Here’s what’s new with the DnD 2024 Barbarian

We finally got our hands on a copy of the new Player’s Handbook, which means we can show you exactly how the DnD 2024 Barbarian has changed. Many of its biggest tweaks were shown off in early playtesting and marketing, but there are still a few small rules snippets that might surprise you.

The changes aren’t quite as drastic as with some DnD classes, but the Barbarian has still had plenty of upgrades. Rage is now easier to maintain, and the One DnD Barbarian feels more useful outside of combat. There’s an entirely new subclass, and the existing ones have seen some serious balance (or name) changes.

Here’s everything that we know about the new Barbarian:

New DnD 2024 Barbarian rules

A DnD Barbarian starts with either 75 GP or the following equipment:

• Greataxe
• Four handaxes
• Explorer’s pack
• 15 GP

As for what you get level-by-level, here’s how things look for the Barbarian:

Rage

Level: One

Rage is, at its core, the same staple feature you know and love. It’s still a bonus action that you can take when you’re not wearing heavy armor, and it still gives you these benefits:

• Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws
• Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage
• Bonus Rage damage when you make a Strength-based weapon attack (or an Unarmed Strike – that’s new) and deal damage to a target.

You still can’t concentrate on spells, and now you can’t even cast them while Raging. The condition ends after the end of your next turn, if you put on heavy armor, or if you become incapacitated. You can extend your Rage by doing the following:

• Making an attack roll against an enemy
• Forcing an enemy to make a saving throw
• Taking a bonus action to extend your Rage

Taking damage no longer extends your Rage, but on the bright side, it’s now even easier to keep the anger party going. If you can maintain it, your Rage can now last up to ten minutes. The table above shows how many times you can Rage before you need a short or long rest, and it also includes your Rage damage for each level.

Unarmored Defense

Level: One

As before, your armor class is 10 + your Dexterity and Constitution modifiers as long as you’re not wearing any armor.

Weapon Mastery

Level: One

This new feature lets you use the DnD Weapon Mastery properties of two weapons you’re proficient in (see our guide for more details). You can change your choices whenever you finish a long rest, and you’ll be able to use more mastery properties as you level up.

Danger Sense

Level: Two

Danger Sense now gives you advantage on all Dexterity saving throws, and the only condition that prevents you from gaining this benefit is incapacitation.

Reckless Attack

Level: Two

Reckless Attack can now be applied to any Strength-based attack, and they don’t have to be melee attacks. Additionally, the attack bonus lasts until the start of your next turn, just like the advantage attackers have against you.

Barbarian subclasses

Level: Three

The 2024 Player’s Handbook includes four DnD Barbarian subclasses:

Path of the Berserker

Your Frenzy ability no longer gives you DnD exhaustion levels. The new version lets you deal extra damage to the first target you hit with a Reckless Attack. The damage is a number of d6s equal to your Rage Damage bonus.

Mindless Rage now permanently ends the charmed and frightened conditions rather than having you return to those states once your Rage is over. Additionally, you can now make Unarmed Strikes with the Retaliation feature.

Finally, Intimidating Presence has been swapped with Retaliation, meaning it’s now the level 14 capstone. As a bonus action, you can force every creature of your choice within a 30-foot emanation to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your Strength modifier and proficiency bonus). If they fail, they’re Frightened for one minute.

Path of the Wild Heart

The Path of the Totem Warrior is now called the Path of the Wild Heart, and many of its abilities have new names. Spirit Seeker is now Animal Speaker, though it works much the same. You can cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as rituals, using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.

Totem Spirit is now Rage of the Wilds, and only three options have survived. The Bear now makes you resistant to force, necrotic, psychic, and radiant damage. The eagle no longer gives foes disadvantage against you, but you can both Dash and Disengage as part of the same bonus action. Finally, the wolf is much the same as its 2014 version.

Aspect of the Beast is now Aspect of the Wilds, and it adds three more wild options. The Owl gives you Darkvision of 60 feet (or 60 more if you already have it). The panther gives you a climb speed, and the salmon offers a swim speed.

