6.3 Barbarian

PIC

Table 6.2:Barbarian Progression
Rank (Level)

Battleforged Resilience

Battlerager

Outland Savage

Primal Warrior

Totemist

1 (1)

Instant recovery

Rage

Outlandish weaponry, savage precision

Primal maneuvers

Totem animal

2 (4)

Battle-scarred

Amplified anger

Outlandish movement

Augmented maneuvers

Animal instincts

3 (7)

Resilient blow

Aggravated violence

Savage rush

Primal maneuvers+

Feral frenzy

4 (10)

Primal resilience

Primal brawn

Primal agility

Augmented maneuvers+

Totem animal+

5 (13)

Limitless recovery

Insensible rage

Outlandish speed

Primal maneuvers+

Animal ferocity

6 (16)

Battle-scarred+

Amplified anger+

Versatile savagery

Augmented maneuvers+

Animal instincts+

7 (19)

Unbreakable

Titanic rage

Primal rush

Primal maneuvers+

Totem animal++

Barbarians are primal warriors who fight using raw physical prowess and unfettered emotions. Most barbarians originate from the outskirts of civilization, where the societal constraints of civilization are less present. Of course, becoming a barbarian is no secret rite. The only thing that is required is a willingness to fully experience one’s emotions and channel them into physical betterment. This path evokes ancient memories from a time when physical supremacy was sufficient for victory, before the complexity of organized warfare. Anyone can discover that path for themselves.

Barbarians are famous for their furious battlerage. Anger is one of the easiest emotions to channel into the violence of battle. It is a common starting point for new barbarians. However, any emotion can be used as a source of primal power, as long as it is sufficiently intense.

Barbarians and monks have a curious relationship. Members of both classes place a great importance on physical excellence, and believe that the mind and body must work together to maximize potential. However, a typical monk sees emotions as a tool at best and an obstacle at worst. They value serenity and control over their mind and body. From the perspective of a barbarian, monks completely surrender to civilization’s taming and placating influences, and abandon their primal heritage.

Rangers and druids are natural allies of barbarians, since all three groups prefer to live at the edges of civilization. However, each has different reasons for their preference. Barbarians enjoy the freedom of the frontier. However, they are often too social to live as hermits in the deep wilderness. Druids prefer nature to civilization ideologically, and rangers are best able to fulfill their responsibilities on the frontier.

Alignment: Any.

Archetypes: Barbarians have the Battleforged Resilience, Battlerager, Outland Savage, Primal Warrior, and Totemist archetypes.

6.3.1 Base Class Effects

If you choose barbarian as your base class, you gain the following benefits.

Attributes

You gain a +1 bonus to your Strength. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to either your Constitution or your Dexterity.

Hit Points

You have 10 hit points + twice your Constitution, plus 2 hit points per level beyond 1. This increases as your level increases, as indicated below.

Resources

You learn four trained skills from among your class skills (see Skills).

Weapon Proficiencies

You are proficient with simple weapons and all non-exotic weapons.

Armor Proficiencies

You are proficient with light and medium armor.

Class Skills

You have the following class skills:

6.3.2 Battleforged Resilience

This archetype improves your durability in combat.

Rank 1 – Instant Recovery

You can use the recover ability as a minor action. When you do, you do not remove any conditions affecting you.

Rank 2 – Battle-Scarred

You gain a bonus equal to three times your rank in this archetype to your hit points (see Hit Points). In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to your vital rolls (see Vital Wounds).

Rank 3 – Resilient Blow

Resilient Blow

Usage time: Standard action.

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Make a melee strike with 1d4 extra damage. You also briefly gain a +4 bonus to defenses against damaging attacks.

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Rank 4: The extra damage increases to 1d10.

Rank 5: The extra damage increases to 3d6.

Rank 6: The extra damage increases to 3d10.

Rank 7: The extra damage increases to 5d10.

Rank 4 – Primal Resilience

You gain a +1 bonus to your Constitution.

Rank 5 – Limitless Recovery

You can use the recover ability any number of times between short rests. In addition, when you use it as a standard action, you only increase your fatigue level by one.

Rank 6 – Battle-Scarred+

The hit point bonus increases to four times your rank in this archetype.

Rank 7 – Unbreakable

You cannot lose more than 100 hit points per round. Any excess damage beyond that point does not reduce your hit points. This includes hit point loss below 0 hit points. Attacks with special effects, such as inflicting conditions on you, still treat you as if you lost hit points from the attack.

