The Warrior Philosopher
Barbarian/Wizard Multiclass Build
The Character:
The talons' grip released high above the ground, letting a stick it was clutching plummet and twist with the wind. Kane watched as another young eagle stooped after it, rocketing faster than the branch could fall and catching it safe between its jaws. Kane loved to watch the eagles play. It reminded him of soldiers sparring -- a game by all definitions, but one that prepared for war. If the eagles could not dive, they could not eat, and if a general could not think, he could not lead his men. . .
Kane looked down at his body, growing soft in the wooden armchair. Steam from the tea his wife had left him still roiled out of the cup and over the tops of his scrolls piled high on the end table. He had to return those soon, though he did not look forward to the trek down the mountain. The journey was becoming harder and harder on his aging body, but the real terror lay in the others seeing him and sneering. The Two-Headed Eagle, wings clipped, a glorified pet.
If only he had taken his own advice. If only he had been watching.
The Concept: Build, Character, Backgrounds
Let's face it: the Barbarian & the Wizard are diametrically opposed in terms of role, stats, abilities, and just about anything else one can think of. Therefore, I can think of no better multiclass than Barbarian/Wizard to kick off the Optimum Suboptimum Opusculum, a series where I'll be showcasing atypical multiclass builds! Barbarian/Wizard is . . . challenging, for to use the primary feature of one class, you are locked out of the other: one cannot cast spells while they are raging, and vice versa. This little hiccup can be overcome, though, by utilizing non-concentration spells. However, the real challenge came when trying to find a role for this multiclass to fill. So, I asked myself, what party roles can both a Barbarian and a Wizard fulfill? Since the obvious answer of DPS is off the table due to our conflicting class abilities, damage reduction was the only remaining answer. While the Barbarian and Wizard go about this role in different ways, the former taking hits on the chin and grinning through it and the latter preventing hits altogether via abjuration magic, the two can come together to create a surprisingly effective support/tank with a melee DPS that is not to be scoffed at.
Inspired by the majestic birds of his home mountains to rise above what he thought himself capable of, Kane rose from peasantry to the rank of renowned military strategist and author of war philosophy. Detailed in his published meditations, Above the Battlefield, Kane's primary stratagems were based on his observations of eagles: how they work in pairs while hunting--one eagle driving the prey to its waiting partner. The bird became the symbol of his company, and eventually the army itself when he rose to the rank of general. His soldiers and enemies referred to him as the Two-Headed Eagle for he was twice as deadly, and it seemed he could never be surprised. This, of course, proved false when he was outmaneuvered by a rebellious upstart, leaving his forces crippled. His underestimation cost the army greatly, and while the rebel and their men were eventually destroyed, he was not there to oversee it. Instead, he was advised by the ruler he served to retire and serve as war counselor. The soldiers had lost their reverence for him, though his strategic mind was not to be discarded for just one failure. Kane returned to his family, and mountain home, to watch the eagles once more and reflect upon the choices that brought him there.
Inspired by the majestic birds of his home mountains to rise above what he thought himself capable of, Kane rose from peasantry to the rank of renowned military strategist and author of war philosophy. Detailed in his published meditations, Above the Battlefield, Kane's primary stratagems were based on his observations of eagles: how they work in pairs while hunting--one eagle driving the prey to its waiting partner. The bird became the symbol of his company, and eventually the army itself when he rose to the rank of general. His soldiers and enemies referred to him as the Two-Headed Eagle for he was twice as deadly, and it seemed he could never be surprised. This, of course, proved false when he was outmaneuvered by a rebellious upstart, leaving his forces crippled. His underestimation cost the army greatly, and while the rebel and their men were eventually destroyed, he was not there to oversee it. Instead, he was advised by the ruler he served to retire and serve as war counselor. The soldiers had lost their reverence for him, though his strategic mind was not to be discarded for just one failure. Kane returned to his family, and mountain home, to watch the eagles once more and reflect upon the choices that brought him there. It was there Kane lived out his days in relative seclusion, devoting his time to tomes on ornithology and scrolls of wizardry loaned from the royal library. He would descend from the mountain only to fulfill his obligations as advisor and to exchange his books. Suffice it to say, it is no wonder that when the opportunity for adventure presented itself to Kane on one of these excursions, he eagerly took the chance to redeem himself on the fields of combat, and restore himself in the eyes of those he failed.
