Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has been officially released for a few days now, and D&D adventurers all over are chomping at the bits for any information pertaining to the newest rules-expansion. As is, many of the subclasses available for play in TCoE have changed from their Unearthed Arcana companions.
Path of the Beast barbarians are barbarians who have truly turned to the savage aspect of their rage, tuning into the forces of nature and emulating beasts which give this subclass its name. The article below will cover the updates made to the unearthed arcana version.
At 3rd level, you gain access to the Form of the Beast feature. When you enter your rage, you can choose to transform, manifesting a natural weapon that takes the shape of deadly claws, a razor-sharp maw of teeth, or a spiny tail. They count as simple weapons, and you add your Strength modifier to the attack and damage rolls for the attack. When you choose the form your natural weapon takes, you also gain the following benefits depending on which one you chose:
Bite – Your mouth transforms into a bestial muzzle or great mandibles. It deals 1d8 piercing damage on a hit. Once on each of your turns when you damage a creature with this bite, you regain a number of hit points equal to your proficiency bonus, provided that you are under half your total amount of hit points when you hit.
Claws – Each of your hands transforms into a claw, which you can use as a weapon if its empty. It deals 1d8 slashing damage on a hit. Once on each of your turns when you attack with a claw using the attack action, you can make one additional claw attack as part of the same action.
Tail – You grow a spiny, lashing tail which deals 1d8 piercing damage on a hit and has the reach property. If a creature you can see within 10 feet of you hits you with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to swipe your tail and roll a d8, applying a bonus to your AC equal to the number rolled, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
At 6th level, Bestial Soul comes in strong, making your natural weapons magical for purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and weapons. You can also alter your form to help you adapt to your surroundings. After a short or long rest, choose one of the following benefits:
-You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and you can breathe underwater.
-You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
-When you jump, you can make a Strength (Athletics) check to extend your jump by a number of feet equal to the check’s total. You can make this special check only once per turn.
Infectious Fury comes in at 10th level, further upgrading the barbarian’s natural weapons. When you hit a creature with your natural weapon while you are raging, the beast within you can curse your target with rabid fury. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or suffer one of the following effects of your choice:
-The target must use its reaction to make a melee attack against another creature of your choice that you can see.
-The target takes 2d12 psychic damage.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Finally, Call the Hunt rounds out the last of the features at 14th level. When you enter your rage, you can choose a number of willing creatures within 30 feet of you equal to your Constitution modifier. You gain 5 temporary hit points for each creature that accepts this feature. Until the rage ends, the chosen creatures can each use the following benefits once per turn:
When the creature hits with an attack roll and does damage with it, the creature can roll a d6 and gain a bonus to damage equal to the amount rolled.
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