6.3.3 Battlerager

This archetype grants you a devastating rage, improving your combat prowess.

Rank 1 – Rage

For most barbarians, this represents entering a furious rage. Some barbarians instead enter a joyous battle trance or undergo a partial physical transformation into a more fearsome form.

Rage

Emotion, Sustain (free), Swift

Usage time: Free action.

Cost: One fatigue level.

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For the duration of this ability, you gain the following benefits and drawbacks:

Because this ability has the Swift tag, the defense penalties apply to attacks against you during the current phase.

Rank 2 – Amplified Anger

You gain a +1 bonus to your mundane power. If your Willpower is 3 or higher, you gain an additional +1 bonus.

Rank 3 – Aggravated Violence

Aggravated Violence

Usage time: Standard action.

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Make a melee strike. The strike deals double weapon damage against any creature that dealt damage to you during the previous round.

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Rank 4: You gain a +1 accuracy bonus with the strike.

Rank 5: The accuracy bonus increases to +2.

Rank 6: The strike deals triple weapon damage instead of double weapon damage.

Rank 7: The accuracy bonus increases to +4.

Rank 4 – Primal Brawn

You gain a +1 bonus to your Strength.

Rank 5 – Insensible Rage

During your rage ability, you are unaffected by all vital wound effects except for unconsciousness and death. Each vital wound still causes the normal -2 penalty to vital rolls.

Rank 6 – Amplified Anger+

The power bonus increases to +2. If your Willpower is 6 or higher, you gain an additional +1 bonus.

Rank 7 – Titanic Rage

When you use your rage ability, you can grow by one size category, to a maximum of Huge. Increasing your size gives you a +1 bonus to Strength for the purpose of determining your weight limits, a -1 penalty to your Reflex defense, and a -5 penalty to Stealth. It also increases your base speed (see Size Categories). Since this is a mundane ability, it stacks with other size-increasing effects.

6.3.4 Outland Savage

This archetype improves your mobility and combat prowess with direct, brutal abilities.

Rank 1 – Outlandish Weaponry

You can gain proficiency with exotic weapons at the cost of one insight point per weapon group (see Exotic Weapons). You must already be proficient with all non-exotic weapons from that weapon group.

Rank 1 – Savage Precision

You gain a +1 bonus to your brawling accuracy (see Brawling Accuracy).

Rank 2 – Outlandish Movement

You gain your choice of one of the following benefits:

You can invest up to two additional insight points into this ability. For each insight point, you can choose a different one of these benefits.

Rank 3 – Savage Rush

Savage Rush

Usage time: Standard action.

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Move up to your movement speed. During this movement, you can pass through spaces occupied by your enemies as if they were unoccupied. You must still end your movement in an unoccupied space. At the end of this movement, you may make a melee strike.

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Rank 4: You can make a second melee strike at any point during your movement. You cannot include the same creature or object as a target of both strikes.

Rank 5: Your weapon damage with both strikes is doubled.

Rank 6: You gain a +1 accuracy bonus with both strikes.

Rank 7: Your weapon damage with both strikes is tripled.

Rank 4 – Primal Agility

You gain a +1 bonus to your Dexterity.

Rank 5 – Outlandish Speed

You gain a +10 foot bonus to your land speed.

Rank 6 – Versatile Savagery

Choose one of the following weapon tags (see Weapon Tags): Clinch, Impact, Maneuverable, or Thrown (30/60). You may treat all non-projectile weapons you use as if they had the chosen weapon tag. If you choose the Thrown weapon tag, it does not affect your natural weapons.

Rank 7 – Primal Rush

You can use the sprint ability during the movement phase without increasing your fatigue level. After you use this ability, you briefly cannot use it again.

6.3.5 Primal Warrior

This archetype grants you abilities to use in combat and improves your physical skills.

Rank 1 – Primal Maneuvers

You can channel your primal energy into ferocious attacks. You gain access to one of the following combat styles: brute force, dirty fighting, or herald of war . In addition, you gain access to any combat style of your choice (see Combat Styles). You may spend insight points to gain access to one additional combat style per insight point. You can only learn primal maneuvers from primal combat styles that you have access to.

You learn two rank 1 primal maneuvers. You may spend insight points to learn one additional maneuver per insight point.

When you gain access to a new rank in this archetype, you can exchange any number of maneuvers you know for other maneuvers, including maneuvers of a higher rank.

Advancement: Some primal maneuvers also increase in power in unique ways based on your rank in this archetype, as indicated in their descriptions.

