Urban Barbarian [Archive] - Wizards Community

Urban Barbarian [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
fatal error
05-01-06, 07:13 PM An upcoming campaign will be set entirely inside a large trade city. In order to maximize the number of available classes I'm using the Urban Ranger variant from UA, which made me think, "Why not an Urban Barbarian?"

And thus I am here. So far the only changes that seem necessary are swapping Survival and Knowledge(local) on the Barb's skill list. Anyone think anything else needs to be changed to make it fit into a cityscape better? (Rage is staying, of course)
JulesCARV
05-01-06, 07:42 PM I think it's fine, overall. I would also allow your characters to have the option of either keeping Handle Animal and Ride, or swapping both out for a single more "urban" skill (say, Gather Info?).

I assume Urban Barbarians are the sort who generally serve as the "muscle" element of the criminal underground: when they want to silently break into an opposing gangster's home and kill him, they send the rogues from the gang, and when they send someone around every month to collect protection money from the local shopkeepers, they send the barbarians. Of course, some urban barbarians would have a more good, vigilante-ish role (I picture Mr. T, wearing a breastplate and about 50 golden amulets around his neck (of course they don't all work at once if they're magical, but who cares?), with a greatsword, screaming in rage "I pity the fools who think that they're safe from justice just because their thieves guild's been buying off the local guard!").
SilvercatMoonpaw
05-01-06, 08:50 PM :heehee
Excuse me a moment.
:rofl:
But seriously, Barbarian is really only a fighter with the serious ability to break things (typically people). Ranger only requires conversion because they have abilities that make specific use of things normally not found in cities. The only problem I have with barbarians in a city is that you need to make sure if they stay illiterate that there is an established reason. Also, consider changing the name: "barbarian" strikes more of a "guy wearing a loincloth" than a "the boss ain't happy". Maybe call it the Thug class (even if you happen to be using the Thug variant for UA, barbarian makes much more use of the name)?
fatal error
05-01-06, 09:54 PM Hmmm, I suppose if I give Barbs the option to swap ride and handle animal Fighters should get such an option too. I'd probably let them swap for Gather Info and Sense Motive, diplomacy wouldn't seem to be a Barbarian's strong suit, but sense motive could go along with their reliance on instinct in an urban environment.

And yea, perhaps a change to Thug or Enforcer would be a good idea.

Also, I've all but abandoned having druids in the city, but if anyone has any ideas on a solid way to fit them in (not just as crazed rat keepers in ruined buildings).
SilvercatMoonpaw
05-02-06, 08:15 AM I've all but abandoned having druids in the city, but if anyone has any ideas on a solid way to fit them in (not just as crazed rat keepers in ruined buildings).
This may not help, but there apparently was an Urban Druid in Dragon magazine. I don't know which one, since I only know it got reprinted in the Dragon Magazine Compendium.

Really, don't give up on a class so easily. Instead of having druids be the tenders of nature have them be the tenders of the people in the city. They are the anchor that keep people from being swallowed up by the beast that is the urban environment. They resolve conflicts, give people directions, manage where groups live and businesses are set up so everyone can benefit. Change Nature Sense to People Sense and give a bonus to Knoweldge (local) and Sense Motive. Maybe exchange Wild Empathy for automatic ranks in Diplomacy (or leave it in, influencing animals is always useful). You just have to change the type of terrain for Woodland Stride. Resist Nature's Lure is the hardest, and I can't think of anything. If you need any more ideas check out Ultimate Duid (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=168687). It doesn't have an urban option, but it rebuilds the druid according to environment and cause, so you might be able to figure out what to do with Wildshape.

The key to adapting a class to an urban environment is to just replace a vision of a forest with a vision of a city street and ask yourself "What are the similarities?"
Evil DM Mk3
05-02-06, 08:32 AM I once had an "urban" barbarian NPC. There where no ability changes but he was basicly a drunken thug. If I was to make an urban barbarian I would totaly re-evaluate the skill list, handle animal, ride, survival, all of these are not valid for the enforcer/drunkard barbarian. I would not alter much else though.
Jodjod
05-02-06, 09:28 PM Rename it a gladiator, swap out the survival stuff for their urban equivalents and voila. Urban Barbarian.
00_Whupass
05-02-06, 11:29 PM Also, I've all but abandoned having druids in the city, but if anyone has any ideas on a solid way to fit them in (not just as crazed rat keepers in ruined buildings).

