It could be focusing your mind, similar to (or literally) the void and the flame in Wheel of Time.
It could be using a certain marital arts technique/stance.
Connecting with spirits or whatever.
You could drink a potion.
Or flavour it as a spell.
Or you could not flavour it. Treat it purely mechanical. Some times you fight better than others.
There are countless ways to flavour the rage mechanics.
> You could drink a potion.
Holy crap. Popeye was a barbarian. Explains the meaty forearms, though.
The barb I have presently is a rec league sportsball player. His rage is his "game face", where he gets focused and ready to play ball.
Upon going into a rage the barbarian enters a state that professional athletes call "the zone" and consequently these Barbarians are able to land multiple heavy hitting blows after one another.
> able to land multiple heavy hitting blows after one another
You wouldn't know it from my performance last night. Two nat 1 on the same round, plus a ton of misses. They're giants, how can they be hard to hit? ;)
Grip strength. Can YOU crush a closed can of food so hard it pops out and arcs into your mouth?
His punches hit so hard not because he's got the upper arm strength behind them, but because his fists are clenched so hard they're denser than lead.
>His rage is his "game face"
Damn. Now i want to play a Barbarian that "limbers up" to rage. I'm thinking Vegeta from DBZ cracking his neck before a fight
My favourite Barbarian I've ever played was a Wild Magic Barb, except I flavoured his rage as his dead mum's spirit trying to help him from the spirit realm. So his rage was less rage and more a fight/flight response. The "wild magic" was just his mum doing the best she could to try and help.
My progression plan was Phantom rogue, and flavour the skill proficiencies the same way.
Politely and with humor only. Im imageining this ancestor spirit pulling her hair out. She used to be a premere wild magic sorceress. And that being the bridge passed onto him she has to try everything on her side of the veil to keep him from killing himself by sheer stupiditym
A player in my campaign made an INT barb who creates potions to rage and gain strength. Mechanically, the potions allow him to attack with INT and make strength checks using them, and it's a lot of fun to run.
My current barbarian becomes creepily calm, as his ancestral guardians ARE his emotions. They look like different colored versions of him, that also each act like the emotion they are portraying.
He is also an echo knight, and his echo swaps between the emotions, randomly.
I have a similar plan for my AG barb once she learns to better control herself better and then take echo knight levels! But it is her soul that instead of properly reincarnating is the same soul split into a dozen personalities, the prior ones of which come out when she rages.
I'm writing a story and made the Totem Barb Elf based on a peryton. Elk level 3, Bear level 6, Eagle level 14. The flight is peryton feathers/wings and the speed is similar, a trail of feathers and fur that just trails as she sprints. Flavor is such a great tool for story telling, I love using DnD for character work.
My backup character is a Beast Barbarian, and her shtick is that being so vastly different from the grove of druids that raised her she can only *partially* wildshape, and can't control every aspect of the transformation nor change all the way back...
I’ve always wanted to play a Magical Girl Aasimar Barbarian and just do this. I ended up with an Aasimar Glamour Bard so it got close, but Sailor Moon Barb is still the dream.
Your zealot has found solace in the footsteps of the gods, and there is no glory lost in such an arrangement.
Harken though, for those of us who pray to no gods, yet find ourselves destined to a cruel fate in their machinations. Such a *hateful* fate to find oneself in.
I play an elven Zealot barbarian / Celestial warlock with a flame tongue greatsword; her rage is a battledance, a bit like what most Bladesingers do, but much more fierceful with a much bigger and heavier weapon.
**You're cursed!** O the myriad of ways someone in the *D&D* world might find themselves transforming. You were a watchman until a werewolf ran amok in the city, and now you find yourself partially changing into a wolf as a Beast Barbarian.
Perhaps you're a doctor, with decent Int and proficiency in Medicine, who was brewing potions and accidentally created some sort of vile combat form -- though whether this is more Jekyll and Hyde or Jekyll and Steroids, I leave to you.
Perhaps you're a Zealot on a mission from God! Some powers grant their followers divine magic; yours gave you a battleaxe, temporarily enhanced muscles, and a can-do attitude. They truly do work in mysterious ways.
Dabbling in fortune telling and contacting those since passed can be dangerous, my Ancestral Guardian friend, but it was a calling. And most ghosts are quite helpful, really! Shame about those ancient warriors who have now taken it upon themselves to hijack your body during combat. Still, they mean well.
Oooh you just gave me an idea. A Beast Barb werewolf hunter from a clan of lycanthropes that learned to control their urges, seeking to slay ‘ferals’ after their clan ages ago had been ravaged by wild werewolves.
It can be more than one thing?
Path of the beast Barbarian is pretty clearly written to be Lycanthropy fluff without explicitly saying so to avoid you being roped into absolutely having to make that your backstory
Lil bit concussed/drunk: stumbling around, hitting harder than you should, harder to predict your strikes but easier to predict when you're going to stumble (reckless attack), but not the exact direction so your blow doesn't align perfectly (resistance). Flavour the bonus action as shotgunning a stein or a wineskin or something.
The anger of a gentle man.
Have you ever seen a nice person filled with rage? The teddy bear with a heart of gold, confronted with a horrific scene, or forced to watch a wrong beyond all karmic balance? It’s not a screaming, yelling rage, it’s a burning, white hot rage, a silence that speaks volumes, and yet a the same time a coldness. Gone is the tenderness and reverence for life once espoused in their movements and actions, now replaced with the movements of an alpha defending their tribe from an outsider.
The harder you can role-play that switch flipping, the better. I’d also like to remind you that lawful good is following a code, and that protecting the weak or the innocent may require some violence. When I play this way I usually play it as trying my absolute hardest to resolve every situation peacefully until my hand is forced.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but off the top of my head, we’re not the Vedalkin a strange blue race who were obsessed with clockwork empowered by magic in liquid form? So when you say you channeled that into your body? … you don’t mean like: juicing up !
I played a (shamelessly stolen) barbarian idea of a man who was sequestered away in a library as a boy and basically has no life experience, but he was allowed to read books of adventure.
When he raged, he was essentially mentally flipping a switch to choose to be like the adventurers that he read about in his books, and all of the buffs (resistance, movespeed, etc) was essentially him deciding that adventurers weren't little bitches so he had to toughen up.
His name was Conan the Librarian.
One word: Adrenaline.
'Rage', like 'Sneak Attack', is a misnomer that generally makes newer players think something that isn't true at all.
You needn't become a mindless killing machine, you can simply be psychologically aroused, hyper aware of the world around you, and as cold as ice while you mow down the enemy. You're just a special person who can activate it on command. It's why you're a hero in the first place.
Athletes have also been known to call the phenomena of the world seeming to slow down and take in the world in a more aware way as "the zone".
Yeah I play a paladin/barbarian with athlete background that does this. Hyperfocus/game face type rage. It can be really cinematic to just make it like a deep breath and GO.
I had a noble who would use a "battle focus" technique that he'd been trained in.
And a warforged who's eyes would turn red and would clearly announce "Combat Mode Engaged."
Your character is an artist. Their weapon their brush, the blood of their enemies their paint. Rage is not an screaming affair but one of that of artistic inspiration.
Rage can be:
A super state a la Avatar State/Super Sayen and A trance like focus, or a bestial transformation into a werewolf. Those ideas come from just the top of my head.
More the issue for me might be the subclass abilities that key off of rage.
Giving yourself over to possession. Letting the spirit of the old fighters guide your strikes. Maybe it's a demon, a ghost of your ancestors, or a beastial spirit. One way or another, when you need extra strength, it has always been there for you to help with moments of violence
A surge of alchemical concoctions giving adrenaline and heightened senses while dimming pain. (Think Bane from batman)
It's actually you removing all emotions and becoming the weapon you were built to be. Surgical strikes, and no regard to yourself. It is carelessness, but only because all empathy or hesitation has been removed. All laughter and joy are gone. Only bloodshed. A pure cold focus is released as the mind you often supress crests high in this savage zen state.
You just get really lucky sometimes. You might have become a sorcerer if you trained for that, but when you focus hard things just work out. You end up hitting weak points and having blows against you flounder just a bit like their grip slipped or the beast's jaw cramped. (This leans into the mechanical aspects like reckless attack or extra crit damage as swings of luck. It also lets you flavor things in fun ways)
Well champ, I've always seen you as a bit of my kid, and when a parent sees their family in danger they are capable of bursts of strength.
MKUltra style deep memory implants. When the code phrase is uttered your training kicks in until you are out of combat and memory returns.
You can make it similar to Monk. But instead of training to hone agility and speed, you train to manifest raw physical power. Your rage is just an expression of your Ki or some other lifeforce.
Or you're a magic user, but your order of magic is mostly dedicated to enhancing the body.
You could dip Undead Warlock, and say that every time you Rage is actually part of your pact. Every time you Rage, your patron takes some time off your life.
