E=mc^GRRAAAARGGH!!! [Archive] - Wizards Community

E=mc^GRRAAAARGGH!!! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Nurgan_the_drunked
09-01-04, 04:22 AM Sorry, I have a thing for obscure thread titles.
The thing is, I have recently lost a character and have started up a new character. Not having played a major fighter before, I played a barbarian, starting with the intention of being a NG Righteous, almost paladin type, who'd rush to the aid of anyone in trouble. Unfortunately, the way stats are roled has resulted in a character with an INt and WIS of 15, meaning I should be pretty damn smart.

Now the question is, how to play this as a barbarian? And how does this intelligence mix with being illiterate? Ant ideas on background that explains this?

Thanks in advance
CaoSlayer
09-01-04, 05:21 AM well, that it is simple...

this culture dont have books, only oral tradition so he have learned a lot of from the sages in the tribe and can remember a good load of tales.

not exactly illiterate, but take a look to Braveheart, he acts like another barbarian but got a good education. You can be the son of you tribe chief...

and also in the future can get some levels in druid or mage and become a rage mage (complete warrior). In other words, the shaman of your tribe.
Noria Merfolk Mage
09-01-04, 07:08 AM I've always considered the barbarian to be mistyped: any character can belong to a primitive culture if you justify it right. I look on this class as the Berserker class, which can exist anywhere.

Think your average soldier, with more of a temper: "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry"

For more, see the first "new and improved" issue of Dragon.
MarkB
09-01-04, 08:07 AM You could look at it this way: he's smart enough to know that he's headstrong, and could get himself into trouble that way - but he's also smart enough to realise that it's that headstrong nature of his that gives him the edge in combat, that if he gets used to stopping to think things through whenever there's trouble, he could lose the capacity to call up that righteous fury which lets him beat the odds in combat. Plus, he just plain likes being a barbarian berserker.

So, even though it may get him into trouble in the short term, he's learned to allow his instincts to take over in times of conflict, because in the long term, it's letting him be a stronger warrior - and it's letting him be himself to the greatest extent, rather than repressing his true nature.
shirasaya25
09-01-04, 09:20 AM In my opinion, intelligence does not necessarily represent knowledge accumulation - after all that is what the knowledge skills are for. Rather intelligence represents a logical thought process, the ability to quickly assimilate complex ideas and a potential for retaining information.

If I were playing a barbarian with a 15 intelligence, I would have him be continuously curious about the modern world, particulalry engineering and science as these are concepts that a class, primitive barbarian would not have been exposed to. I would have him see alchemist's fire being made (for example) and then weeks later be able to not only remember the formula, but be able to understand how and why each of the ingredients was added.

Such a character would be great for occassionaly spouting a bit of jeopardy-like trivia pertinent to the current situation. For example, the party is getting ready to enter a fetid swamp in search for lost ruins and the rogue says he is nervous about aligators and the barbarian jumps in, "Actually there aren't any aligators native to this island, it's the giant mosquitoes and leaches you really have to worry about and don't forget about the undead warriors that died here when King Fred sent that ill-fated exploration to search the swamp in......"
Nurgan_the_drunked
09-01-04, 09:41 AM Thanks for the advice all, it's been helpful.

Unfortunately, the world is very closed, so I may have difficulty finding out if there are isolated tribes, but I may make him from an isolated village somewhere. The idea of him being interested in mechanisms/ alchemy works fairly well, & he'd try to work with tactics. Good info on combat ideas MarkB, I'll take it into account.

Noria, I definitely agree, most of the classes are defined as too strict an archetype, and part of my plan was to go against that idea, which it looks like it will....

I'm not sure whether I should tend towards druidy beliefs, but it seems the best thing to do. I'll probably keep him core class, though. I'll see how it goes.
Thorak
09-01-04, 10:52 AM I recently played a barbarian mage, which was interesting. It was a character my DM worked up, and we worked out a system of scribed stones he used instead of a spellbook. Same mechanic, but it worked as a guide to his mind, rather than a detailed description, flavour-wise.

I ran him as not only illiterate, but condescending of the written word. To him, writing something down meant one of two things; your memory was too poor to retain it, or you were too much a social outcast to find anyone to pass your knowledge on to. It was especially amusing when half the (shortlived, as it turned out) campaign revolved around tracking down a book that held information we needed for our quest. He spent half the time muttering about the idiocy of letting knowledge die by burying it in paper, instead of keeping it alive in people's minds.