Kane is a Lawful Neutral retired general, which is why I've chosen the Soldier background for him. Perhaps, though, over the course of his travels, he learns to fight for good rather than reputation.
The Race: Human (Variant)
Though there are a plethora of options, the classic choice of Variant Human works best for this build for the sole reason of its starting feat. As this build is no-doubt multiple attribute dependent (MAD), all of our ability score increases (ABI) will be spent on getting our stats to where they need to be rather than taking optional feats. However, if you plan to play Kane in a campaign where you can roll for his stats rather than taking the standard array or point-buy, just about any race fits the story of this build, and that's intentional! If you're looking for the most optimal choice, though, and if so I'm surprised you've read this far into a Barbarian/Wizard multiclass build, the Half-Orc for its Relentless Endurance trait fits the role this character should fill quite nicely.
As a Variant Human, Kane should start with a +1 to STR & CON, and should start with the Mobile feat.
The Stat Spread (Point-Buy):
STR 16 (+3), CON 14 (+2), DEX 14 (+2), INT 13 (+1), CHA 9 (-1), WIS 8 (-1)
15 (9pts) 13 (5pts) 14 (7pts) 13 (5pts) 9 (1pt) 8 (0pts)
15 (9pts) 13 (5pts) 14 (7pts) 13 (5pts) 9 (1pt) 8 (0pts)
This build is heavily MAD so point-buy works best. STR is our primary source of damage and accuracy, so it should be highest. CON is representative of HP, and paired with DEX is representative of AC, so these should be second-highest. INT needs to be 13 to multiclass to Wizard, and will be responsible for our Arcane Ward temporary HP, so it will be leveled higher alongside our STR score with ABIs. Our points are expended, so CHA & WIS are our dump stats. Our 4 ABIs will be used to boost INT & CHA by +1 for the first, INT by +2 for the second, and then STR by +2 for the third and fourth -- leaving us with STR 20, INT 16, and CHA 10.
Note: This character's low Wisdom score may appear to present a discrepancy between game mechanics and backstory; however, in Dungeons & Dragons, the Intelligence stat represents how well your character learns and reasons whereas Wisdom represents your character's perception, and intuition. Therefore, having low Wisdom does not contradict this character's role as a philosopher and strategist despite real-world connotations of the word.
Note: This character's low Wisdom score may appear to present a discrepancy between game mechanics and backstory; however, in Dungeons & Dragons, the Intelligence stat represents how well your character learns and reasons whereas Wisdom represents your character's perception, and intuition. Therefore, having low Wisdom does not contradict this character's role as a philosopher and strategist despite real-world connotations of the word.
The Classes: Notable Features & Synergies
Totem (Eagle) Barbarian (14)
School of Abjuration Wizard (6)
This build will adopt a swooping playstyle, reminiscent of Kane's muse: the eagle. Our goal is to take as little damage as possible while rapidly dealing out chip damage to rotating targets. Ideally, we can be anywhere on the battlefield at any time.
The Mobile feat we began with boosts our speed to 40, and the Barbarian's 5th-level Fast Movement feature boosts it to 50, which makes our Dash 100. With the Barbarian's 3rd-level Eagle Totem Spirit, we can Dash as a bonus action (which makes our total potential movement in a round 150) and force opportunity attacks made against us to be made with disadvantage. Additionally, Mobile forces attacks of opportunity made against us by a creature we've attacked during the same turn to automatically fail. Pair this with a reach weapon, like the Halberd, and the temporary HP of the Abjuration Wizard's Arcane Ward feature, and we should be able to move anywhere on the battlefield without punishment, making attacks as we go, and ending our turn out of reach from any combatant. The idea here is to present ourselves as a threat to as many enemies as possible, corralling them toward our other DPS party members, or otherwise forcing them to waste their turn dashing to be within range of attacking us.
Primary Weapon: Halberd (Two-handed) -- For when keeping a distance from the foe is tactically viable, which is always unless in tight corridors. AC while wielding is 14 (15 w/ Mage Armor).
Secondary Weapon: Longsword (One-handed: Sword & Board) -- one-hand w/ shield if 16 AC (17 w/ Mage Armor) is priority & damage is secondary, for example when facing a powerful boss.
Tertiary Weapon: Net (Ranged Utility) -- Pair w/ Reckless Attack to grapple w/out disadvantage when within 5 feet*; useful for subduing an enemy when there are two equal threats spread out on the board.
