Class Review: Barbarian

[Dragor]

Class Review: Barbarian (Base Class)

Game definition given: “Barbarians are brave, even reckless warriors whose great strength and heartiness makes them well suited for adventure. Where the fighter would rely on training and discipline, the barbarian enters a berserker state that makes him stronger, tougher, and more determined but less concerned with his health. These spectacular rages leave him winded, and he only has the energy for a few a day, but those usually suffice. He also knows the wild and runs at great speed.”

FRWiki definition given: "Barbarians are mighty warriors who rely on their strength and incredible toughness, as empowered through ancestral totems and nature spirits to win battles. Barbarians are less versatile than the often more civilized fighters but are adept at dealing heavy damage to their foes quickly."

http://www.sundren.org/wiki/index.php?title=Barbarian
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Barbarian

IN MY VIEW
The important things to a barbarian are honor and tribe. They learn to fight by fighting, and live much closer to the primal aspects of nature because of it. Their fighting style is not built off moves and countermoves but of smashing through the defense of the foe and taking him down.

RPing a barbarian is easy in that you can pretty much go any route. You can be the “Me crush your face” type or you can go deeply in to the mystical aspects of tribal culture and honor. It is truly dependent on how much effort you want to put into it.

The one thing I don’t like to see in regards to barbarians is the wearing of full plate unless the character is multiclassed to a class that has the armor proficiency.


I’ve decided to risk creating a firestorm by doing a short review like this on all the base and PrC classes available on Sundren and ask for the communities input on anything related to that class such as RP tactics, personal views, lore tidbits, and character build strategies.
Keep it clean, thanks.

[Chiangtao]

I would argue that "honor" is entirely optional. Some barbarians might be all about honorable fights, pitting strength against strength. But I'd think some wouldn't care, and even others would do whatever it took to win a battle. Honor usually implies a lawful-lean in alignment, and barbarians rarely fit that mold.

[Snowmane]

or you can go deeply in to the mystical aspects of tribal culture and honor.

This would seem to be more the realm of a Shaman (either Spirit Shaman or a Cleric of a Tribal god) than a Barbarian. Of course there is no reason you can't play a spiritual Barbarian.

[Kaybrie]

The beauty of mundane classes in my opinion is the freedom you're afforded in creating your RP. You're never at risk of 'losing your fighter powers' for example, from worshiping the wrong deity or acting in a way that is prohibited by ones personal code. I also don't put any stock in placing non-existent restrictions (no offense intended) like wearing full plate on a barbarian. The personal codes of honor and the brilliant RP that can be created through playing one of these classes is more interesting then placing mechanical limitations on already under-dog classes. (Not that I'm suggesting that is being requested here, more just an observation with relevance to Dragor's post.)


A fighter who follows the Paladin's code is a pretty cool guy to me, he doesn't have to, he doesn't get anything for doing so. But he's gone above and beyond his class lore and restrictions to develop something that's based on the characters experiences and backstories, rather then just referencing his class for something interesting to follow. As is the rogue who feels no inclination to steal or assassinate people, but instead is more of a specialist for a military unit or temple.

On the flip side, perfectly normal adventurers who adhere to their racial stereotypes and go along the average joe route are also totes interesting. A halfling rogue for example who isn't an assassin but~ (And stay with me) is good aligned.

Addendum; *More Barbarian relevant data here*

Sorry, I got off topic, don't let me derail you guys!

[Root]

The one thing I don’t like to see in regards to barbarians is the wearing of full plate unless the character is multiclassed to a class that has the armor proficiency.

Wait, you expect a pure melee, non-magical class, to wear only medium armour?

Simple fact is that wearing heavy armour is better on barbarians. It makes them survive. And if there's one thing a high level barbarian should know how to do, it's to not die. This can't be achieved when you have less AC than the party wizard, who's also sitting pretty with 50% concealment and mirror image.

RPing a barbarian is easy in that you can pretty much go any route. You can be the “Me crush your face” type or you can go deeply in to the mystical aspects of tribal culture and honor. It is truly dependent on how much effort you want to put into it.

Playing a true barbarian, by which I mean, someone extremely barbaric, headstrong, and aggressive, is not by any stretch easy. Finding allies is extremely difficult when you're from a background where a peaceful introduction is drawing your blood-soaked weapon and stabbing it into the ground between your feet.

Yes, they're not restricted by vows, but they're forced away from Lawful for a reason.

Just as a Paladin would have difficulty surviving in a lawless port of criminals, a Barbarian has little chance of maintaining his tribal traditions (which can be important to him as vows) in a land that demands you submit to their law.

[Mournas]

A Barbarians code is generally based off of the deity that the tribe worships. Some follow, Garagos, some follow Tempus, both similar and extremely different in their own rights. This does not mean a barbarian is incapable of making his own choices as to which god he follows, especially after he has left his tribe.