Rank 2 – Augmented Maneuvers

You gain the ability to customize your primal maneuvers. For each rank 1 primal maneuver you know, choose one augment from the list below and apply it to that maneuver. Augments scale in power with your “excess rank”. Your excess rank with a maneuver is equal to your rank in this archetype minus the rank of the maneuver.

Whenever you increase your rank in this archetype, you can change your augments. However, you must still apply them to rank 1 primal maneuvers.

Devastating Maneuver: The maneuver deals double damage, but you take an accuracy penalty equal to 6 - your excess rank.

Finishing Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to twice your excess rank against creatures who are at less than their maximum hit points.

Mighty Maneuver: All strikes from the maneuver deal double weapon damage, but you take an accuracy penalty equal to 5 - your excess rank. If your excess rank is at least 6, this becomes an accuracy bonus. You can only apply this augment to maneuvers which cause you to make a strike.

Precise Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to your excess rank.

Reckless Maneuver: You gain an accuracy bonus equal to twice your excess rank. However, you briefly take a -4 penalty to your defenses after you use the maneuver. You can only apply this augment to maneuvers which cause you to make a melee strike.

Rank 3 – Primal Maneuvers+

You learn an additional primal maneuver. In addition, you gain access to rank 3 primal maneuvers.

Rank 4 – Augmented Maneuvers+

You can also choose an augment for each of your rank 3 primal maneuvers.

Rank 5 – Primal Maneuvers+

You gain access to rank 5 primal maneuvers.

Rank 6 – Augmented Maneuvers+

You can also choose an augment for each of your rank 5 primal maneuvers.

Rank 7 – Primal Maneuvers+

You gain access to rank 7 primal maneuvers.

6.3.6 Totemist

This archetype allows you to embody the spirits of apex predators to improve your combat ability.

Rank 1 – Totem Animal

You choose a totem animal that represents you. Each totem animal grants you abilities that are associated with that animal.

Bear: You add half your Constitution to your mundane power.

Crocodile: Once per round, when you damage a creature with a melee strike, you can use this ability to push it up to 5 feet into unoccupied space. This is a Size-Based ability, so it has no effect on creatures that are two or more size categories larger than you.

Eagle: You gain low-light vision, allowing you to see in shadowy illumination (see Low-light Vision). In addition, you reduce your longshot penalty by 1 (see Weapon Range Limits).

Lion: You add half your Willpower to your mundane power.

Shark: You gain a +2 accuracy bonus against creatures within Short (30 ft.) range of you that are below their maximum hit points.

Rank 2 – Animal Instincts

You gain benefits based on your totem animal:

Rank 3 – Feral Frenzy

At the end of each round, if you attacked a creature other than yourself that round, you gain a frenzy point. Otherwise, you lose a frenzy point. You can have a maximum of 4 frenzy points and a minimum of 0. Frenzy points increase the power of your feral frenzy ability.

Feral Frenzy

Usage time: Standard action.

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Make a melee or thrown strike. Then, you can spend three frenzy points to make an additional melee or thrown strike.

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Rank 4: You gain a +2 accuracy bonus with the first strike you make with this ability each round.

Rank 5: Your weapon damage is doubled with the second strike you make with this ability each round.

Rank 6: The accuracy bonus applies to both strikes.

Rank 7: Your weapon damage is doubled with both strikes.

Rank 4 – Totem Animal+

The benefit from your totem animal ability improves.

Bear: You add half your Constitution to Climb, Swim, and Strength checks.

Crocodile: If the creature loses hit points from the strike, you can also knock it prone (half speed, -2 Armor and Ref) or enter a grapple with it (see Grappling). This is a Size-Based ability.

Eagle: You gain a +1 bonus to your Perception.

Lion: You add half your Willpower to your accuracy with Auditory attacks.

Shark: The accuracy bonus increases to +3.

Rank 5 – Animal Ferocity

You gain a +1 accuracy bonus.

Rank 6 – Animal Instincts+

The benefits based on your totem animal improve:

Rank 7 – Totem Animal++

The benefit from your totem animal ability improves further.

Bear: You gain a +1 bonus to your Constitution.

Crocodile: If your attack hits the target’s Fortitude defense, it does not have to lose hit points for you to knock it prone or grapple it.

Eagle: The Perception bonus increases to +2.

Lion: You gain a +1 bonus to your Willpower.

Shark: The accuracy bonus increases to +4.