Barbarians are warriors who have learned their skills in the wilds, where the punishment for weakness is death (either a slow one from wounds or starvation, or a quick one at the hands or claws of another creature). They live on the fringes of civilization, either in a tribal setting or in small family groups, surviving off the land and what they can hunt for themselves.
Barbarians fall into two main groups – tribal warriors and battleragers. Tribal warriors are members of a tribe or clan of the same (or, rarely, different) race; they serve as guards, hunters, warriors, and even champions. They bond with a totem animal or spirit and draw upon that power in battle to help them defeat their enemies.
Battleragers are those who have learned to tap into their inner fury and unleash it on their enemies. These are by far the more common type seen in civilized lands, as anyone can learn to become a battle rager with time and the proper training.
In either form, barbarians are a force to be reckoned with.
Adventures: Barbarians often leave their tribes or tribal lands to go out and see the world - on a quest, seeking revenge for something, because they were exiled from their tribe, or just out of curiosity to see the wider world.
Characteristics: Tribal barbarians are suspicious of civilization and most things associated with it – wealth matters little to them except as a means to an end (the end being the ability to acquire things they need); while they admire jewelry and decorations, they tend to sneer at anything that doesn't seem to serve any purpose at all, or is overly ostentatious. They often take on the aspects of their spirit over time – a bear totem barbarian, for instance, might be a large, hulking individual, while a wolf totem barbarian might have long hair and sharp canines.
Battlerager barbarians are appear like most other warriors, except they have a fanatical gleam in their eyes and are usually easy to prod to violence. Their armor and weapons are battered and not as well cared-for as most fighters'.
Alignment: Barbarians value freedom in thoughts and deeds over the strictures of law and order, and thus they will never be lawful.
Religion: Barbarians are more prone to worship totems or spirits than the gods of other races; some worship nature gods, or gods of primal forces. They eschew formalized worship as silly, though – they honor their spirits (or gods) all the time, with their actions and deeds, not just their words.
Background: Most of the world has only recently pulled itself back from the brink of extinction; even now, isolated tribes exist here and there, living quietly on their own.
Races: Barbarians get along with many races, provided the race in question is not a tribal hereditary enemy or totem enemy. They are most often members of monstrous races; humans are common tribal warriors, but few other races form isolated tribes as such. Humans, dwarves, half-orcs, and orcs are all common battlerager barbarians; half-elves are less common, and elves, gnomes, and halflings are almost unheard of.
Dress: Barbarians commonly dress in furs, or functional clothing/armor at best – they see little point in frills and frippery. They do, however, adorn their dress with feathers, beadwork, and battle trophies to show off their prowess in battle, enemies defeated, and battles won. They often decorate their bodies with paint, tattooes, and/or scars (scars are a mark of a warrior's prowess) for the same reason. Despite the stereotype of the "unwashed hordes", barbarians are quite conversant with bathing and personal hygeine.
Other Classes: Barbarians get along with other classes well enough, though priests and mages often fall under suspicion until the barbarian gets to know them better. Between semi-religious awe and inherent distrust, mages and priests represent the unknown, the dangerous to the barbarian.
Role: Barbarian acts as front-line fighters who can take and inflict massive amounts of damage. They can also serve as scouts and wilderness guides, though not nearly as well as the ranger.
Game Rule Information
Abilities: Constitution and Strength are most important for any barbarian – the former lets them rage longer, and the latter lets them inflict more damage. Dexterity is also useful, as it helps them remain mobile. The other skills are of varying usefulness – Wisdom because it modifies a few skills, and Intelligence for skill points.
Alignment: Any nonlawful.
Hit Die: d12.
