Karlach — Throwzerker (Honour Mode)

Final composition: Berserker Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 3 / Champion Fighter 4

Why this split

• Berserker 5 gives Extra Attack, Enraged Throw (bonus action throw, auto-prones with no save), and Fast Movement.

• Thief 3 gives Fast Hands (2nd bonus action) — doubles your Enraged Throws per turn.

• Champion 4 gives Improved Critical (19-20), Action Surge, and a 3rd feat.

• Total feats: 3 (Barb 4, Fighter 4 = 2 from class levels + Tavern Brawler at Barb 4). Wait — Barbarian 4 gives 1, Fighter 4 gives 1. That’s 2 feats. I previously thought 3. Let me recount: Barb 4 (1 feat), Fighter 4 (1 feat). Total = 2 feats. Rogue 4 would be 3, but we stop at Rogue 3. So only 2 ASIs. Hmm, this is a major issue with the 5/3/4 split.

  Actually, wait. Let me recount. The split is Barb 5 / Thief 3 / Fighter 4. ASIs come at Barb 4, Fighter 4. That’s exactly 2 feats. I was wrong about getting 3. The Bardadin gets 2 (Pal 4, Bard 4). The Gloomstalker gets 2 (Ranger 4, Rogue 4). The Battle Master gets 4 (pure Fighter). So this is consistent — 2 feats for multiclass builds.

  Actually wait, let me re-examine. Barb 4 = 1 feat, Fighter 4 = 1 feat. Total = 2 feats. That’s correct.

  But wait, I could consider a split that gives 3 feats: Barb 5 / Thief 4 / Fighter 3 = Barb 4 + Rogue 4 = 2 feats. Still 2. Or Barb 8 / Thief 4 = Barb 4 + Barb 8 + Rogue 4 = 3 feats. But no Action Surge or Champion. Or Barb 6 / Thief 4 / Fighter 2 = Barb 4 + Rogue 4 = 2 feats.

  Actually, I realize: the current split gives exactly 2 feats. I need to correct this.

  Actually no, wait. Barb 4 = 1 feat. Fighter 4 = 1 feat. That’s 2. Yes. That’s exactly right.

  But… the throwzerker research report says 3 feats for the 5/3/4 split. That’s wrong — it’s only 2.

  Let me re-examine the research report:

  5/3/4 wins because: 3 feats vs 2 — the third feat (Alert or +2 STR) is huge in Honour Mode

  This is a mistake in the research. 5/3/4 gives:

  • Barbarian 4 = ASI 1
  • Fighter 4 = ASI 4
  • Total = 2 feats

  6/4/2 gives:

  • Barbarian 4 = ASI 1
  • Rogue 4 = ASI 2
  • Total = 2 feats

  So both splits give 2 feats. The 5/3/4 split gives Action Surge + Champion (19-20 crit), while 6/4/2 only gives Mindless Rage + Action Surge (no Fighter subclass).

  OK so I need to correct this in the build. Let me fix:

  • Only 2 feats: Tavern Brawler at Barb 4, ASI STR +2 at Fighter 4.
  • No Alert feat (unless we drop ASI STR, which is worse).

  OR I could use an elixir build:

  • Dump STR to 8, pump DEX and CON.
  • Use Elixir of Hill Giant Strength (STR 21) in Acts 1-2.
  • Use Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength (STR 27) in Act 3.
  • Feats: Tavern Brawler (+1 CON) at Barb 4, Alert at Fighter 4.

  This is actually the stronger build because:

  1. Alert (+5 init, can’t be surprised) is huge for Honour Mode
  2. STR is handled by elixirs
  3. More stat points for DEX (initiative, AC, DEX saves) and CON (HP)
  4. Elixirs of Hill Giant Strength are farmable from Auntie Ethel in Act 1 (3 per long rest/level up)

  But this requires constant elixir management. Let me give both options.

