Barbarian

From the frozen wastes of the north and the hellish jungles of the south come brave, even reckless, warriors. Civilized people call them barbarians or berserkers and suspect them of mayhem, impiety, and atrocities. These “barbarians,” however, have proven their mettle and their value to those who would be their allies. To enemies who underestimated them, they have proved their cunning, resourcefulness, persistence, and mercilessness.

The barbarian is an excellent warrior. Where the fighter’s skill in combat comes from training and discipline, however, the barbarian has a powerful rage. While in this berserk fury, he becomes stronger and tougher, better able to defeat his foes and withstand their attacks. These rages leave him winded, and he has the energy for only a few such spectacular displays per day, but those few rages are usually sufficient. He is at home in the wild, and he runs at great speed.

Barbarians come from uncivilized lands or from barbaric tribes on the outskirts of civilization. A barbarian adventurer may have been lured to the settled lands by the promise of riches, may have escaped after being captured in his homeland and sold into “civilized” slavery, may have been recruited as a soldier, or may have been driven out of his homeland by invaders. Barbarians share no bond with each other unless they come from the same tribe or land. In fact, they think of themselves not as barbarians but as warriors.

A barbarian’s typical primary role in a group of adventurers is as a front-line combat specialist. No other character can match his sheer toughness. He can also serve as a good scout, thanks to his speed and and trap sense.

Barbarians belong to the warrior class group. (See the Character Advancement page for more information about class groups.)

Starting Wealth

3d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Attacks & Saving Throws

The barbarian has a Good base attack bonus, Good Fortitude, Medium Reflex, and Poor Will save bonuses. (See Table: Attack & Save Bonuses By Level, on the Classes page.)

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A barbarian is proficient with basic weapons and unarmed attacks, as well as any three of the following weapon groups:

(See the Weapons page for more information about weapons and weapon groups.)

A barbarian is proficient with light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

(A character who does not begin as a barbarian at 1st character level does not gain these proficiencies.)

Class Features

A barbarian has the following special abilities.

Fast Movement

A barbarian’s land speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor, and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the barbarian’s speed because of any load carried or armor worn. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses to the barbarian’s land speed.

Rage

A barbarian can call upon inner reserves of strength and ferocity, entering a state of berserker rage, which make her stronger, tougher, and more resolute.

Rage modifiers

While in rage, a barbarian gains the following bonuses and penalties:

Damage reduction

A barbarian also gains damage reduction while raging, equal to one-half his class level. Subtract this number from the damage the barbarian takes each time she is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0. A barbarian’s damage reduction does not apply if he is helpless, paralyzed, or otherwise incapacitated.

Limitations while raging

While in rage, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly?, Intimidate?, and Ride?) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. The barbarian can’t cast spells (including spells cast from scrolls) or activate magic items that require a command word (such as wands).

Rage duration

A barbarian’s rage lasts until the end of the current encounter (but no longer than approximately two minutes). A barbarian may end his rage prematurely. If a barbarian falls unconscious, his rage immediately ends.

Fatigue after raging

After a rage ends, the barbarian is fatigued for ten minutes (or five minutes of complete rest). Every additional time a barbarian rages in a single day, the rage fatigues him for ten more minutes than the last time (the amount of time of complete rest required is always half of the normal fatigue duration). A fatigued barbarian cannot rage.

A barbarian may enter a rage only once per encounter (even if he somehow alleviates his fatigue).

Rage Powers

As a barbarian gains levels, she learns to use her rage in new ways. Starting at 2nd level, and at every 2nd level thereafter, a barbarian gains a rage power. A barbarian gains the benefits of rage powers only while raging, and some of these powers require the barbarian to take an action first. Unless otherwise noted, a barbarian cannot select an individual power more than once.

A complete list of available rage powers can be found on the Rage Powers page.

Bonus feats

A barbarian may select a bonus feat in place of any rage power. (She must still qualify for any feat she selects in this way.) A barbarian may select from any of the following feats when taking a bonus feat:

A bonus feat selected in this way can be used whenever it applies, even when the barbarian is not raging.

Trap Sense

At 3rd level, a barbarian gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to armor class against attacks made by traps. He also gains the same bonus on Spot and Listen? checks to perceive the presence and effects of magical traps. (See the Spot and Listen? skill descriptions for details.) These bonuses increase by +1 every three barbarian levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level). Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes within the same class group stack. (See Character Advancement for more information about class groups.)

