Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The_Fantabulous_Pog 12-13-05, 09:38 AM	Just messing around developing some characters and I got quite excited about the idea of making a Barbarian (possibly multi-classed Fighter?) :w00t: Anyway, I just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas about making my Barbarian a little bit different to the normal 'Thorg go smash' variety. I have considered: 1)A prehistoric, caveman type using weapon variants in a recent Dragon mag 2)A kilt-wearing Celt, complete with claymore and dirk 3)Having a guard-dog companion (or other trained small animals) 4)A mounted, bandit, Atilla-the-Hun type marauder with composite greatbow Any other ideas, traits, affectations for me to ponder over?
erbmjw 12-13-05, 09:54 AM	Barbarian with a few levels of Druid - primarily interested in the spells sheliglegh barkskin, and ability boosts such as bears strength - weapon of choice - any form of club(small,medium, or great} or a quarterstaff.
Sang-Drax 12-13-05, 10:05 AM	I really like the celt barbarian idea, but a viking one could be just as cool.
Caretaker 12-13-05, 10:44 AM	I must say the idea of a Celtic barbarian appeals to me as well, it seems to me it hasn't been done before that many times. One concept for a barbarian I had was a Half-Ogre Barbarian with (GASP!) Intelligence, . He would enjoy reading (having spent some points in to learn reading) and consider his Rage as a curse. HE'd be a pacifist at heart, but sometimes he'd get so incredibly ANGRY and would 'accidentally' beat opponents to a bloody pulp with his bare hands (Improved unarmed attack). I also considered to have him multiclass with Warlock and have him add his eldritch blast to his melee attacks to make his bare-fist smashing even more destructive. I thought it would be an interesting perspective to have a Half-Ogre barbarian go "now gentlemen, can't we act civilised?" when attacked, and if the opponents would not respond, he'd get ****** off and splatter them all.
The Sinister Rogue 12-13-05, 11:54 AM	Make your character a native american. Buy him a nice warpony, shortbow, tomahawk and hide armor and make war to those people who invaded your country and do not give any respect to your ancestors or your hunting land.
Cam S. 12-13-05, 02:17 PM	8.) How about a Barbarian/Paladin of Freedom (or slaughter, if that's your thing) (both are chaotic)? Make him the holy champion of a barbarian tribe the same way that the Paladin is the champion of the "civilized world". If the Barbarian Tribe lives in the jungle, give him a giant lizard or jungle cat for a mount. If in tundra, give him an Elk or dire wolf. 9.) I've seen a bunch of different barbarians, but I've never seen a desert-based barbarian. Why not give him a few levels in Ranger, Scout or Rogue and take a few of the martial arts feats from OA, and make a Fremen-like character?
The_Fantabulous_Pog 12-15-05, 07:47 AM	Some interesting ideas here ... On a slight tangent it appears as though many cultural stereotypes lend themselves to the Barbarian, I wonder how many would be interesting to play. So far, we have: 1) Caveman 2) Celt 3) Hun 4) Viking 5) Native American Could we enlarge this list?
Fithero 12-15-05, 10:01 AM	Well... technically you could play a character that is of any native decent. You could be a native from africa, use spears, javalins and such. Or a Aboriginal from Australia, use clubs and a boomerang (a masterwork chukram...or however you spell it.) But instead of basing it on differant peoples, why not base it on differant play styles. Perhaps you a completely civilised commoner... until you bug out and start killing people over the smallest slight. I think one of the main things with barbarians is that you should explain where their "rage" actually comes from. Something alot of people forget to do, they just say "he is a barbarian... hes angry" Why? Later
Morka 12-15-05, 11:23 AM	An orc dire-wolf rider, using Spirited Charge with his greataxe. An archer, using a mighty composite longbow he can only use when raging, a bit like the Rock in Scorpion King. An Axe-thrower, I think there's a feat in Complete Warrior that allow to use the STR mod for thrown weapons.
JulesCARV 12-15-05, 01:46 PM	Urban barbarian/rogue gangster. Grew up in the slums of some city (e.g., the lower levels of Sharn). Wears lots of gold jewelry. Used to work as a muscle/enforcer for some sort of street gang. (If good) Abandoned it as the gang leader become more violent (e.g., the gang leader decided to kill a local shopkeeper for not making the monthly "protection" payment, when the barbarian knew that she couldn't possibly make the payment because she had no money herself). Became a force of good on the mean streets, protecting the shopkeepers he used to extort and guarding the weak from the predators. (If evil) Decided to go independent and become an independent robber/drug dealer/sellsword without giving a cut to the gang. Also, wears fake Burberry and Adidas jogging suits. Just kidding!
