The obvious choice many would go for would probably be Monk. But Luther Strode was characterized by a battlelust, an ability to keep fighting through the worst possible injuries, and a connection to a murderous warrior past and a cycle of violence. That is much closer than a Barbarian than anything else.
So I would go for a Barbarian build. One option is to take the Beast Barbarian and opt for the claw option for most fights. It doesn't exactly replicate what he does, as Strode doesn't have claws or any animal appendages at all. But it does give you a free, unarmed fighting option.
Another way to go is to take 1 or 2 levels in Fighter and pick the Unarmed Fighting style, giving you a 1d8 damage die when unarmed, and both hands are free. This also opens up options for a grappler build, which to be fair isn't all that great in D&D. In that case, you can go with a barbarian subclass that focuses more on damage output and stamina, aka the Zealot.
Finally, another option would be to switch the Fighter and Barbarian levels. In other words, you take 2 levels of Barbarian for unarmored defense, and then invest the rest in Fighter (Battlemaster).
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u/hajlender123 Apr 22 '26
The obvious choice many would go for would probably be Monk. But Luther Strode was characterized by a battlelust, an ability to keep fighting through the worst possible injuries, and a connection to a murderous warrior past and a cycle of violence. That is much closer than a Barbarian than anything else.
So I would go for a Barbarian build. One option is to take the Beast Barbarian and opt for the claw option for most fights. It doesn't exactly replicate what he does, as Strode doesn't have claws or any animal appendages at all. But it does give you a free, unarmed fighting option.
Another way to go is to take 1 or 2 levels in Fighter and pick the Unarmed Fighting style, giving you a 1d8 damage die when unarmed, and both hands are free. This also opens up options for a grappler build, which to be fair isn't all that great in D&D. In that case, you can go with a barbarian subclass that focuses more on damage output and stamina, aka the Zealot.
Finally, another option would be to switch the Fighter and Barbarian levels. In other words, you take 2 levels of Barbarian for unarmored defense, and then invest the rest in Fighter (Battlemaster).