Class Skills
The barbarian's class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int modifier
Table 1: The Barbarian
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Totem spirit, rage 1/day |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Totem ability or improvised weapon |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Rage 2/day |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +2 | +2 | Damage reduction 1/- |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Rage 3/day |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Totem ability or greater rage |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +4 | +4 | Rage 4/day, damage reduction 2/- |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +4 | +4 | |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +5 | +5 | Totem ability or tireless rage, rage 5/day |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +5 | +5 | |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +6 | +6 | Damage reduction 3/- |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +6 | +6 | Rage 6/day |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +6 | +6 | |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +7 | +7 | Totem ability or mighty rage |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +7 | +7 | Rage 7/day |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +8 | +8 | Damage reduction 4/- |
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the barbarian. All rage abilities except for the basic rage and damage reduction are available only to the battlerager, while totem abilities are available only to the tribal warrior.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A barbarian is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
Totem Spirit (Ex): All tribal warriors must bond with a totem spirit. This is generally done when the warrior reaches adulthood, in a rite that takes 12 hours. Totem spirits are generally creatures that live near the tribe, and which the members of the tribe respect for their strength, power, and/or cunning. Once the barbarian has completed the bonding ritual, he gains an initial bonus and a number of abilities based on the spirit type, as noted below.
Rage (Ex): 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 and Constitution and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases his 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 Acrobatics, 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 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 can 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 and Dexterity, can't charge or run) for the remainder 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 day. At 4th level and every three levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level). A battlerager barbarian gets an additional 3 uses per day, while a tribal warrior is limited to the number shown on the table above. Entering a rage takes no time itself, but he can do it only during his action, not in response to someone else's action.
Totem Ability (Ex or Su): Tribal barbarians draw their power from totem spirits – animal spirits to which they are bonded, and which usually bear some importance to themselves or their clan. Totem spirits are nearly always predators or animals known for their strength or fierceness in battle.
Improvised Weapon (Ex): A barbarian can pick up any item that is not normally used as a weapon – table legs, chairs, ham hocks, small humanoids - and use it as an improvised weapon without suffering the normal -4 penalty for nonproficiency.
Damage Reduction (Ex): At 5th level, a barbarian gains damage reduction while in a rage; this represents his ability to shrug off damage and ignore pain. Subtract 1 from the damage the barbarian takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 8th level, and every three barbarian levels thereafter, this damage reduction rises by 1 point. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0, but not below.
Greater Rage (Ex): At 11th level, 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.
Tireless Rage (Ex): At 17th level and higher, a barbarian no longer becomes fatigued at the end of his rage.
Mighty Rage (Ex): 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.
Totem Spirits
Tribal warriors can choose from among the following totem spirits (the DM can add more):
Ape
Barbarians with this totem spirit often come from jungle tribes. The ape totem grants a +2 bonus to Fort saves and a +4 bonus to Climb checks, as well as the following abilities:
At 3rd level, the barbarian gains a climb speed equal to one-half his base land speed (round down to the nearest 5-foot interval).
At 8th level, the barbarian can rend a foe he has grappled as a standard action. In order to use this ability, both hands must be empty; he deals damage as if he had struck with both hands (unarmed attacks) in the same round (for example, a Medium barbarian deals 2d6+ twice his Strength bonus). Doing so does not negate any hold he has on his victim.
At 13th level, the 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 18th level, the barbarian can turn into a dire ape, as if he were using the polymorph spell. This requires a full-round action; while in this form, the barbarian can rage (he can also transform while already in a rage). He can remain in his totem creature form for up to 1 round per level; changing back is a standard action. If he is knocked unconscious or killed, he automatically reverts to his normal form. This ability is usable three times per day.
Bear
Barbarians with this totem spirit are often large individuals, slow to anger but terrifying and powerful opponents. The bear totem grants the Endurance feat and +4 bonus to Intimidate checks, as well as the following abilities.
At 3rd level, the barbarian gains the powerful charge ability. If he charges a foe and hits, he automatically deals double damage with his attack. If the attack is a critical hit, the critical damage is determined first, then doubled.
At 8th level, the barbarian gains the crushing pin ability. If he is grappling a foe, he deals unarmed damage as normal, but it is as a creature one size larger (1d3 for Small barbarians, or 1d4 for Medium). If his hands are changed into bear paws (see below), he deals that damage instead.
At 13th level, the barbarian can change his hands into large clawed paws three times per day as a standard action. He can make armed attacks that deal damage as a creature two sizes larger (1d4 for a Small barbarian, or 1d6 for a Medium one), but he can't hold anything in his hands or cast spells with somatic components. This change lasts for one round per class level or until the barbarian changes back (which he can do as a move action), but once the change is made, that use of the ability is done for the day.
