Battlerager

Battlerager is an Archetype of the Barbarian Class available to players during Character Creation. It is the rarest type of Barbarian in The Old World, existing only in isolated parts of Drachen. In Combat, Battleragers rely on their unique spiked Armor, charging into the enemy's midst and skewering any who dare to approach them (see https://www.dndwiki.io/subclasses/path-of-the-battlerager, but note the variant rules detailed below).

Thanks to their spiked armor, a Battlerager's entire body is a weapon and they are trained to use it as such, striking with fists, feet, and elbows as well as sword and axe. A favorite tactic is to bear-hug their foes, then pull them to the ground and impale them with dozens of spikes. Whereas most Barbarians are heedless of danger when overcome by rage, Battleragers revel in it, confident in their armor's protection. Even on the rare occasions when their armor fails, Battleragers are difficult to kill, being drawn from exceptionally tough stock, even by Dwarven standards.

The Battlerager tradition originated among the Mountain Dwarves of Ussura and later spread to the Duergar. Though they once dominated the battlefields of Drachen and held a place of honor in Dwarven Religion, the advent of Firearms greatly reduced the Battleragers' practicality. In modern times, their role is largely ceremonial and only a few remote provinces of Ussura and Alderac train them at all.

Battleragers are subject to the following variant rules:

• A non-Dwarf may use the Battlerager Archetype, provided they receive training from a Dwarf versed in its techniques.
• A Battlerager's "Battlerager Armor" ability deals damage equal to their Strength modifier whenever they succeed on a check to grapple another creature or when another creature successfully grapples them.