Finally, at level 14, there’s Power of the Wilds, with three more options. Falcon gives you a fly speed if you aren’t wearing any armor. Lion gives enemies within five feet disadvantage on attack rolls against you, and the Ram can make a Large or smaller creature prone when you hit it with a melee attack.

Path of the World Tree

Since this is an entirely new subclass, we’ve written a dedicated guide to the Path of the World Tree Barbarian. You can find the exact details for this new option over there.

Path of Zealot

Divine Fury works as before, but it can apply to Unarmed Strikes now. Warrior of the Gods has been completely reworked – it now gives you a pool of 4d12s, and you can spend them with a bonus action to regain HP. Fanatical Focus now adds your Rage Damage bonus to the rerolls it lets you make, and you can spend Rage uses to replenish uses of your Zealous Presence feature.

The capstone, Rage Beyond Death, has been replaced. Rage of the Gods now gives you a fly speed, plus resistance to necrotic, psychic, and radiant damage for one minute. Also during that minute, you can spend a reaction and a Rage use to change a target’s HP to your Barbarian level if they would drop to zero hit points.

Primal Knowledge

Level: Three

The Primal Knowledge feature gives you proficiency in another DnD skill from the list you chose from when first creating your character (see the table at the very top of this article). Additionally, you can make the following skill checks as if they were Strength checks while your Rage is active:

• Acrobatics
• Intimidation
• Perception
• Stealth
• Survival

Ability Score Improvement

Level: Four, Eight, 12, 16

You know how this one works – it gives you one of the following:

Extra Attack

Level: Five

As before, when you take an attack action on your turn, you can attack twice instead of once.

Fast Movement

Level: Five

The same as in the 2014 rules – your speed increases by 10 feet when you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

Feral Instinct

Level: Seven

Feral Instinct still gives you advantage on Initiative rolls. However, changes to the Surprise rules means this feature no longer applies its surprise-based benefits.

Instinctive Pounce

Level: Seven

This is the same as the optional rule in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. When you take a bonus action to Rage, you can also move up to half your speed.

Brutal Strike

Level: Nine

When you’ve chosen to Reckless attack, you can choose not to have advantage on an attack. As long as you don’t already have disadvantage and that attack hits, your target takes an extra 1d10 damage. Additionally, one of these effects occurs:

• The target is pushed 15 feet away from you in a straight line, and you can move up to half your speed toward them without provoking DnD opportunity attacks.
• The target’s speed is reduced by 15 feet until the start of your next turn (this can only be applied once).

Relentless Rage

Level: 11

Instead of restoring you to life with one HP, Relentless Rage now gives you HP equal to half your Barbarian level. All other rules remain the same.

Improved Brutal Strike

Level: 13

You can now choose from the following additional options when you land a Brutal Strike:

• The target has disadvantage on its next saving throw and can’t make opportunity attacks until the start of your next turn.
• Before your next turn, the next attack roll that another creature makes against the target gets a +5 bonus (this can only be applied once).

Persistent Rage

Level: 15

Persistent Rage now restores all uses of your Rage when you roll Initiative, but you can only use this ability once per DnD long rest. Your Rage also lasts for ten minutes without you needing to act in order to extend it, and your rage only ends early if you are unconscious or wearing heavy armor.

Improved Brutal Strike

Level: 17

Your Brutal Strike’s damage increases to 2d10, and you can apply two different Brutal Strike effects at the same time.

Indomitable Might

Level: 18

As before, any Strength check you roll that’s below your Strength score uses your stat in place of the result. You can now also do this with Strength saving throws.

Epic Boon

Level: 19

You choose one of the new Epic Boon feat options. See our DnD 2024 feats guide for more details on your options.

Primal Champion

Level: 20

As before, your Strength and Constitution increase by four. The maximum score you can have for each is now 25.

For more on the new rules, check out our 2024 Player’s Handbook review. We can also tell you all about the new DnD 2024 backgrounds and DnD tools.

Source: Wargamer