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Barbarians have always been one of the better tank classes in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons, but they've always suffered from one problem: they can't force enemies to attack them. While paladins have the Compelled Duel spell and Battle Master fighters can force themselves into harm's way, barbarians couldn't compel enemies to strike their resistant hides.
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And neither can barbarians that follow the Path of the Ancestral Guardian, but what they can do is make attacking the rest of your party less inviting than attacking you. If you wಞant your barbarian to be the one tanking for the team, read on to discover the Path of the Ancestral Guardian.
Path of the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian Features
Barbarians that follow this path revere their ancestors, and in return, those ancestors protect their companions. At third level, Ancestral Protectors appear when you rage to hinder the attacks made against your friends. Until the start of your next turn, the first creature you hit with an attack has disadvantage on any attack rolls made against any target that isn't you. If that creature hits any target besides yourself, that target has resistance to the damage dealt.
At level six, Spirit Shield allows your gu🐈ardians to direc𒉰tly aid your companions. While raging, you may use your reaction to reduce the damage dealt to another creature you can see within 30 feet by 2d6. This damage reduction increases as you level up.
At level 10, Consult the Spirits lets you cast either the Augury or Clairvoyance spells without using spell slots or material components once every short or long rest. Wisdom 📖is your spell-save DC for these spells.
And finally, Vengeful Ancestors at level 14 improves your Spirit Shield ability to alsoꦯ retaliate against attacks made to your friends. In addition to reducing the damage dealt, the attacking creature takes damage equal to the damage prevented.
Best Species For A Path Of The Ancestral Guardian Barbarian
As with any D&D class, feel free to play any species as your barbarian. However, certain species lend themselves to being a tank more than others. Here are a few suggestions.
|
Astral Elf |
You're not likely to get much use out of Sacred Flame, so Dancing Lights or Light will be your cantrip of choice. Darkvision, charm resistance, and perception proficiency are all good, but the real draw is Starlight Step, which leᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚts you teleport 30 feet as a bonus action. |
|---|---|
|
Bugbear |
You don't get any bonus actions as a bugbear, but you do get an extra five feet of reach, which can be absolutely game-changing for a melee character. Best dual wield with a bugbear to get use out of that bonus action. Sneaky and Surprise Attack are also great on any martial character. |
|
Eladrin |
Fey Step can charm or frighten enemies you teleport to or get your friends out of trouble, making this the better teleportation class. Darkvision, charm resistance, and perception are all good too. |
|
Goblin |
Being small means being unable to wield a heavy weapon, but if you want dual-wield or be a tank, you can't go wrong with Goblin. Fury of the Small, charm resistance, Darksvision, and bonus actions to disengage are all great features. |
|
Goliath |
A traditional choice for barbarians, cold resistance, and Stone's Endurance make goliaths incredibly durable. Athletics is a nice skill to have, too. |
|
Hadozee |
Spirit Shield lets you use your reaction to prevent damage to others, but what about yourself? Hadozee Dodge gives you damage mitigation when enemies target you. No bonus 🧔action, so consider this as a potential dual-wielding species. |
|
Half-Orc |
Another traditional barbarian species for good reason. Relentless Endurance keeps you fighting when everyone else has bled out, while Savage Attacks makes your critical hits even more ludicrous. Darkvision is nice to have, although intimidation proficiency isn't going to make you a face. |
|
Harengon |
Rabbit Hop can get you into or out of combat using your bonus action, and Lucky Footwork combines with Danger Sense to make you all but immune to Dexterity saving throws against traps and spells. Bonus initiative is nice to have, as is perception proficiency. |
|
Hobgoblin |
Hobgoblin might be the perfect pair for a Path of the Ancestral Guardian barbarian. Your reactions protect your friends, and the hobgoblin's Fey Gift lets you use your bonus action to help your friends even more with either extra movement, temporary hit points, or enemies with disadvantage. Fortune of the Many makes your attacks more consistent, and Fey Ancestry protects you from being charmed. |
|
Human |
If you want to be a dual wielder, go variant human and take the Dual Wielder feat from the start. You could also take Great Weapon Mastery or any of the other feats listed later on. |
|
Leonin |
Daunting Roar frightens nearby enemies using your bonus action, and your Claws deal damage based on your Strength. Five extra feet of movement, a skill proficiency, and Darkvision round out this excellent barbarian species. |
|
Minotaur |
Horns use your Strength score, which is usually high, and Goring Rush gives you an outlet for your bonus action after a dash. Hammering Horns is nice to have, but you generally won't want to push enemies away from you. Survival proficiency is nice, but hardly crucial. |
|
Orc |
Adrenaline Rush lets you dash as a bonus action, while Relentless Endurance keeps you in the fight even after dropping to zero hit points. Darkvision is nice, as is having a Powerful Build. |
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Best Ability Scores For A Path Of The Ancestral Guardian Barbarian
You’ve got three options for a Path of the Ancestral Guardian. Your first option is to go the traditional barbarian route and focus on Strength and Constitution to wield the biggest two-handed weapon you can find while having t🔯he largest health pool. That’s perfectly valid and effective as a Path of the Ancestral Guardian.