Illiteracy isn't incompatible with intelligence. There could be very good reasons he can't read; personal choice, bad dyslexia, impatience, no attention span, etc. Just find a good reason, and run with it.
Noria Merfolk Mage
09-01-04, 11:09 AM Really, illiteracy should be far more common in the pseudo-medieval worlds D&D is based on. Free and widespread education shouldn't exist unless there's a reason (like the super-civilised kingdoms run by dragons I have IMC, but I digress).

Anyway, 2 skill points isn't that much, especially with high int, you really don't have to be illiterate if you don't think it fits your concept.

I've been toying with the idea of playing such a character next time i'm in a game, a simple ex-soldier and scout, with a big sword and a ferocious temper.
Sildatorak
09-01-04, 08:33 PM The synonym that best captures intelligence for a barbarian is probably "canny." This is a guy who is going to be excellent at making sense of his surroundings and applying them to his advantage.

For a couple of good examples of intelligent barbarians take a look at Conan the Barbarian and The Beastmaster (okay, he is probably a ranger, but you could justify him as a druid/barbarian).
Tehril
09-01-04, 10:05 PM If I were you, I'd multiclass into Druid... a Druid/Barbarian is a frightening thing to behold on the battlefield!

You could continue to play your barbarian, supplimented with spells and wild shape... a raging dire bear (shudder).

Depending on what stat is higher (strength or wisdom), you might choose to favour one or the other class. As is, you could easily run the druid levels up to 9th with barbarian levels filling the remaining 11.

JMHO
wereooze
09-01-04, 10:41 PM Ever read the book (or watch the miniseries) SHOGUN? Its the story of an english sailor who winds up in feudal Japan. Is he an idiot? No, but is he a barbarian? Oh yeah! he cant read their writing, doesn't speak the language, and importantly , doesn't understand their customs or traditions. A barbarian is simply someone from a differant, and usually less advanced socially or technically, society.

So a barbarian should be less "Hulk Smash!" and more "Whatdya mean I can't pull the dwarf's beard, there was a bug in it!?"

