03/22/2024

We continue with the new classes from Into the Shadowlands from House DM. It looks like I will be doing these classes in groups of two so there should be 2 more posts then we can look at some of the other new items in the book like spells, etc.

The Barbarian Class

“Nomadic warriors draped in furs, muscled brutes, or just someone who wants to wield a big-ass
axe. Death doesn’t come easily to you, except when dealing it yourself.”

Barbarians have access to all melee weapons and light armor (no shields).

Barbarians have 3 features: Brutal Strikes, Berserker’s Might, and Relentless.

Brutal Strikes means the Barbarian can add 1+ STR to damage rolls when using two-handed, thrown, or versatile weapons. (I am guessing it is the STR modifier, not STR score!)

Berserker’s Might means the Barbarian gets Advantage on all non-attack STR checks.

Relentless is a feature that allows the Barbarian to roll a DC 9 CON check when reduced to 0 HP. If they succeed, the Barbarian goes to 1 HP and the DC increases by 1. The DC will reset to 9 after a rest.

Overall Take: The Barbarian is a brutal combatant, but a little overpowered. The Brutal Strikes feature adds a lot of damage to the Barbarian but the Fighter with Weapon Mastery gets a similar boost to damage (and attack rolls too!) Relentless is better than the 5E resistance to melee damage but still a little much. In a game where the HP is low, being able to keep standing after you should have fallen is a big deal. DC 9 isn’t hard to hit and it only goes up by one for each success until you rest. As an option to fix this, I might add that when the combat is over, the Barbarian then drops to 0 HP as the adrenaline of the combat runs out.

The Druid Class

“Wild speakers, storm callers, and primordial shamans who act as stewards of land, water,
and sky.”

Druids get a limited selection of simple weapons and can use light armor and wood shields.

Druids know the Primordial and Druidic languages to start. They also can identify all plants and animals from their native plane of existence and can discern pure water.

Druids get 3 features: Naturalist, Wild Form, and Spellcasting.

Naturalist gets the Druid Advantage when rolling checks for tracking, foraging, navigation, and wild animals.

Wild Form gives the Druid free access to the Wild Form spell.

Druids are spellcasters and get a new spell list. They use WIS as their spellcasting ability.

Overall Take: I like the Druid. The Wild Form is very weak for combat, usable only as a utility spell but that isn’t a bad thing. I think I would try to keep a party from having a druid and a ranger at the same time. Both of those classes fill the same role in the wilderness and it would make each one a little less valuable.

Keep on gaming!