Your second option is to be a dual-wielder. Since your subclass doesn’t use its bonus action, you can wield another weapon in your off-hand to try to get a bit more damage out and fulfill those berserker fantasies. This build will still focus on Strength and Constitution but throws in a bit of Dexterity to improve your armor class.
Your third option is to focus entirely on being the party’s tank by wielding a sword and a shield. This build forgoes damage by focusing on Dexterity and Constitution at the expense of Strength.
A Path of the Ancestral Guardian barbarian benefits slightly from a higher Wisdom score when casting either Augury or Clairvoyance, but Intelligence and Charisma can be entirely ignored.
If you’re focusing on dual-wielding or using a two-handed weapon, the below is a decent starting ability score. You'll want to push Strength and Constitution as your primary attributes to give yourself higher damage and hit points.
|
Strength |
Dexterity |
Constitution |
Intelligence |
Wisdom |
Charisma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
16(+3) |
14(+2) |
16(+3) |
8(-1) |
12(+1) |
8(-1) |
And if you want to be the ultimate tank with a sword and shield, try something that looks like this. You'll want to push Dexterity and Constitution as your primary attributes to give yo𒉰urself maximum armor clasꦑs thanks to Unarmored Defense.
|
Strength |
Dexterity |
Constitution |
Intelligence |
Wisdom |
Charisma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
14(+2) |
16(+3) |
16(+3) |
8(-1) |
12(+1) |
8(-1) |
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Best Starting Equipment For A Path Of The Ancestral Guardian Barbarian
Just as you have options in your starting ability score, you've also got some options in your starting equipment.
If you're going for maximum damage as an all-Strength character, get a greatsword or a greatmaul as your martial weapon. A greataxe deals 1d12 damage, while the greatsword or the greatmaul does 2d6, offering more con☂sistent damage while still being a two-handed heavy weapon.
Once you reach level nine and learn Brutal Critical, you might want to go back to using a greataxe. Brutal Critical means adding one ad🦩ditional die roll for each c🐟rit, and rolling an extra d12 is better than a d6.
If you're dual-wielding, two handaxes are a fine choice here. If you decided to start as a variant human and grabbed the Dual Wielder feat, then a longsword or battleaxe is best as your martial weapon, and a handaxe, spear, or quarterstaff can be your simple weapon.
If you're going down the all-tank Dex-based route, then pick a rapier as your martial weapon and then two handaxes, but expect to trade those in for a shield as soon as you can.
An explorer's pack provides you with some supplies to start your adventure, and four javelins give you some ranged attacks so long as you can keep track of where those javelins 𒐪land.
Best Feats For A Path Of The Ancestral Guardian Barbarian
There are a few feats that most barbarians will have their eye on, but there are also a few feats that specifically appeal to a Path of the Ancestral Guardian barbarian. Here are some suggestions.
|
Chef |
With Chef, you can make little snacks that you can eat as a bonus action to gain temporary hit points. This is a great way to use your bonus action if you're not dual wielding, and it also improves your short rests too. |
|---|---|
|
Dual Wielder |
An almost essential feat for anyone dual-wielding weapons. This lets you use longswords or battleaxes, vastly impro🐬ving your damage output while also increasing your armor class. |
|
Great Weapon Master |
A classic for a reason. You either get a bonus attack or you can deal more damage to low-AC foes. |
|
Gift of the Chromatic Dragon |
Being able to add a damage type that your target is vulnerable to is a huge boon, as is resisting the type of damage not resisted by raging. |
|
Slasher |
Besides increasing your Strength and Dexterity, Slasher follows the Path of the Ancestral Guardian's theme of ensuring creatures focus on you rather than your friends by reducing their movement speed after being struck. |
