Subclass Barbarian Path of the Fractured
The Path of the Fractured is a Barbarian subclass that splits its kit between two states. Outside Rage, Mask of Civility and Cunning and Brutal's Bonus Action Disengage/Help give it skill and mobility utility other Barbarians lack. Inside Rage, Face of Rage turns Unarmed Strikes into a real damage and control option, Brains and Brawn adds near-universal damage resistance, and Cunning and Brutal lowers the Unarmed Strike crit range to 19-20.
| LEVEL | FEATURE |
|---|---|
| 3 | Face of Rage, Mask of Civility |
| 6 | Brains and Brawn |
| 10 | Cunning and Brutal |
Face of Rage When you activate your Rage, your countenance distorts and your body swells; creatures that haven't witnessed your transformation, now or previously, don't recognize you. While your Rage is active, you gain the following benefits:
- Your Unarmed Strike deals your Proficiency Bonus + 1d8 damage in place of its normal damage.
- When you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you can choose to push it 10 feet, or force it to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + the better of your Strength or Dexterity modifier) and take the Prone condition on a failed save.
- Your Unarmed Strike reach is 50% greater than normal.
Mask of Civility You are proficient in one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Persuasion, or Religion.
You also gain a bonus to melee unarmed attack rolls equal to half your Proficiency Bonus (rounded down), same as a Monk's Martial Arts.
Brains and Brawn While your Rage is not active, you have Resistance to Psychic damage. While your Rage is active, you have Resistance to every damage type except Force and Psychic.
Cunning and Brutal While your Rage is not active, you can take the Disengage or Help action as a Bonus Action. While your Rage is active, your attack rolls with Unarmed Strikes can score a Critical Hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
Face of Rage's Push and Prone benefits are separate toggles, so pick whichever control effect fits the fight — Push for repositioning enemies off allies or ledges, Prone for granting Advantage to the rest of the party — or leave both off to keep attacking freely. The 1d8 Unarmed Strike damage and 5-foot reach extension apply automatically whenever Rage is active, no toggle required.
Outside Rage, Mask of Civility and the Bonus Action Disengage/Help from Cunning and Brutal cover the exploration and social gaps that most Barbarian subclasses leave open. Brains and Brawn's Rage-time resistance to every damage type except Force and Psychic stacks with Rage's own Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing resistance, making a Raging Fractured resistant to nearly everything that can hit it. Cunning and Brutal's expanded crit range applies only to Unarmed Strikes, reinforcing Face of Rage as the subclass's primary Rage-time damage source rather than a two-handed weapon.