Barbarian
Original tabletop source: Player's Handbook 3.0
From the frozen wastes of norther Lamordia and the hellish jungles of the Markovia both 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.
Adventuring is the best chance barbarians have of finding a place in a civilized society. They're not well suited to the monotony of guard duty or other mundane tasks. Barbarians also have no trouble with the dangers, the uncertainties, and the wandering that adventuring involves. They may adventure to defeat hated enemies. They have a noted distaste for that which they consider unnatural, including undead, demons, and devils.
Class Niche
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.
Roleplaying a Barbarian
Backgrounds of Barbarians
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. Although they are not common in any domain, most barbarians hail from the wilds of Markovia, or the untamed wildernesses of Lamordia outside of the city proper. Most Barovia whom live alone on the outskirts of civilization are barbarians (or rangers), but such individuals are rare. Old noapte is dangerous, after all.
Alignment and Religion
Some barbarians distrust established religions and prefer an intuitive, natural relationship to the cosmos over formal worship. Barbarians that do find native religion are often devoted to more naturalistic gods, like the Wolf God or the Cult of the Ancestral Choir.
The typical societal view of Barbarians and their ilk are that they are unruly, unlawful creatures. However, one can find barbarians that turn their talents to highly-regimented, nigh-religious creeds just as much as one can find the classical wild-man that society views them as. At their best, barbarians are essentially given a view akin to the trope of the noble savage, at their worst, they are likened to feral, destructive monsters.
Barbarians as Adventurers
As people of the wild, barbarians are most comfortable in the company of rangers, druids, and clerics of nature deities. Many barbarians admire the talents and spontaneity of bards, and some are enthusiastic lovers of music. Barbarians don't trust that which they don't understand, and that includes wizardry, which they call "book magic." They find sorcerers more understandable than wizards, but maybe that's just because sorcerers tend to be more charismatic. Monks, with their studied, practiced, deliberate approach to combat, sometimes have a hard time seeing eye to eye with barbarians, but members of these classes aren't necessarily hostile to each other. Barbarians have no special attitudes toward fighters, paladins, clerics, or rogues.
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, skill selection, and trap sense.
Differences from the SRD/Vanilla NWN
- Barbarians in TOUD are not alignment-locked. They may be of any alignment.
- The class skill list has been changed to include Balance, Heal, Parry, and Spot.
- In TOUD, due to NWN engine limitations, Illiteracy takes a feat to alleviate, compared to the 2 skill points of Tabletop.
- In TOUD, Barbarian Rage uses are per rest, not per day as in Tabletop.
Class Progression
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Fast Movement, Illiteracy, Barbarian Rage 1/rest |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Uncanny Dodge |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Trap Sense +1 |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Barbarian Rage 2/rest |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Improved Uncanny Dodge |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Trap Sense +2 |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Damage Reduction 1/- |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Barbarian Rage 3/rest |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Trap Sense +3 |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Damage Reduction 2/- |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Greater Barbarian Rage |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Barbarian Rage 4/rest, Trap Sense +4 |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Damage Reduction 3/- |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +4 | Indomitable Will |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Trap Sense +5 |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Damage Reduction 4/- Barbarian Rage 5/rest |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Tireless Rage |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Trap Sense +6 |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Damage Reduction 5/- |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Mighty Rage, Barbarian Rage 6/rest |
Class Features
- Hit Die: d12
- Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Listen (Wis), Parry (Dex), Spot (Wis)
- Skill Points at 1st Level: (4+Intelligence Modifier) x 4
- Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int Modifier
- Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A barbarian is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
Class Abilities
Fast Movement
Extraordinary Ability 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.
Illiteracy
Extraordinary Disadvantage
Barbarians are the only characters who do not automatically know how to read and write. A barbarian may gain the Literacy feat to gain the ability to read and write all languages he is able to speak. A barbarian who gains a level in any other class automatically gains literacy. Any other character who gains a barbarian level does not lose the literacy he or she already had.
An illiterate Barbarian will not be able to read notes, books, use notice boards, or use mail.
Rage
Extraordinary Ability
A barbarian can fly into a rage a certain number of times per day. In a rage, a barbarian temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases the barbarian's hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While raging, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character's (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A barbarian may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, the barbarian loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (–2 penalty to Strength, –2 penalty to Dexterity, can't charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter (unless he is a 17th-level barbarian, at which point this limitation no longer applies; see below).
A barbarian can fly into a rage only once per encounter. At 1st level he can use his rage ability once per rest. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per rest (to a maximum of six times per day at 20th level). Entering a rage takes no time itself, but a barbarian can do it only during his action, not in response to someone else's action.
At 11th level, this improves into Greater Barbarian Rage: a barbarian's bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his rage each increase to +6, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +3. The penalty to AC remains at –2.
At 14th level, this improves with gaining the Indomitable Will advantage: While in a rage, a barbarian of 14th level or higher gains a +4 bonus on Will saves to resist enchantment spells. This bonus stacks with all other modifiers, including the morale bonus on Will saves he also receives during his rage.
At 17th level, this improves with gaining the Tireless Rage advantage: At 17th level and higher, a barbarian no longer becomes fatigued at the end of his rage.
Finally, at 20th level, this improves with gaining the Mighty Rage advantage: At 20th level, a barbarian's bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his rage each increase to +8, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +4. The penalty to AC remains at –2.
Uncanny Dodge
Extraordinary Ability
At 2nd level, a barbarian retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a barbarian already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
At 5th level this improves to Improved Uncanny Dodge: At 5th level and higher, a barbarian can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the barbarian by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has barbarian levels. If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character.
Trap Sense
Extraordinary Ability
Starting at 3rd level, a barbarian gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise by +1 every three barbarian levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level). Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
Damage Reduction
Extraordinary Ability
At 7th level, a barbarian gains Damage Reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage the barbarian takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 10th level, and every three barbarian levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th level), this damage reduction rises by 1 point. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0.