People always see druids as the hippie tree huggers, but I can just as easily see a druid with a more worldly perspective, who recognizes that sentient races and their creations are not opponents of the natural world, but rather are a part of it. Such a druid would likely take to shepherding the people of his city the way the more archetypical druid take to shepherding the bears and wolves of his wood.
theblindman
05-03-06, 01:00 AM "Brawler" maybe. Suggestions on what to actually do have all been pretty good, I don't really have a lot to add.
InkBlot
05-03-06, 02:19 AM What a coincidence, I was musing on this very topic earlier today. Barbarians in the city would most likely come from the disadvantaged lower class. These people never had the chance for education, as they had to work themselves to the bone in sweatshops from on early age just to keep food on thier plates and a roof over their heads. Some, with bodies tempered by years of hardship, are driven on a path of violence by their frustration and anger.

Like others have said, the only mechanical changes (if any) should be to the skills. Second class citizens in most settings wouldn't work animals much, even animals used to power machinery or pull carts. In settings like Sharn an urban barbarian would be even less likely to work with animals, as large machinery is often powered by magic and the carriages can fly under their own power. So keeping or disposing the handle animal skill depends largely on the tech/magic level of the setting.

If it's a harsh life that breeds barbarians in the heart of the city, then it may be that they still need to scavenge for food and create their own shelter from the elements. Since they were never taught to read, they may also have learned to navigate the streets and alleys by dead reckoning, by tracking the position of the sun, and by other tricks similar to what rangers use to navigate dense forests. Anyone without a permanent home always has use for survival skills, wether they're in the wild or in the city.

However, it seems more likely that an urban barbarian would simply know the streets through experiance. The city is where he spent his entire life, and it's the intimate relationship he's had with it's harsher sides which has developed him into a "barbarian." So it seems like a no brainer to hand him knowledge (local). Besides, you wouldn't want a "city boy" somehow being an expert woodsman too.

On the other hand, knowledge local might represent too deep an understanding. Should he know the names of the last 121 people who sat on the city council, and the exact inner workings of the legislative process? Perhaps it's more that he knows the people of the city, how they act and react, who the movers and shakers are, and who he can depend on in a pinch. This might be better served by skill in gathering information.

At any rate, they shouldn't get diplomacy. "Diplomacy involves etiquette, social gract, tact, subtlety, and a way with words." Not barbarian stuff.

Sense motive doesn't seem right either. Sense motive involves patience, and this model of barbarian is a barbarian because he's lost his patience.

Replacing handle animal and survival with gather information and knowledge (local) sounds right to me.
Arquinsiel
05-03-06, 07:07 AM It doesn't have an urban option, but it rebuilds the druid according to environment and cause, so you might be able to figure out what to do with Wildshape.

The key to adapting a class to an urban environment is to just replace a vision of a forest with a vision of a city street and ask yourself "What are the similarities?"
I just had the best image of a druid wild-shaping into a lamp-post. Then I realised how stupid that was and instead re-formatted the image to be him stepping from lamp-post to lamp-post using a heavily modified version of Transport via Plants (Transport via street-fixtures?)

Really I don't see all that much difference between urban and rural in the psuedo-midieval setting. There's no reason that a character wouldn't have the same tendancy to a certain skill-set no matter where they are brought up (for example, I am from a rather large city yet somehow seem to have more of an affinity for animals than all of my rural cousins/friends). Just don't use the skills that are inappropriate to your particular character. Druids and rangers (to a lesser extent) are a bit of a problem here but really there's not that much to worry about, there's always a reason to be in a city, no matter what your character's veiws on the subject.
SilvercatMoonpaw
05-03-06, 08:35 AM I just had the best image of a druid wild-shaping into a lamp-post. Then I realised how stupid that was and instead re-formatted the image to be him stepping from lamp-post to lamp-post using a heavily modified version of Transport via Plants (Transport via street-fixtures?)