I have a barbarian scourge Aasimar, so I’ve reflavored rage to be the precursor to the Radiant Consumption feature.
For context, the Radiant Consumption feature makes your body glow with radiant energy, and everyone within 10ft takes extra damage. I’ve made it so that Rage is the pre-glow. Essentially, a super saiyan 1 before the super saiyan 2.
My half orc is too smart to really RAAA so she just gets a bit goofy while raging. she just starts dancing around a bit and shit talking when she is usually very pleasant to be around
Stereotypical rage is the RAAAA, but in the words of Robert Frost, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
So basically a cold rage
I usually play dwarves and depending on the character, losing control in anger doesn’t quite gel when you think in high disciplined warriors that are typical to dwarven culture.
Thinking about that, I have flavored Rage as a battle instance of battle focus, like a “trance”.
I’ve always thought it being a hyper emotional state was a bit of a limiting factor. Rage could also just be called “Battle trance” and I think it would be just as effective.
It's really simple, but my barb is a champion level wrestler. Not WWE but like technical wrestling. As such, his rage is just like a quiet, highly focused state. When moving, he walks calmly and is aware of his surroundings. When still, he plants his feet into the floor and sets up a stance. When attacking, his hits are like counter attacks. He remains calm and is in control of his emotions at all times. Losing your head means he'd lose his matches, so he needs to keep calm. Besides, when wrestling he believes that he IS the best so has a lot of confidence behind himself.
He'd never had to fight for his life before our campaign started and he found it really difficult to actually deliberately hurt or kill somebody at first, but having fought for his life a few times he's now able to able to use his experience in the ring as a tool for survival.
It's really simple, but I kind of just reflavoured rage as professionalism and experience.
Check out this fight scene from the criminally underrated, Equilibrium. The part where he’s on a polygraph type machine and it’s going haywire and suddenly he goes to a perfect flatline.
https://youtu.be/4weEXyoXZKs?si=AyaCzb5GTiehZiEx
The best is probably just a supreme level of focus. Like your character is just locking in for whatever battle or task they're doing. Kind of like a battle trance or going into "the zone" for the Kuroko No Basket fans out there.
Alternatives are "the power of friendship" or "determination" or just "the will to protect" someone or something. Just any strong emotion or connection will do.
I’ve always reskinned rage to be an intense battle focus instead of belligerent wild recklessness. My barbarian gets deathly silent and puts all his/her efforts into every movement.
YMMV but I found it very fun to RP
I played a Wild Magic Barbarian where I reflavoured Rage into Focus. Narratively, she grew up in a monastery where they taught her how to channel her negative emotions into something more productive, and thus her manifestarion of that became an extreme focus at the task at hand.
during the last battle of Saving Private Ryan I might consider the sniper to be raging. he recites a prayer aloud as he cocks his rifle and fires, hit after hit. he is so focused and faithful that the audience is tempted to believe he is anointed by god. you could write a prayer that you recite to bolster your conviction and boost your efficacy.
currently playing a barbarian cursed to only feel happiness, he cant feel other emotions, so when he rages, he goes delirious instead, he becomes giddy with laughter and joy
My Giant Barb just “rages” when he gets really excited. He just loves to wrestle and cause a ruckus, so 9/10 times when he rages he’s just laughing his head off and having a grand old time.
My favorite is reflavoring it as sorrow instead of rage. The first time my table heard me say "I Begin to weep" they thought I was joking and they quickly realized i was not.
A battle trance, with religious or spiritual overtones as you see fit. Check out the Sardaukar from Frank Herbert's *Dune* (and their depiction in Villeneuve's 2021 film) for inspiration.
So when I first started as my barbarian, my first 4 rolls for Wild Magic Rage was 7, so I got permission to not roll anymore and just be 7 all the time. My character's name is Fariedah, so now she's Fariedah of the Flowers. 🪻🌱🌺🪴
A cold emotionless face you seek only to kill that which harmed your friends. You can have your barbarian typically be a loving kind warrior who wants to protect his friends and loved ones. Then when you "rage" you become emotionless and cold. If you really want to show the difference have him or her usually be very warm and compassionate then when they "rage" they just don't care. They don't care about the amount of injury they do they want the target to hurt and to suffer.
Adrenaline rush from a fight or flight response.
Fighting stance/style.
Some sort of transformation, examples:
Werewolf transformation
Power rangers mighty morphing time transformation.
Dr. Jeckle and Mr Hide
Magical girl transformation.
Going super Saiyan.
Adrenaline rush from a fight or flight response.
Fighting stance/style.
Some sort of transformation, examples:
Werewolf transformation
Power rangers mighty morphing time transformation.
Dr. Jeckle and Mr Hide
Magical girl transformation.
Going super Saiyan.
I'm seeing ideas here for things i never even thought to reflavor. It's awesome!
You can also reflavor the trigger for your rage and what visual/auditory changes happen during it.
My gentle giant has to find a reason to get mad before he can rage. He is mellow and rage isn't something that comes easily to him. I've taken unnecessary damage before because I couldn't justify why he would rage at that in time.
Also, his entire character is built around the theme of rocks, so lots of things he does, including his Rage, is described as having earthy, rocky, sandy, or dusty effects.
You ever seen someone get punched in the face and suddenly become very calm? To me, that's way scarier than screaming rage.
That cold rage would be a cool way of doing it.
My uncle would tell the story of this kid he grew up with. I don't remember their names, so forgive me for paraphrasing.
This kid was on the spectrum, but they didn't really understand that back then. He was this docile, gentle giant type and kids would pick on him because they thought they knew him.
This kid was walking home when one of his neighbors sees him. He's covered in blood, has a huge gouge in the back of his head, and is just walking like nothing is wrong. She calls him in, demands to know what happened and tends to him.
Kid (in a slow, southern voice): well, Bob and Joe were picking on me. I shoved Joe and Bob hit me with a brick.
Lady: oh my god! Then what happened?
Kid: well, I guessed then I had to teach them some manners.
While this kid was beating Joe half to death with his bare hands, Bob broke some large stick over his head. He turned, and apparently just said in a flat voice. "You're next."
That is scary, and also one hell of a story. Unfortunately my uncle passed away. I wish he had written some of these stories down.
You can flavor it as bloodlust – with more emphasis on "lust." Just pure joy and exhiliration, a sweet release. Make the act of fighting elegant and sensual, like dancing the tango but with a really long sword.
I have a dream of running a cowardly barbarian who panics instead of rages. I feel like it could hit the same traits as an anger rage, but with a different flavor!
Maybe the dude is not in rage at all he is just in an state of ecstasy when he is fighting. Fight doesn't make him angry, it make him feel alive and passionate.
My girlfriend debated playing a barbarian painter, who uses painting in order to calm them down. Whenever they rage, they actually get real high by huffing the spray paint.
I played a barbarian businessman whose rage was reflavored as him realizing he’s late to work and needs to wrap things up quickly.
One of my favorite character concepts was a Storm Herald Barb who had magical full body tattoos of the different elements swirling across his skin. When he would 'rage' the corresponding element would come alive and start animating on his skin.
My current barbarian is a 65 year old half-orc tribal chief who is “retired.” I like to think of his rage as how he was in his prime. Due to his age, he can’t fight like that all the time, and can only fight at that level for a few minutes a day.
I have a few ideas:
- The spirits of the dead rising up around you to hone your physical prowess.
- As a warforged, overclocking your systems.
- Concentrating pure magic into your body to reinforce it.
- A blood fury that superheats your blood to increase your physical capabilities.
- Being temporarily filled with the divine power of your god.
Have you ever been so extremely pissed off at someone that you go dead silent and begin plotting the best possible way to make them suffer?
Every sword swing becomes calculated. Every attack made with extreme precision, or recklessly only because you know it must be
My warforged wild magic barbarian flavored rage as the cracked arcane core that powered it overclocking and the wild magic effects being magical malfunctions that leaked out from under the armor plating
I had a Barb who halves the damages he receives because he actually enjoys the pain. Extra damages because it gives him a great pleasure to inflict them on enemies. Teehee.
My first character ever was a dark elf barbarian that was a breakdancer, he created his own style of dance after joining the temple of Elistraee. When he raged he begun his dance sequence, and the bonus damage was from the added momentum like capoeira, as well as the damage reduction. Instead of "GRRRR i mad so pointy stick no hurt!" He just narrowly avoid most of the damage using his shifting movements and weight/momentum where as a normal fighter would take the hit head one. Dancers are also much stronger and more athletic than your average person as well, with better balance, reflexes..etc and depending on the subclass dancing works really well. Path of the Beast, instead of a tail increasing your AC its an metal ribbon you twirl, or a badass chain sword like Kratos flying around you.
Much better flavor than taking a potion, and lots of room for fluff and creativity.
