Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Haml337 02-15-06, 07:54 PM	I want to play a barbarian. I've never been big on fighter types, always preferring bards and rogues as far back as 2e (and monks in 1e OA). But I think it's time for a change of pace. It's my turn to be a player instead of a DM, but my players pretty heartily ascribe (right word?) to the idea of the barbarian being a hulking, barely-contained machine of death with no table manners. I want to get beyond this preconceived notion and do something like a wandering ascetic barbarian, I'm not sure how to describe it. I'm just not finding the happy medium before going to my DM with it. How do I turn my barbarian into less of a savage without making him out to be Kwai Chang Caine? :confused:
Archmage_Vall 02-15-06, 08:38 PM	Give him a decent WIS score, and roll a will save to resist the urge to rage when in situations where a "normal" barbarian would rage?
HappyDragon 02-15-06, 08:49 PM	If you've never seen a movie called Brotherhood of the Wolf, (Pact de Lupe....sp? en Francais), I would highly reccomend it. There is a character in it called Mani who could be a very good role-model for the rest of your group to see in action and realize not all Barbarians have to big big, dumb and oafish. Without giving too much away, the character works because of how proper ''society'' sees him.....yet where he originally was from he was considered a 'wise man'. Barabrians are only called Barbarians because their 'savagery and unsociable' nature appears to be so from self-titled 'civilized' cultures. Oh, and if you do see the film, DO NOT watch the dubbed version. Absolutely atrocious! It's well worth the reading to watch in it's original French with English subtitles. (or whatever your native language may be). :) Cheers.
Cadfan 02-15-06, 09:11 PM	This is primarily a social issue. Talk to your DM away from the other players. Show him the character sheet for your character, and ask him not to tell the other players what is on it. Then, don't show them. Then, describe your character in game as you please, and don't tell them what your abilities are. Just use them. You'll find that at first they spend forever wondering what your character is, but hopefully they get over it eventually. Take aspects of being a barbarian, and re-describe them while keeping the stats the same. For example, instead of rage, your character could adopt a Tiger Stance, which is physically demanding, and eventually tires him out, but gives him great strength. Except, in all in-game aspects, it would just be rage. For feats, take power attack and improved unarmed strike at level one. Make it clear that your character is perfectly happy to punch someone out with his impressive skill in kung fu (or martial art of your choice). Use whatever weapon you like, but describe your attacks as occuring in a flowing, kung fu movie kind of form. For example, with a greatsword, describe a lot of broad, circular motions with your character occasionally spinning around. Strike kung fu poses between series of attacks. Make sure your character is literate, and take a few extra languages. Claim your character knows calligraphy. I hope that helps.
Tytalus 02-16-06, 03:24 AM	Or just re-interpret the barabarian's rage as a self-induced, meditative combat trance. Use exactly the same mechanics, but don't play it as your anger getting the better of you.
Terraneaux 02-16-06, 04:44 AM	And on the mechanical side, a barbarian with power attack/improved grapple is one of the scariest combatants out there.
Millennium 02-16-06, 09:55 AM	If you really want to optimize a wandering-ascetic-barbarian type, you may actually be better off going with Ranger as your class and roleplaying the barbarian aspect of things. It's a different set of abilities, but it seems to meld a bit better with your concept. If you have access to Magic of Incarnum, then you may also want to consider the totemist.
Tyler Do'Urden 02-16-06, 10:47 AM	Give him a decent WIS score, and roll a will save to resist the urge to rage when in situations where a "normal" barbarian would rage? Yeah, that, or just don't rage. There's nothing about the rage class feature that says you have to in any situation.
HermitIX 02-16-06, 02:55 PM	instead of "rageing" go in to a battle focus. all the stats are the same, but instead of roaring and running in to battle you get freaky calm and run in to battle.
Double Eagle 02-16-06, 03:30 PM	I would probably use Klingons as a loose model for the character's attitude/behavior. Klingons could definatley be considered barbarians, but they are not necessarily unintelligent or (by their views) uncivilized.
Haml337 02-16-06, 06:47 PM	But aren't Klingons just a little too lawful in their structures of clans and honor to be a barbarian with RAW? :P
Archmage_Vall 02-17-06, 10:53 PM	On a similar note, wouldn't a barbarian who is all calm and focused eventually be too lawful to be a barbarian?
LCD2YOU 02-17-06, 11:05 PM	On a similar note, wouldn't a barbarian who is all calm and focused eventually be too lawful to be a barbarian? I'd say "Yes", if you were playing a by the book Barbarian. However, the idea of the "Barbarian" who is one in name only, but with monk skill sets, could get the extra force from specialized stances, etc. So if that were the case, I'd allow such a mix, monk/barbarian with the additional part that if he ever became "unlawful" ie having that "inner discipline that monks are said to have from being "lawful", they'd lose their "rage". Their rage would be exactly as a barabarian's witout the ability to become a franzied beserker. But that's my take.
BadCatMan 02-18-06, 02:06 AM	You could also try the Whirling Frenzy variant from Unearthed Arcana. Instead of a berserker rage, you enter a high speed, fast reflex battle mode. You Dex and Dodge AC increase, primarily.
