Barbarian Origin
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Origin
1
I fought as a mercenary in La Dernière Guerre, and even served alongside one of my party. To me, that is a blood-kin bond.
2
My tribe was massacred during the Last War. I’ve sworn to avenge them, but I know I can’t do it alone.
3
My people have abandoned their ancient traditions and assimilated into one of the major nations. I follow the old ways, even if I must do so alone.
4
I was given a quest by a clan elder and can’t return to my people until I’ve seen it through.
5
I’m amazed by the wonders of the civilized world—especially the food—and I’m always eager to travel to new places.
6
I serve as an ambassador and scout for my people, doing what I can to help my clan through my adventures.
7
I’m searching for an artifact that belonged to a champion of my people. If I happen to follow in a legendary hero’s footsteps, all the better.
8
I killed a rival in a fit of rage and have been exiled from my homeland. My rival’s kin still seek vengeance.
MA1103: Barbaric Practices Even in these enlightened times, barbarism lingers in L'Ombres of Khorvaire. Fearsome warriors, defined by durability, speed, instinct, and the ability to channel onesElfee into a physical frenzy. Traditionally barbarians are savage champions of primitive cultures, relying on force and Furie in place of sophisticated techniques. There are many places for such a barbarian in Eberron, some dare to redefine or reimagine their Furie, embodying all that is “barbarian” but without being barbaric.
Savage Warriors Eberron is a setting in which arcane magic has been harnessed to build great civilizations. But there are primitive cultures scattered across the world. In choosing to play such a barbarian, a crucial question is what has drawn you out into the role of adventurer? Why have you left your tribe or clan behind, and what binds you to your adventuring companions? How long have you been in civilized lands? Are you constantly amazed by the wonders of civilization, or do you consider the people of the Cinq Nations to be soft and decadent? The Barbarian Origin table can provide you with ideas.
The Tribus des Charognes The Les Désolations Démoniaques are harsh and deadly, home to malevolent spirits and echoes of ancient wars. To survive in this savage land, one must come to terms with the fiends that infest it. Each of the Tribus des Charognes forge pacts with the powers of the Wastes, and these malefic forces fuel their inHumain rage. As a barbarian of the Tribus des Charognes, you were raised in a savage culture and bound to fiends. Your class features and subclass reflect this malefic connection. The Paths of the Red Reaver (Xanathar’s Perdu Notes) and Berserker are both strong choices for the Tribus des Charognes. If you actively serve one of the dark powers, you might follow the Path of the Zealot. In playing a Tribus des Charognes barbarian, the critical question is what is your relationship with your people and your Démon? Tied to this, what has brought you out of the Wastes— and why would the other characters choose to associate with you? One option is that you’re a pragmatist: you spill blood in the name of your
beast in hobbit flesh. These are the hobbit barbarians: tribal champions who embrace the strength and Furie of mighty Dinosaurees. The Path of the Totem Warrior is the most Commun path for Talenta barbarians. The hobbits have their own names for the totems: The Bear is the Hammertail, known for its heavy armor and powerful tail club. The Eagle is the high-flying Aile-planante. The Wolf is the Longues-griffes, a swift raptor and the most Commun warrior’s mount. Talentan berserkers are consumed by the primal instincts of their Dinosauree spirits, leading to savage frenzies. The Path of the Ancestral Guardian is a rare path; some who follow it conjure spectral Dinosaurees, while others draw on the spirits of legendary warriors. As a Talenta barbarian, you might have a living mount; but think about the spirit that fuels your rage. Who was your Dinosauree companion? How did they die? Do you continue to talk to them as if they’re still with you, or do they exist only in your Furie? Do you consider yourself a Dinosauree in hobbit form, or does the spirit only emerge when you invoke your rage?
Orc Barbarians: Ghaash’kala, Ombre Marches, and the Jhorash’tar patron Démon and they give you strength. You don’t want to conquer the world and you never kill without reason, but you’re from a land where life is cheap and Démon are useful allies. On the other hand, you could be an exile driven from your tribe after you opposed their cruel traditions. Now you’re a folk hero who uses your demon-fueled rage to protect the innocent. You may be a blood-soaked warrior, but you only kill those who are worse than you.
