Completing a Path of the Belly Brewer Barbarian in DND

Barbarians can be a highly entertaining class to play in Dungeons & Dragons, but much of that enjoyment hinges on your choice of subclass. If you’re aiming for a quirky and enjoyable barbarian, check out the belly brewer subclass from the Obojima campaign setting for 5e.

The path of the belly brewer offers a creative and playful take on the barbarian class, perfectly capturing the laid-back spirit of this campaign environment. If you’re interested in mixing up your character, here’s what you need to know about building a belly brewer barbarian.

Overview of the Path of the Belly Brewer

Hero’s Journey by Alexander Cloos

Belly brewers are skilled potion creators and alchemists who brew their potions inside their own stomachs!

Essentially, these barbarians use their digestive systems to concoct ability-boosting potions to aid them in battle.

Character Level	Subclass Feature	Details
3	Belly Concoction	You gain the ability to brew potions in your belly, enabling you to mix ingredients for various effects while raging. These effects can help you reduce damage from ranged attacks, extend your melee attack range, heal yourself, teleport, and more.
3	Side Effects	You experience various side effects from the magical ingredients you’ve consumed, and you learn the Prestidigitation and Thaumaturgy cantrips.
6	Quick Brew	You can choose a common potion you would typically drink (like a Potion of Healing) and activate its effects as a bonus action once per long rest.
10	Lingering Effects	After a long rest, you can select a condition, such as blinded or charmed, and gain an advantage on saving throws against that condition.
14	Mighty Quick Brew	You learn an additional Quick Brew potion (Common) and an uncommon potion.

Belly brewers are highly resilient and versatile in terms of self-support choices, like healing themselves or absorbing damage, making them excellent front-line fighters.

Top Ability Scores for a Belly Brewer

A magical antagonist flying through the air in the Obojima campaign setting. — Antagonist by Alexander Cloos

When deciding on your ability scores, it’s best to prioritize Strength and Constitution for barbarians.

While Strength and Constitution are key, you can always choose to invest in other stats if you like.

Obojima emphasizes roleplay, so boosting your mental stats can be beneficial too.

Ability	Details
Strength	Your highest score should be in Strength, as this directly affects your attack power and damage output.
Constitution	Constitution determines your hit points, along with the various saving throws and damage reductions you gain from your subclass features. Thus, make Constitution your second highest ability.
Dexterity	Dexterity impacts your Armor Class and other physical aspects that are important for a barbarian. Consider keeping a reasonably high Dexterity score.
Wisdom	Wisdom is helpful for overcoming tough saving throws, so place your next highest ability score here.
Charisma	Since Obojima leans heavily on roleplaying, having a decent Charisma score can help with abilities like Persuasion and Deception.
Intelligence	Ultimately, Intelligence is of little significance for a barbarian, so this can be your lowest score.

Best Species for a Belly Brewer

A dragon sleeping in a pastoral barn in the Obojima campaign setting. — Dragon Frog by Alexander Cloos

When choosing a species for your belly brewer, you have ample options. However, some species offer more advantages than others.

Obojima officially includes humans, elves, and Nakudama as species, but you’re welcome to pick from other species if you prefer.

Aasimar – Great for added damage reduction and self-healing abilities.
Dragonborn – Also provides extra damage reduction and various combat options.
Nakudama – Unique to Obojima, this amphibious race comes with enhanced physical traits and the capability to boost Strength or Constitution.

Top Backgrounds for a Belly Brewer

A player character admires a giant flying jellyfish in the Obojima campaign setting. — Giant Jellyfish by Alexander Cloos

Obojima features several unique backgrounds for players to choose from while also allowing options from the Player’s Handbook.

While selecting a background is flexible, here are some that work particularly well with the belly brewer subclass.

Guard – Increases Strength, with additional boosts to Intelligence and Wisdom, which can enhance your character’s overall build.
Soldier – Increases both Strength and Constitution, solidifying your combat effectiveness.
Spirit Kin – Unique to Obojima, this background connects you with the Spirit Realm through ingredients, creating a great synergy due to the ingredient-themed nature of the belly brewer subclass.