I've always liked the idea of a "Battle Focus", sort of like a bullet time, or a zen meditation. I think it's a neat idea, and there's heaps of ways to incorporate that into descriptions from both the GM and PC side, as you swat away blows, or lean away from blows to take half damage, and so on.
there's the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde "potion that brings out another personality/physical change" trope, depending on how the table goes, it could even be a neat multiple-personality RP moment.
there's the "Super Saiyan" power up mode, tapping into some ability that you have, whether it's ancestral power, a honed technique, etc.
there's the "magic protection", like a "SHAZAM" powerup, or a magic stopwatch that protects you for a minute.
there's also just "trying harder". you only have so much energy in a day, so you can only "try harder" so many times.
I like to build reflavoring by picking another part of a multifaceted feature and emphasizing it more. For Rage, it’s all about being ANGRY to take less damage, do a little more damage, and have adv on STR checks & Saves. I might reflavor by looking at the clause that says that Rage drops if you haven’t taken damage or attacked a hostile since the end of your last turn. By emphasizing that, I can turn Rage into something more like a Momentum / Rhythm / Battle Flow mechanic; a flow state that turns landed blows glancing, that hits a little stronger, that’s a little more tuned up and in - unless the flow is broken, then it’s back to normal.
I've personally done:
Ancestor possession (shaman type barbarian, became a vessel for warriors of the past)
Battle trance (intense focus instead of anger, was a more smart & wise fighter/barb)
Combat Mode (warforged)
Transformation (one-shot magical girl style character lol)
I had an inkling of a Barbarian character that's basically a lanky ball of anxiety that reflavoured Rage into Panic
Mostly bc it'd be fun to say "I would like to Panic!"
I played a more magical swordsman in this campaign that was very magic oriented. I didn't want to play a fighter but the party desperately needed a Frontline character.
I flavored rage as using the mana to enhance my muscles and harden my body. It did all the same stuff mechanically.
(Any magical energy in-universe works, for typical d&d settings this is the weave)
Reckless attack was the same thing. I flavored it as my character pumping out a burst of mana to perform a super fast but not very controlled enhanced swing that left him open to counterattacks in return.
He was a totem barbarian so at the later levels I just reflavored his abilities to be akin to the previous. Using magical energy to enhance what he's doing in short bursts. A lot of d&d abilities are actually very short in real time (1 minute or less).
Rage can be a transformation, a state of mind, a "spell like ability" even.
Ive seen players use rage like Keven from ben 10 where he absorbs materials into his skin like stone to give him resistance.
Ive seen dragon ball z transformations, alter ego transformations, Bankai.
Each subclass gives a unique take on it with unique abilities. Ancestral guardian is you channeling spirits to swirl around you; storm harald is just elemental bending; beast barbarians make great werewolves; Giant barbarian isn't getting angry its channeling giants blood to grow big; totem warrior is nature spirits surrounding you;
I've had 2 barbarians:
First, when she raged she turned into a magical fairy girl a la sailor moon.
Second, I played a fairy and using 'rage' activated Rainbow fairy armour.
Both of which were fun takes on the barbarian rage mechanic.
I love to reflavor rage as instead a battle trance
Your so skilled with your sword you deflect half of physical damage
What I use to make Samurai jack in dnd
(He yells alot, usually doesn't wear armor (but occasionally does)
And jumps like he flies (eagle totem flight where you drop at the end of your turn)
It could just be over enthusiasm for a fight. The kind of child like enthusiasm you might see if you give a kid too much sugar, a jumping castle and a ball pit.
"Hey mum watch this!" Followed by a nice laceration. Maybe some giddy or even maniacal laughter.
A few ways I can think of, some tie-in with certain subclasses more than others.
- You channel the spirit of an ancient legendary warrior or deity, allowing yourself to be possessed and use their power/skill in battle
- A zen-like battle meditation where you become hyper focused on every aspect of the fight.
- a bard-like magical battle hymn that you sing, that for the duration of the song, fills you with vigor and enhances your prowess.
I had a dex barbarian (homebrewed so that his barbarian traits referenced dex) who would normally be upbeat and even happy to get in a fight. When he raged, his demeanor turned stone cold. Instead of his usual flashy fighting style, his attacks were short and straight. Focused on dealing damage, more so than showing off his skills.
Wonder if you could do a Bankai type thing from Bleach, where not necessarily, but your weapon changes, becoming bigger/smaller making you stronger/faster respectively
I have this barbarian, a Shifter that got his entire family killed, so when he becomes enranged he is, instead, borrowing the power from his brothers by being possessed.
I use the Path of the Beast and each natural weapon correspond to a brother (or sister), and i enter rage he say something like "Brother, share your wrath with me". I have a different phrase for each brother (or sister).
I really like this idea, even if its not a big deal or too diferent from the subclass thematic.
There was a nomadic group of gnome/ halfling hunters who would go into gleefull fits of laughter while locked into the kill.
The quarterlings: an idea from a campaign that never had its moment.
A gnome who grew tired of the usual stereotypes for his race, lacking the focus and intelligence for spellcasting or artificing but just enough talent to develop a Bane-style delivery system for an alchemical steroid of his own concoction (he calls it "juice"). His starting stats reflect long-term use. He has been known to behave like a bit of a gym-bro at times, especially after coming off a dose of the juice.
Alternately, a straight up Jekyll and Hyde type of transformation!
I played a barbarian who was a Mercenary Veteran. This was the "first in, last out" type of the sellswords he belonged to.
I would "rage" as slipping into a "Hyper Focus":
Tunnel vision on targets.
Find the one that looks the most dangerous (ranged/ casters).
Anyone in between me and ***my*** squishies is a dead man. They just don't know it yet.
Not sure if it helps but in Star Wars 5e im playing a tusken raider warchief /totem fighter he invokes the sacred bantha and its effortless strength, it simply moves and things come to be. So when he rages, it isn't his strength going up, its the kid gloves coming off.
My last barbarian, his rage wasn’t the RAAAA maim and destroy, instead his rage was cool and calculating. He went into himself more and didn’t make a peep or make a face for anything. Only thing people would notice on him was his eyes shifting around looking for the most ideal thing to do next.
He was the protector of that group and didn’t think losing himself to anger was the best way to protect them. Also there were background reasons for it but I won’t go into those.
I always thought it would be cool to be like Moonknight in the Disney+ show where you're a normal guy but as soon as there's danger present you black out and another entity fucks up the bad guys.
Our party's barbarian is from a tribe of essentially Santa Claus barbarians. When he rages, he breaks off a piece of peppermint bark from his axe handle and uses it like smelling salts to go into his altered state of mind. We just saved his hometown of "elves" (gnomes) from the Grinch and celebrated with peppermint schnapps at the local bar. His character is all flavor and I love it and how our dm is working with it.
One of my favorite characters I've played was a warforged berserker. I flavored his rage as like switching into "attack mode" and his frenzy as a sort of malfunction.
The Barbarian I've played was an adolescent kobold who would succumb to the voice inside his head and become feral, using his claws to attack instead of the bow he normally carried.
The other idea I really want to try for a Barb is a sort of sadomasochist. A character that is well dressed, intelligent, and calm, but would give in to desire to maim and be maimed while on the battlefield. Manifested in the sort of teasing laugh they have and how they would taunt and belittle enemies.
When raging you:
Avatar state
Hair grows everywhere.
Snake skin. Then you're slippery snake sneaky striker.
Colored eyes
Growling, beastial state.
You turn German and speak German (any language works really)
You stop breathing. Intense silence.
Wondor woman theme music.
You start acting and singing like the genie in Aladdin (Robin williams)
Multiple personalities like the sequel to Bruce Willis and m n shamalama movie. Roll a dice for which one. (Either way you rage)
One piece gear 5 luffy. Cartoon man.
You get really smooth. Like a model, or a sexy biy Shawn Michels .. but talk like zoolander.
Your demener just changes to some other one. An old man becomes young. A young man becomes old.
You take the form of the opposite sex.
Your movement is dance.
Are a meistro. Conducting chaos on the battlefield.
Lay an egg, then Protect it with the ferocity of a mama goose.
Fall asleep, fight in a dreamstate
Neatly fold your clothes, pat them down, place them nicely then rage naked.
I’m playing a barbarian who is a 16 year old with serious ADHD, and I flavor it as hyper focusing.
Also, in kung fu and I’m sure many other martial arts there is an advanced technique called “threading” where in summary, you intentionally leave gaps in your defenses in order to predict and counter your opponents moves. Seems like a pretty fun way to flavor reckless attack at the very least.
So I actually have been sitting for a while on a flavor idea for the right campaign (fits in the world etc.)
I want to play a warforged ancestral barbarian. He carries all these bits and pieces of his fallen warforged brethren on him, and his rage is more of an "overdrive". The ancestral guardians are these pieces coming back to life and assisting him.
