The Dragon Warrior: A Homebrew Subclass for Barbarian

[the_brazenburn]

Here is my first attempt to create a subclass for Barb based of the Draconic Bloodline Sorc. The fluff is identical: your draconic blood manifests itself not in innate magical abilities, but in a ferocious system of fighting. Prior to selecting this subclass, you must select a dragon ancestor from the Dragon Sorcerer chart, which will determine your elemental affinity.

Draconic Resilience: When raging, you gain resistance to your chosen damage type.

Breath of the Dragon: At 6th level, you gain the ability to breath damaging effects. You gain a breath weapon, which deals 3d6 damage of your chosen damage type, which increases to 4d6 at 11th level and 5d6 at 16th level. You can breath this once per short or long rest. If you already have a breath weapon, you may use this ability twice per rest.

Draconic Smite: While raging, your melee attacks deal an additional 1d8 damage of your chosen damage type. This damage ignores resistance, but not immunity.

Damage Transference: At 17th level, you gain immunity to your chosen damage type. In addition, whenever you take that type of damage, you may force the dealer to make a Constitution save with a DC equal to 8+your proficiency bonus+your Constitution modifier. If they fail, they take an amount of damage equal to the amount they would have dealt.

[Kane0]

I was going to make some suggestions but then I remembered that MFoV already did a dragon barbarian, which may prove to be more help.

Edit: I definitely think some sort of claw attack would be appropriate though.

[SkylarkR6]

I like it. Seems like it could be fun to play. Question though. Is the breath weapon activated on action or bonus action? I'm assuming action from the damage. Also I'd probably call the 17th level ability mirrored scales or some such. Just a thought. Good build though

[Nidgit]

This seems rather weak to me. For instance, resistance to one damage type is pretty lame when Bear gets resistance to almost everything at the same level. Instead I might propose something like:

Level 3: Breath weapon once per rage.

Level 6: Always-on type resistance and you learn Draconic.

Level 10: Cast Alter Self once per long rest.

Level 14: Type immunity while raging and a 30 foot fly speed (can't end turn in mid-air).

[Mortis_Elrod]

I was going to make some suggestions but then I remembered that MFoV already did a dragon barbarian, which may prove to be more help.

Edit: I definitely think some sort of claw attack would be appropriate though.

Sadly I like the more elemental based dragon barbarian more than MFOVs, though the leaping is very cool.

[Specter]

This seems rather weak to me. For instance, resistance to one damage type is pretty lame when Bear gets resistance to almost everything at the same level. Instead I might propose something like:

Level 3: Breath weapon once per rage.

Level 6: Always-on type resistance and you learn Draconic.

Level 10: Cast Alter Self once per long rest.

Level 14: Type immunity while raging and a 30 foot fly speed (can't end turn in mid-air).

This is better.

I would only change the 10th level ability because Alter Self is too basic and rage doesn't allow casting. Mimicking Frightening Presence would be cool.

[Rogerdodger557]

This seems rather weak to me. For instance, resistance to one damage type is pretty lame when Bear gets resistance to almost everything at the same level. Instead I might propose something like:

Level 3: Breath weapon once per rage.

Level 6: Always-on type resistance and you learn Draconic.

Level 10: Cast Alter Self once per long rest.

Level 14: Type immunity while raging and a 30 foot fly speed (can't end turn in mid-air).

Maybe at later levels they get more uses of breath weapon per rage? Or a recharge?

[Specter]

If you're gonna dobreath weapons, there also needs to be balance. A dragonborn breath weapon is absolutely garbage, so don't bother with that. But a half-dragon's breath weapon for rechargable 7d6 is too much, especially at level 3, so I wouldn't do it once per rage, but rather once by rest.

[Nidgit]

This is better.

I would only change the 10th level ability because Alter Self is too basic and rage doesn't allow casting. Mimicking Frightening Presence would be cool.

Berserker actually gets an AoE frighten at Level 10 or I would have included it. I was basing this off Totem getting some out-of-combat ritual spells and the renowned shapeshifting abilities of greater dragons.

Maybe an AoE charm or increased HP there? The whole thing still feels a bit weak.

Would adding the rage bonus to the breath be too strong at high levels?

[GlenSmash!]

I read Dragon Warrior and all I could think of was a kung fu panda.

[Asmotherion]

Here is my first attempt to create a subclass for Barb based of the Draconic Bloodline Sorc. The fluff is identical: your draconic blood manifests itself not in innate magical abilities, but in a ferocious system of fighting. Prior to selecting this subclass, you must select a dragon ancestor from the Dragon Sorcerer chart, which will determine your elemental affinity.

Draconic Resilience: When raging, you gain resistance to your chosen damage type.

Breath of the Dragon: At 6th level, you gain the ability to breath damaging effects. You gain a breath weapon, which deals 3d6 damage of your chosen damage type, which increases to 4d6 at 11th level and 5d6 at 16th level. You can breath this once per short or long rest. If you already have a breath weapon, you may use this ability twice per rest.

Draconic Smite: While raging, your melee attacks deal an additional 1d8 damage of your chosen damage type. This damage ignores resistance, but not immunity.

Damage Transference: At 17th level, you gain immunity to your chosen damage type. In addition, whenever you take that type of damage, you may force the dealer to make a Constitution save with a DC equal to 8+your proficiency bonus+your Constitution modifier. If they fail, they take an amount of damage equal to the amount they would have dealt.

Great. I love it.

One of my favorite characters plays a similar concept (though he only has 1 level of Barbarian), and my DM was nice enough to allow the Con mod to add up to my Scale bonus from my Dragonic Origin. Brath weapon is handled as Cantrips (Firebolt and Eldritch Blast) and Spells (Thunderwave and Dragon's Breath). For the Shapechanging ability I am using Alter Self (Disguise Self at lower levels). And Melee attacks are handled through Hexblade and occasionally Rage+Armor of Agathys.

All of that with Sorcerer 3 Hexblade 2 and Barbarian 1.