The Tribes of the Plaines de Talenta The hobbits of the Plaines de Talenta are nomads who work closely with the Dinosaurees of the plains. From the mighty beasts of burden to the swift raptor mounts, the hobbits forge close bonds with their scaled companions. The shamans say that when a warrior’s beloved mount dies, the hobbit can embrace its spirit… drawing it in and becoming an unstoppable
Orcs are passionate by nature, given to strong emotion and deep devotion to their friends and ideals. They are quick to angelr, but they feel joy and sorrow just as strongly as Furie. There are a number of different orc cultures in Eberron, and barbarians can be found in each of them. The Ghaash’kala—or “ghost guardians”—are an alliance of orc clans that dwell in the canyons that separate the Les Désolations Démoniaques from the rest of Khorvaire. These fierce warriors are devoted to Kalok Shash, the flame that binds the darkness, a force known to others as the Flamme d'Argent. Ghaash’kala barbarians usually follow the Path of the Zealot, channeling the radiant energy of the Flamme d'Argent. While the Ghaash’kala are primarily orcs, there are a few Humains and halforcs among them. Race means nothing to the Ghaash’kala, as they care only about courage and devotion to the fight. As a Ghaash’kala barbarian, you are likely pursuing a fiend or force of evil that has escaped from the Wastes. You are a champion of light in an endless war against
Chapter 1 | CLASSES IN EBERRON
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darkness, and you have no time or patience for the luxuries or distractions of the civilized world, and the people of Khorvaire likely seem soft and naïve. The Frontières de l'Ombre have long been home to a host of orc tribes. Some follow the Druidique path of the Gardiens, described in more detail in the Druid section. These barbarians generally follow the Path of the Totem Warrior or Path of Sacred Kin (Xanathar’s Perdu Notes), channeling the power of nature in their struggle against the daelkyr and their minions. Other orcs are touched by the madness of the the daelkyr and the Cultes du Dragon d'En-Dessous. These orcs tend towards the Path of the Berserker or the Path of the Red Reaver. Like the barbarians of the Tribus des Charognes, Dragon d'En-dessous cultists aren’t necessarily evil but are driven by visions and beliefs that seem like madness to outsiders. One of the larger Cultes du Dragon d'En-Dessous believes in a paradise that lies within Khyber and passage to this blessed realm must be earned with the blood of worthy enemies. As such a cultist, you may be scouring the world in search of a truly worthy foe, a victory that will assure you passage to La Vallée du Soleil Intérieur. Orcs make up the majority of the tribes, but Demi-orcs are celebrated for their diverse abilities and can be found on either side. The Jhorash’tar orcs live in the Ironroot Mountains, where they have long clashed with the Nains of the Bastions de la Nation. The Jhorash’tar hold to ancient traditions and revere the spirits of their ancestors, and refuse to leave the peaks where their heroes once dwelled. Some of the Morin clans wish to exterminate the Jhorash’tar, while others wish to see the orcs recognized with a voice on the council of the Holds, and yet the tides of violence ebb and flow. The Jhorash’tar are stubborn and proud. Most champions follow the Path of the Ancestral Guardian, though a few channel the icy winds of the mountains through the Path of the Storm Herald. There are few Demi-orcs among the Jhorash’tar, generally blending orc and Nain blood; this is a difficult road, and such halfbreeds have to struggle to prove themselves to their kin. As a Jhorash’tar barbarian you could be seeking allies for your people, searching for an ancestor’s long-Perdu weapon, or you might be on the run from Morin justice after killing a Nain lord.
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Chapter 1 | CLASSES IN EBERRON
Civilized Barbarians As a class, the barbarian is a survivor whose Unarmored Defense, Dangelr Sense, and Feral Instinct help avoid or survive the threats they face. They are fast, reflected both by improved movement speed and Feral Instinct. They are skilled combatants who shun heavy armor. They are defined by Reckless Attack and most of all by Rage—a surge of strength and aggressive power. All of these abilities fit the classic barbarian warrior. However, these abilities can reflect other stories. Feral Instincts don’t have to be feral but can simply reflect remarkable reflexes. Rage is a temporary surge of strength that can only be maintained in the heat of battle, but it could be explained as a focused trance or another sort of combat enhancement. Here’s a few examples of barbarians that aren’t barbaric, followed by the Path of the Extreme Explorer, a subclass that embraces this idea.