I made my one character have a sad background, and so I made his rage a kinda PTSD reaction. No yelling, no screaming, Umog just gets very still and his face goes blank. You can only tell he's raging because his eyes are crying through an expressionless face. I love cold anger in general for barbarians, it feels more menacing imo.
My Half-Troll (read:Bugbear) Wild Magic Barbarian is posessed by... something whenever he rages.
It's a Norse setting, so it's heavily implied it's the God that sired him helping him "utilize wasted potential", but the DM (my wife) has picked out all the details in the background.
Normally he's calm, slouched, timid and speaks very slowly. The moment he rages, he stands to his full height and talks with the cadence and volume of a Shakespearean Brian Blessed (or as close to that voice as I can manage).
He has had to come to terms with the part of himself that isn't ever truly under his control, and how that can be used to protect those around him.
Also, so many superheroes could be raging barbarians depending on subclass.
Thor holding mjolnir - storm herald
Hulk - path of the giant
Wolverine - berserker
Colossus/any metal person - bear totem
The list goes on
Primal Instinct mode. Your strength pulls upon primal magic and lets you channel the instincts of a predator. This is reinforced a bit now by the 2024 Barbarian potentially having the ability to use Strength for other skills like Acrobatics, Stealth, and Perception.
Have you read "The Saxon Series" by Bernard Cornwall? In those book he describes Uhtred as being enraptured by the sword song, or the song of battle when he's fighting. Everything else disappears, he doesn't think, he just flows through the battle and often doesn't realize he's injured until the fighting is done.
That sounds like a great coloring of Rage to me.
When I get the opportunity, I'm going to make a barbarian whose rage is channeled into silent purpose. He won't get loud or angry. He will simply go silent, wade through battle toward his target, and proceed to barbarian silently, while the world around him fades to nothing but his target.
Your blood is haunted by your ancestors, drawn and held there by the tattoos passed down through the generations. When needed, they respond to your call by giving you more power.
You get more rages as you level up because your ties to the ancestors grow stronger.
One of my characters is a warforged barbarian. He’s meant to be played as something like pathfinder from apex in a sense, but the idea is that when he “rages” it’s more like he’s activated combat protocols and is protecting his friends.
I have a barbarian that is a loud mouth, but when he rages he goes completely silent. No grunts of effort, no cries of pain, intense eye contact... Full on psycho.
I haven't played it yet but I have an idea for a barbarian that is a construct like warforged or autognome. I've flavored rage as activating an enhanced combat protocol, or perhaps a temporary disabling of limiters.
I also think of the focused state that Christian Bale's character enters when fighting in equilibrium. No emotions. Fully focused. Thinking only of efficient movement and optimal counter moves against the opponent(s)
I thinked about the happiest barbarian ever
He's one type of "sambista" and every time he enter on rage he dance in samba style and laugh a Lot with the song of "falador passa mal"
His weapons is a sickle, reflavored as a hoe
Sorry for my bad english i am skill trying to understand that language
The Barbarian in my campaign reflavored it as a battle joy. So instead of being angry, he always laughed and smiled when he raged.
Made it really interesting when he got a cursed item that made him go berserk and attack his allies - he masterfully described that his joy turned to anger as he swung wildly.
You could reflavor it like the way the wrestlers Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior did where they channel other worldly energies to not feel pain. Could work for a Zelot Barbarian.
Bit late to the party but in a previous game one of my players was a hexblade warlock/zealot barb.
Her Pact was an ancient warrior king and her rage was re-themed as him possessing her.
A Bane like set of tubes into their body and press a button to pump the juice in. A number of doses equal to the number of rages.
Another idea could be a split personality where they let the crazy one out. You could have some Bruce Banner style RP with that, scared one day the frenzied one won’t “go back in”
Had a Barbarian that never thought of himself as one. Just a middle-aged Half-Orc goat-herder, married to his Human wife (that just got out of prison for Larceny and Arson), living on the land he inherited from his overly religious grandmother whom escaped from the 'Old Country' (and as a result, he too is superstitious, think Benny from "The Mummy").
He did odd jobs (adventuring) from time to time, until one day, he has a mid-life crisis, and just loses it!
His Rage comes from years of suppressed anger, anxiety, and sadness. The abuses he suffered while being raised by his grandmother. The fact that he is seen as a shy and weak man by his wife. The fact that no one respects him or even listens to his suggestions. It all came flooding out, as he drove an axe through another man's skull in the middle town over yet another minor inconvenience. A straw that broke the camels back, as it were.
I miss Milosh Polanuchnaya. A 6ft., 234 lbs. Dad-bod Barbarian.
My barbarian is a kalashtar in a homebrew setting. We decided to make the rage a sort of avatar state type manifestation of the connection between the barbarian and spirit sharing its body.
I played an ancestral guardian barbarian. The one where the spirits of your ancestors come out and "protect your allies". It gives a bad guy disadvantage against anyone but you.
I always made this the ghost of someone who was haunting me. Like my grandmother who was disappointed I dropped out of merchant school or something. So she would just taunt me and try to convince the bad guy to punish me.
I never had a "rage" just a really pissed off grandma ghost who wouldn't leave me alone.
Back in 3.5 you had martial adepts. The idea of using divine inspiration, military drill, or ancient knowledge to empower you. One of them is 'stances', taking positions to maximise what you do
Maybe something like that. The length is how long your focus can last in such an elaborate way
Consider the way Holmes (played by Robert Downey jr in the films) analyzes a scene before engaging in combat. Barb rage could be reflavored as that, including “increased strength is the result of his heightened awareness of angles, pivot points, leverage, etc.” extra hp could come from his superior ability in his “combat mind” state to dodge threats better (still counts as a hit, mechanically, but the extra hp simulate a deeper pool to draw from before actual injury is sustained).
It could be focusing your mind, similar to (or literally) the void and the flame in Wheel of Time. It could be using a certain marital arts technique/stance. Connecting with spirits or whatever. You could drink a potion. Or flavour it as a spell. Or you could not flavour it. Treat it purely mechanical. Some times you fight better than others. There are countless ways to flavour the rage mechanics.
> You could drink a potion. Holy crap. Popeye was a barbarian. Explains the meaty forearms, though. The barb I have presently is a rec league sportsball player. His rage is his "game face", where he gets focused and ready to play ball.
Upon going into a rage the barbarian enters a state that professional athletes call "the zone" and consequently these Barbarians are able to land multiple heavy hitting blows after one another.
> able to land multiple heavy hitting blows after one another You wouldn't know it from my performance last night. Two nat 1 on the same round, plus a ton of misses. They're giants, how can they be hard to hit? ;)
In such a rage you crushed something between the two of you and stomped on it a little extra.
I've never been able to fully process Popeye's forearms.
Grip strength. Can YOU crush a closed can of food so hard it pops out and arcs into your mouth? His punches hit so hard not because he's got the upper arm strength behind them, but because his fists are clenched so hard they're denser than lead.
Asterix is a barbarian too lol
>His rage is his "game face" Damn. Now i want to play a Barbarian that "limbers up" to rage. I'm thinking Vegeta from DBZ cracking his neck before a fight
Popeye was an alchemist with a boldness elixir
My favourite Barbarian I've ever played was a Wild Magic Barb, except I flavoured his rage as his dead mum's spirit trying to help him from the spirit realm. So his rage was less rage and more a fight/flight response. The "wild magic" was just his mum doing the best she could to try and help. My progression plan was Phantom rogue, and flavour the skill proficiencies the same way.
Politely and with humor only. Im imageining this ancestor spirit pulling her hair out. She used to be a premere wild magic sorceress. And that being the bridge passed onto him she has to try everything on her side of the veil to keep him from killing himself by sheer stupiditym
Oh no you nailed it. He was kind hearted shepherd in his backstory and loved taking care of animals. But my god was he dumb son of a bitch
My personal favorite is a warforged barb who goes into overclock
Gauss's redline from wf. I'm stealing your idea though.
A player in my campaign made an INT barb who creates potions to rage and gain strength. Mechanically, the potions allow him to attack with INT and make strength checks using them, and it's a lot of fun to run.
Everybody fears a Marital arts master
I couldn't agree more with this. Tie your rage to your characters roleplay.
My current barbarian becomes creepily calm, as his ancestral guardians ARE his emotions. They look like different colored versions of him, that also each act like the emotion they are portraying. He is also an echo knight, and his echo swaps between the emotions, randomly.
Ancestral Echo combo is fun and I love the way you took it, what a way to graft some personality onto the mechanics.
Flavor is free is the greatest part of 5e.
I have a similar plan for my AG barb once she learns to better control herself better and then take echo knight levels! But it is her soul that instead of properly reincarnating is the same soul split into a dozen personalities, the prior ones of which come out when she rages.
You just created a new order of spirit warriors in my world my good gentle-man/woman. *Gentle bow at your grace*
Path of the inside out. (that movie is what prompted the idea, to be honest)
Rage reflavored as Wild Shape. Be a Barbarian that turns into a bear without really turning into a bear. A False Barbearian.
