Barbarian: Path of the Battlerager
Battleragers are experts at using their own body for battle. Originally created by dwarves, this primal path has been adopted by creatures of all races, starting with the creation
of their own set of spiked armor.
Spiked armor is the signature look of a Battlerager, not only for its intimidating appearance, but for the sharp metal spikes affixed to it. Battleragers carelessly throw themselves into combat, striking with their body itself and giving themselves over to the fury of battle.
Bonus Proficiencies
3rd-level Path of the Battlerager feature
You gain proficiency with leatherworker's tools, and you gain proficiency with smith’s tools.
You also gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill if you don't already have it.
Battlerager Armor
3rd-level Path of the Battlerager feature
You you gain the ability to create the famed spiked armor, the signature offense and defense of a battlerager. Over the course of a long rest, you can affix metallic spikes to any medium armor using your leatherworker's tools or smith’s tools, altering it to suit your unique style. For you, this armor has an AC of 14 + your Rage Damage Bonus. If your Unarmored Defense would grant you a higher AC, you may use that instead.
While you are wearing spiked armor and are raging, you can use your armor spikes as a weapon, and can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack with your armor spikes against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the spikes deal 1d6 piercing damage. You use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls.
Additionally, when you use the Attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes additional piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds. This piercing damage equals 1 + your Rage Damage Bonus.
Raging Grip
6th-level Path of the Battlerager feature
You have mastered the art of grappling. While raging, you add your Rage Damage Bonus to any Strength (Athletics) checks made to initiate or maintain a grapple, as well as any attack roll you make against a creature you are grappling.
Battlerager Charge
10th-level Path of the Battlerager feature
You have become a truly unstoppable force. While raging, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action, and your movement cannot be slowed by any means.
Moreover, if you take the Dash action on your turn and move at least 20 feet before making an attack, you can make one additional attack with your armor spikes as part of that same action.
Spiked Retribution
14th-level Path of the Battlerager feature
When a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the attacker takes piercing damage if you are raging, aren't incapacitated, and are wearing spiked armor. The piercing damage equals 1 + your Rage Damage Bonus.
Art by BenWootten on DeviantArt
What's Changed?
Dwarves Only.Just like the elven bladesinger, the battlerager is now available to every race.
Bonus Proficiencies. Also like the bladesinger, you now gain thematic proficiencies, which are further used for your main class feature- crafting your battlerager armor.
Battlerager Armor. As the main focus for this subclass, this feature has been changed the most. Now you can craft your spiked armor from ANY medium armor (which includes magical armor), rather than relying on the availability of a single type of armor. The armor also provides a unique way to calculate AC. This makes the feature itself feel unique. The base damage for your spike attack is also slightly increased, and the grappling damage now scales as well.
Reckless AbandonRaging Grip. While independently a fine feature, reckless abandon seemed out of place in the theme of the battlerager. Instead, you now get a bonus to grapple, as well as mechanical benefits to grappling.
Battlerager Charge. While a bonus action dash is a strong feature by itself, the downside is that it conflicted with the main draw of the battlerager- your bonus action attack. Now, you still gain your bonus action dash, but can make an additional conditional attack so your action feels more worthwhile.
Spiked Retribution. Just as with the battlerager armor, the damage of this feature has been adjusted to scale with your barbarian progression.