Paldasan 12-15-05, 07:35 PM	Drat JulesCARV, that was going to be my next LG char, almost. Rogue Barb levels on a two to one basis, Half Orc bouncer doing not such a good job at life, given a second chance and enlists in the army as a scout. (i'm a Perrenlander for those that wonder) Still has control issues, and has a tendency to race off early into battle (Imp Init, Spd 40ft) to thump anything with Sneak Att and Rage if he gets frustrated and doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. Trackie and adidas, hmmm that could just work
JulesCARV 12-15-05, 08:33 PM	Other idea, rather radically different: Civilized intellectual who has read too much of the fantasy equivalent of Jean-Jacques Rousseau or Henry David Thoreau. Believes in living "the simple life." Probably has high intelligence, but low wisdom (high int for the interest in intellectual life, but low wis to fall for the snake oil of the "simple, primitive life" being glorious a la the claims of Rousseau or Thoreau). Isn't REALLY illiterate, but basically refuses to read because he wants to put "civilization" behind him. (he professes a hatred for intellectuals and the intellect, while oblivious to the fact that he is following the prescriptions of effete intellectuals, like a much less malevolent version of the Khmer Rouge)
WolfHati 12-15-05, 11:59 PM	Or you could have him a timid intellectual type, who spends lots of time outdoors to learn more about nature and travelling. Most of the time he is pretty passive idealist, but when someone does something that really annoys him, something stupid and evil, he just flips out and starts beating the crap out of them with his walking stick.
Harrow Blade 12-16-05, 12:33 AM	I have also toyed with a barbarian/fighter ideas and loved the idea of a dwarven bear rider barb. It doesn't have to be a dwarf however it would be cool for him to be facing down a bigger opponent and then have the bear rear up behind him.
Fox Lee 12-16-05, 02:05 AM	The "kilted celt" style barbarian speaks to me - I've always been fond of them ^^ If you're after something unusual, the "cold rage" idea has always appealed to me - that is, the barbarian who doesn't lose her temper when she rages. Just cold, calculating combat brute whose rage ability represents a conscious decision to fight in a certain manner. Granted it's a bit more lawful in thematics than most barbarians, but then, a bad temper does not a chaotic character make :p Multiple personality rage is fun, too, provided you play it maturely rather than as bad comedy (and don't do stupid annoying things to the other PCs, like switching between personlities at random during briefing, and then claiming you don't know the attack plan). Picture a sort of Jekyll/Hyde dynamic - another personality which emerges only for the brief periods during which the character rages, but is always lurking beneath the surface. This is also fun as a representation of possession - and then there's the question of whether or not the possessing entity(*) is evil and bloodthirsty, or righteously wrathful, or perhaps just likes a good old-fashioned monster hack :p I love the native-american style barbarian idea, too - how rare ^_^ On the lines of cultural images, what about a desert nomad type? A desert certainly doesn't have to be any more civilised than a forest or mountain peak. A ferocious falchion-weilding horse/camel-riding dervish would certainly fit the image. And if you play your cards right, you could even get him a bulette for a mount, which is the most awesome thing evar :D Urban barbarian is also a fun a-stereotype to play with, much like urban ranger. Seriously, setting aside real-world gansta jokes, a barbarian's abilities could be easily turned to a city setting - she could be a bouncer, a mobster, a mugger, an angry ex-militia drunk, or even a ruthless chaotic-good vigilante. I'd love to see a nice urban barbarian ^_^ (*My angst-bunny part says to make it the ghost of a deceased loved one who is consumed with rage over what happened to her/him. This would work especially well for a spouse/lover or a twin, if you like the image of a couple working together in combat ^^)
dutchmason 12-16-05, 07:33 AM	I'm toying with the idea of making a half-ogre grappler who wants to subdue, he just gets carried away sometimes. "Stop hitting Urg!... oops."