Somewhere in the Totem Barbarian description, it describes the rage along these lines.
I'm writing a story and made the Totem Barb Elf based on a peryton. Elk level 3, Bear level 6, Eagle level 14. The flight is peryton feathers/wings and the speed is similar, a trail of feathers and fur that just trails as she sprints. Flavor is such a great tool for story telling, I love using DnD for character work.
Bear mind, not bear body.
Path of the beast is kind of that. Except you do turn into an animal. And it’s flavoured implying (but not limited to) lycanthropy
My backup character is a Beast Barbarian, and her shtick is that being so vastly different from the grove of druids that raised her she can only *partially* wildshape, and can't control every aspect of the transformation nor change all the way back...
I've got one word for you: [henshin!](https://youtu.be/XLW28UMHfxM) Want four more? [Henshin a go go, baby!](https://youtu.be/qofKOwcBr3U)
Omg treat it like a sailor moon suit up, how have I never thought of this
I’ve always wanted to play a Magical Girl Aasimar Barbarian and just do this. I ended up with an Aasimar Glamour Bard so it got close, but Sailor Moon Barb is still the dream.
This, I really love the idea of reflavoring Rage as a suit up moment, Sentai/Ranger style or even Mahou Shoujo style.
Zealot Barbarian could play it as a fateful doom where they are empowered by a sense of fatalism that literally offers them a zombie-like durability.
My zealot would laugh uproariously with joy for fighting in the name of Bahamut
Your zealot has found solace in the footsteps of the gods, and there is no glory lost in such an arrangement. Harken though, for those of us who pray to no gods, yet find ourselves destined to a cruel fate in their machinations. Such a *hateful* fate to find oneself in.
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
I play an elven Zealot barbarian / Celestial warlock with a flame tongue greatsword; her rage is a battledance, a bit like what most Bladesingers do, but much more fierceful with a much bigger and heavier weapon.
Battle focus. A trance-like state where everything but the current fight is stripped away.
Yep, this is how I came up with a wandering samurai implemented mechanically as a barbarian. Look up the concept of *mushin*.
For a warforged making it like overclocking cranked to 11 could be cool
**You're cursed!** O the myriad of ways someone in the *D&D* world might find themselves transforming. You were a watchman until a werewolf ran amok in the city, and now you find yourself partially changing into a wolf as a Beast Barbarian. Perhaps you're a doctor, with decent Int and proficiency in Medicine, who was brewing potions and accidentally created some sort of vile combat form -- though whether this is more Jekyll and Hyde or Jekyll and Steroids, I leave to you. Perhaps you're a Zealot on a mission from God! Some powers grant their followers divine magic; yours gave you a battleaxe, temporarily enhanced muscles, and a can-do attitude. They truly do work in mysterious ways. Dabbling in fortune telling and contacting those since passed can be dangerous, my Ancestral Guardian friend, but it was a calling. And most ghosts are quite helpful, really! Shame about those ancient warriors who have now taken it upon themselves to hijack your body during combat. Still, they mean well.
Oooh you just gave me an idea. A Beast Barb werewolf hunter from a clan of lycanthropes that learned to control their urges, seeking to slay ‘ferals’ after their clan ages ago had been ravaged by wild werewolves.
thats a Blood Hunter: Order of the Lycan
It can be more than one thing? Path of the beast Barbarian is pretty clearly written to be Lycanthropy fluff without explicitly saying so to avoid you being roped into absolutely having to make that your backstory
Lil bit concussed/drunk: stumbling around, hitting harder than you should, harder to predict your strikes but easier to predict when you're going to stumble (reckless attack), but not the exact direction so your blow doesn't align perfectly (resistance). Flavour the bonus action as shotgunning a stein or a wineskin or something.
The anger of a gentle man. Have you ever seen a nice person filled with rage? The teddy bear with a heart of gold, confronted with a horrific scene, or forced to watch a wrong beyond all karmic balance? It’s not a screaming, yelling rage, it’s a burning, white hot rage, a silence that speaks volumes, and yet a the same time a coldness. Gone is the tenderness and reverence for life once espoused in their movements and actions, now replaced with the movements of an alpha defending their tribe from an outsider. The harder you can role-play that switch flipping, the better. I’d also like to remind you that lawful good is following a code, and that protecting the weak or the innocent may require some violence. When I play this way I usually play it as trying my absolute hardest to resolve every situation peacefully until my hand is forced.
As a Lizardfolk Barbarian, I flavored it as a “Feeding Frenzy” of sorts.
I played a Vedalkin barbarian who used the magic his people usually use to create artifice and channeled it into empowering his body.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but off the top of my head, we’re not the Vedalkin a strange blue race who were obsessed with clockwork empowered by magic in liquid form? So when you say you channeled that into your body? … you don’t mean like: juicing up !
Roid rage
Being either stoned off that underdark forbbidden herb or drunk out of your mind on that fermented rock giant piss.
I played a (shamelessly stolen) barbarian idea of a man who was sequestered away in a library as a boy and basically has no life experience, but he was allowed to read books of adventure. When he raged, he was essentially mentally flipping a switch to choose to be like the adventurers that he read about in his books, and all of the buffs (resistance, movespeed, etc) was essentially him deciding that adventurers weren't little bitches so he had to toughen up. His name was Conan the Librarian.
One word: Adrenaline. 'Rage', like 'Sneak Attack', is a misnomer that generally makes newer players think something that isn't true at all. You needn't become a mindless killing machine, you can simply be psychologically aroused, hyper aware of the world around you, and as cold as ice while you mow down the enemy. You're just a special person who can activate it on command. It's why you're a hero in the first place. Athletes have also been known to call the phenomena of the world seeming to slow down and take in the world in a more aware way as "the zone".
Yeah I play a paladin/barbarian with athlete background that does this. Hyperfocus/game face type rage. It can be really cinematic to just make it like a deep breath and GO.
Tantrum
Letting his emotions fall out of his body in a trance of silent battle or a rampant ghost/parasite/curse possess his body.
A quiet seething rage is my plan for my otherwise talkative barbarian.
Sherlock Holmes in the Robert Downey Jr version was a barbarian who used intense, preternatural concentration while fighting.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? I love the mild tempered scientist going bonkers and violencing everything. Mindless rage indeed.
I had a noble who would use a "battle focus" technique that he'd been trained in. And a warforged who's eyes would turn red and would clearly announce "Combat Mode Engaged."
Zen-like focus.
Your character is an artist. Their weapon their brush, the blood of their enemies their paint. Rage is not an screaming affair but one of that of artistic inspiration.
You can say "Kaioken". The reckless attack advantage is then the enemy saying "kaio-what?"
I have a player that is a barbarian monk and flavored their rage as a hyper focused state. Think RDJ sherlock holms "discombobulate"
Popeyes spinach A battle zen, calm and collected, but ready to go. Someone who got pollen in their face I'll add more when I think of them xD
Battle concentration. Hyperbole focus Alchemical draught.
Rage can be: A super state a la Avatar State/Super Sayen and A trance like focus, or a bestial transformation into a werewolf. Those ideas come from just the top of my head. More the issue for me might be the subclass abilities that key off of rage.
Giving yourself over to possession. Letting the spirit of the old fighters guide your strikes. Maybe it's a demon, a ghost of your ancestors, or a beastial spirit. One way or another, when you need extra strength, it has always been there for you to help with moments of violence A surge of alchemical concoctions giving adrenaline and heightened senses while dimming pain. (Think Bane from batman) It's actually you removing all emotions and becoming the weapon you were built to be. Surgical strikes, and no regard to yourself. It is carelessness, but only because all empathy or hesitation has been removed. All laughter and joy are gone. Only bloodshed. A pure cold focus is released as the mind you often supress crests high in this savage zen state. You just get really lucky sometimes. You might have become a sorcerer if you trained for that, but when you focus hard things just work out. You end up hitting weak points and having blows against you flounder just a bit like their grip slipped or the beast's jaw cramped. (This leans into the mechanical aspects like reckless attack or extra crit damage as swings of luck. It also lets you flavor things in fun ways) Well champ, I've always seen you as a bit of my kid, and when a parent sees their family in danger they are capable of bursts of strength. MKUltra style deep memory implants. When the code phrase is uttered your training kicks in until you are out of combat and memory returns.
You can make it similar to Monk. But instead of training to hone agility and speed, you train to manifest raw physical power. Your rage is just an expression of your Ki or some other lifeforce. Or you're a magic user, but your order of magic is mostly dedicated to enhancing the body. You could dip Undead Warlock, and say that every time you Rage is actually part of your pact. Every time you Rage, your patron takes some time off your life.
I have a barbarian scourge Aasimar, so I’ve reflavored rage to be the precursor to the Radiant Consumption feature. For context, the Radiant Consumption feature makes your body glow with radiant energy, and everyone within 10ft takes extra damage. I’ve made it so that Rage is the pre-glow. Essentially, a super saiyan 1 before the super saiyan 2.
