The axebearer is my transformation of the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition barbarian class. I wanted a class that was less influenced by Conan the Barbarian and more by Rook from the excellent Banner Saga video game series – a woodsman who finds himself between his home and a monstrous army with nothing but his axe, his bow and his bravery. Axebearers are defined not by their internal rage, but their devotion to their homes, families and communities.

The biggest mechanical change is adapting features from the the more interesting 13th Age barbarian class and the Orlanthi warrior and Storm Bull classes from 13th Age: Glorantha.

I never liked how the 5e barbarian had to ration their rages throughout an adventuring day. So I’ve replaced Rage with a powerful combat boost called Bravery that triggers when the axebearer is reduced to half their health and lasts until the end of the fight. It still won’t be active all the time, but it is available every time the axebearer draws their axe and will help turn the tide of a losing battle.

The subclasses offer additional flavour, providing ranged combat capability, a useful familiar and unpredictable melee combat powers and attack roll boosts.

This class has not yet been playtested and I look forward to hearing any feedback you might have.

Updates

• I’ve made some changes to allow for Dexterity-based builds. Unarmored Defense is replaced with light armor proficiency and starting equipment options include daggers and a shortbow.
• The Bravery feature’s bonus weapon action attack may now be a simple melee or thrown weapon attack.
• The Friend of the Forest feature now refers to the animal the character summons as a “companion” rather than a “familiar” to avoid confusion with the Find Familiar spell and Wild Companion druid feature.
• The Tempest powers now work with simple melee and thrown weapon attacks.
• I’ve replaced the 20th level Primal Champion feature with Legacy of the Hearth, which allows the axebearer to pass on their legacy to a worthy NPC.

Axebearer

Axebearers are steadfast and aggressive warriors typically found in small, rural communities which don’t have easy access to high magic and advanced weaponry. When a woodsman finds himself between a young girl and a dire wolf, or when a milkmaid stares down a bandit robbing her family’s farm, they take up the mantle as the axebearer for their home.

You must have a Strength score of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.

The Axebearer
Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Bravery, Fighting Style
2nd	+2	Danger Sense, Beginner’s Luck
3rd	+2	Calling feature
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Calling feature
7th	+3	Building Frenzy, Feral Instinct
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Not Stopping Now
10th	+4	Calling feature
11th	+4	Still Standing
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Improved Bravery
14th	+5	Calling feature
15th	+5	Improved Frenzy
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Axe Master
18th	+6	Thunderous Bravery
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Legacy of the Hearth

Class Features

As an axebearer, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per axebearer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per axebearer level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: One Artisan’s tool of your choice
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) two handaxes or (b) two daggers
• (a) four javelins or (b) a shortbow and ammunition
• An explorer’s pack and a shield

Bravery

When your enemies threaten to bring you down, your loyalty to your friends drives you to mighty acts of courage and violence. While wearing light armor or no armor, when you are reduced to half your maximum hit points during combat, you gain the following benefits:

• You can make simple melee or thrown weapon attack as a bonus action.
• At the start of your turn, you heal a number of hit points equal to your Constitution modifier plus your axebearer level.

These benefits last for 1 minute or until the end of combat.

Fighting Style

At 1st level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• Interception. When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.
• Protection. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
• Thrown Weapon Fighting. You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.
  • In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

Danger Sense

At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against visible effects. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded or incapacitated.

Beginner’s Luck

When you reach 2nd level, you can reroll one failed skill check. You gain a +5 bonus to the reroll in place of your proficiency bonus (if any). You regain the use of this ability after a long rest.

Calling

At 3rd level, you choose a calling that shapes the nature of your bravery. Your subclass choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Building Frenzy

Starting at 7th level, you can redouble your efforts in battle. After you have missed with a simple weapon attack, you can choose to gain +1d4 damage to each successful simple weapon attack until the end of the combat. For each missed simple weapon attack following this, add another +1d4 damage, up to a maximum of +4d4 damage.

Feral Instinct

By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls. You also cannot be surprised at the beginning of combat while you are conscious.

Not Stopping Now

At 9th level, you focus your mind against mental attacks. When you fail a Wisdom, Intelligence or Charisma saving throw, you may reroll the save with a bonus equal to your Constitution modifier. On a success, you can use your reaction to make a simple weapon attack against the enemy that caused you to make the saving throw. You can’t use this ability again until you finish a long rest.

Still Standing

Starting at 11th level, you can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points and don’t die outright, you drop to 1 hit point instead and can spend any number of hit dice to heal. You can’t use this ability again until you finish a long rest.

Improved Bravery

Beginning at 13th level, you can push yourself beyond what you thought possible. Your Bravery feature now provides the following benefits:

• You can make two attacks with a simple weapon as a bonus action.
• At the start of your turn, you gain a number of hit points equal to double your Constitution modifier plus your axebearer level.

These benefits last for 1 minute or until the end of combat.

Improved Frenzy

Starting at 15th level, you are able to focus your strikes during battle to devastating effect. Your Frenzy dice are d8s.

Axe Master

At 17th level, your skill with simple weapons is unmatched. Once per combat, add a +1d4 bonus to a simple weapon attack roll after finding out whether you hit or missed.

Thunderous Bravery

Beginning at 18th level, your ferocity manifests as a thunderstorm. Your Bravery feature now provides the following additional benefit:

• You can cast Thunderwave and Call Lightning as 5th level spells without expending a spell slot.

