Path of the Blooded: A Barbarian Subclass for 5E
First published on Patreon. The barbarian has always been my favorite D&D class to play, but one thing irks me in the 5E version and its paths, even the berserker: their total self-control. Where is the red rage that takes a warrior’s blood-addled mind until her sword can’t tell friend from foe? Hence the Path of the Blooded, developed for the Swords & Sorceries campaign setting. Try it in your 5E game and tell me what you and your fellow players think. “The Path of the Blooded” is © Shane Ivey.
You are often taken by a murderous spirit that delights in bloodshed. Perhaps it is the evil influence of a demon, devil, or a haunting ghost that drives you to horrors. Perhaps you are attuned to the joyful brutality of the mad gods of war. Or perhaps it is your true self coming out under the influence of liquor and strong herbs. Whatever its nature, it gives you strength in battle. You have three blood dice, each a d12. You regain all spent blood dice after finishing a long rest.
BLOOD MADNESS
At 3rd level, you can go into blood madness when you rage. In addition, if an attack reduces you to zero hit points and you don’t die outright, as a reaction you can go into a rage of blood madness.
When you go into blood madness, you can spend one or more blood dice to gain temporary hit points equal to their roll.
During blood madness, if your melee attack reduces a hostile creature to zero hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Strength modifier (a minimum of 1).
During blood madness, you care little who suffers your wrath. Every creature counts as a hostile creature to you. If any creature is within 30 feet of you at the beginning of your turn, you must attempt to move toward one of them and make at least one melee attack.
BLOOD FURY
At 6th level, you gain a fourth blood die. After you take damage from an attack while raging, you can roll a blood die and add its value to the damage of one melee weapon attack before the end of your next turn.
BLOODY MIND
You are beset by spirits of wrath and spite. At 10th level, while raging you have advantage on saving throws to resist being charmed or frightened by creatures. If you succeed at a saving throw to resist being charmed or frightened by a creature while raging, you gain advantage on all attack rolls and saving throws until the end of your next turn.
RED JOY
At 14th level, you gain a fifth blood die. If your melee attack reduces a hostile creature to zero hit points while you are raging, you regain one spent blood die, up to your maximum of five.