Ramius_Mordale 02-18-06, 03:39 AM	If you don't like the barbarian class concept just don't play a barbarian. You don't have to play a dumb barbarian; just like you don't have to play a dumb fighter. There is no end to the possibilities you can play with any class, but since Rage is the main ability the Barbarian gets you best be prepared to use it otherwise you will be outmatched in not only combat (because the fighter and ranger will tear you apart) and the bonuses you get is what makes the class a force to be feared. It's your destructive power that makes you a threat not your mannerisms or how civil and/or well kept your appearance may be. It's not how you look, what you say, or how witty your character is; you are considered a barbarian/berserker because you recklessly sway through battle without care to slaughter your foes. If you want to play a tactician or use a whole bunch of fighting styles- you should probably play a monk or (even better in my opinion) a straight up fighter. However, if story is what you are after with playing a Barbarian look at any or all historical facts concerning "barbaric" cultures. The most commonly know is the Germanic tribes that fought the Roman's (which by the way a Barbarian out-witted and sacked and burned Rome), the Celtic and Britiania tribes of England and Ireland, plus the Mongolians vs the known world at the time, and finally the Norseman, or commonly known as Vikings, who conquered and explored a great deal of the world are all examples of "Barbarians". All of those cultures had notable leaders considered barbaric which were- without a doubt- cunning, highly intelligent, and charismatic as well as strong and brutal in combat. Plus also a point about Rage, which has been noted a couple of times, it isn't necessarily a hot-tempered mad man recklessly swinging a blade about lopping off heads at random. Think of it more as a rush of aderniline(sp?) that gives them awesome strength, ability to just shrug off hit after hit, and clarity of mind where they crush their opponent through force by sacrificing defense for a more relentless and powerful offensive. All in all, I applaud you for trying to find more creative ways to play a barbarian and I hope you are able to show your fellow players that there is more than one way to play a class of any type. And who knows, maybe the Barbarian will become your new favorite class to play. ;) Hope that helps and good luck. -Ramius-
ShadowDragon8685 02-18-06, 03:40 AM	You could also try the Whirling Frenzy variant from Unearthed Arcana. Instead of a berserker rage, you enter a high speed, fast reflex battle mode. You Dex and Dodge AC increase, primarily. Shades of The Matrix, there. Might be worth checking it out. :)
Dag 02-18-06, 05:52 AM	but my players pretty heartily ascribe (right word?) to the idea of the barbarian being a hulking, barely-contained machine of death with no table manners. I want to get beyond this preconceived notion and do something like a wandering ascetic barbarian, I'm not sure how to describe it. I'm just not finding the happy medium before going to my DM with it. As for the 'hulking' part - you need not make your Barbarian Hulking. There's no strength requirement for the class, slap a 12 in there (Not that I reccomend this) or just describe him as more lean, sleek, athletic, not as the standard 7 foot tall bulging psycopath, and you have eliminated the Hulk(ing) from your barbarian. Barely-contained machine of death and no table Manners: Well, it does seem the barbarian's stereotypical role or persona, but again why should it have to be. Perhaps instead of being from some isolated barbaric tribe you were raised somewhat locally. Perhaps you were orphaned from said barbaric tribe or were taken away from said tribe as an infant after the local king's forces routed that tribe. Maybe you were brought up in an orphanage or on a plantation-type setting. Still that spark of rage you were born with (Perhaps the tribal shaman had a vision of blood upon your birth, or the tribal totem spirit marked you for rage) is still within you, it was just not cultivated in your upbringing. Perhaps through childhood when you were picked on by other children and had little scuffles you would see red and beat the daylights out of them, having to be physically pulled away by an adult. Perhaps this made you uncomfortable and even more different upon growing up, knowing you had this rage inside of you and being more than a little frightened of it taking hold of you. I once played a barbarian similar to this concept I mentioned. Orphaned and raised on a country vineyard by some of the peasants who worked the land. He was not very bright (Since I stereotypically put a low score in intelligence) but neither was he your standard frothing at the mouth barbarian. He knew more about wine than anyone in the party for sure, and more than many bartenders we came across. So you had this Barbarian enter a tavern, give the bar keep a deadly and stern look square in the eye, and gruffly ask for an aged glass of cognac - He then proceeds to rage on the tender when the poor sod serves the fine liquer in a crock mug. I dont know about ascetic, that may be going a tad too far with a barbarian. I can understand some restraint however, perhaps only certain things truly set him off, but as a few people have mentioned, you don't want him to stop being chaotic so I dont reccomend a defined list of things that truly get him raging, that seems to close to a code of sorts. Anyways, I've spent more time than needed here, it's the problem of bringing up your own characters and former characters, you want to keep yapping about them once you get going, or at least I tend to (I might also add that my barbarian gave a go at poetry, though he was a dismal failure, still he thought he was quite good and was angered when others predictably laughed at his attempts at poms. He called them poms and spelled them that way. He learned to read and write but his spelling was terrible as was his grammar and structure - made for awful poms. He collected books and was a regular at the library.).
Morotis 02-18-06, 09:15 AM	I would suggest reading The Eaters of the Dead by Micheal Crichton, it was alter reprinted as The 13th Warrior. If you're not into reading, they made a movie called The 13th Warrior based off the book. That book could give you an idea of what society thought about "Barbarians" in the.... um... maybe... well, it was back in the day in Europe, The guy starts out thinking they're svages but gets to know them better and it's all good....
serch 02-18-06, 11:04 AM	I would use american indians as a model, their bounds with nature, ancestors... pretty advanced philosophers. Think about Pocahontas `colors of the windŽ