At 18th level, the barbarian can turn into a dire bear, as if he were using the polymorph spell. This requires a full-round action; while in this form, the barbarian can rage (he can also transform while already in a rage). He can remain in his totem creature form for up to 1 round per level; changing back is a standard action. If he is knocked unconscious or killed, he automatically reverts to his normal form. This ability is usable three times per day.
Boar
Barbarians with the boar totem are typically short-tempered and irascible, easy to incite to violence and extremely hard to kill. The boar totem grants the Toughness feat and a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks, as well as the following abilities.
A 3rd-level barbarian is treated as having the Diehard feat while raging, even if he doesn't meet the normal prerequisites. If his rage ends while he is below 0 hit points, he must make an immediate Fort save (DC 10 + 1 per point below 0) or die. A barbarian who reaches his death threshold immediately dies as normal.
At 8th level, the barbarian gains a +2 bonus to bullrush attempts and deals +2 points of damage on a successful attack made as part of a charge.
At 13th level, the barbarian can enact a partial change as a standard action. His mouth and lower part of his face elongate into a snout, and his lower teeth grow out into tusks. He can make a gore attack in place of one of his melee attacks, or against a grappled foe. The damage is 1d4 for a Small barbarian, or 1d6 for a Medium one. While in this form, however, he can't speak intelligibly and can't cast spells with a verbal component. This change lasts for one round per class level or until the barbarian changes back (which he can do as a move action), but once the change is made, that use of the ability is done for the day.
At 18th level, the barbarian can turn into a dire boar, as if he were using the polymorph spell. This requires a full-round action; while in this form, the barbarian can rage (he can also transform while already in a rage). He can remain in his totem creature form for up to 1 round per level; changing back is a standard action. If he is knocked unconscious or killed, he automatically reverts to his normal form. This ability is usable three times per day.
Lion
Barbarians with the lion totem are like their namesake – noble in demeanor, demanding respect from those around them (but not to the point of megalomania). A lion-totem barbarian close to losing his temper often has a growl in his voice. The lion totem grants a +4 bonus to Diplomacy and Stealth checks, as well as the following abilities.
At 3rd level, the barbarian gains Run as a bonus feat.
At 8th level, if the barbarian charges, he can make a full attack (whether or not he is raging).
At 13th level, the barbarian can unleash a roar that has can deafen or strike fear into those around him. All creatures within 30 feet who hear the roar must make a Fort save (DC 10 + 1/2 barbarian's class level + Cha bonus) or be deafened for 1d4 rounds; all those within 60 feet must make a Will save (same DC) or be shaken for 2d6 rounds. The second part of this ability is an extraordinary mind-affecting fear effect. This ability can be used three times per day as a standard action.
At 20th level, the barbarian can turn into a dire lion, as if he were using the polymorph spell. This requires a full-round action; while in this form, the barbarian can rage (he can also transform while already in a rage). He can remain in his totem creature form for up to 1 round per level; changing back is a standard action. If he is knocked unconscious or killed, he automatically reverts to his normal form. This ability is usable three times per day.
Wolf
Barbarians with the wolf totem are often lean, rangy individuals. They are suspicious of strangers but very loyal to their friends and others who have proven themselves. The wolf totem grants the Endurance feat and a +4 bonus to Survival checks, as well as the following abilities.
At 3rd level, the barbarian gains Track as a bonus feat. His sense of smell becomes so acute that he also gains a +4 bonus on Survival checks to follow a trail.
At 5th level, the barbarian gains Improved Finesse as a bonus feat, even if he doesn't meet the normal prerequisites.
At 13th level, the barbarian can unleash a loud, baying howl that has a chance to strike fear into those who hear it. This is usable 3 times per day as a standard action; all those within 60 feet who hear it must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 barbarian's class level + Cha bonus) or be shaken for 2d6 rounds. This is an extraordindary mind-affecting fear effect.
At 18th level, the barbarian can turn into a dire wolf, as if he were using the polymorph spell. This requires a full-round action; while in this form, the barbarian can rage (he can also transform while already in a rage). He can remain in his totem creature form for up to 1 round per level; changing back is a standard action. If he is knocked unconscious or killed, he automatically reverts to his normal form. This ability is usable three times per day.
Ex-Barbarians
A barbarian who becomes lawful loses all totem abilities or the ability to rage and cannot gain more levels as a barbarian until he has changed back to a non-lawful alignment and made atonement.