Really I don't see all that much difference between urban and rural in the psuedo-midieval setting. There's no reason that a character wouldn't have the same tendancy to a certain skill-set no matter where they are brought up (for example, I am from a rather large city yet somehow seem to have more of an affinity for animals than all of my rural cousins/friends). Just don't use the skills that are inappropriate to your particular character. Druids and rangers (to a lesser extent) are a bit of a problem here but really there's not that much to worry about, there's always a reason to be in a city, no matter what your character's veiws on the subject.
Actually, I agree with the not being able to Transport via Lamposts. The Tree Shape, though, would still work of there were a reasonable amount of trees in the city. But seriously:
People always see druids as the hippie tree huggers, but I can just as easily see a druid with a more worldly perspective, who recognizes that sentient races and their creations are not opponents of the natural world, but rather are a part of it. Such a druid would likely take to shepherding the people of his city the way the more archetypical druid take to shepherding the bears and wolves of his wood.
That's what I was saying. I'm even trying to design a druid variant class called the "herder" for my own setting. It would be a class dedicated to bringing peace and harmony the dynamic of a city.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
fatal error 05-01-06, 07:13 PM	An upcoming campaign will be set entirely inside a large trade city. In order to maximize the number of available classes I'm using the Urban Ranger variant from UA, which made me think, "Why not an Urban Barbarian?" And thus I am here. So far the only changes that seem necessary are swapping Survival and Knowledge(local) on the Barb's skill list. Anyone think anything else needs to be changed to make it fit into a cityscape better? (Rage is staying, of course)
JulesCARV 05-01-06, 07:42 PM	I think it's fine, overall. I would also allow your characters to have the option of either keeping Handle Animal and Ride, or swapping both out for a single more "urban" skill (say, Gather Info?). I assume Urban Barbarians are the sort who generally serve as the "muscle" element of the criminal underground: when they want to silently break into an opposing gangster's home and kill him, they send the rogues from the gang, and when they send someone around every month to collect protection money from the local shopkeepers, they send the barbarians. Of course, some urban barbarians would have a more good, vigilante-ish role (I picture Mr. T, wearing a breastplate and about 50 golden amulets around his neck (of course they don't all work at once if they're magical, but who cares?), with a greatsword, screaming in rage "I pity the fools who think that they're safe from justice just because their thieves guild's been buying off the local guard!").
SilvercatMoonpaw 05-01-06, 08:50 PM	:heehee Excuse me a moment. :rofl: But seriously, Barbarian is really only a fighter with the serious ability to break things (typically people). Ranger only requires conversion because they have abilities that make specific use of things normally not found in cities. The only problem I have with barbarians in a city is that you need to make sure if they stay illiterate that there is an established reason. Also, consider changing the name: "barbarian" strikes more of a "guy wearing a loincloth" than a "the boss ain't happy". Maybe call it the Thug class (even if you happen to be using the Thug variant for UA, barbarian makes much more use of the name)?
fatal error 05-01-06, 09:54 PM	Hmmm, I suppose if I give Barbs the option to swap ride and handle animal Fighters should get such an option too. I'd probably let them swap for Gather Info and Sense Motive, diplomacy wouldn't seem to be a Barbarian's strong suit, but sense motive could go along with their reliance on instinct in an urban environment. And yea, perhaps a change to Thug or Enforcer would be a good idea. Also, I've all but abandoned having druids in the city, but if anyone has any ideas on a solid way to fit them in (not just as crazed rat keepers in ruined buildings).
SilvercatMoonpaw 05-02-06, 08:15 AM	I've all but abandoned having druids in the city, but if anyone has any ideas on a solid way to fit them in (not just as crazed rat keepers in ruined buildings). This may not help, but there apparently was an Urban Druid in Dragon magazine. I don't know which one, since I only know it got reprinted in the Dragon Magazine Compendium. Really, don't give up on a class so easily. Instead of having druids be the tenders of nature have them be the tenders of the people in the city. They are the anchor that keep people from being swallowed up by the beast that is the urban environment. They resolve conflicts, give people directions, manage where groups live and businesses are set up so everyone can benefit. Change Nature Sense to People Sense and give a bonus to Knoweldge (local) and Sense Motive. Maybe exchange Wild Empathy for automatic ranks in Diplomacy (or leave it in, influencing animals is always useful). You just have to change the type of terrain for Woodland Stride. Resist Nature's Lure is the hardest, and I can't think of anything. If you need any more ideas check out Ultimate Duid (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=168687). It doesn't have an urban option, but it rebuilds the druid according to environment and cause, so you might be able to figure out what to do with Wildshape. The key to adapting a class to an urban environment is to just replace a vision of a forest with a vision of a city street and ask yourself "What are the similarities?"
Evil DM Mk3 05-02-06, 08:32 AM	I once had an "urban" barbarian NPC. There where no ability changes but he was basicly a drunken thug. If I was to make an urban barbarian I would totaly re-evaluate the skill list, handle animal, ride, survival, all of these are not valid for the enforcer/drunkard barbarian. I would not alter much else though.
Jodjod 05-02-06, 09:28 PM	Rename it a gladiator, swap out the survival stuff for their urban equivalents and voila. Urban Barbarian.
