Intorduction:
Warriors empowered by unmatchedd fury and endurance. For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength. The term "Barbarian" comes from observations made by formally trained warriors who consider themselves scholars of battle. The term originated as an insult but has come to represent warriors who develop their battle techniques outside of an academy, order, or monastery. Interested players can find the details for the Barbarian class at the following link;
Barbarian
Note: the "Alternate Barbarian" and associated subclasses from Laser Llama are used for this game. The supplement with details can be found at the following link;
Alternate Barbarian
Available Subclasses:
- Path of the Ancestral Guardian: Fierce warriors that draw on their ancestral guardians to protect their tribes and allies. When a barbarian who follows this path rages, the barbarian contacts the spirit world and calls on these guardian spirits for aid.
- Path of the Battlerager: Crazed Dwarven warriors that wear specialized spiked armor to turn their bodies into weapons. Only characters with a Dwarven upbringing can pursue this path.
- Path of the Berserker: Barbarians who embrace their rage to the fullest extent and to great effect. When most people think of a Barbarian they think of a Berserker. This is a path of untrammeled fury, slick with blood. As you enter the berserker's rage, you thrill in the chaos of battle, heedless of your own health or well-being.
- Path of the Storm Herald: Warriors that transform their rage into a mantle of primal magic that swirls around them. When in a fury, a barbarian of this path taps into nature to create powerful, magical effects.
- Path of the Totem Warrior: Barbarians that accept guidance from the animal spirits of nature. In battle, your totem spirit fills you with supernatural might, adding magical fuel to your barbarian rage.
- Path of the Zealot: The most devout and commited among the martial worshippers of a god. Warriors who channel their rage into powerful displays of divine power. For a Zealot the God they are devoted to is as important as the god a Cleric worships.
The following subclasses are examples of those that can be unlcoked through play;
- The Path of the Beast: Barbarians who draw their rage from a bestial spark burning within their souls. That beast bursts forth in the throes of rage, physically transforming the barbarian.
- Path of the Colossus: Sometimes known as a war-hulk, these barbarians stand on the front lines, hefting massive weapons and sweeping away smaller combatants in their fury. From Valda's Spire of Secrets.
- Path of the Favored: Barbarians who receive their Rage from an outside source. Some are blessed by Fate to be mighty warriors, others are the scions of gods or Archfey, and others may be the descendants of legendary adventurers. From Alternate Barbarian Expanded.
- Path of the Infernal: Barbarians whose fury burns from the hells themselves, manifesting itself as a series of fiendish transformations and flames whenever they enter a rage. From Griffons Saddlebag.
- Path of the Packleader: These primal warriors fight side by side with a Savage Companion, hunting their foes in deadly tandem. From Alternate Barbarian Expanded.
- The Path of Wild Magic: Barbarians suffused with magic from the outer planes. These magics trigger when the Barbarian enters a rage. These Barbarians welcome the unpredictability brought on by these magical surges.
Barbarians in Thinia:
A Barbarian's combat tactics and the manifestation of their rage is typically tied to the community they were raised in. For example only those raised in a Dwarven community will be able to learn the secrets of Blood and Iron. In making a Barbarian the player should consider the Barbarian's upbringing and communal influences. Barbarians do not gain their primal path until level 3, so their rage may be shaped by their experiences as an adventurer as well. Below are some cultures that utilize rage in order to empower their warriors.
- Doruhl: Although Battleragers can be found across Dwarven cultures it is generally agreed that the Dwarves of Doruhl were the first to develop the unique and reckless fighting style. Unlike the disciplined and orderly Dwarven phalanx a platoon of Battleragers is a chaotic storm of blood and iron.
- Fulmenos: The Goliaths of Fulmenos train their warriors to embrace the forces of nature and the power of storms. The few warriors who travel out of Fulmenos follow the Path of the Storm Herald.
- Inun: A subculture of the Edo that live on the islands south of the main penninsula. The Inun have a deep system of ancestor worship and often train warriors to call upon the ancestors when in battle. Barbarians of the Inun are likely to follow the Path of the Ancestral Guardian.
- Mabari: The tribes of western Fensalar have a special connection with their Mabari Dogs. As such many Path of the Packleader Barbarians come from the Mabari. Many warriors from the Mabari form a bond with a Mabari Dog that allow them to fight in tandem.
- Odion: Amongst the Odion there are those particularly devoted to Ilmater. These fanatics have supernatural endurance that they use to protect the Odion people from suffering. A Barbarian from the Odion is most likely to follow the Path of the Zealot in the name of Ilamter.
- Thalori: The Wood-Elves of north Totecum and the southern Heartlands. These Wood-Elves are known for their bond with nature and their veneration of animist spirits. Warriors from the Thalori often follow the Path of the Totem Warrior.
Players who choose to play a Barbarian are encouraged to flesh out the local culture they come from and the likely path their Barbarian will take when they progress. It is possible for a Barbarian's path to change and it can form a really meaningful character development for a Barbarian chooses a path that diverges from where they thought they were going.
