A good monster for your Psiclaw tribe to pattern themselves on is the Umber Hulk, a classic D&D baddie that is known for having massive claws and a level of psychic affinity. They have been core monsters to D&D for some time now and thus would be pretty reasonable for a barbarian tribe with psionic tendencies to emulate.
I think you just barely missed out on my absolute favorite bit of synergy between these two classes. Level 6 of Beast Barbarian (in addition to a 4th rage per day) gives you the option to increase your jump distance by the result of an athletics check. Given your probable Expertise in Athletics and eventual reliable talent, this character can also just do a standing high jump over 25 feet straight up, no action required. Peak performance is a running long jump that covers 57 feet, which you can actually make by taking a cunning action dash and still take the attack action at the end. The imagery of starting a fight, raging, and literally pouncing like 30 feet from a total standstill onto an enemy and mauling them is just fabulous.
Colby, these videos are like therapy and you’re one of my favorite content creators on the platform. Just hearing you say “welcome home” every video and then “Deep Diving” into the character build is a one two combo that, as Todd Howard says, “just works”. Thanks for all the hard work, creativity, humor, and fun you bring in every video!
☠️ We are ALWAYS watching. But yeah I love this build but wish it could benefit from more. Honestly, Gem Dragonborn thematically fits as a race so well here, I think. The psychic blades mixed with the physical claws of a dragon is just so amazing to me.
In the 90’s there was a series about Psylock and Wolverine had a daughter with psychic claws named Wildthing. Edit: She was the daughter of Wolverine and Elektra. She learned her psychic skills from her Aunt Psylock.
@@DrAndrewJBlack @OathboundHero Honestly, Dragon themed Barbarians sounds like an incredibly fun time. The beast barbarian combined with feats like Gift of the Chromatic Dragon, and maybe multiclassing with monk just to sneak in some more attacks with your bonus action. Or just be a Minotaur and reflavor your horns as dragon horns, giving yourself a bonus action horn attack! Or a dhampir, with a powerful bite attack! (The healing can be twice as good as well if you are raging!) Vampire dragon anybody?
Our table made a homebrew feat that let's a dual wielder take a -5 to hit to make a dual strike, where you hit with both weapons at the same time (using only the higher hit modifier and damage modifer of the 2 weapons). Pretty decent with regular weapons, but the potential goes through the roof if you have magic weapons.
@@Fr4nZeR yeah, it also has the dual wielder feat and the two weapon fighting style built in, because my DM and I both agreed that you shouldn't need to go on a scavenger hunt to find all the little ways to make dual wielding viable. So if it seems too strong, just remove those parts. "You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits: •You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light. •When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. •You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one. This means you can stow one weapon and draw another in the same time you would usually stow a weapon. •When you make an attack while wielding two weapons, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll to attempt to strike with both weapons simultaneously. Roll once to hit, using the higher modifier, but roll damage for both weapons. •You can use your reaction to assume a defensive stance, granting +2 to your AC until the start of your next turn.
@@carsonlake3842 Ok. Say I have 2 regular longswords and I'm a lvl 5 fighter with 16 str. I can use my two attacks and my bonus action attack to make 3 of these power attacks for a total of 6d8+18 (2d8+6 each). At a +1 to hit. Is that correct?
@@Fr4nZeR well, I don't think you could actually make 3 dual strikes. I dont think the dual strike should activate two weapon fightings bonus action attack. And if you rule that it does, I don't think the bonus action attack would be a dual strike. I would rule that you can make one dual strike + one normal attack + TWF bonus attack OR two dual strikes. I was playing a swashbuckler rogue w/booming blade when we made this feat so I guess we never had to ask these questions really haha
I'd personally go with Plasmoid. The prospect of entering a locked room via the keyhole and then proceeding to grapple everyone and kick all kinds of ass without any equipment whatsoever is something I've been brainstorming ideas about since i read about them in UA, and this seems like the perfect opportunity for it.
I'd like to see your take on a Battle Master multiclass that focuses on lots of different ways to manipulate foes in combat via forced movement and status effects (like shoving and/or pulling, tripping, fear effects, impose disadvantage, etc) to give them more to do in combat than just attack to deal damage and make martial fighting more fun and versatile.
These thumbnails just keep getting better and better! Dual weapon fighting is such an iconic style, it’s a shame that even after all these years of 5e, it still takes so much work to make it even come close to just using a greatsword or a bow. But I look forward to hearing you use it to the fullest extent!
My first thought with regards to tying the two classes together is to theme the bestial shifting as biokinesis, wrapping everything into the psychic side of things.
Very clever build. Way to turn the malus of only being able to claw once per turn and only being able to psychic blades once per turn and making it work for you. Hats off.
☠ Soulknife is one of the classes I would really love to play sometime. Thematically, seems very cool and fun. I'm glad Wizards is looking at ways to fix Two Weapon Fighting in One D&D!