The Eldeen Champion The people of the Confins d'Eldeen aren’t savages. Its farmlands were once part of Aundair, and while its farmers have adopted the Druidique faiths, their grandparents were Aundairian. The Féral tribes of the Towering Woods live closer to nature, but even they are familiar with the customs of the east. The Protecteurs des Bois and the other Druidique sects serve as a bridge between these two cultures, tempering the wildness of the Férals and helping the farmers find a balance with the natural world. The elite forces of the Wardens are often Rangers and druids, but there are a few champions—especially among the Férals—who draw primal strength from the natural world. The Path of the Totem Warrior is an easy way to represent this and is especially appropriate for a Féral barbarian. A Féral’s choice of totems can reflect a deeper connection to the beast within. However, the Path of the Storm Herald could reflect a touch of Druidique magic and primal power. The Path of the Berserker can be a good match for an Peuple du Frêne champion; the Peuple du Frêne see themselves as the avengers of the natural world and vessels of Eberron’s Furie. As an Eldeen champion, you’re not barbaric. You may have grown up in the Forêt Imposantes,
but you understand the ways of the civilized world… even if you may think it corrupt and foul. When creating you character, consider what has drawn you from your beloved woods? Are you tied to one of the Sectes Druidiques and serving its goals? Or are you driving by curiosity, or instincts you can’t explain?
Super Soldier War drives innovation, and over the course of a century of conflict the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon and the Cinq Nations explored many paths in search of the perfect weapon. The Guerrier de Fer were built for battle, and many class features can be interpreted as specialized design features. As a Guerrier de Fer barbarian, your “rage” is a battle surge boosting your musculature to increase your damage, reinforce your armor, and reduce injuries. The Path of the Berserker is a simple choice for this, but the Path of the Totem Warrior or the Path of the Storm Herald can easily represent specialized design. A “bear totem” reflects your superior bulwark of armor instead of spiritual devotion. While everyone in Khorvaire has heard of the Guerrier de Fer, a Guerrier de Fer barbarian is a rare design from one of the many secret research programs during La Dernière Guerre that aren’t so well known. Notably, Maison Létourneau is known for the practice of using magic to breed beats with enhanced abilities and mystical capabilities, called magebreeding. If you ask the house, all attempts to create Mageproduit Humanoïdes during La Dernière Guerre were unsuccessful, and such testing facilities destroyed in its aftermath. Yet, perhaps a branch of the house had a breakthrough during the war, and your “barbarian” is the product of that program. Your Rage reflects a massive surge of adrenaline. Your Unarmored Defense might be sheer toughness and will, or you could literally have natural armor. A Mageproduit barbarian could follow any path, though the Extreme Explorer presented here is an obvious choice for a character who relies on powerful bursts of adrenaline. In making such a character, work with your DM to work out the details of your past. Were you part of a unit of super soldiers, or a lone success? Are you a free agent? Do you have ties to a nation or house? Or are you a renegade, hunted by those who created you?
rian is a savage warrior from a primitive culture, who relies on pure rage or primal magic to overwhelm foes. Or so they are generally depicted. But as with all classes, you can use the mechanics of the barbarian to represent a wide variety of stories. In this post I’ll look at how the barbarian fits into Eberron, and present some alternate ideas for barbarian characters that could fit into any campaign.
Sometimes you just want to be an actual barbarian, and Eberron has a number of options that fill this need. Bear in mind that just as every priest isn’t a cleric, not ever warrior from a savage culture is a barbarian; classed barbarians would typically be elite warriors and champions.
This is an easy few, but there are definitely other options. Xen’drik, Q’barra, Droaam, the tundras or deserts of Sarlona – there are lots of uncivilized regions a character could come from. With that said, a barbarian doesn’t have to BE a barbarian…
As with the bard, let’s take a moment to look at the concrete mechanical definition of a barbarian.
And finally we have Rage – the heart of the barbarian. But what IS Rage? It’s a state the barbarian enters voluntarily and can end voluntarily as a bonus action. It is tied to combat, ending early if the user doesn’t make an attack or suffer an injury. It provides resistance to damage, advantage on strength checks and saves, and a bonus to damage with melee attacks. But does it have to be “Rage”? The character remains in full control of their actions and can end the state voluntarily; they aren’t somehow clouded by a fog of war. “Rage” is a state of heightened combat ability that can only be maintained for a short time; but if you change the name to Battle Trance or something similar, you can have a very different feel. Back in 3.5 we called out the idea that Dhakaani bugbearswere trained as barbarians, but that “Dhakaani barbarians are not stereotypical savages; instead, the barbarian class represents a specialized form of combat training, with the Rage ability reflecting a consciously cultivated state of battle fury.” A similar approach is suggested for the Droranath dwarves of the Morin Holds: civilized warriors who cultivate battle-rage as a weapon. Both of these examples still present it as “fury” – but there’s no reason it has to involve anger. It’s a short period where you can do more damage in melee combat and resist physical injury, along with special abilities related to your path. Let’s look at a few more variations of the barbarian.