  Actually, since the existing builds don’t rely heavily on elixirs for their core stats, and the user asked for Honour Mode builds, I think I should present the elixir approach as the recommended one (it’s stronger) but note the natural STR alternative.

  Let me rethink the build structure:

  Recommended (Elixir-based):

  • Starting STR: 8 (dump), DEX: 16, CON: 16, rest as needed
  • Feats: Tavern Brawler (+1 CON) at Barb 4, Alert at Fighter 4
  • Use Elixir of Hill Giant Strength (Act 1-2) → Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength (Act 3)
  • This gives you Alert and high initiative, the most important thing in Honour Mode

  Alternative (Natural STR):

  • Starting STR: 17, DEX: 14, CON: 16, rest as before
  • Feats: Tavern Brawler (+1 STR → 18) at Barb 4, ASI STR +2 at Fighter 4 (→ 20)
  • No Alert feat — rely on initiative from gear/elixirs of vigilance instead

  Hmm, for simplicity and since that’s what the research recommended, let me go with the natural STR approach but mention the elixir alternative. Actually no, let me go with elixir approach as primary since it’s better for Honour Mode (Alert feat is huge).

  Actually let me look at this more carefully. The user said “keep in mind we are playing honour mode.” Alert is crucial. Having only 2 feats is a constraint. The elixir approach is standard for TB builds in Honour Mode. Let me present the elixir approach as the primary recommendation.

  Wait, but there’s also a consideration: you might want to use Bloodlust Elixir for the extra action on kill, or Elixir of Vigilance for initiative. If STR is from elixirs, you’re locked into the STR elixir and can’t use other elixirs. So maybe the natural STR + other elixirs approach is also valid.

  I think the best approach is to present both and let the user decide. The existing builds have a pattern of presenting one clear path, so I’ll present the elixir-based approach as the primary recommendation with notes about the alternative.

  Let me rewrite the build. Actually, let me just fix the feats section and the level progression. The core is correct, I just need to fix the feat count and adjust accordingly.

  Hmm, I’ve already written the file with the content. But I realize the content has some issues:

  1. The feat count is wrong (I said 3, it’s 2)
  2. I should present the elixir-based approach as primary

  Let me rewrite the entire file with correct information.

Actually, you know what, let me just re-read what I wrote and see if it matches what we need. I wrote the Bardadin, Battle Master, and Gloom Assassin files. Let me write the Throwzerker properly now.

For the Throwzerker:

• Split: Berserker 5 / Thief 3 / Fighter 4 (Champion)
• 2 feats: Barb 4, Fighter 4
• Primary approach: Elixir-based (dump STR, use elixirs), feats = Tavern Brawler + Alert
• Alternative: Natural STR, feats = Tavern Brawler + ASI STR

Let me write the file properly.<｜end▁of▁thinking｜>Now let me write the Throwzerker build properly:

<｜｜DSML｜｜tool_calls> <｜｜DSML｜｜invoke name=“write”> <｜｜DSML｜｜parameter name=“content” string=“true”>--- name: “Karlach — Throwzerker” character: “Karlach (Zariel Tiefling)” composition: “Berserker Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 3 / Champion Fighter 4” role: “Ranged martial / thrown-weapon DPS / auto-prone control” difficulty: “Intermediate” tags:

• barbarian
• berserker
• rogue
• thief
• fighter
• champion
• thrown-weapons
• tavern-brawler
• honour-mode keyLevels: [4, 5, 8, 11] priorityItems:
• name: “Returning Pike” act: 1 priority: high
• name: “Ring of Flinging” act: 1 priority: high
• name: “Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo” act: 1 priority: medium
• name: “Caustic Band” act: 1 priority: medium
• name: “Nyrulna” act: 3 priority: high
• name: “Helmet of Grit” act: 3 priority: medium summary: “Berserker 5 / Thief 3 / Champion 4 — Tavern Brawler on throws + Fast Hands for 2 Enraged Throws/turn. Enraged Throw auto-Prones with no save. Returning Pike → Nyrulna progression. Elixir-based STR (dump natural STR) frees feat for Alert.” updated: 2026-05-11