@@bz7672 loosing the +1 to all unarmed strikes stinks but that bonus action is nice if you're caught up in an entangle or something that limits your close combat. 15ft reach and 1d6 added to every attack is nice. I play an elemental monk with fangs of the fire snake and my DM hates me
So I'm playing a character similar to this- a path of the Beast barbarian (level 6). My utilization of the bonus action isn't Psi Claws, it's Tavern Brawler, I then combine my Jump 6th level feature with my Tabaxi speed boost to jump into the air and drop the enemy. After just trying this out for the first time, we rolled a random treasure and we got a ring of Jumping.... I haven't even begun to calculate the mayhem I can cause with this now! Anyhow, given me some food for thought, I hadn't considered Rogue previously; my intent was to go Ranger for spells that increase my movement speed.
Am I the only one that likes to think of the Beast Barbarian subclass as THE subclass for all the beastial races, like Leonin or Lizardfolk? I mean, they already have claws, fangs, and a tail. It really makes that character seem like just a beast and not lycan, and I love that.
I found the time for another marathon of these builds!! Starting with the newest ones going backwards! Love the content, your ideas for builds always inspire the characters I make! Keep it up Colby!!! ❤
Flavor your blades as claws that manifest over your regular claws. First attack is regular claw, then your other hand grows psionic claws for the second attack, which empowers your first attack hand with psionic claws for a third attack, then you finish with the depowered hand used in the second attack. Also, flavor the thrown blades like you shot a claw out. This character isnt going to be a front line fighter but it will be more of a utility skirmisher. Especially if you take the mobility feat. Berserker Barrage in and through.
☠. I never miss them. In addition, this has also made it to the top of my next playable list. Perfect balance between optimization, creativity, and flavour. Amazing!
Barbarian 6 seems really crucial for this build to make sure your claws do damage to all creatures. Also you get a pretty cool jumping ability that works really well with your crazy athletics skill.
☠️ - I ALWAYS watch the outtakes. This character concept might be my favorite so far. Can’t wait to hit my player’s warforged battle smith artificer with 4 attacks!
I said I was excited when I saw the teaser for this build, and I was NOT let down! This build may not have the most damage but it does look so fun to play and it will be a character I play at some point, though not any time soon since I am currently playing a rune knight fighter/bear totem barbarian build. edit: ☠because I was told to do it at the end of the video.
Another thing about this build is that the bonus action Psychic Blades attack only does 1d4+strength damage, so if you already provided sneak attack with the Psychic Blade attack from Extra Attack, spending your bonus action to use Cunning Action, or to shift as a Shifter may very well be worth it.
My favourite race for beast barbarian is Tabaxi. If you can find some way of getting the jump spell (feat, multiclass or ally) then you can use the 6th lvl jumping feature, feline agility and athletics expertise to jump like 100ft+ into the air. Imagine jumping into the air and grappling a flying target so you both fall to the ground.
The best part is right before the vid begins and my mind is flooded with ideas on what he's gonna have for us. Edit- A few minutes in, and this is going to be FASCINATING to revisit after the OneD&D changes to dual wielding.
"shoot claws that grow back later" There was a thing for that in earlier editions. There were mechanics for "fleshgrafting", and one of teh options for it was a "fiendish claw". It dealt 1d6 slashing damage? I think. It worked as a natural weapon, and you could fire off your 3 nails, using "magic missile" as a supernatural ability, once a day.
In my game, I had a player who was a Beast Barbarian/Brutality Monk(homebrew subclass I made where he can spend Ki to take damage, which buffs his attacks) and I remembered thinking of all the items I could have given him. He was a Leonin from a tribe that worshipped the Dawnfather, and eventually he got a tribal horn from ancients past that gave him some crazy abilities. One of them was getting 1d8 radiant damage... on EVERY attack. I was fully aware of how strong it would be(barb 3/monk 17 after all) and so making 3 claw attacks + 2 unarmed strikes as a bonus action was an insane damage bump for him. They were in Tier 4 after all, they were all OP. Edit: oh and I forgot, ☠
very cool video love the character concept, just want to point out the psychic blades ability says "Whenever you take the attack action, you can manifest a psychic blade from your free hand and make THE attack with that blade."
