Thunderous Fury - Pathfinder 2e Barbarian

Hello everyone, and welcome! This is Lost Emerald, where we will discuss TTRPGs, including character and world-building, tips on storytelling, and some beginner GM advice! We will focus on the Pathfinder 2e system because that's the one that I enjoy and am most familiar with. My name is Cole, and today, I wanted to kick off the channel by starting a new series where we will create character concepts around specific themes. This series will explore unique and powerful character builds to provide you with something to come to your table with or help you get that spark of creativity you need to build something of your own design.

First, I want to lay out some expectations about my choices. I will try to stick with options that are listed as "Common." However, there will be times when I choose an Uncommon or Rare option. In those instances, I will try to provide a backup "Common" option in case your GM won't let you use them, but it may not be as great of a thematic choice. We will build a character to level 5. Anything more than that, and the video will just be way too long. I'm open to feedback on the structure here, so let me know.

Additionally, I will occasionally read the description of the feats that we select. Still, I'll have them on the screen regardless. If I read every line of every feat, the video will be way too long.

Alright, let's get started on the build.

This week's build is called 'Thunderous Fury.' It's all about channeling a storm's destructive power, making you a literal force of nature. I'll review the character concept and all the choices made for levels 1 through 5, including ancestry, background and Heritage, essential ability scores, and class feats. Then, we will talk about some role-playing and combat tips. This should give you an excellent idea of the theme we're going for here.

Alright, let's talk about the theme. This character embodies the pure primal energy of a storm. Imagine a warrior whose actions mirror a raging storm's raw energy and unpredictability. Whether in battle or in everyday life, they channel the power of wind, thunder, and lightning in everything they do.

As 'Thunderous Fury,' your primary role is a melee damage dealer. You'll be right in the thick of the action, delivering powerful, storm-infused strikes that will be sure to devastate your enemies. There will be thematic abilities tied to storms, and by simply swinging a big hammer, you'll bring a unique and formidable presence to your party.

Starting with Ancestry, Background & Class, we are going to use the Human Ancestry because it has a decent movement speed of 25 ft and can choose Two Ability Boosts. 

With our Background, we will have our very first option that isn't "Common." Mostly because I think it works too well. I went with the "Elementally Infused (Air)" background because it gives you the exact theme that you want with being the embodiment of a storm. You are literally infused with elemental energy from the Plane of Air. If your GM doesn't let you have this option, Nomad could work really well. If you choose Nomad, then like a storm, you wander far and wide across all areas of the world. Both options allow you to pick up ability scores that work well for your Class. I think you could definitely choose between a few different options here, but I think the one that makes the most sense is Barbarian. Barbarian makes sense because you get beefy hit points for being in melee range as much as possible. 

LEVEL 1

We have so many things to go through at Level 1. First of all, we get to choose our ability scores. We get a point in Strength and Constitution from our Ancestry and Background. The Barbarian Class gives us a point to Strength. My suggestion is to take Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Dexterity. 

Next up is the first set of Skill Training. The Barbarian Class is Trained in Athletics. In addition to Athletics, we will go ahead and take Acrobatics, Intimidation, and Nature. Additionally, we gained "Lore: Plane of Air" if you chose the Rare Background. These would change if you decided on Nomad or some other background, so keep that in mind. 

We also get to choose our Barbarian instinct at Level 1. This one is obvious, let's go with the Elemental Instinct and take Air (which will give us Electricity damage). This will turn your Rage into Elemental Rage. You are cloaked in a vortex of elemental matter. You increase the additional damage that rage gives you from 2 to 4 and change the damage type to the element that you selected. For us, we chose Electricity. 

At Level 1, we also get to choose our Heritage. Which is where I grabbed another Uncommon choice. I went with Suli because it meshes perfectly with the theme of this build. We are doubling and tripling down on every elemental choice possible. If you were to choose a Common Heritage, it is ultimately up to you, but I like the Wintertouched Human. 

For our Ancestry Feat, we are going to grab Elemental Assault. I mean… just read the description. It fits perfectly with what we are looking for. If you are NOT a Suli, I would probably go with Natural Ambition, allowing you to grab another Level 1 Class Feat. 

Our very first class feat is going to be Raging Intimidation. This will allow us to use Demoralize while raging and give us access to a free feat, Intimidating Glare. That way, you don't have to worry about speaking to the enemy to attempt a Demoralize. However, you could grab just about anything here, and they all feel like a storm when you are an Elemental Instinct Barbarian. 

LEVEL 2

Once you pass Level 1, selection will be easy and quick. You have fewer choices because you get less than at Level 1. We can first look at Level 2, where we grab a Class Feat and a Skill Feat. 

