The Zealous Bard-barian - D&D: Optimized #71

For our D&D 5e character build this week we are creating a raging musician. An angry orator? A Skald? Enter the Bard-barian of Righteousness.

Get Randall Hampton's books here!

I'd appreciate it if you'd consider supporting the channel by becoming a member!

Follow us here:

Character Concept:(0:00)
City of Mist Unboxing!:(7:07)
Level 1:(12:16)
Levels 2-6:(21:56)
Levels 7-9:(32:57)
Levels 10-13:(38:52)
Levels 14-17:(46:27)
Final Thoughts:(51:47)
Outtakes:(56:43)

Math/Graph for this episode:

Master Nova Damage Comparison:

Music Credits:

[TreantmonksTemple]

I once played a BardBearian who was Bard 1/Moon Druid 2/Barbarian 2. Beefy of course with tons of HP and rage resistance, reckless attacks and throw out inspiration with bonus actions. Mainly though, we up our pun game with Bardbearian.

[Ramschat]

"THIS is what peak *performance* looks like, heathen"
*Riffs guitar 🎸

[zhangbill]

Character concept: a wild and strangely charismatic barbarian get recruted for a reglion outreach program, and was giving training to both be an idol and a paladin

[plemgrubern]

a great fictional example of the Bardbarian archetype is Jack Black's character in Brutal Legend (very underrated game btw)

[esbeng.s.a]

Barbarian: The bad
Bard: The good
Paladin: The ugly
Fighter: And the stupid

[Synetik]

I imagine this character being Val Hallen from Dexter's Labratory.

[starblissed]

gonna be honest, i'd flavor this character as a magical girl, where her entering rage is a shiny ball of Anime Transformation Scene

[blacktivity]

Beginning of the video: Some of the most epic rock music ever pumping you up
Also beginning of the video: One of the most relaxing voices ever relaxing you

[ryanscanlon]

For your magical secrets at the end of the build I'd take Armor of Agathis, because it upcasts nicely and combos with rage exceedingly well. My other pick is find greater steed but you already picked it

[timovandervalk]

For me as a metalhead, I imagine the nova round of this character to probably happen, when either the guitar solo or the breakdown hits hard.

Great build as always!

[scottceresa]

Excited to see your take on this. Had an idea similar with ancestral guardians and using magical secrets to do some limited necromancy. He used a bone as a mace, and a shield (drum) to beat out the heartbeats of his deceased ancestors who fought for him (like necromancy in the dresden files "polka will never die").

[BLynn]

Level 1:(see above) [barbarian 1 & race]
Level 2:(see above) [bard 1]
Level 7:(see above) [bard 6]
Level 10:(see above) [barbarian 2]
Level 14:(see above) [bard 7]

[yurirobin]

The power of the Thu'um.
A nord barbarian shouting everything with his word of power "Smite!"

I just love Skyrim.

[WexMajor]

Ode To Fury

Bellows of pain
And scraping of chains
The echoes they taunt and deceive me
Oceans of blame
And rivers of shame
The fury it never leaves me

Grief in the snow
The winter of woe
Has come here to judge and bereave me
Lock up the rage
It rattles the cage
The fury it never leaves me

Always within
To lurk in the skin
The wounds ever aching so deeply
Try as I may
To hide it away
The fury it never leaves me

Long I’ve suffered the hunger
Long I’ve silenced the cry
Long I’ve fled from the thunder
To ascend
Still I try
To carry the pain
To keep it contained till the end

Pour out the anger and hide it away
Lest it spill to the blameless and lead them to pain
In the steel and the rags I will cover the shame
So the innocent need not be judged in my name

Long I’ve suffered the hunger
Long I’ve silenced the cry
Long I’ve fled from the thunder
To ascend
Still I try
To carry the pain
To keep it contained till the end

Bellows of pain
And scraping of chains
The echoes they taunt and deceive me
Oceans of blame
And rivers of shame
The fury it never leaves me.

Gavin Dunne 2018

[waddlesquad]

Was honestly hoping you would fit in Tasha's Otherworldly Guise into this character. I know it's concentration so it wouldn't work with rage, but just imagine this character sprouting devil wings and ripping their enemies to shreds while powerwolf plays in the background and the entire battlefield is swamped in demon blood!

Optimal? No. Metal? Metal.

[emthatyourefuse]

I was kicking ideas back and forth earlier for an ancient Roman campaign, and suddenly realized this would be an *incredible* build to re-flavor as a bacchante (i.e. a cultist of the god of wine, song, and ripping people to shreds in orgiastic mystery rites).

[TheRobversion]

Cool! The old music is back!!!

Hopefully you have options for shipping outside the US for the merch.

Agreed on barbarian. Its best to just invest 2-3 levels of barb and multiclass out..

[cherry_buzzsaw]

Aid is a great option for this character. It's both: support and survive perspective. And it has great scale potential!

[duncanohio]

Randall Hampton's portraits should be the episode covers on Spotify. His work really adds something to the feel, and I would love to see it on my phone as I listen!

[dbrandow]

My theory was Creation Bard, using some spell slots for Animating Performance, which both does damage and grants advantage. He’s a Dragonborn with a belt of dwarvenkind, making him a Bearded Dragonborn Bardbarian.

Spells: Fire Shield (nope, not a concentration spell), Destructive Wave (great spell, plus it’s very thematic)