Spells: As we'll be raging for the majority of battle, its best for us to focus on non-concentration spells that we cast before jumping into the fray. However, there will be some options for spells meant for casting mid-battle. Since our levels are primarily in Barbarian, we'll have plenty of uses of Rage to afford prematurely ending one in order to cast a spell.
Our specialty in the Abjuration school provides us with an Arcane Ward, which powers up and recharges upon the casting of Abjuration spells, and two great 1st level spells of that school are Mage Armor and Absorb Elements. The former is something we should cast before every battle, as with Unarmored Defense we shouldn't be wearing armor anyway, and a free +1 bump to AC and a fully charged 18 HP Ward (effectively 36 HP while raging) is nothing to scoff at. The latter will require some more complex maneuvers to pull off, but if done correctly effectively grants us the Bear Barbarian Totem on top of our Eagle. For example, say we're fighting a dragon. We know that it just rolled to regain its breath weapon and succeeded. On our turn, we drop our rage, but proceed normally with the rest of our turn. When the breath weapon comes on its next turn, we utilize our reaction to cast Absorb Elements and halve the elemental damage since we are no longer raging. On our next turn, the rage resumes, and now we have a Halberd infused with the dragon's breath weapon damage boosted by Rage! As I said, a complex maneuver, but when it works it works.
If our aim to is to take even less damage (and believe me, it is), we can utilize both Mirror Image and Blink simultaneously, as neither are concentration, and become what is effectively a mirage. Does our character even exist, or did the wind just disembowel that ogre? We may never know.
Do we need more temporary HP? What tank doesn't? A max level (which is in our case, 3rd level) False Life can grant us a minimum of 15 or maximum of 18 additional temporary HP, which while raging becomes either an effective 30 or 36 HP respectively. So, with a 3rd level False Life & Arcane Ward we can begin battle with an extra 72 HP while raging! But it doesn't stop there -- we don't have just one 3rd level slot. If our bank of temporary HP depletes, end Rage early and cast 3rd level False Life again. Don't worry about recharging the ward, we don't have high enough level abjuration spells to make a difference. So, with Rage, three casts of 3rd level False Life, and our original Arcane Ward, we have a whopping 144 extra HP! Technically.
Are we not satisfied with our ungodly 150 movement per round? Why not make it 180? With Longstrider, a 10 foot boost to our speed makes our speed 60 and our bonus action dash 120! How about vertical speed? Well, our running high jump is 8 feet, but with the Jump spell, its 24. Pair this with our Eagle Totemic Attunement, and we can jump and then fly another 50 feet (or 60 with Longstrider), totaling at around 70-80 foot hops.
Unique Multiclass Synergies:
-Rage + Arcane Ward = Our rage makes us resistant to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage. If we are resistant, so is our ward, thus doubling the amount of temporary HP it provides!
-Rage + Absorb Elements (spell) = With this feature and spell combined, our character resists most damage types, making up for not choosing the Bear totem!
The Feats: Hit Me, Damnit!
Mobile, which we begin our build with as a Variant Human, grants us a longer Totemic Attunement flight speed at later levels and benefits our darting playstyle, especially when taking Dash as a bonus action thanks to our Totem Spirit. No other feats are really worth taking over just a standard stat increase, but if you roll for Kane's stats rather than using Point-Buy, some options include Alert (for roleplaying purposes and a quick initiative to pair with our quick movement speed), Great Weapon Master (for Halberd damage buffing), Savage Attacker (for a potential of higher damage), Sharpshooter (for non-disadvantage net throws out to 15 feet), and Tough (for extra HP).
Leveling: When to Take What
(1-5) Barbarian -- The Barbarian is the superior class to begin this multiclass build with for a multitude of reasons. For one, it gives proficiency in Constitution saving throws. We won't be concentrating on spells much, but when we are, this will come in handy. The rest of our reasons include but aren't limited to our starting equipment, HP, and proficiencies. We'll level to 5 in order to gain our first ABI and Extra Attack as quickly as possible.
