Barbarian

[Mr. Cheez-It]

Free of the comforts and constraints of civilization, barbarians survive in lands that civilized folk only dwell in when they can hide behind high walls.  The cosmopolitan nature of some parts of Faerun is confusing to barbarians, but city folk are used to odd sights and usually accept barbarians without batting an eye.

Most Faerunian barbarians are humans or half-orcs.  They come from places such as the Cold Lands, the North, the High Moors, Rashemen, and tribes ranging across the Western Heartlands.  Dwarven barbarians come from icy wastes of the north, jungles of Chult, and hidden pockets in remote mountains and hills.  Elven barbarians are usually wild elves from the warm southern forests, such as the Wealdath of the Chondalwood.  The only known barbarian halfling tribes live deep in the Chondalwood, rarely venturing out of the forest's green embrace.

Barbarians of other races are unusual, but not unheard of.  Half-elven barbarians are sometimes found among human tribes native to the North of in Western Heartlans, or in the Yuirwood where humans and elves lived together in the wild for generation.  Drow, moon elves, sun elven, gnome, or plantouched barbarians are generally individuals who for some reason were raised among barbaric people.

Adventurers:  Adventuring is the best chance barbarians have of finding a place in 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 adventuring involves.  Barbarians may adventure to defeat hated enemies.  They have noted distaste for that which they consider unnatural, including undead, demons, and devils.

Characteristics:  The barbarian is an excellent warrior.  Where the fighter has 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 only has the energy for a few such spectacular displays per day, but those few rages are usually sufficient.  He is at home in the wilds, and he runs at great speed.

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

Other Classes:  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.”  Barbarians 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.

Illiteracy:  Barbarians are the only characters that do not automatically know how to read and write.

[Mr. Cheez-It]

Rules

• Cannot be of a lawful alignment. Barbarians are unable to progress in levels if their alignment ever becomes lawful.

Class Changes

10% movement speed increase feat disabled if in heavy armor.

Barbarian Damage Reduction, disabled in heavy armor.
Level 5 10% damage reduction
level 7 20% damage reduction

Level 8 20% movement speed bonus that's lost with heavy armor.

Charisma bonus is applied to strength/con while raging. (Example a fourteen charisma barbarian would get +2 strength and +2 con in addition to the base +4str/+4con. His rage would be +6 str/+6 con.) Negative charisma will also reduce rage bonuses using this same formula.

Level 1 rage is capped at +4/+4 (Total)
Level 4 rage is capped at +6/+6
Level 8 rage is capped at +8/+8
Level 10 rage uncapped