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Nurgan_the_drunked 09-01-04, 04:22 AM	Sorry, I have a thing for obscure thread titles. The thing is, I have recently lost a character and have started up a new character. Not having played a major fighter before, I played a barbarian, starting with the intention of being a NG Righteous, almost paladin type, who'd rush to the aid of anyone in trouble. Unfortunately, the way stats are roled has resulted in a character with an INt and WIS of 15, meaning I should be pretty damn smart. Now the question is, how to play this as a barbarian? And how does this intelligence mix with being illiterate? Ant ideas on background that explains this? Thanks in advance
CaoSlayer 09-01-04, 05:21 AM	well, that it is simple... this culture dont have books, only oral tradition so he have learned a lot of from the sages in the tribe and can remember a good load of tales. not exactly illiterate, but take a look to Braveheart, he acts like another barbarian but got a good education. You can be the son of you tribe chief... and also in the future can get some levels in druid or mage and become a rage mage (complete warrior). In other words, the shaman of your tribe.
Noria Merfolk Mage 09-01-04, 07:08 AM	I've always considered the barbarian to be mistyped: any character can belong to a primitive culture if you justify it right. I look on this class as the Berserker class, which can exist anywhere. Think your average soldier, with more of a temper: "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" For more, see the first "new and improved" issue of Dragon.
MarkB 09-01-04, 08:07 AM	You could look at it this way: he's smart enough to know that he's headstrong, and could get himself into trouble that way - but he's also smart enough to realise that it's that headstrong nature of his that gives him the edge in combat, that if he gets used to stopping to think things through whenever there's trouble, he could lose the capacity to call up that righteous fury which lets him beat the odds in combat. Plus, he just plain likes being a barbarian berserker. So, even though it may get him into trouble in the short term, he's learned to allow his instincts to take over in times of conflict, because in the long term, it's letting him be a stronger warrior - and it's letting him be himself to the greatest extent, rather than repressing his true nature.
shirasaya25 09-01-04, 09:20 AM	In my opinion, intelligence does not necessarily represent knowledge accumulation - after all that is what the knowledge skills are for. Rather intelligence represents a logical thought process, the ability to quickly assimilate complex ideas and a potential for retaining information. If I were playing a barbarian with a 15 intelligence, I would have him be continuously curious about the modern world, particulalry engineering and science as these are concepts that a class, primitive barbarian would not have been exposed to. I would have him see alchemist's fire being made (for example) and then weeks later be able to not only remember the formula, but be able to understand how and why each of the ingredients was added. Such a character would be great for occassionaly spouting a bit of jeopardy-like trivia pertinent to the current situation. For example, the party is getting ready to enter a fetid swamp in search for lost ruins and the rogue says he is nervous about aligators and the barbarian jumps in, "Actually there aren't any aligators native to this island, it's the giant mosquitoes and leaches you really have to worry about and don't forget about the undead warriors that died here when King Fred sent that ill-fated exploration to search the swamp in......"
Nurgan_the_drunked 09-01-04, 09:41 AM	Thanks for the advice all, it's been helpful. Unfortunately, the world is very closed, so I may have difficulty finding out if there are isolated tribes, but I may make him from an isolated village somewhere. The idea of him being interested in mechanisms/ alchemy works fairly well, & he'd try to work with tactics. Good info on combat ideas MarkB, I'll take it into account. Noria, I definitely agree, most of the classes are defined as too strict an archetype, and part of my plan was to go against that idea, which it looks like it will.... I'm not sure whether I should tend towards druidy beliefs, but it seems the best thing to do. I'll probably keep him core class, though. I'll see how it goes.
Thorak 09-01-04, 10:52 AM	I recently played a barbarian mage, which was interesting. It was a character my DM worked up, and we worked out a system of scribed stones he used instead of a spellbook. Same mechanic, but it worked as a guide to his mind, rather than a detailed description, flavour-wise. I ran him as not only illiterate, but condescending of the written word. To him, writing something down meant one of two things; your memory was too poor to retain it, or you were too much a social outcast to find anyone to pass your knowledge on to. It was especially amusing when half the (shortlived, as it turned out) campaign revolved around tracking down a book that held information we needed for our quest. He spent half the time muttering about the idiocy of letting knowledge die by burying it in paper, instead of keeping it alive in people's minds. Illiteracy isn't incompatible with intelligence. There could be very good reasons he can't read; personal choice, bad dyslexia, impatience, no attention span, etc. Just find a good reason, and run with it.
Noria Merfolk Mage 09-01-04, 11:09 AM	Really, illiteracy should be far more common in the pseudo-medieval worlds D&D is based on. Free and widespread education shouldn't exist unless there's a reason (like the super-civilised kingdoms run by dragons I have IMC, but I digress). Anyway, 2 skill points isn't that much, especially with high int, you really don't have to be illiterate if you don't think it fits your concept. I've been toying with the idea of playing such a character next time i'm in a game, a simple ex-soldier and scout, with a big sword and a ferocious temper.
Sildatorak 09-01-04, 08:33 PM	The synonym that best captures intelligence for a barbarian is probably "canny." This is a guy who is going to be excellent at making sense of his surroundings and applying them to his advantage. For a couple of good examples of intelligent barbarians take a look at Conan the Barbarian and The Beastmaster (okay, he is probably a ranger, but you could justify him as a druid/barbarian).
Tehril 09-01-04, 10:05 PM	If I were you, I'd multiclass into Druid... a Druid/Barbarian is a frightening thing to behold on the battlefield! You could continue to play your barbarian, supplimented with spells and wild shape... a raging dire bear (shudder). Depending on what stat is higher (strength or wisdom), you might choose to favour one or the other class. As is, you could easily run the druid levels up to 9th with barbarian levels filling the remaining 11. JMHO
wereooze 09-01-04, 10:41 PM	Ever read the book (or watch the miniseries) SHOGUN? Its the story of an english sailor who winds up in feudal Japan. Is he an idiot? No, but is he a barbarian? Oh yeah! he cant read their writing, doesn't speak the language, and importantly , doesn't understand their customs or traditions. A barbarian is simply someone from a differant, and usually less advanced socially or technically, society. So a barbarian should be less "Hulk Smash!" and more "Whatdya mean I can't pull the dwarf's beard, there was a bug in it!?"