Barbarian Kit
Source: A combination of the
Barbarian Kit and the Berserker Kit; both from the Complete Fighter's Handbook
Attached to: Fighter
Requirements: Humans and Bugbears only, must have a STR of at least 15 and may not be of a Lawful alignment. Please note that not all barbarians must take the Barbarian Kit.
Taking/Abandoning: To take this kit, the character must have grown up or been trained in a barbarian tribe. To abandon it, the character must integrate into civilized society and stop living in the wild with his or her tribe.
Description: This is not the barbarian of history, but the barbarian of fantasy fiction. He's a powerful warrior from a culture on the fringes of civilization. He's left his home to sell his skills and adventure in the civilized world--perhaps to amass a fortune with which to return home, perhaps to become an important figure in this so-called civilization. He's known for strength, cunning, contempt for the outer world's decadence, and for adhering to his own code of honor.
Role: The typical RPG barbarian is a powerful, dangerous figure, as though he were an animal totem in human skin. In a campaign, he's a front-line fighter with some special skills and a very different outlook from the rest of the characters; his player should always play him as someone from a different land, someone whose likes and dislikes and perceptions are based on a different culture. (If you play him as just another warrior from down the street, you lose a lot of the mystique the character has).
Weapon Proficiencies: Required: Battle Axe, Bastard Sword. Barbarian fighters may specialize in any weapon, but are not likely to encounter unusual weapons (like lances, quarterstaffs, flails, peculiar pole-arms) until they reach the outer world. Recommended: Bow (any), Sling, Sword (any), War-hammer.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus - Endurance. Recommended - Animal Handling, Animal Training, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Riding (Land-Based), Weather Sense, Blind-Fighting, Hunting, Mountaineering, Running, Set Snares, Survival, Tracking, Herbalism, Jumping.
Equipment: The character, when he spends his starting gold, may not buy armor heavier than splint mail, banded mail, or bronze plate mail. Outside his tribe, once he has adventured in the outer world, he can use any type of armor without penalty. When he spends his starting gold, he must limit himself to weapons that are appropriate for his tribe--the usual group of weapons includes battle axe, bows (any), club, dagger or dirk, footman's flail, mace, or pick, and or throwing axe, sling, spear or sword (any).
Special Benefits: Barbarians receive a +3 reaction adjustment bonus from NPCs belong to their tribe. The other benefit the Barbarian receives is his berserk.
At any time, the Barbarian may choose to go berserk. This isn't an instantaneous process--he must spend a little time to "psych himself up." It takes a full turn (ten combat rounds) to go berserk. In that time, the character is growling, moaning, uttering imprecations . . . it's impossible to be quiet when trying to go berserk. He may also be fighting during that time, meaning that he can start to go berserk on the round the fight begins, fight for ten full rounds, and then be berserk on the eleventh round.
Of course, when the Barbarian knows a fight is coming, he can begin to go berserk, even if there is no fight currently going on. At the end of a full turn of preparation, he can become berserk instantaneously. If there's no enemy in sight yet, he can hold the berserk until combat is engaged. But if no combat takes place within five more full turns (50 rounds), he automatically reverts to "normal" and suffers the ordinary consequences for coming out of a berserk (described below). The character can come out of his berserk once the last enemy is down (he must literally be down on the ground, even if still alive and surrendering; the Barbarian will stay berserk and continue fighting so long as there are enemies still on their feet). Once the fight ends, the Barbarian must come out of his berserk state.
For these reasons, berserking is a more appropriate reaction when the characters are about to attack or be attacked by a foe they know about. If the characters are, instead, jumped by a small party of orcs, it's usually not worth the effort to go berserk; the consequences and efforts outweigh the benefits.
When berserk, the character has phenomenal endurance and resistance to pain and some forms of magic. Only while berserk, he gains the following benefits:
(1) He is immune (no saving throw required) to the wizard spells Charm Person, Friends, Hypnotism, Sleep, Irritation, Ray of Enfeeblement, Scare, Geas and the clerical spells Command, Charm Person or Mammal, Enthrall, Cloak of Bravery, and Symbol.
(2) He gets a +4 to save against the wizard's spells Blindness, Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter, Hold Person, Charm Monster, and Confusion, and the clerical spells Hold Person and Hold Animal.
(3) The Emotion spell has no effect unless the caster chose the fear result. If fear was chosen, the Barbarian gets a normal saving throw; if he makes it, he continues on as before, but if he fails it, he is prematurely snapped out of his berserk, with all the normal effects of coming out of the berserk (but he doesn't suffer any fear effect). The Fear spell has exactly the same effect. If he fails a saving throw against Charm Monster, he simply counts the caster as one of his allies; he doesn't come out of the berserk or obey the caster's commands.
(4) Being berserk offers no real protection against Finger of Death, except that the spell does not take effect until the character has come out of the berserk. If the Barbarian saves against the spell, he doesn't suffer the 2d8+1 damage until afterwards, as well.
(5) While berserk, the Barbarian is immune to KO results from the Punching and Wrestling rules, and only takes half-damage from bare-handed attacks from these rules.
(6) While berserk, the character gets +1 to attack, +3 to damage, and +5 hp.
Special Hindrances: (1) The Barbarian receives a -3 reaction roll from all NPCs not in his tribe.
(2) When the Barbarian goes berserk, the DM secretly rolls all damage for the player, without telling the player how much damage he has taken (since the Barbarian cannot feel pain while berserk, how could he keep track of how close to death he was?). If the DM chooses, he can also do the same with saving throws.
(3) When berserk, no ranged weapons can be used.
(4) While berserk, he must fight each opponent until that opponent is down. Once an opponent is felled, the Barbarian must move to the nearest enemy and attack him. He can't, for instance, choose to attack the enemy leader if that leader is behind seven ranks of spearmen.
(5) While berserk, the character cannot take cover against missile fire.
(6) If, while berserk, another character tries something that can be interpreted as an attack (for instance, hits him to move him out of the way of an incoming attack), the Barbarian must roll an INT check. If he succeeds, he's dimly aware that his friend is not attacking him. If he fails, he now thinks his friend is an enemy and will continue to think so until the berserk has worn off.
(7) While berserk, the character is unaffected by the clerical spells Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Aid, Cure Serious Wounds, Cure Critical Wounds, Heal, Regenerate (and Wither). He will gain the benefits of those spells only after he has come out of his berserk.
(8) The Taunt spell is automatically successful while berserk.
(9) Finally, when the Barbarian comes out of his berserk, bad things happen. He loses the 5 hp he gained when he became berserk (this could drop him to 0 hp or less and kill him). He collapses in exhaustion (exactly as if hit by a Ray of Enfeeblement spell, no saving throw) for one round for every round he was berserk. He suffers the effects of any spells which wait until he's returned to normal before affecting him.
Wealth Options: The Barbarian receives the ordinarily 5d4 x 10gp for starting gold. He must spend it all before starting play except three gp or less.
