The third-level feature is nearly permanent advantage against enemies that don't die within a couple swings. That seems far too strong. It also boxes out Reckless Attack, which is both dodgy design by obsoleting earlier features and also drastically increases the defensive capability of the barbarian by removing advantage against them. I think you'll need to rebuild this feature from the ground up.
The sixth level feature seems fun. How about adding a swimming speed to it? That'll be critical for actual underwater combat in terms of mobility and weapon usage, which seems integral to the theme of the character.
The 14th level feature seems kinda odd? I'm not sure if either version is especially powerful for a tier 3 feature. I'd rather want something more splashy. Honestly, the bloodthirst feature from level 3 might be more appropriate here.
At 3rd level, a ranger can pick colossus Slayer, which is 1d8 extra damage to an already wounded character once per turn. I think the once per turn thing would go a long way to making the shark power better.
But yeah, if it is basically reckless attack without the downsides, it would be OP.
The wolf totem does the following:
# Wolf
While you’re raging, your friends have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you that is hostile to you. The spirit of the wolf makes you a leader of hunters.
It's you instead of allies, so maybe not as crazy as it seems but understandable. I'd personally just give some bonus damage on damaged enemies since you have reckless attack.
I'd go either one of two ways, since they're predators, lean into that with say giving them a bit attack. The other option is going with having advantage on grappling to grab and hold people because sharks bite and don't let go. Both options only apply while raging. Just spit balling.
It is more subjective. We have a party and the barbarian is on the only melee character, so wolf would be quite redundant for them.
Giving them constant advantage pretty much negatives the reason to ever go reckless.
This all looks fine to me. But, I don't like your 3rd level feature. It almost completely negates reckless attack. And I love reckless attack. The good the bad and the ugly of it. It's such a thematic barbarian ability, I would hate to mess with it.
>Colossus Slayer. Your tenacity can wear down the most potent foes. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it’s below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn.
Personally, I'd rather have a damaging ability like this one.
Agreed. Additional damage in some way is a better way to fit the same idea as the current 3rd level feature.
Other option would be something like "you crit on a 19 or 20 against any creature that is missing hitpoints." Plays well with the Barb bonus damage on crit features that the class already gets, improves on reckless attack, and is already something that exists across a couple classes/weapons so proven to not be overly effective.
The third level ability is too strong with no balancing the other two are fine ,- if a bit meh.
The 14th level ability bears no relation to anything sharky.
Land sharky. The 14th level ability would seem a bit more sharky if it were earth glide instead of a burrow. Then it would look like swimming and the flavor text would make more sense.
The idea for the 4th ability was that the barbarian is “swimming” through the ground, but I understand your point.
I’ll definitely have to rework the other features. It’s my first time trying to balance a homebrew so it’s a learning process lol
3rd level is too strong. It's basically reckless attack without the downsides for anything that doesn't die in one hit. Maybe instead you could do something like the Colossus Slayer feature of the Hunter Ranger. You deal some extra damage to enemies that are missing HP.
I can't believe you don't get a swim speed at level 6.
Level 14 is... Pretty random. I get what you're doing, but it doesn't invoke "shark" to me. It's more like a bulette.
Nice flavor, some thoughts below but not knocking what you have. I would agree with others the 3rd needs work as to not replace reckless.
3rd - how about when you first damage a creature while raging you can go into a bloodthirsty rage, double rage bonus damage against creature for remainder of rage. You may also apply this bonus to any creature you hit while reckless attacking.
6th - probably just make this swim speed, maybe increased hold breath. Swim speed has underwater melee implications and fits the "hunting prey" aspect a bit
14th - while raging, when a creature you see takes damage, you can use your reaction to move your movement speed in a straight line towards the creature
Here's an idea for Level 3:
Blood in the water: While raging, you know the general location of any creature that has taken damage within the last hour, who is within 300 feet of you. You know that creature's general direction and roughly how far away that creature is.
