A few questions concerning my Barbarian [Archive] - Wizards Community

A few questions concerning my Barbarian [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Josuwar
10-29-04, 09:38 AM I've written a small history for my barbarian that will play in an upcoming campaign, the campaign will start at level one and is situated in Faerun, I am also making use of the Book of Exalted Deeds. I've included the history below, but first a few questions that, though mechanical, I think don't belong in the optimalization board.

The character grew up in a rather isolated area, his tribe's tradition is based on Eladrin (CG Outsiders) tradition. Do I need to take Knowledge (The Planes) to represent this? What do most DM's rule on that?

What about barbaric stuff like finding herbs and turning them into paint for his face or if my barbarian just killed a bear, should he be able to skin it and wear it as a cape, or do I need craft: armor for that? I'm personally leaning towards the Survival skill for that.

Here is the history, be warned for I am not a native english speaker :) .

The Orsraun Mountains, the largest mountain range in all of Faerun save for perhaps the Spine of the World. It is home to many dangers. Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs and even Red Dragons roam this vast wilderness. Civilised life is impossible in this uninhabitable terrain, but small nomadic human tribes do live here. These people have lived here since the dawn of time and in much the same way as then. These people are your ancestors. Your tribe consist of a few dozen men and women, and they live a hard but rewarding life. A life that ignorant "civilised" people call barbaric. Civilised people however, are fools, they lock themselves up in disease ridden cities and live far too closely together for the land to support them in the long while. Still, you hold no grudge against them, all have the right to live a free life, and all should be able to decide what course in life they will take. You have learned this from the wild nature spirits that call themselves the Eladrin. In times long past, life was harder then than it is now. Your ancestors called upon them when even they could not sustain themselves. Tales tell of a Red Dragon that enslaved your people, but with their help your tribe was freed. By a pact, they often visit your tribe even now, many lives later. When they visit, there is much joy, there are festivities, dancing, drinking, and bountiful hunts. They have teached your people how to fight, how to hunt the best prey, how to gather the best food and how to take care of the land, they even teached you how to read. Your tribe's tradition is now laced with Eladrin ideals and values. Every one of your tribe has vowed to uphold these ideals when they entered maturity, be they man or woman. Those who do take the vow have to leave the tribe, they are given enough food and posessions to survive for long enough a time to find one of the other tribes, or even reach one of the great cities. There is no grudge against them, and they are welcome to return if they are ready to accept the Eladrin tradition. The strongest warriors of the tribe become more like the spirit folk, they have a closeness to the Eladrin that is unrivaled by anyone else, and therefore they are the most respected, and those who are most respected lead the tribe.
Many of the tribe leaders have been outside the mountain range, they have seen the poluted cities, fought great beasts of darkness and evil lords that study book magic. Each generation, some men and women leave the tribe to go on a great quest themselves. Some return, far stronger than before, with tales that will be told long after their bones are dust. Some do not return.
You have been preparing for your great adventure for many years, you have been given provisions, a strong weapon made of iron, and an armor of that material as well. You have said your people farewell, but you plan on returning a hero.

I'd like some feedback on it!

I've taken the feat "Knight of the Stars" from BoED to represent the vow they make. Also, if a barbarian rages, it doesn't have to be simple anger right? I think I read in a Dragon Magazine that some barbarians worship specific totems, and that they become more like their totems when they rage, so I'd personally like it if my character would become more like the Eladrin that he worhips if he rages. Is that possible?
nihility
10-29-04, 03:42 PM I've taken the feat "Knight of the Stars" from BoED to represent the vow they make. Also, if a barbarian rages, it doesn't have to be simple anger right?...I'd personally like it if my character would become more like the Eladrin that he worhips if he rages. Is that possible?
Indeed it is. Rage comes in many forms, from a simple desire to destroy and murder to a morally-informed zeal for justice. There are two things in the Book of Exalted Deeds that you might want to look at to take this further. First, the feat "Righteous Wrath," which ensures that you stay clear-headed during your rage (not that you couldn't before; this just makes it absolutely explicit) and provides some other benefits. Second, the Champion of Gywnharwyf prestige class. Gywnharwyf is a powerful Eladrin and a patron of barbarians who fight for the cause of good, and the PrC makes you more like your Eladrin patron while continuing to advance your rage and DR.

