What's the far, far future earth without loin-cloth clad barbarians haunting the lands reclaimed by primal wilderness? This class is inspired as much or more by Cooper's Uncas as it is Howard's Conan (and by extension Thundarr, the original barbarian beneath the broken moon), but given a high set of scores and a mercenary's disposition there's nothing stopping one from evoking the spirit of the Cimmerian.
That brings the running total to five classes, I believe one more is in the works and then we'll get back to races.
Artificer
Barbarian
Fighter
Magic User
Wayfarer
Barbarian
Requirements: Str 9, Wis 9
Hit Die: 1d8
Save As: Fighter
To Hit As: Fighter
Weapon Proficiencies: All except special/ exotic
Non-Proficiency Penalty: -2
Armor: Any
Level Experience Points Class Abilities
1 0 AC bonus, Wilderness Lore I
2 2,000
3 4,000 Wilderness Lore II
4 8,000
5 16,000 Extra attack (3/2)
6 32,000
7 64,000
8 120,000
9 240,000 Extra attack (2/1)
10 360,000
11 480,000
12 600,000
13 720,000 Extra attack (5/2)
14 840,000
15 960,000
16 1,080,000
17 1,200,000
18 1,320,000
19 1,440,000
20 1,560,000
AC Bonus: When wearing light or no armor, barbarians receive a +1 AC bonus, in addition to any bonus they receive for a high Dexterity score.
Wilderness Lore I: Barbarians are skilled in hunting, gathering and living within the wilderness. They may identify plants, animals and other creatures indigenous to their homeland without error. On a successful WIS check and 1d8 hours they may hunt or forage for food & water for 3 to 12 adult people.
Wilderness Lore II: On a successful WIS check the barbarian may accurately predict the weather within a 24-hour period. Barbarians always know which way is which above ground & when moving cross-country they cannot get lost under normal circumstances. With a successful WIS check he may find or build suitable temporary shelter for inclement weather. Barbarians are experienced trackers and may track creatures with a successful WIS check, modified by the DM for environmental factors.
Extra Attacks: Like fighters, barbarians attack twice every other round at 5th level, twice a round at ninth level and 5 times every 2 rounds at 13th level.
Why have this as a separate class? The only difference from fighters (as far as I can tell) is wilderness lore 1 and 2, and a +1 bonus for wearing no armor (fighters would get the +1 bonus for light armor).
ReplyDeleteI get why you like barbarians from a thematic standpoint, but... why not make ALL fighters "barbarians"?
It's fair to say that the barbarian is another kind of fighter, but I don't believe you're appreciating all of the differences. Fighters are meant to the martial experts of the game, so they get the +1 bonus when wearing all types of armor (light/ medium/ heavy), plus they will have two favored weapons (+2 hit and damage at higher levels) and they get the cleave ability, which is pretty handy in melee. The barbarian gets none of these aside from a limited variation on the AC bonus in exchange for the wilderness skills. Fighters will be the better straight-up fighters while barbarians can acquit themselves well while fulfilling the role of wilderness guides and scouts.
ReplyDeleteI get that -- more of a Ranger role and thus the comparison to Uncas. But if you really want to play Conan, you're better off making a fighter?
ReplyDeleteIf the intention is to make a Scout or Guide... Maybe this class should be called Scout or Guide? (or Hunter or Ranger or...?)
... or Barbarian, as that's what I prefer. ; )
ReplyDelete