Path of the Ancestors
As Balgrim raged, he called upon his ancestors, feeling their strength flow into his limbs, as he began a terrifying dance of death across the battlefield…
Balgrim, Path of the Ancestors Barbarian
While other barbarians lose themselves to their fury, the Path of the Ancestors channels the power of the ancient spirits of a tribe through rage. When the rage takes you, the spirits of the ancients flow through your body, granting you their strength and wisdom. Barbarians on the Path of the Ancestors are often leaders, or respected advisors, with the strength to bring greater tempers to heel.
Building a Path of the Ancestors Barbarian
Once they have entered a rage, these barbarians are difficult to stop, thanks to the strength imbued in them by their ancestors:
Wisdom of the Ancients grants you advantage on Wisdom saving throws while raging.
Spiritual Leader allows you to cast the spell Calm Emotions once per short rest.
Wrath of the Ancients empowers your weapons to deal additional psychic damage while raging.
Unfettered Soul makes you nearly unstoppable while raging, granting you the effects of the Freedom of Movement spell.
With these abilities, the Path of Ancestors barbarian is able to resist many effects that might incapacitate other barbarians, such as Hold Person, Slow, or Polymorph. Spiritual Leader allows you to turn what might otherwise be a combat scenario into a diplomatic one. And with Wrath of the Ancients and Unfettered Soul, you become a true terror on the battlefield, dealing additional psychic damage with each attack, in addition to your bonus rage damage, and cannot be slowed by difficult terrain or magical spells, nor can you be paralyze or restrained. Together, these abilities make you not only a formidable foe on the battlefield, but also an occasional peacemaker when emotions run high.
As with all classes, any race is suitable for playing a Path of the Ancestors barbarian, but there are certain races that mesh particularly well with their capabilities. The Half-Orc’s abilities, Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks can enhance both your defensive and offensive capabilities. Meanwhile, the breath weapon of Dragonborn can provide you a way to deal area-of-effect damage that you might otherwise be lacking in.
Roleplaying Tips
When playing a Path of the Ancestors barbarian, your roleplaying decisions will most likely be influenced by your relationship with your ancestors, and the nature of their personalities. Were they bloodthirsty marauders, or noble warriors? When you commune with them, do you they advise you to throw caution to the wind and face death head on, or to take a more cautious approach? You shouldn’t turn to them for every minor decision you make, but that relationship will likely influence most of your decisions to some extent. When it comes to roleplaying with your fellow adventurers, consider how your ancestors might view your actions, and if the party finds themselves in dire straits, remember that you can call upon the wisdom of those ancestors to temper emotions, and potentially avoid a lethal encounter. You might also find that you make a natural leader for the party, guiding them through their most perilous decisions. As far as backgrounds, nomad makes for a great option, if you like the idea of being from a travelling barbarian tribe. You could also have left your tribe and joined up as a mercenary recruit, channeling the rage of your ancestors wherever the coin is greatest. Whatever your background, consider asking yourself what brought you to seek out the aid of an adventuring party, and why your ancestors sent you down this particular path.
How to Access this Content
The Path of the Ancestors was created by our partners at Kobold Press, and it is one of the many subclasses available to subscribers, along with others like the Soulspy or the College of Entropy, as well as races such as the Shade or Spindrift Dwarf. Build your own Necrophagy wizard and tell us about it in the comments below or on any of our social channels. Join us on on Discord, Reddit or Facebook to meet other members of the community and take your game to the next level, or follow us on Twitter @shardtabletop for regular updates.