Actually, based on your background, the character almost seems tailored to enter the PrC. Was that intentional, or merely fortuitous?
nihility
10-29-04, 03:51 PM The character grew up in a rather isolated area, his tribe's tradition is based on Eladrin (CG Outsiders) tradition. Do I need to take Knowledge (The Planes) to represent this? What do most DM's rule on that?
Anyone can make untrained knowledge checks regarding common knowledge (DC 10), but more specialized knowledge (anything with a DC greater than 10) requires ranks in the skill. In your case, I can see lowering the bar for what constitutes "common knowledge," but more specialized knowedge should still require the skill.

What about barbaric stuff like finding herbs and turning them into paint for his face or if my barbarian just killed a bear, should he be able to skin it and wear it as a cape, or do I need craft: armor for that? I'm personally leaning towards the Survival skill for that.
Almost all crafts can be attempted untrained, and most basic day-to-day things have a craft DC of 10 or 12. Thus, a untrained character with an average or above-average intelligence can make basic things without too much trouble; the +2 bonus from masterwork tools helps greatly here. Survival should work for finding the herbs, as you say.
nihility
10-29-04, 04:52 PM By the way, I think your background is quite nice. I failed to mention that before, and I thought I should say it clearly.
Josuwar
10-29-04, 04:58 PM Thanks for your replies nihility :)

Unfortunately my character doesn't carry around masterwork tools, and his current intelligence is 11 (though I do intend to increase that to 12 at level 4 because I don't like unintelligent characters), but I don't plan on creating a bear-rug factory so I should be fine. :D

Actually, based on your background, the character almost seems tailored to enter the PrC. Was that intentional, or merely fortuitous?

That's intentional, my bad, I should have said so... of course I can't be sure if I will ever reach level 6.

And thanks for liking the history!
Josuwar
10-29-04, 05:52 PM I just realised I hadn't thought of what god he would worship, and everybody in FR has to worship a god.

Due to the exaltedness the god definately has to be good aligned. I'm kind of leaning towards Mieliki, since she represents good aligned nature, but she is not chaotic. Selūne and Tymora are, but they don't strike me as gods that barbarians would worship.
nihility
10-29-04, 11:35 PM I just realised I hadn't thought of what god he would worship, and everybody in FR has to worship a god.

Due to the exaltedness the god definately has to be good aligned. I'm kind of leaning towards Mieliki, since she represents good aligned nature, but she is not chaotic. Selūne and Tymora are, but they don't strike me as gods that barbarians would worship.
I have completed a survey of Faiths and Pantheons, and have found that there are 23 Chaotic Good gods. Here they are, in order of their listing in Faiths and Pantheons, plus my impressions of them for this sort of character:

Faerun Pantheon
1) Eilistraee: not quite a racial diety, but still associated almost exclusively by drow. Still, she has non-drow clergy, and her dogma of "...repay rudeness with kindness. Repay violence with swift violence..." might work for you. Bastard swords are cool.

2) Selune: too intellectual for this sort of character, in my opinion, but you may think differently.

3) Sune: love is all you need... This might work for a high-charisma Champion of Gynharwyf.

4) Tymora: lady luck! Her dogma includes "...one should be bold, for to be bold is to live...," which might fit your character nicely.

5) Lliira: a goddess of dance and life. I'm not sure how this would fit, though I suppose it might for certain concepts.

6) Lurue: a patron of intellegent and good non-humanoids, such as unicorns. I don't think this would work too well, since my impression was that your character is human.

7) Sharess: rawr! The goddess of cats is normally associated with hedonism, but the movement represented by the "Celebrant of Sharess" prestige class might represent an aspect of the church that your character would like. Check out the back of the Player's Guide to Faerun for the Celebrant.

8) Valkur: yar! Most closely associated with sailors, this deity nevertheless has a dogma of "...dare the impossible...," which might work for you. I perfer Tymora for this, personally.

Dwarven Pantheon
1) Dugmaren Brightmantle: probably too intellectual for the character, since Dugmaren is a patron of curious wizards, inventors, and others that explore and uncover new knowledge.