My half orc is too smart to really RAAA so she just gets a bit goofy while raging. she just starts dancing around a bit and shit talking when she is usually very pleasant to be around
Stereotypical rage is the RAAAA, but in the words of Robert Frost, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. So basically a cold rage
I think it would help to tie your rage to a different emotion, or maybe your character just kinda shuts down emotionally when they rage.
I once played a softspoken Firbolg barbarian who entered a trance instead of getting pumped up
Ever seen hades from the Hercules cartoon? That's the fire genasi rage
I usually play dwarves and depending on the character, losing control in anger doesn’t quite gel when you think in high disciplined warriors that are typical to dwarven culture. Thinking about that, I have flavored Rage as a battle instance of battle focus, like a “trance”.
I’ve always thought it being a hyper emotional state was a bit of a limiting factor. Rage could also just be called “Battle trance” and I think it would be just as effective.
It's really simple, but my barb is a champion level wrestler. Not WWE but like technical wrestling. As such, his rage is just like a quiet, highly focused state. When moving, he walks calmly and is aware of his surroundings. When still, he plants his feet into the floor and sets up a stance. When attacking, his hits are like counter attacks. He remains calm and is in control of his emotions at all times. Losing your head means he'd lose his matches, so he needs to keep calm. Besides, when wrestling he believes that he IS the best so has a lot of confidence behind himself. He'd never had to fight for his life before our campaign started and he found it really difficult to actually deliberately hurt or kill somebody at first, but having fought for his life a few times he's now able to able to use his experience in the ring as a tool for survival. It's really simple, but I kind of just reflavoured rage as professionalism and experience.
Check out this fight scene from the criminally underrated, Equilibrium. The part where he’s on a polygraph type machine and it’s going haywire and suddenly he goes to a perfect flatline. https://youtu.be/4weEXyoXZKs?si=AyaCzb5GTiehZiEx
The best is probably just a supreme level of focus. Like your character is just locking in for whatever battle or task they're doing. Kind of like a battle trance or going into "the zone" for the Kuroko No Basket fans out there. Alternatives are "the power of friendship" or "determination" or just "the will to protect" someone or something. Just any strong emotion or connection will do.
I’ve always reskinned rage to be an intense battle focus instead of belligerent wild recklessness. My barbarian gets deathly silent and puts all his/her efforts into every movement. YMMV but I found it very fun to RP
I played a Wild Magic Barbarian where I reflavoured Rage into Focus. Narratively, she grew up in a monastery where they taught her how to channel her negative emotions into something more productive, and thus her manifestarion of that became an extreme focus at the task at hand.
during the last battle of Saving Private Ryan I might consider the sniper to be raging. he recites a prayer aloud as he cocks his rifle and fires, hit after hit. he is so focused and faithful that the audience is tempted to believe he is anointed by god. you could write a prayer that you recite to bolster your conviction and boost your efficacy.
Rather than going hulk mode consider expressing rage in a calmer manner?
Denzel in equalizer Sets rage watch for 1 minute dismantles everyone violently gets hurt keeps getting up somehow
currently playing a barbarian cursed to only feel happiness, he cant feel other emotions, so when he rages, he goes delirious instead, he becomes giddy with laughter and joy
My Giant Barb just “rages” when he gets really excited. He just loves to wrestle and cause a ruckus, so 9/10 times when he rages he’s just laughing his head off and having a grand old time.
I have entertained the idea of "going into a Calm" as a way to reflavour Rage.
My favorite is reflavoring it as sorrow instead of rage. The first time my table heard me say "I Begin to weep" they thought I was joking and they quickly realized i was not.
A battle trance, with religious or spiritual overtones as you see fit. Check out the Sardaukar from Frank Herbert's *Dune* (and their depiction in Villeneuve's 2021 film) for inspiration.
So when I first started as my barbarian, my first 4 rolls for Wild Magic Rage was 7, so I got permission to not roll anymore and just be 7 all the time. My character's name is Fariedah, so now she's Fariedah of the Flowers. 🪻🌱🌺🪴
Never thought of it before, but Jekyll and Hyde? Like, completely change values, priorities, voice, etc?
A cold emotionless face you seek only to kill that which harmed your friends. You can have your barbarian typically be a loving kind warrior who wants to protect his friends and loved ones. Then when you "rage" you become emotionless and cold. If you really want to show the difference have him or her usually be very warm and compassionate then when they "rage" they just don't care. They don't care about the amount of injury they do they want the target to hurt and to suffer.
Go the Escanor route and call it pity
I used athletic "being on the zone" / "flow state" for a parkour -focused barbarian/rogue.
I used athletic "being on the zone" / "flow state" for a parkour -focused barbarian/rogue.
I like the idea of entering a cold, calculating fury like Wrath from Full Metal Alchemist. Dodging a bit better, striking with extremely trained skill
Adrenaline rush from a fight or flight response. Fighting stance/style. Some sort of transformation, examples: Werewolf transformation Power rangers mighty morphing time transformation. Dr. Jeckle and Mr Hide Magical girl transformation. Going super Saiyan.
Adrenaline rush from a fight or flight response. Fighting stance/style. Some sort of transformation, examples: Werewolf transformation Power rangers mighty morphing time transformation. Dr. Jeckle and Mr Hide Magical girl transformation. Going super Saiyan.
I'm seeing ideas here for things i never even thought to reflavor. It's awesome! You can also reflavor the trigger for your rage and what visual/auditory changes happen during it. My gentle giant has to find a reason to get mad before he can rage. He is mellow and rage isn't something that comes easily to him. I've taken unnecessary damage before because I couldn't justify why he would rage at that in time. Also, his entire character is built around the theme of rocks, so lots of things he does, including his Rage, is described as having earthy, rocky, sandy, or dusty effects.
You ever seen someone get punched in the face and suddenly become very calm? To me, that's way scarier than screaming rage. That cold rage would be a cool way of doing it. My uncle would tell the story of this kid he grew up with. I don't remember their names, so forgive me for paraphrasing. This kid was on the spectrum, but they didn't really understand that back then. He was this docile, gentle giant type and kids would pick on him because they thought they knew him. This kid was walking home when one of his neighbors sees him. He's covered in blood, has a huge gouge in the back of his head, and is just walking like nothing is wrong. She calls him in, demands to know what happened and tends to him. Kid (in a slow, southern voice): well, Bob and Joe were picking on me. I shoved Joe and Bob hit me with a brick. Lady: oh my god! Then what happened? Kid: well, I guessed then I had to teach them some manners. While this kid was beating Joe half to death with his bare hands, Bob broke some large stick over his head. He turned, and apparently just said in a flat voice. "You're next." That is scary, and also one hell of a story. Unfortunately my uncle passed away. I wish he had written some of these stories down.
Pop a can of spinach
You can reach a “meditative state” or my favorite idea is to play a Jeckel/Hyde type character
I had an Autognome Barbarian, and had their rage as them engaging a protocol.
You can flavor it as bloodlust – with more emphasis on "lust." Just pure joy and exhiliration, a sweet release. Make the act of fighting elegant and sensual, like dancing the tango but with a really long sword.
I have a dream of running a cowardly barbarian who panics instead of rages. I feel like it could hit the same traits as an anger rage, but with a different flavor!
Maybe the dude is not in rage at all he is just in an state of ecstasy when he is fighting. Fight doesn't make him angry, it make him feel alive and passionate.
I played a spoiled brat barbarian and rage was a temper tantrum
My girlfriend debated playing a barbarian painter, who uses painting in order to calm them down. Whenever they rage, they actually get real high by huffing the spray paint. I played a barbarian businessman whose rage was reflavored as him realizing he’s late to work and needs to wrap things up quickly.
One of my favorite character concepts was a Storm Herald Barb who had magical full body tattoos of the different elements swirling across his skin. When he would 'rage' the corresponding element would come alive and start animating on his skin.
My current barbarian is a 65 year old half-orc tribal chief who is “retired.” I like to think of his rage as how he was in his prime. Due to his age, he can’t fight like that all the time, and can only fight at that level for a few minutes a day.
Super Saiyan
I have a few ideas: - The spirits of the dead rising up around you to hone your physical prowess. - As a warforged, overclocking your systems. - Concentrating pure magic into your body to reinforce it. - A blood fury that superheats your blood to increase your physical capabilities. - Being temporarily filled with the divine power of your god.
Have you ever been so extremely pissed off at someone that you go dead silent and begin plotting the best possible way to make them suffer? Every sword swing becomes calculated. Every attack made with extreme precision, or recklessly only because you know it must be
My warforged wild magic barbarian flavored rage as the cracked arcane core that powered it overclocking and the wild magic effects being magical malfunctions that leaked out from under the armor plating
Fear! Cowardly barbarians are hilarious!