Gallameed 12-16-05, 10:56 AM	I once played an Uthgart barbarian who was born a sorceror, his tribe (the sky pony) exiled him. He ended up going to Silverymoon and struggled for a long time between his traditional barbaric side and eventually learnt to accept himsef, using his natural magical powers was a taboo for him at first but he got over the guilt eventually. He ended up turning to Shuandakul the FR god of travel and becoming a bit of a bookworm, he attended the magical college in Silverymoon and everthing. He was the only 6'6 tall Uthgart fella in the class, his apearance scared the crap out of the other mages, lol! He always kept his traditional dress sense though and often went travelling the northern marches. He turned to adventuring in order to find his place in the world, that caused him to become friends with some strange people (other outcasts). I have his full background somewhere, on paper in a box of notes I think. I'll post it if anyones at all interested. :) He was a barbarian2/sor4 carried a battered old greatsword on his back and had loads of fetishes/pouches and beads/feathers hanging off his clothes, he also had long white hair and a beard if I remember correctly. His familiar was a crow.
The_Fantabulous_Pog 12-16-05, 01:12 PM	I like the idea of explaining the rage. Following the input posted on here I'm thinking of developing a Celtic Barbarian (I'll start a new thread for this particular character). But what reasons for rage???? How about: 1)Alcohol abuse - drink drives him mad 2)A tradgedy in his formative years - bad memories 3)Religious/mystic frenzy 4)Drug abuse (like the Norse of old) 5)A curse of sorts Any other ideas???
Fox Lee 12-16-05, 05:46 PM	But what reasons for rage???? How about: 1)Alcohol abuse - drink drives him mad 2)A tradgedy in his formative years - bad memories 3)Religious/mystic frenzy 4)Drug abuse (like the Norse of old) 5)A curse of sorts 6) Possession 7) Bloodthirst/prey drive (would work particularly well for a non-standard race) 8) Deliberate choice 9) External - like it's triggered by his weapon or something 10) Fear
stranger_654 12-17-05, 04:52 AM	In an upcoming game i am playing a dwarf barbarian that has nothing to do with the wild, He wanted to join the local guards but was just too undisciplned and such, and has a really short fuse (Hence the rage ability) He couldnt learn to fight well because he doesnt take directions well, and just for a quirk i gave him dislexia (sp?) which means no matter how hard he tries he just cant read or write, that just gives him a little bit of flavour, making him unque.... Just my idea on a barbarian, i dont think the necessarily have to come from the wild, just a guy who has anger managment issues/ angry youth works just as well,
Demonwolf 12-17-05, 11:10 AM	To me, it seems like there's a lot of room for originality with barbarians if you're a little creative. The class would fit just about any gritty fighter who is self-taught out of necessity. -A scythe-wielding peasant hero, possibly a chieftain or paladin, who is forced to defend his village against orc and goblin hordes when his government won't. -Street fighter/ pit fighter/ gladiator. -Prince of an overthrown deep-gnome kingdom in the underdark, protecting the last remnants of his people from deep dwarves and drow. Gained combat and survival skill out of necessity since childhood when his parents were killed and his kingdom fell, when he took on the duty of leading his people to freedom and safety. Pick-wielder, possibly ranger. -Drafted commoner-turned-commando in hostile, inhabitable wilderness nation, dense jungle or desert. De facto leader of his platoon due to intimidating demeanor and frightening endurance and combat ability. -Tiny, seemingly unimposing tiefling assassin with unfathomable depths of repressed rage. Savage combatant in battle who uses dual nekode to tear his enemies to pieces. Another one that would go well with swashbuckler. -Young, intelligent tribal diplomat struggling to make a connection with a 'civilized' kingdom, similar to Hugo in Suikoden III.
Arco Versipellis 12-17-05, 11:39 AM	Recently, I began playing a azurite totemist from Magic of Incarnum. While not technically a barbarian, he is wild and illiterate, so he is close. I came away from character generation with two 18s, so I puit them in constitution and... intelligence. I didn't purchase the ability to read, though I saw and liked that idea above. He was just a smart guy that lived among a people that kept no written records. Only now is he on his way to a city for the first time, so I may get the chance to roleplay him learning to read, which I like as a librarian. I'm comtemplating the Jack of All Trades feat to increase his diversity. Changing it over to barbarian, you'll probably need a better strength than me, as I was able to pull off some ranged attacks with my soulmelds. But even a 16 in intelligence allows for a barbarian with a good grasp on the food chain and social structure of civilizations.