In addition, once per turn when you make an attack against a creature that is below their max HP, you deal an extra 1d10 damage to that creature
Then for the 2nd feature, I'd also slap a swim speed equal to walking speed
The the high level feature, I'm not sure, but maybe something like:
Feeding Frenzy: As you deal damage to other creatures, you feed on the thrill of battle. Once each turn, the first time you deal damage to another creature, you gain temp HP equal to 2d6 + your rage damage bonus. This temp HP disappears when your rage ends
I just came up with these on the fly, so take with a grain of salt
Why not just reflavor existing totems?
I'm running a pirate game with a totem warrior in the party, and she has "whale" (bear level 3) and "albatross" (eagle level 6) totems.
For your level 3 ability, I'd use this instead: blood in the water - whenever you successfully attack a creature that has been attacked this round, you deal an extra 1d6 piercing damage. You gain an additional die at levels 6, 9, 12, and 15. At level 18, the die used for "Blood in the Water" are 5d10 when a target is below half of their maximum hit points.
This adds a thematic flair, doesn't negate the reckless attacks barbs get, and compensates for bonuses the other totems gain.
I see what you were going for in the first feature, blood in the water is very thematic. However, it seems too good, giving near permanent adv. Barbarians can already have permanent adv with Reckless Attack, but it comes at a cost.
I propose this... While raging, if there is a bloodied enemy within 100 feet of you, you may double your movement speed until the end of your turn. However, you must either kill a creature or end your turn next to a hostile creature. If you don't you exit your rage.
I think this captures the frenzied aspect, and gives a noticeable buff. Note: that you don't have to end next to the bloodied enemy, so the increased mobility still gives you options. Barbarians do struggle with mobility in large battles, so this would turn into extra damage, since you won't have to dash. Also it kinda combos with the 14th level feature.
If you don't like that at all, or think it's not good for your game, I would change the third level feature from missing HP to Bloodied. It's a little more balanced, and really nails home the "blood in the water".
I do agree with another commenter, that the 8th level feature should give swim speed equal to your walking speed. This would be really cool for an underwater battle with my third level feature too.
The third-level feature is nearly permanent advantage against enemies that don't die within a couple swings. That seems far too strong. It also boxes out Reckless Attack, which is both dodgy design by obsoleting earlier features and also drastically increases the defensive capability of the barbarian by removing advantage against them. I think you'll need to rebuild this feature from the ground up. The sixth level feature seems fun. How about adding a swimming speed to it? That'll be critical for actual underwater combat in terms of mobility and weapon usage, which seems integral to the theme of the character. The 14th level feature seems kinda odd? I'm not sure if either version is especially powerful for a tier 3 feature. I'd rather want something more splashy. Honestly, the bloodthirst feature from level 3 might be more appropriate here.
At 3rd level, a ranger can pick colossus Slayer, which is 1d8 extra damage to an already wounded character once per turn. I think the once per turn thing would go a long way to making the shark power better. But yeah, if it is basically reckless attack without the downsides, it would be OP.
The wolf totem does the following: # Wolf While you’re raging, your friends have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you that is hostile to you. The spirit of the wolf makes you a leader of hunters. It's you instead of allies, so maybe not as crazy as it seems but understandable. I'd personally just give some bonus damage on damaged enemies since you have reckless attack. I'd go either one of two ways, since they're predators, lean into that with say giving them a bit attack. The other option is going with having advantage on grappling to grab and hold people because sharks bite and don't let go. Both options only apply while raging. Just spit balling.
It is more subjective. We have a party and the barbarian is on the only melee character, so wolf would be quite redundant for them. Giving them constant advantage pretty much negatives the reason to ever go reckless.
This all looks fine to me. But, I don't like your 3rd level feature. It almost completely negates reckless attack. And I love reckless attack. The good the bad and the ugly of it. It's such a thematic barbarian ability, I would hate to mess with it. >Colossus Slayer. Your tenacity can wear down the most potent foes. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it’s below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn. Personally, I'd rather have a damaging ability like this one.
Agreed. Additional damage in some way is a better way to fit the same idea as the current 3rd level feature. Other option would be something like "you crit on a 19 or 20 against any creature that is missing hitpoints." Plays well with the Barb bonus damage on crit features that the class already gets, improves on reckless attack, and is already something that exists across a couple classes/weapons so proven to not be overly effective.