2) Haela Brightaxe: dwarf goddess of righteous beatdown, I find this the perfect diety for a CG dwarf fighter or barbarian. I mean, her description speaks of the joy of being hip-deep in the corpses of evil monsters and the glee of hacking your way out of the stomach of an evil dragon. What more do you want?

3) Sharindlar: dwarf goddess of healing and love. Probably not what you had in mind.

4) Thrad Harr: patron of the wild dwarves in particular; might we worth a look for a very wilderness-minded type.

Elven Pantheon
Almost all of it. Nine of the twelve listed elven dieties are chaotic good, and none really strike me as ideal. Still, you might check them out.

Mulhorandi Pantheon
1) Anhur: the only chaotic good war god in the book, Anhur is devoted to defeating evil through combat. Anhur is about war, conflict, and physical prowess, all in the cause of good, so he might fit you quite well.

2) Nephthys: money money! Not really fitting for your concept, I think.

So, there you go. I'd take Eilistraee or Tymora from the Faerun pantheon, Haela from the dwarven, or Anhur from the Mulhorandi.
nihility
10-29-04, 11:43 PM Another idea for making your rage less like that of the stereotypical angry, smashy barbarian: use the whirling frenzy variant, found here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20040111a&page=3

Basically, rather than pure brute force with bloody-minded toughness, this rage is more like intense focus: attack, damage, and AC all increase.
Josuwar
10-30-04, 04:50 AM You've helped me out quite alot, thank you very much!

The whirling frenzy is very interesting... I've never liked the constitution increase the barbarian gets, because its lost after the rage sometimes with disasterous consequences. So this is a great alternative, I don't know if my DM will alow it though, but I'l find that out soon enough :).

Tymora is probably the best choice then, since I might take "luck of heroes" as well, and that would fit togheter nicely. Though Anhur is definately very interesting...
nihility
10-30-04, 11:59 AM Happy to be of service :)

