]

Not sure if the math is off or just a typo, but Barbarians have a d12 hit dice, not d10 as you statted (20d10*)

Is a pretty basic build, but it's a good one =)

That was def a typo!

[Flashfletch]

How are you getting +8 CON bonus to AC? If I'm reading your math right, your CON should be 22, based off the Barbarian capstone and the Manual of Bodily Health. That's an Unarmored AC bonus of +6



Barbarians use d12 Hit Die. Being a Hill Dwarf and with your CON bonus, it would be 20xd12+140



Speed should be 35 ft.

Con is +8 from base 20 Con, +4 from Primal Champion, +2 from Manual puts con at a 26 with a +8 Modifier

The HD was a typo (Used a Fighter Build as the template for the format and forgot to change the HD numbers, The HP totals are correct though)

[Flashfletch]

Pick Resilient (WIS) over Resilient (DEX).You can already resist most damage, but youvdefinitely want more resistance against charming, spells and such.

That is very true. I totally forgot that Shield Master Lets you add your Shield Bonus to Dex saves when I selected the Resilient Dex Feat. Having the Wisdom save Bonus is Definitely Way better

[Mister_Squinty]

Con is +8 from base 20 Con, +4 from Primal Champion, +2 from Manual puts con at a 26 with a +8 Modifier

The HD was a typo (Used a Fighter Build as the template for the format and forgot to change the HD numbers, The HP totals are correct though)

Okay, CON is listed as "16". Another typo perhaps.

[Flashfletch]

Okay, CON is listed as "16". Another typo perhaps.

Oh wow yea. Definitely a Typo. /fail on my end there. Thanks for catching that. Post has been edited above to reflect typos and changes. Thank you

[LudicSavant]

You're tanky vs most Dex save things without Resilient (Dex), but you're vulnerable to Wis saves. Resilient (Wis) may be a better choice.

[PeteNutButter]

If you're going full defense as a barbarian you'll add a whole lot more to the team as an Ancestral Guardian. The base barbarian is typically going to be the last one to go down in a fight, making the bear aspect unnecessary, especially since with Shield Master you can negate fireball type damage.

With Ancestral Guardian though, you make your teammates live longer.

[Chugger]

If you're going full defense as a barbarian you'll add a whole lot more to the team as an Ancestral Guardian. The base barbarian is typically going to be the last one to go down in a fight, making the bear aspect unnecessary, especially since with Shield Master you can negate fireball type damage.

With Ancestral Guardian though, you make your teammates live longer.

Shield Master is great on stuff like fireballs and dragon breath, but there are _many_ attacks it doesn't help you with at all. The AG can lock down a baddie per round and mitigate a fair amount of damage, but the bear is going to be superior in a whole lot of fights simply by being more survivable in almost all situations. The less damage you take as a tank, the more you're holding the line. In other words, going AG does mean a significant sacrifice and one that won't work in all fights.

[PeteNutButter]

Shield Master is great on stuff like fireballs and dragon breath, but there are _many_ attacks it doesn't help you with at all. The AG can lock down a baddie per round and mitigate a fair amount of damage, but the bear is going to be superior in a whole lot of fights simply by being more survivable in almost all situations. The less damage you take as a tank, the more you're holding the line. In other words, going AG does mean a significant sacrifice and one that won't work in all fights.

It's not without it's drawbacks, but if your character is going full defense in every other choice (Hill Dwarf etc), helping protect the team is probably better than having more defense. Full defense characters with no other contribution can end up as lumps on the battlefield that end up ignored.

[GlenSmash!]

It's not without it's drawbacks, but if your character is going full defense in every other choice (Hill Dwarf etc), helping protect the team is probably better than having more defense. Full defense characters with no other contribution can end up as lumps on the battlefield that end up ignored.

If it were me I'd forgo the shield and get ready to grapple, it would allow the AG to lock down more targets. The standard Barb already has so much survivablity to it anyway.

Still Bear Totem is super solid. Hill dwarf is solid. SM feat is solid. It's a perfectly fine plan.

[Chugger]

I'm just saying one is not awesomely better than the other.

AG is good but the enemy you hit "can only attack you" thing - often things are attacking the barb, anyway and don't want to give the AoO. If you use your reaction to lower damage then, if your enemy is smart, they got a "free move" away from you and toward your back line. Nevertheless in some fights AG will shine. But in other fights bear - by simply outlasting an AG - is the better choice. It's hard to know which, and I suspect this is DM-dependent and also varies with level and what kind of thing you fight.

Look, is stopping 7 pts of damage worth losing resistance to "everything" (except psychic)? If stopping someone from getting 2d6 or av 7 pts is that good - then take it. But if something hits you w/ 20 necrotic the same turn - vs 10 necrotic for bear - you've "healed" a friend for 7 but taken 10 more than a bear would have, for a net loss of 3. Now what if you "heal" someone for 7 but get hit for 32 necrotic or lightning or radiant? Sixteen vs 32 - well it just depends on what kind of fights you see.