Core Class: Barbarian

Since people have been poorly roleplaying some core classes, making it so that some even need applications to be played now, I decided to take it unto myself to type down a resume of the core class descriptions. Why? So Barbarians aren't just Angry Fighters or Tough Fighters, so Mages know what they can do and can't, and don't just 'block with magic' as I've seen been done.
I hope people actually read this stuff before they make their characters so they make sure they aren't making any basic errors, because there are some classes that have some guidelines that must be followed if you want to play them. Hence Paladin and Monk being APP only now, and luckly not more.
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Taken from the Player's Handbook 1 DnD 3.5

From the Frozen Wastes of the north and the hellish jungles of the south come brave, even reckless warriors. Civilized people call them Barbarians or Berserkers and suspect them of mayhem, impiety, and atrocities. These "barbarians" however, have proved 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.

Adventures: 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.

Characteristics: 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 energe for only a few such spectacular displays per day, but those few rages are usually sufficient. He is at home in the wild, and runs at great speed.

Alignment: Barbarians are never lawful. They may be honorable, but at heart they are wild. This wildness is their strength, and it could not live in a lawful soul. At best, barbarians of chaotic alignment are free and expressive. At worst, they are thoughtlessly destructive.

Religion: Some barbarians distrust established religions and prefer an intuitive, natural relationship to the cosmos over formal worship. Others devote themselves to powerful deities, such as Kord (God of Strength), Obad-Hai (God of Nature), or Erythnul (God of Slaughter). A barbarian is capable of fierce devotion to his hod.

Background: 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.
(The background section is here for creative input. Anyone can create the background they like, but Barbarians usually aren't from a city. Anyone from a city might not be lawfull, but they don't follow the Lifestyle a Barbarian does. Hence, why it's unlikely they lived in one whilst growing up.)

The only other thing I'd like to add to this is Barbarian Rage, because it is one of the core aspects of the Barbarian

Rage (Ex):: A barbarian can fly into a screaming blood frenzy a certain number of times per day. in a rage, a barbarian gains phenomenal strength and durability but becomes reckless and less able to defend himself. He temporarily gains a +4 bonus to STrength and Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on will saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to AC. 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 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 abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger, or spell completion to function. He can use any feat he has except Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the Character's 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 STR and Dex, can't charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter. (UNless he is level 17).
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 four levels thereafter, he can use it one additioonal time per day. 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. A barbarian can't for example, fly into a rage when struck by an arrow in order to get the extra hit points from the increased constitution, although the extra hit points would be of benefit if he had gone into a rage earlier in the round, before the arrow struck.

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Does not mean the Barbarian can respond to something like that in a rage. Just, the rage happens after the attack lands.

Love it, I think the main issue is that people assume what certain classes would act like based on stereotypes, and its good to research just about anything you want to play before creating it. (I.E. research the deity your cleric will have, or how a certain class would act.) Its like how a monk can be crazy, but they would still be lawful, and not chaotic. (such as the dead midgit burning in a fire)

I'm surprised Cleric wasn't made an app class, or at least DM-approval if nothing else considering how its almost a requirement to research the deities and such.


Anyways, I seriously trailed off-topic... Point being, I like the idea of having these little descriptors present.

Kakashi on Crack wrote:

I'm surprised Cleric wasn't made an app class, or at least DM-approval if nothing else considering how its almost a requirement to research the deities and such.

Originally, the classes that would be APP only were Mages, Clerics, Druids, Rangers, Barbarians, Paladins and Monks. Meaning, you could only make Bards, Fighters and Rogues without an APP. But it felt like we'd be tying a not around your necks, and around the necks of new players too. So we only kept Paladins and Monks as APP only, because it's the two classes people don't rp correctly at -all-.

He can use any feat he has except Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats.

Why exclude expertise only? I can understand perhaps power attack and knockdown, maybe (but they still require thinking on the barbarians part, which he "wont be doing") but I don't think a raging barbarian would be using disarm either when there is a perfectly good person to hit instead of a sword.

For that matter also, will a barbarian ever be allowed to use expertise in a rage if they had additional feats like skill-focus concentration or iron will that would make it more plausible they would retain some sort of sanity during these rages? I thought the difference between a barbarian and a berserker was that barbarians still retained some sanity whereas a berserker lost it entirely and woke up after the battle bathed in the blood of their enemies.

Yeah that makes sense XD Keeps it from being overly restricting.

Anyways, I know I don't have much say in this but, as a suggestion, why not seperate it into three tiers:

Tier 1: Classes that can be played without any additional approval necesary

Tier 2: Classes that you just need to get approved by a DM to play (no application, just a "hey can I play this?" with maybe some reasoning

Tier 3: Classes that are application only

It seems like it creates extra hassle but tier 2 classes would just be in place so that the DMs knew who owned them so that they could decide who couldn't own them in the future and who needs to be informed about how they are RPing. It could more or less be a failsafe. Give a new player the chance to play maybe one tier 2 class if they ask about it, and if they mess it up horribly you can keep em away from the tier 2s in the future without the restrictions seeming overbearing?


Just a suggestion (we should probably get a suggestion thread XD) but I wanted to put this out there in case it catches someone's fancy.

zDarkShadowz wrote:He can use any feat he has except Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats.

Why exclude expertise only? I can understand perhaps power attack and knockdown, maybe (but they still require thinking on the barbarians part, which he "wont be doing") but I don't think a raging barbarian would be using disarm either when there is a perfectly good person to hit instead of a sword.

For that matter also, will a barbarian ever be allowed to use expertise in a rage if they had additional feats like skill-focus concentration or iron will that would make it more plausible they would retain some sort of sanity during these rages? I thought the difference between a barbarian and a berserker was that barbarians still retained some sanity whereas a berserker lost it entirely and woke up after the battle bathed in the blood of their enemies.

Well, what you read there is what is in the Player's Handbook. That's -THE- Core Rulebook. I'm guessing it's because Expertise is a defencive mode. A raging barbarian wouldn't be really caring about defence. Disarm on the other hand is still an attack, that gives a chance to disarm the opponent. An opponent without a weapon, is easier to kill.
But! I don't really have to give arguements here. That's what's in the Core Rulebook, you just have to follow it.

Edit: And no. Because the Barbarian doesn't use Concentration based skills while in a rage, so having concentration wouldn't really do anything. And he does retain some sort of sanity, because the barbarian can stop the rage whenever he wills, whilst the Prestige Class "Berserker" Which yes, is a different thing, makes you roll will saves against hitting your own teammates, and has you attack objects if everything around you is dead untill the fit ends.

I reckon expertise should be allowed in rage mode though Practically what rage does is lessen the effectiveness of expertise, and vice versa, while both still keeping their underlying principles, which seems in line roleplay-wise to me. Expertise is a battle-stance, and if they retain their sanity, don't see why they can't still be using it...

Rage = +2 ab +2 damage +2HP per lvl -2 AC
Expertise = -5 AB +5 AC

So net value = -3AB +3 AC, +2 Damage +2HP per lvl... Sounds sort of like Wulfgar from Drizzt books when Drizzt taught him a better way of fighting

But if the book says No, then gotta abide by the book.

I feel it's prudent that I take the time to remind people that this is not a forum space for "ideas" or "suggestions". This is information on how things are. As such, the content of these topics is not subject to change.

Something Razer forgot to point out.

Barbarians are Illiterate. They cannot read or write.

Oh yes. But they can spend skill points in doing so.