One other thing you might want to know: in Faerun, the eladrins live on two planes, Arvandor and the Gates of the Moon. The elven gods, including Eilistraee, live on the first, while Selune and others live on the second. Check out pages 143, 154, and 189 of the Player's Guide to Faerun for more on the eladrin and their place in Faerun.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Josuwar 10-29-04, 09:38 AM	I've written a small history for my barbarian that will play in an upcoming campaign, the campaign will start at level one and is situated in Faerun, I am also making use of the Book of Exalted Deeds. I've included the history below, but first a few questions that, though mechanical, I think don't belong in the optimalization board. The character grew up in a rather isolated area, his tribe's tradition is based on Eladrin (CG Outsiders) tradition. Do I need to take Knowledge (The Planes) to represent this? What do most DM's rule on that? What about barbaric stuff like finding herbs and turning them into paint for his face or if my barbarian just killed a bear, should he be able to skin it and wear it as a cape, or do I need craft: armor for that? I'm personally leaning towards the Survival skill for that. Here is the history, be warned for I am not a native english speaker :) . The Orsraun Mountains, the largest mountain range in all of Faerun save for perhaps the Spine of the World. It is home to many dangers. Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs and even Red Dragons roam this vast wilderness. Civilised life is impossible in this uninhabitable terrain, but small nomadic human tribes do live here. These people have lived here since the dawn of time and in much the same way as then. These people are your ancestors. Your tribe consist of a few dozen men and women, and they live a hard but rewarding life. A life that ignorant "civilised" people call barbaric. Civilised people however, are fools, they lock themselves up in disease ridden cities and live far too closely together for the land to support them in the long while. Still, you hold no grudge against them, all have the right to live a free life, and all should be able to decide what course in life they will take. You have learned this from the wild nature spirits that call themselves the Eladrin. In times long past, life was harder then than it is now. Your ancestors called upon them when even they could not sustain themselves. Tales tell of a Red Dragon that enslaved your people, but with their help your tribe was freed. By a pact, they often visit your tribe even now, many lives later. When they visit, there is much joy, there are festivities, dancing, drinking, and bountiful hunts. They have teached your people how to fight, how to hunt the best prey, how to gather the best food and how to take care of the land, they even teached you how to read. Your tribe's tradition is now laced with Eladrin ideals and values. Every one of your tribe has vowed to uphold these ideals when they entered maturity, be they man or woman. Those who do take the vow have to leave the tribe, they are given enough food and posessions to survive for long enough a time to find one of the other tribes, or even reach one of the great cities. There is no grudge against them, and they are welcome to return if they are ready to accept the Eladrin tradition. The strongest warriors of the tribe become more like the spirit folk, they have a closeness to the Eladrin that is unrivaled by anyone else, and therefore they are the most respected, and those who are most respected lead the tribe. Many of the tribe leaders have been outside the mountain range, they have seen the poluted cities, fought great beasts of darkness and evil lords that study book magic. Each generation, some men and women leave the tribe to go on a great quest themselves. Some return, far stronger than before, with tales that will be told long after their bones are dust. Some do not return. You have been preparing for your great adventure for many years, you have been given provisions, a strong weapon made of iron, and an armor of that material as well. You have said your people farewell, but you plan on returning a hero. I'd like some feedback on it! I've taken the feat "Knight of the Stars" from BoED to represent the vow they make. Also, if a barbarian rages, it doesn't have to be simple anger right? I think I read in a Dragon Magazine that some barbarians worship specific totems, and that they become more like their totems when they rage, so I'd personally like it if my character would become more like the Eladrin that he worhips if he rages. Is that possible?
nihility 10-29-04, 03:42 PM	I've taken the feat "Knight of the Stars" from BoED to represent the vow they make. Also, if a barbarian rages, it doesn't have to be simple anger right?...I'd personally like it if my character would become more like the Eladrin that he worhips if he rages. Is that possible? Indeed it is. Rage comes in many forms, from a simple desire to destroy and murder to a morally-informed zeal for justice. There are two things in the Book of Exalted Deeds that you might want to look at to take this further. First, the feat "Righteous Wrath," which ensures that you stay clear-headed during your rage (not that you couldn't before; this just makes it absolutely explicit) and provides some other benefits. Second, the Champion of Gywnharwyf prestige class. Gywnharwyf is a powerful Eladrin and a patron of barbarians who fight for the cause of good, and the PrC makes you more like your Eladrin patron while continuing to advance your rage and DR. Actually, based on your background, the character almost seems tailored to enter the PrC. Was that intentional, or merely fortuitous?