00_Whupass 05-02-06, 11:29 PM	Also, I've all but abandoned having druids in the city, but if anyone has any ideas on a solid way to fit them in (not just as crazed rat keepers in ruined buildings). People always see druids as the hippie tree huggers, but I can just as easily see a druid with a more worldly perspective, who recognizes that sentient races and their creations are not opponents of the natural world, but rather are a part of it. Such a druid would likely take to shepherding the people of his city the way the more archetypical druid take to shepherding the bears and wolves of his wood.
theblindman 05-03-06, 01:00 AM	"Brawler" maybe. Suggestions on what to actually do have all been pretty good, I don't really have a lot to add.
InkBlot 05-03-06, 02:19 AM	What a coincidence, I was musing on this very topic earlier today. Barbarians in the city would most likely come from the disadvantaged lower class. These people never had the chance for education, as they had to work themselves to the bone in sweatshops from on early age just to keep food on thier plates and a roof over their heads. Some, with bodies tempered by years of hardship, are driven on a path of violence by their frustration and anger. Like others have said, the only mechanical changes (if any) should be to the skills. Second class citizens in most settings wouldn't work animals much, even animals used to power machinery or pull carts. In settings like Sharn an urban barbarian would be even less likely to work with animals, as large machinery is often powered by magic and the carriages can fly under their own power. So keeping or disposing the handle animal skill depends largely on the tech/magic level of the setting. If it's a harsh life that breeds barbarians in the heart of the city, then it may be that they still need to scavenge for food and create their own shelter from the elements. Since they were never taught to read, they may also have learned to navigate the streets and alleys by dead reckoning, by tracking the position of the sun, and by other tricks similar to what rangers use to navigate dense forests. Anyone without a permanent home always has use for survival skills, wether they're in the wild or in the city. However, it seems more likely that an urban barbarian would simply know the streets through experiance. The city is where he spent his entire life, and it's the intimate relationship he's had with it's harsher sides which has developed him into a "barbarian." So it seems like a no brainer to hand him knowledge (local). Besides, you wouldn't want a "city boy" somehow being an expert woodsman too. On the other hand, knowledge local might represent too deep an understanding. Should he know the names of the last 121 people who sat on the city council, and the exact inner workings of the legislative process? Perhaps it's more that he knows the people of the city, how they act and react, who the movers and shakers are, and who he can depend on in a pinch. This might be better served by skill in gathering information. At any rate, they shouldn't get diplomacy. "Diplomacy involves etiquette, social gract, tact, subtlety, and a way with words." Not barbarian stuff. Sense motive doesn't seem right either. Sense motive involves patience, and this model of barbarian is a barbarian because he's lost his patience. Replacing handle animal and survival with gather information and knowledge (local) sounds right to me.
Arquinsiel 05-03-06, 07:07 AM	It doesn't have an urban option, but it rebuilds the druid according to environment and cause, so you might be able to figure out what to do with Wildshape. The key to adapting a class to an urban environment is to just replace a vision of a forest with a vision of a city street and ask yourself "What are the similarities?" I just had the best image of a druid wild-shaping into a lamp-post. Then I realised how stupid that was and instead re-formatted the image to be him stepping from lamp-post to lamp-post using a heavily modified version of Transport via Plants (Transport via street-fixtures?) Really I don't see all that much difference between urban and rural in the psuedo-midieval setting. There's no reason that a character wouldn't have the same tendancy to a certain skill-set no matter where they are brought up (for example, I am from a rather large city yet somehow seem to have more of an affinity for animals than all of my rural cousins/friends). Just don't use the skills that are inappropriate to your particular character. Druids and rangers (to a lesser extent) are a bit of a problem here but really there's not that much to worry about, there's always a reason to be in a city, no matter what your character's veiws on the subject.
SilvercatMoonpaw 05-03-06, 08:35 AM	I just had the best image of a druid wild-shaping into a lamp-post. Then I realised how stupid that was and instead re-formatted the image to be him stepping from lamp-post to lamp-post using a heavily modified version of Transport via Plants (Transport via street-fixtures?) Really I don't see all that much difference between urban and rural in the psuedo-midieval setting. There's no reason that a character wouldn't have the same tendancy to a certain skill-set no matter where they are brought up (for example, I am from a rather large city yet somehow seem to have more of an affinity for animals than all of my rural cousins/friends). Just don't use the skills that are inappropriate to your particular character. Druids and rangers (to a lesser extent) are a bit of a problem here but really there's not that much to worry about, there's always a reason to be in a city, no matter what your character's veiws on the subject. Actually, I agree with the not being able to Transport via Lamposts. The Tree Shape, though, would still work of there were a reasonable amount of trees in the city. But seriously: People always see druids as the hippie tree huggers, but I can just as easily see a druid with a more worldly perspective, who recognizes that sentient races and their creations are not opponents of the natural world, but rather are a part of it. Such a druid would likely take to shepherding the people of his city the way the more archetypical druid take to shepherding the bears and wolves of his wood. That's what I was saying. I'm even trying to design a druid variant class called the "herder" for my own setting. It would be a class dedicated to bringing peace and harmony the dynamic of a city.