Path of the Storm Herald
All barbarians harbor a fury within. Their rage grants them superior strength, durability, and speed. Barbarians who follow the Path of the Storm Herald learn to transform that rage into a mantle of primal magic, which swirls around them. When in a fury, a barbarian of this path taps into the forces of nature to create powerful magical effects.
Storm heralds often work alongside druids, rangers, and others sworn to protect nature. At your option, you can pick from or roll on the Storm Herald Quirks table to create a quirk for your character.
Storm Herald Quirks
| d6 | Quirks |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your skin assumes the appearance of molten lava when you rage. |
| 2 | Wooden objects slowly char in your presence. |
| 3 | Small bolts of electricity crackle through your hair. |
| 4 | Your laughter booms like thunder. |
| 5 | Frost slowly spreads across surfaces you sit on. |
| 6 | Your skin is freezing cold to the touch. |
Raging Storm
Also at 3rd level, you emanate a stormy, magical aura while you rage. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.
Your aura has an effect that activates when you enter your rage, and you can activate the effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action.
If your aura’s effects require a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.
Whenever you finish a long rest, choose firestorm, thunderstorm, or blizzard. Your aura’s effect depends on that chosen storm, as detailed below.
Additionally, you learn a cantrip based on the storm type you choose; control flames for Firestorm, gust for Thunderstorm, and shape water for Snowstorm. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these cantrips. You know the cantrip and can cast it until you choose a different storm.
Firestorm
When this effect is activated, all creatures in your aura other than you take 1d4 fire damage. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 17th level.
Thunderstorm
When this effect is activated, you can choose one other creature you can see in your aura. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. The target takes 1d8 lightning or thunder damage (your choice) on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d8 at 5th level, 3d8 at 11th level, and 4d8 at 17th level.
Snowstorm
When this effect is activated, you and each other creature of your choice in your aura gain 1d4 temporary hit points, as icy spirits inure it to suffering. The temporary hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 17th level.
Storm Soul
At 6th level, the storm grants you benefits even when your aura isn’t active. The benefits are based on the storm type you chose for your Raging Storm.
Firestorm
You gain resistance to fire damage, and you don’t suffer the effects of extreme heat, as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Moreover, as an action, you can touch a flammable object that isn’t being worn or carried by anyone else and set it on fire.
Thunderstorm
You gain resistance to lightning or thunder damage (your choice when you select thunderstorm). Moreover, as an action, you can summon wind, rainfall and the faint sounds of thunder in the distance. These effects only occur within a 10ft radius of you, and water from the rainfall vanishes 1 minute after you leave the area.
Snowstorm
You gain resistance to cold damage, and you don’t suffer the effects of extreme cold, as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Moreover, as an action, you can freeze and shape water in a 5-foot cube into ice sculptures, which melt after 1 minute. This action fails if a creature is in the cube.
Shielding Storm
At 10th level, you learn to use your mastery of the storm to protect others. Each creature of your choice has the damage resistance you gained from the Storm Soul feature while the creature is in the aura of your Raging Storm.
Fury of the Storm
At 14th level, the power of the storm you channel grows mightier, lashing out at your foes. The effect is based on the storm type you chose for your Raging Storm.
Firestorm
Immediately after a creature in your aura hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes fire damage equal to your barbarian level, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Thunderstorm
When you hit a creature in your aura with an attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes lightning or thunder damage equal to half your barbarian level and is knocked prone, or half as much damage and not knocked prone on a successful one.
Snowstorm
Whenever the effect of your Storm Aura is activated, you can choose one creature you can see in the aura. That creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw as magical frost covers it. On a failed save, the creature takes cold damage equal to half your barbarian level and its speed is reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn, or half as much damage and its speed is not reduced on a successful one.
Art Credits
- Front Cover: 'Valhalla Fallen' by Çağlayan Kaya Göksoy
- Page 2: 'Fire Bovine' by Rudy Swisanto
- Page 3: 'Storm Born' by Sean Randolph
- Page 4: 'Storm' by Conar Cross
Notes v1:
Raging Storm
- Renamed Storm Aura to Raging Storm. Storm Aura sounds boring. Raging Storm sounds cooler.
- Renamed "desert" to "firestorm", "sea" to "thunderstorm" and "tundra" to "snowstorm". Never liked the names reflecting the storm's environment vs the storm itself.
- Added the option to change your storm type at the end of a long rest. A bit of flexibility.
Firestorm
- Increased damage from 2/3/4/5/6 at level 3/5/10/15/20 to 1d4/2d4/3d4/4d4 at levels 3/5/11/17
- Potential for slightly more damage, with the risk of rolling badly and having less damage. Still should average out roughly the same. Rolling is more fun; just doing 2 or 3 damage is pretty boring pretty fast.
- Added control flames as a little ribbon
Thunderstorm
- Increased damage from 1d6 to 1d8
- Gave the choice of lightning or thunder damage
- Added gust as a little ribbon
Snowstorm
- Added shape water as a little ribbon
Storm Soul
Thunderstorm
- Gave the choice of resistance to lightning or thunder damage
- Replaced water breathing and swimming speed with a small elemental ribbon effect
Snowstorm
- Gave ice sculpture given they could already freeze water with shape water at 3rd level.
Fury of the Storm
- Renamed Raging Storm to Fury of the Storm
Firestorm
- Changed from save for no damage to save for half damage
Thunderstorm
- Added thunder damage to the feature
Snowstorm
- Added cold damage to the feature
Firestorm gives barb level or half barb level damage. The others trade half that damage for an effect; so half barb level damage + effect or quarter barb level damage and no effect. Not an enormous buff, but all or nothing saves are boring.
