Path of the Battlerager FAQ
Do you have to be a dwarf to play a Battlerager?
In its original *Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide* presentation, the Path of the Battlerager is a dwarven tradition and is restricted to dwarves unless the DM lifts that setting-specific restriction. The restriction is part of that publication context rather than a universal rule for every campaign setting.
The restriction is setting-specific
Battleragers are presented as a dwarven tradition in the Forgotten Realms material where the subclass originated.
The DM can change it
The published guidance explicitly leaves room for a DM to allow the tradition to exist among other peoples in another setting or campaign.
Mechanics and lore are separate questions
Removing the ancestry restriction does not automatically change Battlerager Armor, Reckless Abandon, Battlerager Charge or Spiked Retribution.
Spiked armor still matters
Even when the ancestry restriction is lifted, the subclass's main mechanics still assume access to spiked armor.