Berserker

Description

The Berserker is a warrior who has special attributes and abilities when he's in combat. In combat, he can achieve an ecstatic state of mind that will enable him to fight longer, harder, and more savagely than any human being has a right to. This makes him a deadly warrior... who can be as much a menace to himself as to his enemies. In a campaign, he's nearly identical to the Barbarian — except it's obvious from the outset that he has a truly savage and inhuman element in his personality, and he tends to disturb and unsettle other people.
Like the Barbarian. the Berserker must have a Strength ability score or 15 or more.

Role

In his tribe, the Berserker has a special role. He's been touched by supernatural forces, and accepted that touch so that he might better defend his people.
The idea of a Berserker Paladin is a little strange, and some DMS will prefer not to allow it. That's fine. It's not always inappropriate. though. If the character's tribe is deeply involved with an appropriate animal totem, such as a bear or wolverine, a paladin might even be required to be a Berserker, since the DM may reason that it's only the supernatural touch of the totem animal spirit that gives the paladin his other powers. But, again, that's up to the individual DM.

Weapon Proficiencies

No specific weapon proficiencies are required of the Berserker — but he may not start out play having a proficiency in a ranged weapon (no thrown axes or knives, no bows or crossbows, etc.). The Berserker lives to destroy things in hand-to-hand combat, so he cannot start play with any sort of ranged weapon proficiency. He can learn others during the course of the campaign, if he and his DM wish to allow it — but it's a little out of character for the Berserker.

Nonweapon Proficiencies

Bonus Proficiency

Endurance

Recommended

General

Animal Handling, Animal Training, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Riding, Land Based, Weather Sense

Warrior

Blind-Fighting, Hunting, Mountaineering, Running, Set Snares, Survival, Tracking

Priest

(costs twice the listed number of slots if Fighter or Ranger)
Herbalism

Rogue

(costs double slots)
Jumping
As with the Barbarian, the DM may choose to insist that the Berserker character take a proficiency in the tribal specialty (Trapping, Agriculture, etc.).

Equipment

As with the Barbarian, the Berserker may not use his starting gold to buy armor heavier than splint mail, banded mail, or bronze plate mail. 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 known to his tribe, and may not choose missile weapons. Good choices include battle axe, club, dagger or dirk, footman's flail, mace, or pick, hand axe, spear, or sword (any)

Special Benefits

Berserkers receive a +3 reaction adjustment bonus from NPCs belonging to any tribe that also has Berserkers — they recognize the Berserker instinctively and respect him. even if he is an enemy.
The other benefit the Berserker receives is his Berserk. At any time, the Berserker 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 trving to Go Berserk. He may alsö 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 Berserker 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, 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 Berserker will stay berserk and continue fighting so long as there are enemies still on their feet). Once the fight ends, the Berserker 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 ores, it's usually not worth the effort to Go Berserk; the consequences and effort 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 is necessary) 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 spells Blindness. Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter, Hold Person {Wizard Spell}, Charm Monster, and Confusion. and the clerical spells Hold Person and Hold Animal.
(3) The Emotion spell has no effect on the Berserker, unless the caster chose the fear result. If fear was chosen, the Berserker 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 other fear effect). The Fear spell has exactly the same effect; If he saves. there is no effect. and if he doesn't save, he's snapped out of the Berserk. 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 from Finger of Death, except that the spell effects do not take place until the character has come out of his Berserk. If the Berserker saves. he doesn't suffer the 2d8+1 damage until immediately after he snaps out of the Berserk. If he fails to save, he doesn't die until he snaps out of the Berserk.
(5) The Berserker, while Berserk, is immune to KO results from the Punching and Wrestling rules, and takes only 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

The Berserker has hindrances as severe as all those benefits he receives.
(1) The Berserker character receives a -3 reaction from all NPCs (except, that is, characters from tribes which have berserkers in them, as described above).
(2) When the Berserker goes Berserk, the DM should immediately say to him. "Tell me how many hit points you currently have." From that point until the fight is done and the Berserker has returned to normal, the DM keeps track of his hit points. The player is not told how many hp he has left, nor how many points of damage he is taking with each attack (after all, the character can feel no pain... so he cannot keep track of how close he is to death). The DM simply tells him something like: "The orc-captain hits you with his axe, a mighty blow which you barely feel" .
It is therefore very possible for a Berserker to be nickled and dimed to death and not know it until he drops dead. The DM can also, if he so chooses, roll all Saving Throws for the Berserker, not telling the player whether they were failures or successes.
(3) While Berserk. the charater can use no ranged weapons. He kills only in hand-to-hand or melee-weapon combat.
(4) While Berserk, he must fight each opponent until that opponent is down. Once an opponent is felled, the Berserker 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. The Berserker must keep fighting until all enemies are down, as described earlier.
(5) While Berserk, the character cannot take cover against missile fire.
(6) If, while the character is Berserk, another character tries something he can interpret as attack (for instance, hits him to move him out of the way of an incoming attack) the Berserker must roll 1d20 vs. his Intelligence. If he succeeds (that is, rolls his Intelligence score or less), he's dimly aware that his friend is not attacking him. If he fails (rolls higher than his Intelligence), he now thinks his friend is an enemy, and continues to think so until the fight is done and he is no longer Berserk.
(7) While Berserk, the character is temporarily 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 and suffered any and all damages which occured then.
(8) The Taunt spell is automatically successful, and will cause the Berserker to abandon his current enemy and rush to attack the taunter.
(9) Finally, when the character comes out of his Berserk, bad things happen to him. He loses the 5 hp he gained when he became Berserk. (This could drop him to or below 0 hp and kill him, of course.) He collapses in exhaustion (exactly as if hit by a ray of enfeeblement, no saving throw possible, 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 (finger of death, for instance). And only then can healing magics affect him.

Wealth Options

The Berserker gets the standard 5d4x10 gp for starting gold. Like the Barbarian, however, he must spend it all before starting play except three gp or less.

Races

It's the DMs choice as to whether his demihuman characters can have Berserkers among them. It's entirely appropriate for dwarves, and not inappropriate for elves, gnomes, and half-elves. Halfling Berserkers are not very likely. In any case, demihuman Berserkers would not advertise the fact that they were such, until the first time they Berserked in combat, their companions would probably be unaware that they were Berserkers. (The DM can help preserve the secret by not publicizing the fact that all NPCs are taking a -3 to reaction rolls concerning the Berserker characters.)

[Complete Fighter's Handbook]