Become the Kind of the Jungle!
Part of the upcoming Horrors of the Blighted Woods.
This barbarian subclass was inspired by Tarzan, a wildling who survives only with their fist and the power of swinging from vine to vine. A wild themed barbarian is nothing new, I mean part of the origin of the class itself is its tie to the wilds, but I wanted to add my jungle-y twist to it.
A couple of points, to fit in the juggling from vine to vine, I used a "grappling hook style" mechanic that KibblesTasty created, which works perfectly here, and with that last ability you get to become the king of beasts, literally, which is fitting.
I also created a Fighter subclass called the Undying Blight, who siphons life off of its opponents to feed to corrupt life within themselves. You can check it out (and over 600 pages of D&D content) on Patreon.
Take Care!
PATH OF THE WILD
Some people are raised by clans, some by families, others by single parents. The men and women who take up the path of the Wild are the children of the the environments they've grown around. Most of the time, these infants of mankind are taken in by various animals, whether it be a community of gorillas, a helpful panther or even a pack of wolves. They are children of the wilds, who look humanoid but move like beasts.
Mother Tongue
After years spent in the wilderness, you’ve learned to communicate with beasts and monsters. At 3rd level you gain proficiency in the Animal Handling skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in Nature or Survival.
Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Animal Handling, and you can use that skill on Monstrosities and Beasts.
In addition, if you can hear a beast or monstrosity for at least 1 minute, you can understand its language. You can then communicate basic ideas and emotions with that creature and other creatures of the same species.
Animalistic Fighter
Because of the lack of tools given to you in the jungles or wildernesses you were raised in, you've learned to fight with the tools at your disposal, which oftentimes meant your bare hands. Also at 3rd level, You gain proficiency with improvised weapons. Any attack you make with an improvised weapon or with your unarmed strikes deals damage equal to ld6 + your Strength modifier.
This damage increases by ld6 when you reach the 6th level, then again at 14th level. Starting the 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity.
Lastly, while you are not holding a weapon or shield, you gain an additional 10 feet of movement and you do not trigger attacks of opportunity. This benefit ends until the end of your next turn if you draw a weapon or shield.
Climb & Swing
Your time spent swinging on vines and climbing trees has lead to you being an expert of moving in rough terrain. At 6th level you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and gain advantage on all Dexterity (Acrobatics) and Strength (Athletics) checks made to climb difficult surfaces and swing on ropes or vines.
In addition, You learn to use ropes efficiently. With them you may target a surface or object within 20 feet. If the target is Small or Smaller, you can make a Strength (Athletics) grappling check to pull it to you and grab it (automatically succeeding against objects that are not being worn or carried unless the DM sets a difficulty for a particularly complicated scenario).
Alternatively, if the target is Medium or larger, you can choose to be pulled to it. This automatically succeeds, but this does not grapple it, though if it is a surface or large object, you can choose to hold onto at the point you grappled if there is something to grab onto. Attacks of opportunity generated by this movement have disadvantage.
Wild Demeanor
Living in the wilderness requires awareness and resourcefulness, both of which you have in spades. At 10th level you gain the following benefits:
• You make all Wisdom (Perception) checks at advantage, due to your need to be on the lookout for predators.
• You cannot become lost, except by magical means.
• If you spend at least 1 hour foraging, you can find the materials needed to craft any type of artisan's tools. This set of tools will break after one use.
• You sleep with one eye open. While asleep, you can keep watch, making a Wisdom (Perception) check. This check cannot benefit from advantage, only disadvantage.
Soul of the Wilderness
You've grown to become one with the wild, not just the one where you were born, but the entire world’s. At 14th level your climbing speed becomes double your walking speed and you automatically succeed all Dexterity (Acrobatics) and Strength (Athletics) checks made to climb difficult surfaces and swing on ropes or vines.
Additionally, you can let the wilds control you. When you are raging, as an action you can cast polymorph on yourself (ignoring the Rage restriction on spellcasting), turning into your choice of Giant Ape or Tyrannosaurus Rex. Once you’ve used this ability you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
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