nihility 10-29-04, 03:51 PM	The character grew up in a rather isolated area, his tribe's tradition is based on Eladrin (CG Outsiders) tradition. Do I need to take Knowledge (The Planes) to represent this? What do most DM's rule on that? Anyone can make untrained knowledge checks regarding common knowledge (DC 10), but more specialized knowledge (anything with a DC greater than 10) requires ranks in the skill. In your case, I can see lowering the bar for what constitutes "common knowledge," but more specialized knowedge should still require the skill. What about barbaric stuff like finding herbs and turning them into paint for his face or if my barbarian just killed a bear, should he be able to skin it and wear it as a cape, or do I need craft: armor for that? I'm personally leaning towards the Survival skill for that. Almost all crafts can be attempted untrained, and most basic day-to-day things have a craft DC of 10 or 12. Thus, a untrained character with an average or above-average intelligence can make basic things without too much trouble; the +2 bonus from masterwork tools helps greatly here. Survival should work for finding the herbs, as you say.
nihility 10-29-04, 04:52 PM	By the way, I think your background is quite nice. I failed to mention that before, and I thought I should say it clearly.
Josuwar 10-29-04, 04:58 PM	Thanks for your replies nihility :) Unfortunately my character doesn't carry around masterwork tools, and his current intelligence is 11 (though I do intend to increase that to 12 at level 4 because I don't like unintelligent characters), but I don't plan on creating a bear-rug factory so I should be fine. :D Actually, based on your background, the character almost seems tailored to enter the PrC. Was that intentional, or merely fortuitous? That's intentional, my bad, I should have said so... of course I can't be sure if I will ever reach level 6. And thanks for liking the history!
Josuwar 10-29-04, 05:52 PM	I just realised I hadn't thought of what god he would worship, and everybody in FR has to worship a god. Due to the exaltedness the god definately has to be good aligned. I'm kind of leaning towards Mieliki, since she represents good aligned nature, but she is not chaotic. Selūne and Tymora are, but they don't strike me as gods that barbarians would worship.
nihility 10-29-04, 11:35 PM	I just realised I hadn't thought of what god he would worship, and everybody in FR has to worship a god. Due to the exaltedness the god definately has to be good aligned. I'm kind of leaning towards Mieliki, since she represents good aligned nature, but she is not chaotic. Selūne and Tymora are, but they don't strike me as gods that barbarians would worship. I have completed a survey of Faiths and Pantheons, and have found that there are 23 Chaotic Good gods. Here they are, in order of their listing in Faiths and Pantheons, plus my impressions of them for this sort of character: Faerun Pantheon 1) Eilistraee: not quite a racial diety, but still associated almost exclusively by drow. Still, she has non-drow clergy, and her dogma of "...repay rudeness with kindness. Repay violence with swift violence..." might work for you. Bastard swords are cool. 2) Selune: too intellectual for this sort of character, in my opinion, but you may think differently. 3) Sune: love is all you need... This might work for a high-charisma Champion of Gynharwyf. 4) Tymora: lady luck! Her dogma includes "...one should be bold, for to be bold is to live...," which might fit your character nicely. 5) Lliira: a goddess of dance and life. I'm not sure how this would fit, though I suppose it might for certain concepts. 6) Lurue: a patron of intellegent and good non-humanoids, such as unicorns. I don't think this would work too well, since my impression was that your character is human. 7) Sharess: rawr! The goddess of cats is normally associated with hedonism, but the movement represented by the "Celebrant of Sharess" prestige class might represent an aspect of the church that your character would like. Check out the back of the Player's Guide to Faerun for the Celebrant. 8) Valkur: yar! Most closely associated with sailors, this deity nevertheless has a dogma of "...dare the impossible...," which might work for you. I perfer Tymora for this, personally. Dwarven Pantheon 1) Dugmaren Brightmantle: probably too intellectual for the character, since Dugmaren is a patron of curious wizards, inventors, and others that explore and uncover new knowledge. 2) Haela Brightaxe: dwarf goddess of righteous beatdown, I find this the perfect diety for a CG dwarf fighter or barbarian. I mean, her description speaks of the joy of being hip-deep in the corpses of evil monsters and the glee of hacking your way out of the stomach of an evil dragon. What more do you want? 3) Sharindlar: dwarf goddess of healing and love. Probably not what you had in mind. 4) Thrad Harr: patron of the wild dwarves in particular; might we worth a look for a very wilderness-minded type. Elven Pantheon Almost all of it. Nine of the twelve listed elven dieties are chaotic good, and none really strike me as ideal. Still, you might check them out. Mulhorandi Pantheon 1) Anhur: the only chaotic good war god in the book, Anhur is devoted to defeating evil through combat. Anhur is about war, conflict, and physical prowess, all in the cause of good, so he might fit you quite well. 2) Nephthys: money money! Not really fitting for your concept, I think. So, there you go. I'd take Eilistraee or Tymora from the Faerun pantheon, Haela from the dwarven, or Anhur from the Mulhorandi.
nihility 10-29-04, 11:43 PM	Another idea for making your rage less like that of the stereotypical angry, smashy barbarian: use the whirling frenzy variant, found here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20040111a&page=3 Basically, rather than pure brute force with bloody-minded toughness, this rage is more like intense focus: attack, damage, and AC all increase.
Josuwar 10-30-04, 04:50 AM	You've helped me out quite alot, thank you very much! The whirling frenzy is very interesting... I've never liked the constitution increase the barbarian gets, because its lost after the rage sometimes with disasterous consequences. So this is a great alternative, I don't know if my DM will alow it though, but I'l find that out soon enough :). Tymora is probably the best choice then, since I might take "luck of heroes" as well, and that would fit togheter nicely. Though Anhur is definately very interesting...
nihility 10-30-04, 11:59 AM	Happy to be of service :) One other thing you might want to know: in Faerun, the eladrins live on two planes, Arvandor and the Gates of the Moon. The elven gods, including Eilistraee, live on the first, while Selune and others live on the second. Check out pages 143, 154, and 189 of the Player's Guide to Faerun for more on the eladrin and their place in Faerun.