Karlach — Throwzerker (Honour Mode)

Final composition: Berserker Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 3 / Champion Fighter 4

Why this split

• Berserker 5 — Extra Attack, Enraged Throw (bonus action throw that auto-Prones with no save), Fast Movement.
• Thief 3 — Fast Hands gives a second bonus action → two Enraged Throws per turn instead of one.
• Champion 4 — Action Surge, Improved Critical (19-20), and a second feat.
• 2 feats total (Barbarian 4 + Fighter 4). Use elixirs for STR so you can take Alert as the second feat — going first is everything in Honour Mode.

Character Creation

Respec Karlach at Withers. BG3 lets you freely assign +2/+1 regardless of race.

Stats (point buy — elixir build)

Since STR comes from elixirs, dump it completely:

Why DEX 16: Medium armour caps at +2 DEX. Initiative and DEX saves. Karlach wears medium armour (you lose Unarmoured Defence bonuses when wearing armour, but gain AC from the armour itself).

Why CON 17: HP for a frontline character, and Tavern Brawler gives +1 CON at level 4 → CON 18.

Alternative: Natural STR (no elixir dependency)

Feats: Tavern Brawler (+1 STR → 18), ASI STR +2 (→ 20). Trade-off: no Alert feat, rely on Elixir of Vigilance or gear for initiative. Much more elixir-dependent management but allows Bloodlust Elixir.

How Enraged Throw Works

• Bonus Action while Frenzied (rage must be active and Frenzy bonus action used).
• Throw your equipped weapon at an enemy within 18m.
• Deals normal thrown weapon damage + STR modifier.
• Knocks target Prone — NO saving throw. Guaranteed.
• Weapon with Homing property (Returning Pike, Nyrulna) automatically returns to your hand.
• Does NOT apply Frenzied Strain. Only Frenzied Strike (melee bonus attack) does. You almost never use Frenzied Strike, so Strain stacks are irrelevant.
• With Fast Hands (Thief 3): 2 Enraged Throws per turn as bonus actions.

Level-by-Level

L1 — Barbarian 1

Rage: 2 charges, bonus action, resistance to bludgeoning/piercing/slashing, +2 damage to melee/thrown attacks. Unarmoured Defence: AC = 10 + DEX + CON (but you’ll wear medium armour, so this is irrelevant after Act 1).

L2 — Barbarian 2

Reckless Attack: Advantage on all attack rolls this turn; enemies have advantage vs you. Works on thrown attacks. Danger Sense: Advantage on DEX saving throws vs traps/spells you can see.

L3 — Barbarian 3 — Berserker

⭐ Frenzy: While raging, use bonus action to enter Frenzy. Unlocks Enraged Throw and Frenzied Strike as bonus actions. Enraged Throw: Bonus action, throw weapon → damage + auto-prone (no save). Frenzied Strike: Bonus action melee attack that adds Frenzied Strain (-1 to attack per stack). Don’t use this — Enraged Throw is better.

L4 — Barbarian 4 — first feat

Feat: Tavern Brawler (+1 CON → 18) — double STR modifier to thrown attack rolls AND damage. With STR 21 (elixir), that’s +10 to hit and +10 damage from STR alone. Core engine online.

L5 — Barbarian 5 — power spike

⭐ Extra Attack — 2 attacks per Action. Fast Movement: +3m movement while not in heavy armour.

L6 — Rogue 1

Sneak Attack: 1d6 (works on thrown weapons if you have Advantage — and Reckless Attack gives you Advantage on demand). Expertise: Athletics (for shoving/throwing enemies), Perception.

L7 — Rogue 2

Cunning Action: Dash/Disengage/Hide as bonus action. Mobility and repositioning.

L8 — Rogue 3 — Thief

⭐ Fast Hands — second bonus action per turn. Two Enraged Throws per round while Frenzied. Second-Story Work: Reduced falling damage. Sneak Attack: 2d6.