Legacy of the Hearth

At 20th level, your bravery encourages another to take up the call of the axebearer. You can use this ability once in your career. As an action, give one of your weapons to an NPC you deem worthy. That character immediately becomes a powerful ally who will help you with your current challenge. The weapon you gave them is considered a +3 magic weapon which deals radiant damage while in their possession. The character’s stat block is determined by the DM based on the character’s prior skill and experiences. The DM may use an existing stat block with changes they deem appropriate, if any, or create a new stat block. After your challenge is complete, the character embarks on their own journey as an axebearer.

Callings

Liberator

The Liberator adds ranged weapons to their arsenal, seeking a tactical advantage in battle.

Archery Training

At 3rd level, you begin to master the art of archery. You gain the following benefits:

• Proficiency with longbows.
• The Archery fighting style (+2 to ranged weapon attack rolls.)

Deadeye

At 6th level, your aim becomes more deadly. Your critical hit range on ranged weapon attacks expands to 19. In addition, critical hits with ranged weapons deal an extra weapon die of damage.

Nature’s Cloak

At 10th level, you master the element of stealth and surprise. You can cast Pass Without Trace without expending a spell slot. You may not do so again until you finish a short rest.

Quick Draw

At 14th level, your enemies never see it coming. When you roll initiative, roll 3d20 and use the highest result. In addition, on the first round of combat you have advantage on ranged weapon attacks and your critical hit range with ranged weapons expands to 15.

Shepherd

Shepherds believe that even the smallest allies can turn tide of an adventure. They gain a familiar to keep them company and lend a helping paw, claw or talon.

Friend of the Forest

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to call upon a nearby wild animal for help. The type of animal that appears depends on the environment you are in: perhaps a kingfisher if you are in a marsh, or a coyote if you’re on a plain, or a raccoon if you’re in a city.

Your companion is as intelligent as a normal person. It can communicate with you and will stay close you unless you’ve chosen abilities that let it roam. Your familiar is on your side but it’s not perfectly in your control.

If your companion dies, you can call upon a new one after a long rest. Companions are useless in combat, except as indicated by their abilities. Ordinarily they aren’t damaged by enemy attacks and spells unless the story calls for it.

Choose two of the following abilities for your familiar. It gains one more ability at levels 6, 10 and 14.

• Agile. You gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity skill checks.
• Alert, Maybe Even Insightful. You gain a +2 bonus to Wisdom skill checks.
• Counter-bite. Each combat, if your companion is close to you, it bites the first enemy that hits you with a melee attack after that attack, dealing 1d10 damage to that enemy. This increases to 2d10 at 5th level, 3d10 at 11th level and 4d10 at 17th level.
• Flight. Your companion flies as well as a hawk. It doesn’t fly that often and usually sticks with you, but it can do so when its other abilities allow.
• Poisonous. Once per combat, when you hit an enemy with a weapon attack, you can add 1d6 poison damage to the damage roll. This increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level and 4d6 at 17th level.
• Scout. Once per day, your companion can separate itself from you and make a reconnaissance run of an area or location. The companion rolls a skill check as determined by the DM using your statistics.
• Tough. You gain a +2 bonus to saving throws. Tough counts as two familiar abilities.
• Talkative. Your companion can talk like a person (but the DM speaks for the companion more than you do).

Tempest

Axebearers who channel their unbridled fury into barely-controlled maneuvers are called Tempests. The evils of the world show no mercy, so neither do they.

Tempest Die

At 3rd level, you begin to fight with a fury you can’t quite control. At the start of your turn, roll your Tempest die and add the result to all attack rolls you make until the start of your next turn, when you roll the die again. This bonus does not stack with abilities or spells from other classes. In addition, you can activate the powers assigned to each number of the die. The die starts as a d4 and increased in size at 6th, 10th and 14th levels.

1: Bring It On. Until the end of the battle, when you take damage reduce that damage by 1d6. This increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level and 4d6 at 17th level.

2: Thrash Attack. Deal damage equal to your Strength modifier to one enemy within five feet. This increases to double your modifier at 5th level and triple it at 11th level.

3: Dodge. You gain +2 to AC until the start of your next turn or until you are hit by an attack.

4: Rend armor. The next enemy you hit with a simple melee or thrown weapon attack this turn takes a –1 penalty to AC until the end of the battle. This power stacks with itself.

Tempest Die (d6)

At 6th level, your Tempest die increases to a d6 and you gain the following powers:

5: Shield Chewer. If you are fighting with a shield, reduce your AC by 1 until the end of the battle. Then increase your critical hit range until the end of the combat by 1 (both the penalty and the crit range bonus are cumulative).

6: Cruel cut. The next time you hit with a simple melee or thrown weapon attack this turn, add an extra weapon die to your damage. Add a third weapon die at 11th level and a fourth at 17th level.

Tempest die (d8)

At 10th level, your Tempest die increases to a d8 and you gain the following powers:

7: Tough. Until the start of your next turn, you take only half damage from the next attack that hits you.

8: Eternal Battle. Until the end of the battle, you gain a bonus to AC equal to the number of enemies within 5 feet of you.

Tempest die (d10)

At 14th level, your Tempest die increases to a d10 and you gain the following powers:

9: Gore. Until the end of the battle, your crit range expands by 2 against enemies that have more hit points than you.

10: Hang On & Kill. Heal using any number of hit dice, but only for half the normal hit points. The next time you hit with a simple melee or thrown weapon attack this turn, you gain a damage bonus equal to the other half.