Barbarians in barbarian's skills in tabletop D&D can be mixed with other classes to great results. A creatively designed cross-class barbarian can be a strong and entertaining character.
In Dungeons & Dragons, every class has a specific niche that they play in the party, and barbarians are intended to be frontline combatants. With their high health, talent with heavy weapons, and rage ability, they are designed to fearlessly tear into enemies, especially with their higher-level upgrades. In addition to its high rewards in combat, barbarians also open up a lot of roleplay options. Since barbarians usually come from the savage wilderness or other such backgrounds, there is a lot of potential with them character-wise. They could be a fierce leader who runs on instinct, a fish out of water in an urbane setting, and everything in between. A unique idea for a Dungeons & Dragons barbarian can elevate them into something magical, sometimes literally.
A barbarian's talents are generally most useful in combat, but players can find more roles for them in the party via cross-classing. Some of these ideas may sound counter-intuitive at first, but almost any combination in Dungeons & Dragons can work for a sufficiently creative player. When a player gets creative with a barbarian in particular, some interesting ideas can come forth.
A Barbarian Rogue Can Be The Most Brutal Thief In D&D
It's hard to imagine the roles of barbarians and rogues in a party being more different. Barbarians are supposed to be up front, tanking hits and dishing out damage. Meanwhile, the rogue should be sneaking around and fishing for a super effective sneak attack. These two fighting styles seem completely incompatible, but it's possible to find some synergy between them. Rogue/Fighter is a powerful D&D build, but a barbarian rogue can be just as effective.
A barbarian being as dexterous as a rogue is not outside the realm of possibility, since they need some finesse to fight effectively. In addition, it's also entirely believable that a barbarian could share a rogue's thieving skills. After all, living in a harsh area could make them deft at moving carefully and silently, or perhaps they make a living by covertly robbing caravans without being detected. In combat, this barbarian would be an ambusher. They would leap out at unaware enemies for a devastating opening blow from their axe, leaving them weak for the party to pick off.
Much like D&D's worst class/race combination, a barbarian rogue is a collection of contradictions, but a good one. Even beyond sneak attacks, a barbarian rogue can use their skills to deftly avoid danger. In addition, they would also have the major advantage of being a rogue with enough bulk to stay in the heat of the fight even after pulling off a sneak attack or losing stealth. The ability to drop a powerful warrior with a huge weapon into the fight out of nowhere is one that would benefit many parties, and a good argument for giving a barbarian a few rogue levels.
A Barbarian Monk Can Be A Disciplined Destruction Machine
Barbarians and Monks in Dungeons & Dragons both share the role of being straightforward physical fighters. The classes have completely different stereotypes, though. Barbarians are wild and raging, while monks are calm and disciplined. By combining the two, one could practically create a new subclass of Dungeons & Dragons monk.
The biggest advantage that a monk gains from barbarian levels is its improved unarmed strike. No longer does a barbarian need a weapon to wreak havoc when they can merely use their fists. In addition, a monk's powers give a barbarian plenty of extra options. They can bolster their large HP pool by healing during a fight, or use a flurry of blows to continuously land crushing blows on their enemies. As for roleplaying, there are a few ways to justify this combination. On such idea could lean heavily on the combination of the two classes, with the barbarian learning to control their anger through discipline and meditation. Another such idea could be a bare-fisted barbarian whose enthusiasm for fighting grants them monk-like abilities through their pursuit of unarmed combat mastery.
D&D 5e's monks aren't necessarily overpowered, but they have a lot of strength regardless. A monk's myriad abilities combined with a barbarian's fast movement and stat-enhancing rage are a dangerous combination. Ironically, these classes combined might be one of Dungeons & Dragons' strongest frontline fighters.
A Barbarian Sorcerer Can Mix Damage & Magical Mayhem
The jobs of barbarians and sorcerers rarely, if ever intersect. Barbarians are the hardiest class, while sorcerers are the frailest. Barbarians jump into the heart of battle, while sorcerers sling spells from afar. However, even these two classes can coexist in the same character. With the right mindset, a sorcerer bard could be a serious threat greater than the sum of its parts, and a way to make Dungeons & Dragons sorcerers better.
Sorcerers don't need refined training or spellbooks, so finding a way to incorporate a sorcerer's magic into a barbarian's background wouldn't be too difficult. The more interesting part of the combination come in mixing the sorcerer's spells with barbarian gameplay. There are some obvious tricks like using Change Size to make the barbarian gigantic before a fight, but other tricks exist as well. For example, Booming Blade becomes much more useful, as an affected melee attack forces the opponent to remain in place or take damage. This can lock them into remaining in melee combat with the likely stronger barbarian. The fact that it's a cantrip that can be used repeatedly only makes the combination better.
There is a significant sacrifice in this multiclass, as the Barbarian will need to trade a few huge barbarian hit dice with some tiny sorcerer ones on level-up. However, the addition of spells that can break Dungeons & Dragons is more than worh the trade-off. This extra magical push could make a barbarian sorcerer something to be truly feared.
Barbarians in Dungeons & Dragons are already a lot of fun to play as a class. By adding in elements of another class, especially one that might not look like a great fit at first glance, a good player can make an amazing new character. Dungeons & Dragons rewards innovation, and a cross-classed barbarian can pay off handsomely.