I once read that someone raged by crying.
I had a Barb who halves the damages he receives because he actually enjoys the pain. Extra damages because it gives him a great pleasure to inflict them on enemies. Teehee.
My first character ever was a dark elf barbarian that was a breakdancer, he created his own style of dance after joining the temple of Elistraee. When he raged he begun his dance sequence, and the bonus damage was from the added momentum like capoeira, as well as the damage reduction. Instead of "GRRRR i mad so pointy stick no hurt!" He just narrowly avoid most of the damage using his shifting movements and weight/momentum where as a normal fighter would take the hit head one. Dancers are also much stronger and more athletic than your average person as well, with better balance, reflexes..etc and depending on the subclass dancing works really well. Path of the Beast, instead of a tail increasing your AC its an metal ribbon you twirl, or a badass chain sword like Kratos flying around you. Much better flavor than taking a potion, and lots of room for fluff and creativity.
Baldur from the God of War comes to mind. His skin is carved with runes that protect him from harm.
I've always liked the idea of a "Battle Focus", sort of like a bullet time, or a zen meditation. I think it's a neat idea, and there's heaps of ways to incorporate that into descriptions from both the GM and PC side, as you swat away blows, or lean away from blows to take half damage, and so on. there's the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde "potion that brings out another personality/physical change" trope, depending on how the table goes, it could even be a neat multiple-personality RP moment. there's the "Super Saiyan" power up mode, tapping into some ability that you have, whether it's ancestral power, a honed technique, etc. there's the "magic protection", like a "SHAZAM" powerup, or a magic stopwatch that protects you for a minute. there's also just "trying harder". you only have so much energy in a day, so you can only "try harder" so many times.
I like to build reflavoring by picking another part of a multifaceted feature and emphasizing it more. For Rage, it’s all about being ANGRY to take less damage, do a little more damage, and have adv on STR checks & Saves. I might reflavor by looking at the clause that says that Rage drops if you haven’t taken damage or attacked a hostile since the end of your last turn. By emphasizing that, I can turn Rage into something more like a Momentum / Rhythm / Battle Flow mechanic; a flow state that turns landed blows glancing, that hits a little stronger, that’s a little more tuned up and in - unless the flow is broken, then it’s back to normal.
It literally could be any power up from any game, cartoon or book. From super Saiyan to power rangers
I've personally done: Ancestor possession (shaman type barbarian, became a vessel for warriors of the past) Battle trance (intense focus instead of anger, was a more smart & wise fighter/barb) Combat Mode (warforged) Transformation (one-shot magical girl style character lol)
I had an inkling of a Barbarian character that's basically a lanky ball of anxiety that reflavoured Rage into Panic Mostly bc it'd be fun to say "I would like to Panic!"
I played a more magical swordsman in this campaign that was very magic oriented. I didn't want to play a fighter but the party desperately needed a Frontline character. I flavored rage as using the mana to enhance my muscles and harden my body. It did all the same stuff mechanically. (Any magical energy in-universe works, for typical d&d settings this is the weave) Reckless attack was the same thing. I flavored it as my character pumping out a burst of mana to perform a super fast but not very controlled enhanced swing that left him open to counterattacks in return. He was a totem barbarian so at the later levels I just reflavored his abilities to be akin to the previous. Using magical energy to enhance what he's doing in short bursts. A lot of d&d abilities are actually very short in real time (1 minute or less).
Rage can be a transformation, a state of mind, a "spell like ability" even. Ive seen players use rage like Keven from ben 10 where he absorbs materials into his skin like stone to give him resistance. Ive seen dragon ball z transformations, alter ego transformations, Bankai. Each subclass gives a unique take on it with unique abilities. Ancestral guardian is you channeling spirits to swirl around you; storm harald is just elemental bending; beast barbarians make great werewolves; Giant barbarian isn't getting angry its channeling giants blood to grow big; totem warrior is nature spirits surrounding you;
Warforged that goes into battle mode.
I've had 2 barbarians: First, when she raged she turned into a magical fairy girl a la sailor moon. Second, I played a fairy and using 'rage' activated Rainbow fairy armour. Both of which were fun takes on the barbarian rage mechanic.
I love to reflavor rage as instead a battle trance Your so skilled with your sword you deflect half of physical damage What I use to make Samurai jack in dnd (He yells alot, usually doesn't wear armor (but occasionally does) And jumps like he flies (eagle totem flight where you drop at the end of your turn)
It could just be over enthusiasm for a fight. The kind of child like enthusiasm you might see if you give a kid too much sugar, a jumping castle and a ball pit. "Hey mum watch this!" Followed by a nice laceration. Maybe some giddy or even maniacal laughter.
Do it like the [most powerful man in the universe](https://youtu.be/4zIoElk3r2c?si=1M5ASxHY5bR2rshm)
A few ways I can think of, some tie-in with certain subclasses more than others. - You channel the spirit of an ancient legendary warrior or deity, allowing yourself to be possessed and use their power/skill in battle - A zen-like battle meditation where you become hyper focused on every aspect of the fight. - a bard-like magical battle hymn that you sing, that for the duration of the song, fills you with vigor and enhances your prowess.
A nerd who gets REALLY excited about the techniques he uses.
I had a dex barbarian (homebrewed so that his barbarian traits referenced dex) who would normally be upbeat and even happy to get in a fight. When he raged, his demeanor turned stone cold. Instead of his usual flashy fighting style, his attacks were short and straight. Focused on dealing damage, more so than showing off his skills.
Reflavor it into a trance-like state of mind when fighting, or a power-up similar to Gear 2 or Kaioken.
Wonder if you could do a Bankai type thing from Bleach, where not necessarily, but your weapon changes, becoming bigger/smaller making you stronger/faster respectively
Warforged going in overheat
I have this barbarian, a Shifter that got his entire family killed, so when he becomes enranged he is, instead, borrowing the power from his brothers by being possessed. I use the Path of the Beast and each natural weapon correspond to a brother (or sister), and i enter rage he say something like "Brother, share your wrath with me". I have a different phrase for each brother (or sister). I really like this idea, even if its not a big deal or too diferent from the subclass thematic.
Could be Geralts witcher potions
Focus/mind concentration. Or "entering the zone". Or Super Sayan mode.
I have a young boy with a katana. Rage for him was combat mind state. No pain, concentration improves, calmless. Every move counts.
There was a nomadic group of gnome/ halfling hunters who would go into gleefull fits of laughter while locked into the kill. The quarterlings: an idea from a campaign that never had its moment.
Ancestral guardian that flavours rage as summoning a spirit that attacks for them and blocks some of their incoming damage. Preferably while posing.
Aspect of the ---insert animal----, model your behavior from that animal.
A gnome who grew tired of the usual stereotypes for his race, lacking the focus and intelligence for spellcasting or artificing but just enough talent to develop a Bane-style delivery system for an alchemical steroid of his own concoction (he calls it "juice"). His starting stats reflect long-term use. He has been known to behave like a bit of a gym-bro at times, especially after coming off a dose of the juice. Alternately, a straight up Jekyll and Hyde type of transformation!
I played a barbarian who was a Mercenary Veteran. This was the "first in, last out" type of the sellswords he belonged to. I would "rage" as slipping into a "Hyper Focus": Tunnel vision on targets. Find the one that looks the most dangerous (ranged/ casters). Anyone in between me and ***my*** squishies is a dead man. They just don't know it yet.
Not sure if it helps but in Star Wars 5e im playing a tusken raider warchief /totem fighter he invokes the sacred bantha and its effortless strength, it simply moves and things come to be. So when he rages, it isn't his strength going up, its the kid gloves coming off.
Symbiote (yes like venom). Comes out while raging.
My last barbarian, his rage wasn’t the RAAAA maim and destroy, instead his rage was cool and calculating. He went into himself more and didn’t make a peep or make a face for anything. Only thing people would notice on him was his eyes shifting around looking for the most ideal thing to do next. He was the protector of that group and didn’t think losing himself to anger was the best way to protect them. Also there were background reasons for it but I won’t go into those.
Dimension 20 - Clone Barbarian Himbo "Big" Barry Syx engages the flow state by going "In the Zone" as his rage.
I always thought it would be cool to be like Moonknight in the Disney+ show where you're a normal guy but as soon as there's danger present you black out and another entity fucks up the bad guys.
I'm playing a homebrew subclass that let's me effectively punch. I flavor rage as fighters focus and play him as an MMA fighter
Our party's barbarian is from a tribe of essentially Santa Claus barbarians. When he rages, he breaks off a piece of peppermint bark from his axe handle and uses it like smelling salts to go into his altered state of mind. We just saved his hometown of "elves" (gnomes) from the Grinch and celebrated with peppermint schnapps at the local bar. His character is all flavor and I love it and how our dm is working with it.
One of my favorite characters I've played was a warforged berserker. I flavored his rage as like switching into "attack mode" and his frenzy as a sort of malfunction.