I've actually been theory crafting a character like this, except instead of Rouge levels, I'm multiclassing into the Homebrew Pugilist class with Squared Circle subclass to become a ferocious grapple beast
I started adopting this build for a campaign I'm in, and I want to propose a couple updates to it that I think are pretty powerful and fun, but still keep the mechanical concept in mind. I imagine a noble that was cursed, turning him into a beast, and as he becomes more ferral, his body becomes more rotted start fighter 1, and take two weapon fighting (if you dm won't let you use your claw as a light weapon, then take a level in monk at second level, and take defensive fighting at level 1. You will take a hit to your AC doing this, because you won't be able to wear plate armor, but for the sake of numbers....) take barb 5, and get your subclass, and take slasher feat. take 2 levels of circle of spores druid. This gives you 1d6 on every attack roll, which is 4 per turn at this level (8), and gives you a reliable thing to use your reaction for even if 2d4 is pretty small, it's something. take fighter 3, and take champion. Yes, this is boring, but you already have reckless attack, and a huge + to hit, so the crits at 19 are just so powerful At this point, we go back to barb and take it to lvl 9. This will get you magical attacks on your claws, so you get around the resistances, and it will give you brutal critical. take 1 more level of fighter if you want for the asi. you may be able to make the case to your DM that unarmed fighting should count for your claws, although this build is still strong without this. If you can get this though, your damage increases a lot. if your dm allows this, I would even consider taking this at barbarian 8, and then maxing strength, just so you can get more use out of brutal critical At this point, you are level 14, and can go a few routes for your last 2 levels. You can either continue in barb, to get some utility with relentless rage and infectious attack, or you can take 2 more in druid to get your wildshapes to return on a short rest, which makes your damage much more sustainable. You may notice I took slasher at lvl 5, and not with custom lineage. This is because I think there are 2 better options for race. Either take bugbear, mainly for the reach, but if you ever do get initiative over someone else, you will pretty much one shot them, or take shifter, so you can nullify the advantage enemies get on you because of reckless attack. I think both of these options are both thematically better than custom lineage, but also mechanically more powerful. as for magic items, if you can get your hands on an insignia of claws.... This version of the build still gets the 4 attacks, except you can also action surge to get 5 if you ever get to use your bugbear surprise attack, (assuming you rage as a bonus action) so you have pretty decent nova damage options. This also gives you a much better damage scale, as you will consistently increase in damage throughout the game, instead of the psyclaw falling off after like 11.
Amazing video as always, I love that despite being the "slave to the spreadsheet" type, not every new sustained DPR build has to top the last one on the spreadsheet and you're just as content a hundred plus episodes later making something that sits near the bottom but would be really fun to play. One quick note about something you said in Final Thoughts: The psychic blades can only be manifested by taking the Attack action, so another PC allowing you to get a reaction attack wouldn't allow you to get Sneak Attack damage because those abilities say you can "make one weapon attack", not take the Attack action.
I understand that Colby wants to hone in on the *sustained* dpr for this build but I would probably start taking levels on fighter at level 9 to get action surge and maybe add some other damage dealing elements like rune Rune Knight
On an asside, you got me curious about a build: Start with a C Lineage (with Crossbow Expert) Rogue wielding two hand crossbows. Then complete it with Sharpshooter, a pair of +3 hand crossbows, and +3 bolts. Now you have a dual wielding gunslinger with two 1d6+16 cannons before Sneak Attack.
Always love your videos! Your voice is very soothing, yet your enthusiasm is at the same time invigorating. Also, I enjoy the outtakes (☠️) and your sense of humor. Have a blessed day!
The beast I have come to mind for this build would be a panther. I imagine this character sitting in a tree, or above in general, patiently waiting to launch their ferocity on their prey. As always, love your videos and keep up the wonderful work!
Back in 3.5, TWF had a string of feats to demonstrate advancing skill with the offhand weapon so you could basically always have an equal or at worst -1 number of attacks with the offhand compared to the main hand (which number of attacks was not tied to class but to an attack bonus that was not exclusive to any class so there were tons of builds that could get 4 attacks per round starting at level 16), the big issue tho is that it took multiple feats which was an expensive investment, plus the "Perfect" feat granting that 4th attack was Epic meaning post-20. There's even a dedicated "TWF Off-Handbook" that describes all the options on GitP.
This is a good job. Though I may add tht a couple of tattoos are in brand and can help a bit with this hybrid- lifewell (so you drop to 1), Eldrich Claw (making your claws +1 magic and once a day letting you use blade and claw tacks fully at 15’ radius with d6 force) among others.
☠ definitely going to be using this build with some tweaks (mobile & sentinel) in a one-shot a friend of mine is going to run in December which is currently TBD on level but somewhere between 8th-12th. basing her off of Cerise Hood and going to be a fey werewolf w/soulknifes re-flavored as fey magic psychic claws. I even have an old Slayer of Domiel mini to use complete w/red cloak of monster hide. Perfect 😍
As a dm with a psychic blades using rogue, I've given a magic ring that made it so their blades targeted two enemies instead of one each throw. Wasn't too busted because they can't focus fire with it, but it was fun
In fact Tri-kreen and longtooth shifter could both do this trick without multiclass. If you're a tri-kreen, you could hold a shield, two short swords for two-weapon fighting, and one empty hand for the claw transformation. If you're a longtooth shifter, you could use your shift ability and instantly make a bonus unarm strike with your fangs and continue to do it in the following turns. Both methods make a 1d6+str attack instead of 1d4+str. But for Tri-kreen you would need a two-weapon fighting style.
I think the Crysmal - might be the optimal psionic creature … they are very tough a trait a barbarian tribe would prize and they have psi powers … also for flavor your claws could manifest as crystal
@@tezell24 that’s awesome - my dm said no - but I hope it turns out awesome - they crysmal is a fun underrated creature - I hope it turns out as awesome on paper as it seemed in my head.
So glad for this build, since we get a feat at first level, I went with a homebrew race lycan, wererat, so basicly an urchin barbarian/rogue slicing the guards or villains, when he comes up from the sewers, working for the thief guild... and escaping afterwards as a simple innocent rat... ☠☠☠
