Barbarian - Path of the Bladestorm

by KibblesTasty

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Barbarian Primal Path

Path of the Bladestorm [v1.2.1]

Barbarians are notorious for being engines of destruction on the battlefield, and for none is this more an apt description than those that have chosen the Path of the Bladestorm. They are barbarians whose rage is such a transcendent force that their very weapons are restless embodiments of their destructive wrath.

When a Path of the Bladestorm Barbarian walks unto a battlefield, those unprepared to withstand the rain of sharp steel ought to run away and hide until the storm passes. The ones who stay will have to face the winds of destruction and will soon be drenched by flying droplets of blood as the barbarian at the center of the maelstrom smashes, hacks and slashes at the strength of primal winds.

Woe to the foe who would stand before the storm.

Walking Armory

Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, all melee weapons with the light property also gain the thrown (20/60) property for you. Additionally, when you make an attack to throw a weapon, you can draw a weapon, either drawing a weapon before throwing it, or drawing a new weapon immediately after throwing the weapon if you have another weapon available.

Furious Hurl

Additionally at 3rd level, you can add your Rage bonus damage thrown weapons, as well as use your Reckless Attack feature when you make a ranged weapon attack with a light melee weapon. Additionally, being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.

Whirling Death

Starting at 6th level, when you throw a weapon while raging it becomes animated with your fury. A whirling weapon stays spinning where it was thrown until the end of your next turn, and automatically attacks the first hostile creature that
ends its turn within 5 feet of it. A creature can only
take damage from this feature once per turn. You
can use your reaction to make an attack of
opportunity with any weapon animated by this
feature if a target moves out of its reach.

Endless Blades

Additionally at 6th level, while raging your rage
suffuses any weapon within 20 feet of you that is not
being worn or carried. As a bonus action, you can call
one or more such weapons to your open hands. Any blade you throw counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Winds of Rage.

Beginning at 10th level, the winds around you are tied to your anger. You learn the spell gust. While you are raging, you can cast gust as a bonus action, and the range you can pick up weapons with Endless Blades increases to 60 feet.

Bladestorm

Starting at 14th level, as an action when you are raging, you can start a Bladestorm. You can fling out up two light melee weapons you are carrying and whip any weapons animated by Whirling Death into it. All creatures of your choosing within 20 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency modifier + your strength modifier. On failure, they take 1d6 damage for each blade that is part of the bladestorm (up to 4d6) + your Strength modifier + your rage bonus damage.

On subsequent turns while raging, you can use your action to keep the Bladestorm going, forcing all creatures within 20 feet to make the save again. You can keep a Bladestorm going for a number of turns equal to your Strength modifier. You can use this feature once per rage. When a bladestorm ends, all included weapons fall to the ground around you.

Change Log v1.1

  • No longer have disadvantage on ranged attacks with a hostile creature in melee range.
  • Removed Endless Blades and replaced it with Whirling Death
  • Reduced the damage of Whirling Death (1d4 without modifier).
  • Made Whirling Death proc at the start of your turn (making it no longer avoidable or dependent on immobolize; this is because it now overlaps with the range of grapple.
  • Added Winds of Rage feature at 10th level.

Change Log v1.2

  • Winds of Rage tweaked for new Whirling Death.
  • Whirling Death Streamlined to use attacks instead of saving throws.
  • Bladestorm must kept going using subsequent actions once started.

Change Log v1.2.1

  • Whirling Death now includes the line "a creature can only take damage from this feature once per turn"; this is a pretty big nerf, but in the end turned out to be sort of necessary as people tended to obsess about how to get 6 attacks per round when reliably getting all the attacks was not the intention the feature. This also encourages slightly more tactical and "storm of blades" based play of where you set up your Whirling Death weapons instead of just stacking them all one target. Notably, there is still a benefit to stacking them as you can make multiple Whirling Death attacks if you miss, so a creature standing between three weapons is a lot more likely to take damage than a creature standing next to just one, making it still feel more dangerous, but severely reducing the effect of it combined with something like hold person.

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Creation is made possible by generous patrons:

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Credits
  • Subclass created by KibblesTasty
  • Art: Forrest Imel (Licensed Stock Art)

Fan Content Policy

This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

 

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