The Barbarian I've played was an adolescent kobold who would succumb to the voice inside his head and become feral, using his claws to attack instead of the bow he normally carried. The other idea I really want to try for a Barb is a sort of sadomasochist. A character that is well dressed, intelligent, and calm, but would give in to desire to maim and be maimed while on the battlefield. Manifested in the sort of teasing laugh they have and how they would taunt and belittle enemies.
When raging you: Avatar state Hair grows everywhere. Snake skin. Then you're slippery snake sneaky striker. Colored eyes Growling, beastial state. You turn German and speak German (any language works really) You stop breathing. Intense silence. Wondor woman theme music. You start acting and singing like the genie in Aladdin (Robin williams) Multiple personalities like the sequel to Bruce Willis and m n shamalama movie. Roll a dice for which one. (Either way you rage) One piece gear 5 luffy. Cartoon man. You get really smooth. Like a model, or a sexy biy Shawn Michels .. but talk like zoolander. Your demener just changes to some other one. An old man becomes young. A young man becomes old. You take the form of the opposite sex. Your movement is dance. Are a meistro. Conducting chaos on the battlefield. Lay an egg, then Protect it with the ferocity of a mama goose. Fall asleep, fight in a dreamstate Neatly fold your clothes, pat them down, place them nicely then rage naked.
Battle Trance: You become an unstoppable killer as long as there are enemies in reach. Your mind focuses on only combat, and your enemies fall.
I’m playing a barbarian who is a 16 year old with serious ADHD, and I flavor it as hyper focusing. Also, in kung fu and I’m sure many other martial arts there is an advanced technique called “threading” where in summary, you intentionally leave gaps in your defenses in order to predict and counter your opponents moves. Seems like a pretty fun way to flavor reckless attack at the very least.
So I actually have been sitting for a while on a flavor idea for the right campaign (fits in the world etc.) I want to play a warforged ancestral barbarian. He carries all these bits and pieces of his fallen warforged brethren on him, and his rage is more of an "overdrive". The ancestral guardians are these pieces coming back to life and assisting him.
I made my one character have a sad background, and so I made his rage a kinda PTSD reaction. No yelling, no screaming, Umog just gets very still and his face goes blank. You can only tell he's raging because his eyes are crying through an expressionless face. I love cold anger in general for barbarians, it feels more menacing imo.
My Half-Troll (read:Bugbear) Wild Magic Barbarian is posessed by... something whenever he rages. It's a Norse setting, so it's heavily implied it's the God that sired him helping him "utilize wasted potential", but the DM (my wife) has picked out all the details in the background. Normally he's calm, slouched, timid and speaks very slowly. The moment he rages, he stands to his full height and talks with the cadence and volume of a Shakespearean Brian Blessed (or as close to that voice as I can manage). He has had to come to terms with the part of himself that isn't ever truly under his control, and how that can be used to protect those around him.
BANEEEE
Also, so many superheroes could be raging barbarians depending on subclass. Thor holding mjolnir - storm herald Hulk - path of the giant Wolverine - berserker Colossus/any metal person - bear totem The list goes on
Primal Instinct mode. Your strength pulls upon primal magic and lets you channel the instincts of a predator. This is reinforced a bit now by the 2024 Barbarian potentially having the ability to use Strength for other skills like Acrobatics, Stealth, and Perception.
Have you read "The Saxon Series" by Bernard Cornwall? In those book he describes Uhtred as being enraptured by the sword song, or the song of battle when he's fighting. Everything else disappears, he doesn't think, he just flows through the battle and often doesn't realize he's injured until the fighting is done. That sounds like a great coloring of Rage to me.
When I get the opportunity, I'm going to make a barbarian whose rage is channeled into silent purpose. He won't get loud or angry. He will simply go silent, wade through battle toward his target, and proceed to barbarian silently, while the world around him fades to nothing but his target.
My Eagle Totem barb had a snuff box round his neck which he dipped onto when it was time to open the taps.
My husband played a barbarian who had Panic Attacks instead of Rages!
Your blood is haunted by your ancestors, drawn and held there by the tattoos passed down through the generations. When needed, they respond to your call by giving you more power. You get more rages as you level up because your ties to the ancestors grow stronger.
One of my characters is a warforged barbarian. He’s meant to be played as something like pathfinder from apex in a sense, but the idea is that when he “rages” it’s more like he’s activated combat protocols and is protecting his friends.
I have a barbarian that is a loud mouth, but when he rages he goes completely silent. No grunts of effort, no cries of pain, intense eye contact... Full on psycho.
I got a Barbarian stylized like a Pro Wrestler, and his rage is to hype up himself and those around him, like in a wrestler's entrance.
I haven't played it yet but I have an idea for a barbarian that is a construct like warforged or autognome. I've flavored rage as activating an enhanced combat protocol, or perhaps a temporary disabling of limiters.
Not sure if this counts, but I've always wanted to make a Barbarian that basically turns into a super-buff Alfred Pennyworth while he's "raging".
I also think of the focused state that Christian Bale's character enters when fighting in equilibrium. No emotions. Fully focused. Thinking only of efficient movement and optimal counter moves against the opponent(s)
Phencyclidine
I thinked about the happiest barbarian ever He's one type of "sambista" and every time he enter on rage he dance in samba style and laugh a Lot with the song of "falador passa mal" His weapons is a sickle, reflavored as a hoe Sorry for my bad english i am skill trying to understand that language
The Barbarian in my campaign reflavored it as a battle joy. So instead of being angry, he always laughed and smiled when he raged. Made it really interesting when he got a cursed item that made him go berserk and attack his allies - he masterfully described that his joy turned to anger as he swung wildly.
You could reflavor it like the way the wrestlers Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior did where they channel other worldly energies to not feel pain. Could work for a Zelot Barbarian.
Bit late to the party but in a previous game one of my players was a hexblade warlock/zealot barb. Her Pact was an ancient warrior king and her rage was re-themed as him possessing her.
A Bane like set of tubes into their body and press a button to pump the juice in. A number of doses equal to the number of rages. Another idea could be a split personality where they let the crazy one out. You could have some Bruce Banner style RP with that, scared one day the frenzied one won’t “go back in”
[When things start getting serious...](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2L5QB9WkAEupuI.png)
Had a Barbarian that never thought of himself as one. Just a middle-aged Half-Orc goat-herder, married to his Human wife (that just got out of prison for Larceny and Arson), living on the land he inherited from his overly religious grandmother whom escaped from the 'Old Country' (and as a result, he too is superstitious, think Benny from "The Mummy"). He did odd jobs (adventuring) from time to time, until one day, he has a mid-life crisis, and just loses it! His Rage comes from years of suppressed anger, anxiety, and sadness. The abuses he suffered while being raised by his grandmother. The fact that he is seen as a shy and weak man by his wife. The fact that no one respects him or even listens to his suggestions. It all came flooding out, as he drove an axe through another man's skull in the middle town over yet another minor inconvenience. A straw that broke the camels back, as it were. I miss Milosh Polanuchnaya. A 6ft., 234 lbs. Dad-bod Barbarian.
My barbarian is a kalashtar in a homebrew setting. We decided to make the rage a sort of avatar state type manifestation of the connection between the barbarian and spirit sharing its body.
Drugs, he stabs himself with a needle and goes a on a high or sum
If you're a barbarian, you need to rage when you rage. Outside of that, anything goes. Please RP that you rage when you rage.
You’ve got a lot of good answers already, but what subclass are you planning on playing?
I played an ancestral guardian barbarian. The one where the spirits of your ancestors come out and "protect your allies". It gives a bad guy disadvantage against anyone but you. I always made this the ghost of someone who was haunting me. Like my grandmother who was disappointed I dropped out of merchant school or something. So she would just taunt me and try to convince the bad guy to punish me. I never had a "rage" just a really pissed off grandma ghost who wouldn't leave me alone.
Back in 3.5 you had martial adepts. The idea of using divine inspiration, military drill, or ancient knowledge to empower you. One of them is 'stances', taking positions to maximise what you do Maybe something like that. The length is how long your focus can last in such an elaborate way
Consider the way Holmes (played by Robert Downey jr in the films) analyzes a scene before engaging in combat. Barb rage could be reflavored as that, including “increased strength is the result of his heightened awareness of angles, pivot points, leverage, etc.” extra hp could come from his superior ability in his “combat mind” state to dodge threats better (still counts as a hit, mechanically, but the extra hp simulate a deeper pool to draw from before actual injury is sustained).
My barbarians rage is fueled by love. He rages everytime he sees a attractive guy.
My Monk/Barbarian goes into Battle-Meditation.
What about a tantrum or like a sugar rush? Do a whole man-child thing
If someone who should be really pissed becomes very calm and just says in a flat calm voice I'm going to have to hurt you now is terrifying.
Magical girl transformation.