Path of the Battlerager (5A)

This is a Barbarian subclass for 5A.

Known as Kuldjargh (literally "axe idiot") in Dwarvish, battleragers are dwarf followers of the gods of war and take the Path of the Battlerager. They specialize in wearing bulky, spiked armor and throwing themselves into combat, striking with their body itself and giving themselves over to the fury of battle.

Only dwarves can follow the Path of the Battlerager. The battlerager fills a particular niche in dwarven society and culture. Your DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. The restriction exists for the Forgotten Realms. It might not apply to your DM's setting or your DM's version of the Realms.

Greyhawk: In Greyhawk battleragers need not be dwarves. They are common in the cults of Erythnul and to a lesser extent Hextor. Hextorian spiked armor often takes the form of small additional arms holding spikes. Hobgoblins and some Paynim also favor spiked armor and the battlerager class.

Source: Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide Restriction: Dwarves Only

Subclass Features

Battlerager Armor

When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use spiked armor as a weapon.

While you are wearing spiked armor and are raging, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack with your armor spikes against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the spikes deal 1d4 piercing damage. You use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls.

Additionally, when you use the Attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes your spiked armor damage if your grapple check succeeds.

**Armor Spikes 50 gp 6 lb.**
Anyone can use spiked armor, but as a battlerager, you learn additional uses not possible to others. Spiked armor is what you get when a smith adds Armor Spikes to your armor. About a dozen blades are added in places where you can use them to attack or retaliate. Armor Spikes is a martial weapon. It does 1d4 piercing damage and has the light quality. Because they are attached to your armor, they cannot be disarmed, and you do not need a free hand to use spiked armor. You can use spiked armor in normal attacks and off-hand attacks on the same round. Armor spikes can be made into magical weapons. Fitting an existing set of armor spikes to a set of armor costs 50 gp, any special qualities of the spikes are transferred as well.

Reckless Abandon

Beginning at 6th level, when you use Reckless Attack while raging, you also gain temporary hit points equal to half your barbarian level + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). They vanish if any of them are left when your rage ends. At level 9 when you gain temporary hit points from the Primal Vigor feature, add your Constitution modifier to your barbarian level to calculate the number of temporary hit points you gain.

Battlerager Charge

Beginning at 10th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action. while you are raging.

Spiked Retribution

Starting at 14th level, when a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the attacker takes your spiked armor damage if you are raging aren't incapacitated and are wearing spiked armor.

Editor's Notes

Lots of changes here, as this was one of the weakest subclasses in the game.

First, spiked armor is now not a specific kind of armor. Instead you add armor spikes to regular armor, something anyone can learn to use, but battleragers are better at. This gives the battlerager better armor options, and the spikes can now be magical (could they before?).

All instances where you before took 3 damage now inflicts spiked armor damage. This allows you to use your Strength modifier and rage damage modifier.

Reckless Abandon gets more temporary hit points (still low) and improves the new Primal Vitality feature of the 5A barbarian.

Battlerager Charge and Spiked Retribution no longer require you to be in a rage. Note that Spiked Retribution does more damage in a rage, thanks to the rage damage bonus.