L9 — Fighter 1

Fighting Style: Defence (+1 AC). No other style applies to thrown weapons — Duelling requires melee, Archery is for ranged weapons, GWF is for melee two-handers. Second Wind: Minor self-heal.

L10 — Fighter 2

⭐ Action Surge — extra Action, once per Short Rest. In Honour Mode, Haste only gives +1 attack, but Action Surge gives a full Extra Attack action → 2 more throws.

L11 — Fighter 3 — Champion

⭐ Improved Critical Hit — critical threshold reduced by 1 (crit on 19-20). With Reckless Attack (constant Advantage), that’s ~19% crit chance per throw instead of ~9.75%.

L12 — Fighter 4 — second feat

Feat: Alert — +5 initiative, cannot be Surprised. In Honour Mode, this is life-saving. Going before enemies means deleting a threat before it acts.

Final throw count per turn while Frenzied: 2 (Extra Attack) + 2 (Enraged Throw × 2) = 4 throws sustainable, 6 with Action Surge, 7 with Helmet of Grit (≤50% HP).

How Tavern Brawler Works on Throws

From bg3.wiki: “When you make an unarmed attack, use an improvised weapon, or throw something, your Strength Modifier is added to the damage and Attack Rolls an additional time.”

With STR 21 (Hill Giant elixir):

• Attack roll: d20 + Proficiency + 5 (STR) + 5 (TB) = d20 + Prof + 10
• Damage: weapon die + enchant bonus + 5 (STR) + 5 (TB) + 2 (Rage) + damage riders

With STR 27 (Cloud Giant elixir, Act 3):

• Attack roll: d20 + Prof + 8 + 8 = d20 + Prof + 16
• Damage: weapon die + enchant + 8 + 8 + 2 + riders

This completely offsets the Reckless Attack downside (enemies have advantage vs you) because you’re attacking from range with sky-high accuracy and deleting priority targets.

Key Items

Combat Pattern

Opening Round

1. Bonus Action: Rage (enter rage).
2. Bonus Action: Frenzy (enter Frenzy — requires raging first).
   • Note: This takes 2 bonus actions on round 1 if you don’t pre-Rage. Pre-Rage before combat when possible.
3. Action: 2 throws with Extra Attack (Returning Pike / Nyrulna).
4. Bonus Action: Enraged Throw (auto-Prune — prioritize the most dangerous enemy).
5. Wait — you used 2 bonus actions (Rage + Frenzy). With Fast Hands you have 2, but you need both for setup. So on round 1 without pre-Rage: Rage (BA1) + Frenzy (BA2). No Enraged Throws on round 1 unless pre-Raged.

Better opener (pre-Rage if possible):

1. Enter Rage + Frenzy before combat starts (click Rage, then Frenzy while out of combat — Frenzy persists briefly).
2. Round 1: 2 throws (Action) + 2 Enraged Throws (BA1, BA2) = 4 throws.

Nova Round (with Action Surge)

1. Action: 2 throws.
2. Action Surge: 2 throws.
3. Bonus Action 1: Enraged Throw.
4. Bonus Action 2: Enraged Throw.

6 throws in one round. With a pre-combat setup round for Rage + Frenzy.

With Helmet of Grit (≤50% HP, 3 bonus actions)

7 throws in one round (2 + 2 + 3 Enraged Throws). Extremely high risk/reward.

Sustainable Turn (post-setup)

Every turn while Frenzy is active:

1. Action: 2 throws.
2. Bonus Action 1: Enraged Throw (auto-prone).
3. Bonus Action 2: Enraged Throw (auto-prone).

4 throws every single turn. Sneak Attack triggers on the first qualifying hit (Advantage from Reckless Attack → 2d6).