(6-10/11) Wizard -- The next 5/6 levels will be all Wizard. We do this so our second ABI is only delayed by one level and to gain access to 3rd level spells as quickly as possible. There is a bit of controversy here, though, and where Kane may begin to differ from player to player. We can opt to stop at 5th level Wizard, as we have access to 3rd level spells then, in order to ensure we get the 15th level Barbarian feature Persistent Rage at character level 20 and get Totemic Attunement, flying speed, one level early. However, doing so sacrifices an additional 2 HP (4 while raging) for our Arcane Ward, an extra 3rd level spell slot, two extra spells, and the Projected Ward ability that allows us to help reduce damage to our party. Personally, I believe the extra 6th level in Wizard is worth it, but for those playing Kane with more rage and less wizardry in mind, the extra Barbarian level is likely preferable.
(11/12-20) Barbarian -- We gain the rest of our ABIs and class features, capstoning either with the Eagle Totemic Attunement, which grants us a flight speed, or with Persistent Rage.
Play Style: Raptor's Stoop
Pre-Battle: We begin all combat with our choice of buffing spell. If AC is more important, Mage Armor is a solid option. If perhaps you are weakened from earlier fights and have less HP, Blink, False Life, or Mirror Image are the ideal step. If movement is a factor, Longstrider or Jump will do. If your foe is a mage, maybe See Invisibility. If multiple of these are needed, and it certainly can't hurt to double or even triple up, make sure you have the time to cast as many of these spells as possible before entering combat, else you waste all your turns prepping. Don't just blunder into a fight! You're a once-renowned military strategist. When you can, take your enemies by surprise.
Early Battle: The first step is a simple one: establish a territory. Like a bird of prey, lay claim to a piece of the battlefield by swooping back and forth near it, making it inhospitable for any number of foes to stand there. Hit one creature, move, hit another, and then swoop back to safety, only to rinse and repeat. The goal here is to shepherd foes into the waiting arms of your DPS party members -- they'd rather deal with them then you. If fighting a singular monster, like a boss, employ similar tactics, the only change being to unleash your full turn of attacks on the one creature before retreating. When our enemies flee, be sure to snare one up in a net and finish them off with attacks made at advantage, or leave them there for your party to deal with.
Mid-Late Battle: Once the main mass of opposing creatures have been rounded up, abandon your line and dive straight into the fray, sewing chaos. Choose a different set of creatures to attack each round and deal as much chip-damage as possible to make it easier for your teammates to finish them off. If you weaken a big herd, a single fireball from the spellcaster may take them all out at once.
Roleplay: The Two-Headed Eagle
Quotes from Kane's philosophical text on war and diplomacy, Above the Battlefield:
"Eagles do not screech unless they seek a mate, their life's purpose. Their sharp beak and strong jaw demonstrate the importance of knowing when to speak, how much, and how strongly."
"Eagles are predators with a powerful sense of energy conservation. They use their great vision to know when to take flight and capture their prey. To align oneself with the eagle is to take on the responsibility and power of inaction."
"Eagles are predators with a powerful sense of energy conservation. They use their great vision to know when to take flight and capture their prey. To align oneself with the eagle is to take on the responsibility and power of inaction."
his book that he can apply to a multitude of different situations. First and foremost, however, he is a strategist. He will approach each opportunity for combat with great caution, especially now, after his great defeat resulting from his failure to prepare. Kane seeks to redeem himself and restore his credibility as a respected war-mind, so he will not be eager to lose. His rage can be themed to this desperate need to win -- its not anger so much as it is raw determination to succeed. Additionally, Kane has a wife, and potentially grown children, that live in his mountain home. He's likely not eager to leave them behind, and yet destiny calls to him. Perhaps he writes them letters while out on adventures, or seeks souvenirs when in exotic places to bring home to them. Does Kane have old war buddies from his days as general? It's likely! Who were his friends in the line-of-duty, and who were his foes? Discuss with your DM who the royal was that Kane served as general, and perhaps have a roleplay moment where Kane hands in his resignation as advisor in order to travel with the adventuring party! Kane would also likely struggle with that decision. Is he dishonoring himself further by abandoning the royal and not being there to advise, only to what, travel around with a bunch of ragtag mercenaries? He's an old man, this is the choice of an adolescent! Of course, it is the right decision, though Kane could not know this -- a testament to his bravery.
Conclusion:
The Barbarian/Wizard is extremely niche, and to be honest, a majority of the Wizard subclasses do not pair really at all with any form of the Barbarian. However, utilizing the unique synergy of Rage and the Abjuration Wizard's Arcane Ward feature can take the Barbarian's tanking abilities to the next level. Pair this with buffing spells and suddenly the enemy must face a type of Barbarian they had never before considered.
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