Uncanny Dodge

At 5th level, a barbarian can react to attacks from all sides as easily as from one. She can no longer be flanked.

If a barbarian already has uncanny dodge from a different class, she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Savage Might

At 7th level, and again at 13th level, the barbarian selects one of the following abilities. (Each ability may be selected only once.)

Racial paragon

Human or half-orc only.

Despite (or because of) your savage, primal nature, you are seen by others as a paragon of your kind. You gain a racial feat of your choice. Additionally, your effective Charisma score, for the purposes of interactions with others of your race, or any racial allies or enemies of your race, is 14 (at 13th level, 18; at 19th level, 22). (If your actual Charisma score is already that high, it instead counts as being 2 points higher for this purpose.)

Animal command

You have a bond with beasts. You gain the Command Animals feat, and the ranger’s wild empathy ability. Your effective priest level, and your effective ranger level, for the purpose of this ability, are equal to your warrior level.

If you have the Elemental Totem rage power, you may gain the Command Elementals feat instead. If you have the Spirit Totem rage power, you may gain the Command Undead feat instead. In either case, you do not gain wild empathy.

Improved Uncanny Dodge

At 9th level, a barbarian gains the ability to react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity, dodge, and shield bonuses to AC even when she’s not expecting an attack. (She still loses these bonuses if she’s unable to react to an attack.)

Greater Rage

At 11th level, the barbarian’s bonuses from rage double. (The penalty to AC, and the damage reduction, are unchanged.)

Perpetual Rage

At 15th level, the barbarian can use rage powers even while not raging. She may only use one rage power per round, in this case (this restriction does not apply to rage powers that normally do not require the barbarian to be raging).

Tireless Rage

Starting at 17th level, a barbarian’s first rage of the day does not fatigue him. (The duration of subsequent rages is determined as if the first rage hadn’t happened.) Additionally, the barbarian may enter a rage even if fatigued, but if he does so, he becomes exhausted at the end of the rage (for the same duration as he’d normally be fatigued; the usual amount of rest reduces this to fatigue, and further rest is needed to recover fully).

Mighty Rage

At 19th level, the barbarian’s bonuses from rage triple (this supersedes greater rage). (The penalty to AC, and the damage reduction, are unchanged.)

Barbarian variants

The following are the class variants available to player character barbarians in the Worlds of Adventure campaign.

Scarred rager

(VARIANT)

Half-orc only.

Many orc barbarians wear marks of prowess and savagery upon their bodies. The scarred rager believes each wound tells the tales of her prowess and bravery. She augments these ragged trophies with brands and tattoos in order to win the notice and favor of her gods, ancestors, or totem spirits. The scarred rager’s gnarled and exotic appearance terrifies civilized onlookers, but is awe-inspiring to her savage kin.

A scarred rager has the following class features.

Terrifying Visage

This ability replaces fast movement.

A scarred rager adds a +4 bonus on Fear reaction rolls by humanoids (except orcs). When dealing with orcs, the scarred rager adds this bonus on Love reaction rolls instead. The DC of any fear effect created by the scarred rager also increases by 1.

Tolerance

This ability replaces uncanny dodge.

At 2nd level, a scarred rager who fails a save against an effect that causes her to become nauseated, sickened, fatigued, or exhausted can make a second save to negate the effect on the start of her next turn. Only one additional save is allowed. If the effect does not allow a saving throw, its duration is halved instead (minimum of 1 round).

Scarification

This ability replaces trap sense.

At 3rd level, a scarred rager can ignore a bleeding wound of severity 1d20. At every 5th level thereafter, the maximum severity of bleeding that the scarred ranger can ignore increases by 1 step (1d12 at 8th level, etc.).

Improved Tolerance

This replaces improved uncanny dodge.

At 5th level, a scarred rager’s tolerance ability also applies to effects that would cause her to become frightened, shaken, or stunned.

Whirling frenzy

(ALTERNATE CLASS FEATURE)

A barbarian may select the following alternate form of the rage ability (which otherwise counts as rage for all purposes).

Whirling Frenzy

A barbarian with this form of rage gains no damage reduction and no bonus to Will saves while raging, nor does he take a penalty to Armor Class. (He still gains the bonus to damage, etc.) Instead, he gains a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class and Reflex saves. While in a whirling frenzy, the barbarian may make one extra attack with a melee or thrown weapon per round, but this attack takes a −2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round.

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Barbarian