Barbarian NPCs and How to Use Them for EVERY Tier of Play
If this is your first time reading this series, we’re going through each of the official classes in D&D Fifth Edition and making NPC statblocks inspired by them. They are not intended to be carbon copies, but rather to simplify your NPCs while maintaining the same flavor and familiarity as a full character. I go into more detail about this philosophy in the first article of the series.
But simply, for each of the tiers of play we’ll make an NPC stat block based on the relevant class. These tiers are a loose way of comparing your NPC’s power level to that of your party. Of course this is far from perfect, but you’ll be able to give the general feel of whether an NPC is over, under, or near the power level of a comparable player character. For reference, those tiers of play are:
Local Heroes (Levels 1-4)
Heroes of the Realm (Levels 5-10)
Masters of the Realm (Level 11-16)
Masters of the World (Levels 17-20)
In addition to creating the statblocks, for each tier of play I will give a few examples of how that NPC can be used in your game. Hopefully that will help get some ideas churning! And of course, feel free to use and modify these suggestions as encounters or adventures for your own party.
With the table set, let’s move into our third round of NPCs: barbarians!
How to Use NPC Barbarians
Much like druids and rangers, barbarians tend to be far removed from the larger cities and towns in your setting. Instead, they can be found in nearly any natural environment, living off the land or “liberating” goods from travelers in the region. Some tribes may be drawn to specific areas with a strong connection to one of the barbarian Primal Paths, discussed more later in this article.
Tier 1 Barbarians
Tier 1 barbarians may be found as allies, quest givers, and main antagonists between levels one and four or as hirelings and minions at later levels. A tier 1 barbarian may be part of a raiding party, wandering the plains in an effort to prove themselves, or living in exile after killing an important member of the tribe in anger.
Customizing an NPC. To customize a barbarian of this tier, you can do one or more of the following:
Add the 3rd level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Plot Hooks/Use in Your Game. While it is not necessary to assign an NPC barbarian to a specific Primal Path, it can help you think of how different kinds of barbarians fit within your world. barbarians with different goals and backgrounds will be found in different locations, have different motivations, and may perceive your party differently. Of course you can give them the specific abilities of that subclass (as detailed in the “Customizing an NPC” sections) but that is far from necessary. The way you describe the character, how they are found in your game, and the motivations they have will do far more to establish the tone than a class ability or two. With that in mind, here are some examples of how to use Tier 1 barbarians in your game:
As the party walks along the road the sudden sounds of a war horn pierces the quiet. Over the nearby hills, a trio of fur clad warriors wielding great axes charge towards the group. Following closely behind is a pack of trained wolves. (Path of the Totem Warrior).
Tier 2 Barbarians
Tier 2 barbarians are similar to a player character between levels 8 and 10. They are powerful warriors and may be part of a clan’s leadership. While they are most likely to be encountered by a party between levels 5 and 10, they could serve as mentors/employers at lower levels or the henchmen of the powerful and influential at higher levels.
Customizing an NPC. To customize a barbarian of this tier, you can do one or more of the following:
Add the 3rd level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Add the 6th level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Plot Hooks/Use in Your Game.
A barbarian clan has been overrun with a rash of lycanthropy. For generations the clan has used a modified form of lycanthropy to enhance their warrior's strength, but the current chieftain has taken it too far. He and many of the other clan leaders have succumbed to the more animalistic tendencies of lycanthropy and have been hunting people from a nearby village. (Path of the Beast).
A tribe has been sweeping through the other nearby settlements and clans, absorbing their warriors to swell their ranks. Their march now threatens one of the player’s hometowns. (Path of the Berserker).
Tier 3 Barbarians
Tier 3 barbarians are most likely to be encountered by PCs from levels 11 to 16, although you may insert them earlier as a potential patron or mentor figure. They may be used at later levels as the allies or top lieutenants of even more powerful creatures. Unless your setting has uniquely powerful NPCs, tier 3 barbarians should be pretty rare.
Customizing an NPC. To customize a barbarian of this tier, you can do one or more of the following:
Add the 3rd level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Add the 6th level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Add the 10th level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Plot Hooks/Use in Your Game.
While visiting the ancient burial grounds of their ancestors, a barbarian discovered a rift to the Shadowfell that has corrupted the spirits of the deceased. They seek aid in finding the cause of this rift, and how to close it. (Path of the Ancestral Guardian).
As part of a rite of passage, a barbarian seeks an ancient wellspring of wild magic. The complication is that the wellspring shifts between the Feywilds and the Material Plane, seemingly at random. (Path of Wild Magic).
Tier 4 Barbarians
Tier 4 barbarians are most likely to be encountered by PCs from levels 17 to 20, although you may insert them earlier as a potential patron or mentor figure. A tier 4 barbarian is comparable in many respects to a level 20 adventurer, there may only be a handful of such figures in your entire setting.
Customizing an NPC. To customize a barbarian of this tier, you can do one or more of the following:
Add the 3rd level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Add the 6th level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Add the 10th level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Add the 14th level ability from the Primal Path of your choice.
Plot Hooks/Use in Your Game.
A surge of elemental magic deep in the desert has opened a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire. A nearby clan has noticed the disturbance and sent an ambassador to find aid in closing the portal. (Path of the Storm Herald).
A tribe of orcs has completely conquered a neighboring kingdom. They are led by a warrior of incomprehensible might that is believed by the tribe to be an avatar of Gruumsh himself. (Path of the Zealot).
Up next week: NPC warlocks to advance the interests of powerful planar beings in your setting.
