Totem Barbarian

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Totem Barbarian is a Variant Class for (you guessed it) the Barbarian class for Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition. The premise of this is fairly sound, as barbarians and other less-civilized societies typically held to shamanistic beliefs in totem animals and some fiction even gifted them powers related to the totem animal.

3.5E[edit]

The Totem Barbarian allows the Barbarian to replace the following class features: Fast Movement, Trap Sense, Uncanny Dodge (normal and Improved). That's pretty much all that stays consistent, as each of the different totems add different features at different levels, some even leaving features intact. Adding to this is a couple other variant features that also replace class features for totemic powers.

  • Ape Totem
    • Replaces Fast Movement with a native climbing speed equal to half the Barbarian's ground speed.
    • Replaces Uncanny Dodge with a +2 bonus to Intimidate.
    • Replaces Trap Sense +1 and gains Power Attack as a bonus feat. As this mentions nothing about later levels, this might mean RAI that later versions of Trap Sense do still work.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge to improve the climbing speed to equal the Barbarian's ground speed.
  • Bear Totem
    • Replaces Fast Movement with Toughness as a bonus feat.
    • Replaces Uncanny Dodge with Improved Grapple as a bonus feat.
    • Replaces Trap Sense +1 and gains Great Fortitude as a bonus feat. As this mentions nothing about later levels, this might mean RAI that later versions of Trap Sense do still work.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge to gain a 4+ bonus to grapple checks when raging.
  • Boar Totem
    • Replaces Fast Movement with the ability to count as having the Diehard feat when raging.
    • Loses Uncanny Dodge.
    • Replaces Trap Sense +1 and make rages last for two rounds longer. As this mentions nothing about later levels, this might mean RAI that later versions of Trap Sense do still work.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge to improve their damage reduction while raging by +1.
  • Dragon Totem
    • Replaces Fast Movement with Blind-Fight as a bonus feat.
    • Replaces Uncanny Dodge with a +2 bonus to saves against paralysis and sleep effects.
    • Replaces Trap Sense +1 with Power Attack as a bonus feat. As this mentions nothing about later levels, this might mean RAI that later versions of Trap Sense do still work.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge to improve the climbing speed to equal the Barbarian's ground speed.
  • Eagle Totem
    • Replaces Fast Movement with a +2 bonus to Spot.
    • Replaces Trap Sense +1 and gains Lightning Reflexes as a bonus feat. As this mentions nothing about later levels, this might mean RAI that later versions of Trap Sense do still work.
  • Horse Totem
    • Replaces Uncanny Dodge with Run as a bonus feat.
    • Replaces Trap Sense +1 for a +2 on Handle Animal and Ride checks when dealing with horses.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge with Endurance as a bonus feat.
  • Lion Totem
    • Replaces Fast Movement with Run as a bonus feat.
    • Replaces Uncanny Dodge with a +2 bonus to Hide.
    • Loses Trap Sense. Uncertain if this is only for the level 3 or as an overall feature.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge +2 to damage when charging.
  • Serpent Totem
    • Replaces Fast Movement with a +2 bonus to saves against poison.
    • Replaces Uncanny Dodge with a +2 bonus to Move Silently.
    • Replaces Trap Sense +1 and gains Improved Grapple as a bonus feat. As this mentions nothing about later levels, this might mean RAI that later versions of Trap Sense do still work.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge for Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.
  • Wolf Totem
    • Replaces Uncanny Dodge with Improved Trip as a bonus feat.
    • Loses Trap Sense. Uncertain if this is only for the level 3 or as an overall feature.
    • Replaces Improved Uncanny Dodge with Track as a bonus feat.
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition Variant Classes
Adept Urban Adept
Artificer Psionic Artificer
Barbarian HorselordImplacableTotem BarbarianVariant Barbarian
Bard Bardic SageDivine BardHarbingerSavage BardVariant Bard
Cleric Ancestral SpeakerArcane DiscipleAspirantBenevolentCloistered ClericCrusaderEvangelistLost OneRage ClericSacred EnforcerVariant Cleric
Druid Druidic AvengerMetal MasterSidhe ScholarStorm DruidTotem DruidUrban DruidVariant DruidWild ReaperWind WalkerWinter Warden
Fighter BodyguardCommanderCorsairExoticistFencerHorsemanJanissaryKensaiKnightPugilistShield BearerSurvivalistTargetteerThaneThugVariant Fighter
Monk Buddhist MonkChaos MonkClockwork DiscipleFranciscan FriarHoly MonkHunter MonkIlluminated MonkKnight HospitallerMartial MonkRaging MonkShinto MonkSidewinder MonkSteadfast MonkVariant MonkVigilant MonkWild Monk
Ninja Variant Ninja
Paladin AnarchAnti-PaladinAvengerCorrupterDespotEnforcerIncarnatePaladin of FreedomPaladin of LightPaladin of SlaughterPaladin of TyrannySentinelSolstice KnightVariant PaladinWyrmslayer
Psion Erudite
Ranger Moon-Warded RangerMystic RangerPlanar RangerUrban RangerVariant RangerWild Defender
Rogue Lunar RogueWilderness RogueVariant Rogue
Sorcerer Battle SorcererVariant Sorcerer
Wizard AbjurerAnagakokCombat WizardConjurerDeathwalkerDivinerDomain WizardEnchanterEvokerFilidhFleshcrafterIllusionistNecromancerSpecialist WizardSoul ReaperTransmuterVariant Wizard

5E[edit]

The Totem Barbarian is one of the subclasses introduced in the Core Rulebook for 5E, and was an early standout, if only because its alternative was the memetically unplayable Berserker. One of the major perks of this class is that at various levels you can pick from a number of different animals for benefits to provide while raging - without needing to be trapped at any one animal at any point.

Pathfinder[edit]

The concept of the Totem Barbarian persisted into Pathfinder, with the APG releasing a Totem Warrior archetype. That said, the archetype is superfluous as the totems are now a series of iterative Rage Powers rather than replacing anything significant.

Second Edition would do more to integrate the totems into the Barbarian's core identity by adding the "Instincts" as mandatory subclasses for the Barbarian.