Edit: This also does not mean that Barbarians only follow Garagos and or Tempus. Just used them as an example.

[[DM] Grinning Death]

Just want to chime in with Kasso.

Barbarians don't need tribes. They don't need to be savages. They aren't always covered in furs and are muscle bound rage machines.

The only thing that sets them apart is a willingness to abandon rules and codes at times, and serious anger issues in battle. There's tons of RP possibilities out there for base classes, if you just try and think outside the stereotype (if that's what you want.)

[Torgar]

In Faerun, it's well established lore that Dwarven holds frequently employ dwarven berserker units as front line troops, which are made up of dwarven barbarians. Barbarians can simply be fighters who abandoned discipline for the reckless joy of a fight with no limits placed on them. That's how I play my dwarf anyways. Dwarven barbarian who loves a good fight, especially bar fights or fist brawls, and loves to lose himself in his rage when he does so. No tribalism at all. But, that's just me. I usually think of Barb's as fighters who traded discipline and tactics for strength and durability.

[Mournas]

Just want to chime in with Kasso.

Barbarians don't need tribes. They don't need to be savages. They aren't always covered in furs and are muscle bound rage machines.

The only thing that sets them apart is a willingness to abandon rules and codes at times, and serious anger issues in battle. There's tons of RP possibilities out there for base classes, if you just try and think outside the stereotype (if that's what you want.)

The stereotype is there period, as you are lumped into classes and a class is a stereotype. Barbarians are a wild people, not necessarily 'Tribal' though being a barbarian is more than just "the willingness to abandon rules and codes at times, and serious anger issues in battle". This is not to say that a Barbarian can not learn civility or learn to read and write or even use a specific type of armor.

[Mournas]

In Faerun, it's well established lore that Dwarven holds frequently employ dwarven berserker units as front line troops, which are made up of dwarven barbarians. Barbarians can simply be fighters who abandoned discipline for the reckless joy of a fight with no limits placed on them. That's how I play my dwarf anyways. Dwarven barbarian who loves a good fight, especially bar fights or fist brawls, and loves to lose himself in his rage when he does so. No tribalism at all. But, that's just me. I usually think of Barb's as fighters who traded discipline and tactics for strength and durability.

Dwarven Berserkers aka Dwarven Battleragers in Faerun lore actually use an ability known as Berserk, which is similar Frenzy in where they lose control and it is extremely hard for them to discern friend from foe though not as powerful. Rage is different in that you can control your attacks and it is more powerful than Berkserk, though less powerful than Frenzy.

[JotunWarrior]

I've always found the fault of the "Fighters/barbs don't have some code they have to follow or else they lose their powers!" argument to be the overlooking of the fact fighters/barbs don't have any power to lose.


Oh, this class would be better if Jump functioned similar to Tumble. Barbarians have notoriously low AC, and all the high-end monsters seem to have AB through the roof.

[roguethree]

Edited because I disagree with myself.

IMO, the way to strengthen classes is to shore up their strengths, not their weaknesses.

[Kaizen]

For a second there, I thought I stumbled onto another 'You should RP a class how I think it should be RP'd' thread.

Whew.

I'm more the type to believe that the class enchances the RP - not the RP enhancing the class.

No one trots around introducing themselves with the words - "Why hello there, my name is Jeremiah Swordbourne. I'm a Barbarian, with a small dip in Frenzied Berserker and two levels in Bard so I can max out that UMD, yo."

Sure, there are times when it makes sense - Paladin and Wizard, come to mind- but for the most part, with these purely mundane classes; just ... no. Think outside the box.

This is an RP server, after all.

[Root]

No one trots around introducing themselves with the words - "Why hello there, my name is Jeremiah Swordbourne. I'm a Barbarian, with a small dip in Frenzied Berserker and two levels in Bard so I can max out that UMD, yo."

This is an RP server, after all.

No. But there are classes that you should look at a character and, assuming they're representing their class in a fairly accurate way, be able to peg immediately.

Druids, barbarians, paladins, blackguards, and clerics are some of these, IMO.

The barbarian thuds along as if the floor recently did something to annoy him, the Paladin stands tall and armoured as a beacon of Good, the Cleric constantly radiates the dogma of their deity, etc etc.

There are exceptions, obviously, and a lot of them are justified, well-RP'ed exceptions, but unless you're a Cleric of Mask or a similar God, you've no reason not to greet people with 'Deity bless you, friend'. After all, you're the reason people convert to your faith.

Oh, and frenzied berserkers go double for this. If they don't break something every five minutes they start getting withdrawl symptoms.

[Thief Of Navarre]

I think this sums up the barbarian.