Barbarian
I HAVE WITNESSED THE INDOMITABLE PERFORMANCE OF
barbarians on the.field of battle, and it makes me wonder
what force lies at the heart of their rage.
-Seret, archwizardThe anger felt by a normal p e rson resembles the rage of
a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin
to a furious thunde rstorm. The barbarian's driving force
comes from a place that transcends m e re emotion , mak-
ing its manifestation all the mo re terrible. Whether the
impetus for the fury comes entire ly from within or from
forging a Link with a s pirit animal, a raging barbarian
becomes able to pe rform supernatura l feats of stre ngth
and endurance. The outburst is tempora ry, but while it
lasts, it ta kes over body and mind, driving the barbarian
on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls.
It can b e tempting to play a barbarian c haracter that
is a straightforward application of the classic arche-
type- a brute, and us ually a dimwitted on e at that, who
rushes in where othe rs fear to tread. But not all the
barbarians in the world are c ut from that cloth, so you
can certainly put your own spin on things. Eithe r way,
cons ide r adding som e f:lourishes to make your barbaria n
stand out from all others; see the following sections for
som e ideas.PERSONAL TOTEMS
Barbarians tend to trave l light, carrying little in the way
of personal effects or oth e r unnecessary gear. The few
possessions they do carry oft e n include small items tha t
have spec ial s ignificance. A personal tote m is significant
because it has a mys tical origin or is tied to an import-
ant moment in the character 's life- perhaps a reme m-
brance from the barbarian's past or a h arbinge r of what
lies ahead.
A personal tote m of this sort might be associated with
a barbarian's spirit animal, or might actu a lly b e the to-
tem object for the anima l, but s uch a connection is not
essential. One who has a bear totem spirit, for instance,
could still carry a n eagle's feather as a personal totem.
Cons ide r c reating one or more pe rsonal totems for
your character-objects tha t hold a specia l link to your
character's pas t or future. Think about how a totem
might affect your c ha racter's actions.
Cli1\PTER (^1 1) CHARACTER OPTIONS
P ERSON A L TOTEMS
d6 Totem
A tuft of fur from a s olitary wolf that you be-
friended during a hunt
2 Three eagle feathers given to you by a wise sha-
3
4
5
6
man, who told you they would play a role in deter-
mining your fate
A necklace made from the claws of a young cave
bear that you slew singlehandedly as a child
A small leathe r pouch holding three stones that
represent your ancestors
A few s mall bones from the first beast you killed,
tied together with colored wool
An egg-sized stone in the shape of your spirit ani-
mal that appeared one day in your belt pouch
TATTOOS
The members of m a ny barbarian clans decorate their
bodies with tattoos, each o f which represents a s ignif-
icant moment in the life of the bearer or the beare r's
a ncestors , or w hic h symbolizes a feeling or a n a ttitude.
As with personal tote ms, a barba ria n's ta ttoos might or
mig ht not be re lated to an animal s pirit.
Each ta ttoo a barbaria n displays contributes to that in-
dividual's ide ntity. If your charac ter wears tattoos, what
do they look like , and what do they represent?
TATTOOS
d6 Tattoo
The wings of an eagle are spread wide across your
upper back.
(^2) Etched on the backs of your hand s are the paws of
a cave bear.
3 The symbols o f your clan are di s played in viny pat-
terns along your arms.
4 The a ntlers of an elk are inked across your back.
5 Images of your s pirit animal are tattooed along
your weapon arm and hand.
6 The eyes of a wolf are m a rked on your back to help
you see and ward off evil s pirits.
SUPERSTITIONS
B arbarians vary widely in how they unde rs tand life.
Some follow gods and look for guidance from those
deities in the cycles of nature and the animals they en-
counte r. These barbaria ns believe tha t s pirits inhabit
the plants and animals of the world, and the barbarians
look to t he m for ome ns and power.
Other barba rians trust only in the blood tha t runs in
their veins a nd the steel they hold in their hands. They
have no use for the invisible world, ins tead relying on
their senses to hunt and survive like the wild beasts
they emula te.