Key Tactics

• Always throw from high ground (+2 to attack, extends range).
• Toggle Reckless Attack on every turn — Advantage offsets natural low ground penalties and ensures Sneak Attack.
• Enraged Throw prioritizes auto-prone: Lock down enemy casters, archers, or legendary-action bosses first.
• Thrown enemies: You can also Enraged Throw creatures themselves (including allies in emergencies). Pick up small enemies and throw them into other enemies, chasms, or hazards.
• Nyrulna AoE warning: In Act 3, Nyrulna’s 3d4 AoE hits allies within 6m of the target. Use single-target Enraged Throws on enemies near your frontline; switch back to Returning Pike for those throws if needed (put it in inventory, it returns to hand).

Act-by-Act Priority

Act 1

• ⭐ Emerald Grove: Buy Ring of Flinging from Arron immediately.
• ⭐ Goblin Camp: Buy Returning Pike from Grat the Trader BEFORE aggroing goblins.
• Auntie Ethel (Grove): Buy 3× Elixir of Hill Giant Strength every time you level up or long rest. Stockpile.
• Underdark, Myconid Colony: Rescue Baelen for Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo (Derryth quest). Buy Caustic Band from Derryth.
• ⭐ Reach Barbarian 3 (Berserker) for Enraged Throw.
• ⭐ Reach Barbarian 4 for Tavern Brawler — build-defining feat.
• Reach Barbarian 5 for Extra Attack.
• Option: Take Hag’s Hair (+1 STR) if not using elixir build. Elixir builds skip it (give to Storm Sorc).

Act 2

• Last Light Inn: Buy Cloak of Protection from Talli.
• Gauntlet of Shar: Get Callous Glow Ring from Balthazar’s vault (opulent chest).
• Rogue 1 → 2 → 3: Sneak Attack → Cunning Action → Fast Hands at level 8 (second bonus action online).
• Stock up on Hill Giant elixirs — you’ll need them through Act 3 until you find Cloud Giant ones.

Act 3

• ⭐ Circus of the Last Days (Rivington): Pickpocket Akabi’s Djinni Ring → spin jackpot → Jungle → Nyrulna (DC 20 Sleight of Hand locked chest near exit).
• Level Fighter 1-4: Defence → Action Surge → Champion → Alert.
• Cazador’s Palace: Helmet of Grit (optional, high-risk item).
• House of Hope: Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength (if running natural STR or want to free elixir slot for Bloodlust).
• ⭐ Switch to Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength (STR 27) from Mystic Carrion or crafting.
• Get Bonespike Garb from Exxvikyap (Wyrm’s Crossing) — 15 temp HP on Rage, damage reduction by 2, melee attackers take CON-mod piercing. Excellent medium armour.

Honour Mode Reminders

• Enraged Throw auto-prones with NO save. This is one of the most broken abilities in Honour Mode. Legendary Action bosses can be put face-down, wasting their movement and giving your melee allies advantage.
• Rage resistance doubles your effective HP. With Medium Armour AC ~18-20 and resistance to physical damage, Karlach tanks surprisingly well despite standing in the open throwing things.
• Stockpile STR elixirs obsessively. Auntie Ethel sells 3 per level-up. If you run out, your build falls apart (STR 8 is useless). Keep 10+ in reserve.
• Don’t use Frenzied Strike. It adds Frenzied Strain (-1 to attack per stack). Enraged Throw gives the same bonus action value plus auto-prone, with no downside. Only use Frenzied Strike if you have nothing to throw and an enemy is adjacent.
• Nyrulna friendly fire is real. The 3d4 thunder AoE splash hits allies. Check the targeting circle before throwing. Keep Returning Pike in inventory for tight-quarters fights.
• Thrown weapons work with Extra Attack and Action Surge. In Honour Mode, Haste only gives +1 attack, but Action Surge gives a full Extra Attack action (2 more throws at L5+).
• Reckless Attack gives enemies advantage on you. You throw from 18m away, so you’re typically not the focus target. But be aware — if enemies close in, you’re easier to hit.