For our first Class Feat, we will grab Bashing Charge, allowing you to charge through solid objects. For 2 actions, you get to stride twice. Once during your movement, if your movement passes through or ends adjacent to a door, window, fence, wall, or similar obstacle, you can attempt an Athletics check to Force Open the obstacle with a +1 circumstance bonus to the roll; on a failure, your movement ends at that obstacle.

For our first Skill Feat, I will admit that I was having difficulty here. I am not a fan of the General and Skill Feat options. I often feel like they are used for particular scenarios. When they come up, they are handy, but you are reliant on your GM to give you an opportunity to use them. I may be wrong about that, and it could be that the remaster will help add some new exciting options. You will all have to let me know how you feel about them. With all that being said, I went with Assurance because it could be helpful to forego a skill check occasionally. Although, I think failing makes TTRPGs more fun. We can talk about that another time, though. 

LEVEL 3

At Level 3, we will grab our first Expert proficiency for Skill and a General Feat. I decided to grab Expert in Intimidation for the Skill because a storm should be intimidating, and we've already been grabbing Intimidation-themed features. 

I went with Toughness for the General Feat because you are on the front lines and will likely get hit often. So why not be a giant bag of hit points? This just helps you take more damage. 

LEVEL 4

Level 4 is fun because we get to grab another Class Feat. We also get another Skill Feat, but you already know how I feel about those. For our Class Feat, I like Fast Movement. While raging, you will get a +10 ft status bonus for your movement speed. You will be tearing through enemies at a rapid pace. 

For the Skill Feat, I grabbed Titan Wrestler because it makes sense for a storm to be able to physically hinder creatures that are larger than you. Hopefully, at this level, you only run into a few creatures that are three sizes larger than you. Good luck if you do, though. 

LEVEL 5

Level 5 will significantly increase power, increasing Skill, ability score, and an Ancestry Feat. 

Let's start by increasing our skill proficiency. I decided to increase our Athletics proficiency to bring us up to Expert. Being an Expert in Athletics and Intimidation now gives us that scary, unpredictable storm presence I want. 

I don't know the best decision from a power gaming perspective for the Ability Scores. Still, I decided to double down on everything we chose at Level 1. So go ahead and grab Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Dexterity. Just keep getting better at the stuff that we are good at. 

Finally, we will choose an Ancestry Feat, and here I decided on Elemental Bulwark. This will let us get some resistance to the elemental that our Heritage derives from. Again, if your GM wouldn't allow you to take Suli, you must choose a different feat here. In that scenario, I recommend picking up Sense Allies. 

ROLE-PLAYING TIPS

I imagine that this character is unpredictable before anything else. You change direction and intensity without warning. You might be calm and collected in one moment and an absolute whirlwind of rage in the next. 

Like a storm that doesn't stop until it has passed, neither does your rage. You might go into a rage with a single goal and chase it with relentless determination. You don't stop until you are through that goal, both on and off the battlefield. 

Finally, I picture this character having a deep connection to the primal forces of nature, especially if your GM allows you to pick up the fun Heritage and Background options I gave you. Imagine that the wind, thunder, and lightning are more than what others see of them. They aren't just forces of nature; they are your friends and your allies. When the winds change, they show you the things to come. 

You will likely be fiercely loyal to the people you trust. You may see the need for someone to calm your storm. You have a deep, profound respect for the natural world, but primarily for things tied to storms and weather. I could see this character reminding or even educating their companions on the significance of the elements. Take a pause and observe a storm in the distance. Embrace it, but keep the other player characters at the table in mind. This should be fun for everyone.

COMBAT TIPS

When we start talking about combat, that's where your elemental nature will truly shine. You will be wild and unpredictable, using the elements and nature to your advantage. Leap off the high ground and switch targets unexpectedly. You do not back down until your foe is defeated. I imagine that if an enemy tried to flee, you would be relentless in your pursuit. Throw in some lightning and thunder at the later levels, and work with your GM to flavor everything in battle. 

CONCLUSION

So, there you have it. That's the Thunderous Fury build for Pathfinder 2e—a chaotic, relentless, elementally charged barbarian. Shift and shape things however you like; I hope you found this enjoyable. I will also provide tips on world-building, role-playing, character-building, and storytelling. Also, let me know if you want me to give a quick backstory for these builds. Do you all want to see these characters fully fleshed out, or is this enough? 

I have so much more to share, so please let me know what you want to see next. Check out the video on YouTube, leave a comment, like the video, and subscribe to the channel. Please let me know in the comments what you think of this build and what you would like to see next.