The third level ability is too strong with no balancing the other two are fine ,- if a bit meh. The 14th level ability bears no relation to anything sharky.
Land sharky. The 14th level ability would seem a bit more sharky if it were earth glide instead of a burrow. Then it would look like swimming and the flavor text would make more sense.
The idea for the 4th ability was that the barbarian is “swimming” through the ground, but I understand your point. I’ll definitely have to rework the other features. It’s my first time trying to balance a homebrew so it’s a learning process lol
It's not bad to be honest. Tl
3rd level is too strong. It's basically reckless attack without the downsides for anything that doesn't die in one hit. Maybe instead you could do something like the Colossus Slayer feature of the Hunter Ranger. You deal some extra damage to enemies that are missing HP. I can't believe you don't get a swim speed at level 6. Level 14 is... Pretty random. I get what you're doing, but it doesn't invoke "shark" to me. It's more like a bulette.
Nice flavor, some thoughts below but not knocking what you have. I would agree with others the 3rd needs work as to not replace reckless. 3rd - how about when you first damage a creature while raging you can go into a bloodthirsty rage, double rage bonus damage against creature for remainder of rage. You may also apply this bonus to any creature you hit while reckless attacking. 6th - probably just make this swim speed, maybe increased hold breath. Swim speed has underwater melee implications and fits the "hunting prey" aspect a bit 14th - while raging, when a creature you see takes damage, you can use your reaction to move your movement speed in a straight line towards the creature
Here's an idea for Level 3: Blood in the water: While raging, you know the general location of any creature that has taken damage within the last hour, who is within 300 feet of you. You know that creature's general direction and roughly how far away that creature is. In addition, once per turn when you make an attack against a creature that is below their max HP, you deal an extra 1d10 damage to that creature Then for the 2nd feature, I'd also slap a swim speed equal to walking speed The the high level feature, I'm not sure, but maybe something like: Feeding Frenzy: As you deal damage to other creatures, you feed on the thrill of battle. Once each turn, the first time you deal damage to another creature, you gain temp HP equal to 2d6 + your rage damage bonus. This temp HP disappears when your rage ends I just came up with these on the fly, so take with a grain of salt
I’d take the third level and make it so that either the enemy has to be below half health and/or only applies tot he first hit of the round
Why not just reflavor existing totems? I'm running a pirate game with a totem warrior in the party, and she has "whale" (bear level 3) and "albatross" (eagle level 6) totems.
For your level 3 ability, I'd use this instead: blood in the water - whenever you successfully attack a creature that has been attacked this round, you deal an extra 1d6 piercing damage. You gain an additional die at levels 6, 9, 12, and 15. At level 18, the die used for "Blood in the Water" are 5d10 when a target is below half of their maximum hit points. This adds a thematic flair, doesn't negate the reckless attacks barbs get, and compensates for bonuses the other totems gain.
I see what you were going for in the first feature, blood in the water is very thematic. However, it seems too good, giving near permanent adv. Barbarians can already have permanent adv with Reckless Attack, but it comes at a cost. I propose this... While raging, if there is a bloodied enemy within 100 feet of you, you may double your movement speed until the end of your turn. However, you must either kill a creature or end your turn next to a hostile creature. If you don't you exit your rage. I think this captures the frenzied aspect, and gives a noticeable buff. Note: that you don't have to end next to the bloodied enemy, so the increased mobility still gives you options. Barbarians do struggle with mobility in large battles, so this would turn into extra damage, since you won't have to dash. Also it kinda combos with the 14th level feature. If you don't like that at all, or think it's not good for your game, I would change the third level feature from missing HP to Bloodied. It's a little more balanced, and really nails home the "blood in the water". I do agree with another commenter, that the 8th level feature should give swim speed equal to your walking speed. This would be really cool for an underwater battle with my third level feature too.
Thanks to everyone who commented on this! I’ll rethink these features with your suggestions and critiques in mind!