The Tairnadal believe that their ancestors work through them. The Revenant Blade specializes in channeling the spirit of their patron ancestor. Set aside all the preconceptions of the barbarian and consider it as an elite Tairnadal soldier: lightly armored, blindingly fast and comfortable in the wilds (with a wood elf base and fast movement, a base speed of 45 and able to hide in natural environs). Their high hit points reflect exceptional skill as opposed to sheer physical durability. And their “rage” is about channeling the spirit of their ancestor and letting it guide them; let’s call it Revenant Trance. For such a warrior, their resistance to damage while “raging” doesn’t reflect physical durability, but rather a preternatural ability to avoid damage. The additional damage while raging reflects absolute precision. While Ancestral Guardian might seem like a logical path for such a barbarian, that path deals with spirits that manifest BEYOND the character. Personally I think the Berserker path is a good one, just with all the effects recolored. Frenzy reflects the amazing martial abilities of the guiding spirit, with the exhaustion that follows reflecting the difficulty of channeling the spirit; Mindless Rage – which simply protects from charm and fear – reflects the patron ancestor shielding the Revenant.
One could reasonably ask “If the damage bonus from rage is about precision rather than force, shouldn’t they be able to use it with a bow?” It’s a reasonable question. But the whole point of the ancestral guidance is that it only lets you do what the ANCESTOR excelled at. This idea is based on the premise that the ancestor in question was an exceptional melee combatant with a fighting style that placed offense ahead of their own safety (explaining the “Reckless Attack” ability). The character can USE a bow… but it’s not what their patron specialized in, and thus, they gain no special benefit when they use it during their Revenant Trance.
Barbarian can also be an interesting choice for a warforged… a skirmisher designed to hit fast and hard, who can temporarily go into an overdrive mode when things are at their worst. Given the concept of a warforged as an innately magical being, I can imagine the warforged physically transforming in “rage” mode – with the resistance to damage being reflected either by ablative plating generated on the spot or by a temporary hardening of all surfaces. Personally I lean towards the Berserker model for this style of warforged, but you could reflavor Totem to reflect design as opposed to spiritual interaction. Another interesting option is to take the warforged Zealot Barbarian as a warforged built to channel the power of the Silver Flame. As a side note, in the Shadows of Stormreach//story I wrote for D&D Online, I envisioned the warforged Spike as a barbarian.
The barbarian shuns heavy armor, and has excellent unarmored defense. Combine this with the speed and reflexes of the barbarian – Fast Movement, Danger Sense, Feral Instinct – and you can imagine a swashbuckler who relies on precision instead of force. In this case, Reckless Attack again becomes a conscious style that favors offense over defense as opposed to sheer wildness. I tie this to Lyrandar because it fits with the idea of the Storm Herald path… specifically the Sea path, which ties to lightning and water. In this case I envision a Lyrandar heir who enters a battle trance using the Mark of Storm. Given that the Storm Herald suggests an ongoing storm around them, you could see the physical damage resistance as being winds that deflect incoming blows. If I was going to CHANGE rules, I’d shift the Rage Damage bonus to be lightning damage and potentially switch the Strength-related bonuses to be Dexterity related – making this a path for a finesse-driven swashbuckler who might have no Strength to speak of – but that’s not an absolute requirement to make the idea work. Obviously this is awkward when, y’know, we don’t have rules for Dragonmarks – but the point of the Lyrandar Storm Sorcerer or Barbarian is that you can use the class abilities as a way to imply the presence of the Dragonmark even if you DON’T have rules for using it on its own. Alternately, you could drop the Dragonmark entirely, shift the Storm Herald focus to Fire, and imagine an Aundairian Flame Blade — a variation of the Knight Arcane focusing on martial prowess with a touch of fire. Unarmored Defense could be flavored as a form of Mage Armor instead of pure physical toughness, with the powers of the Storm Herald being ultimately arcane in nature.
BLADES OF FURY
Rather than being the product of a civilization, the abilities of the barbarian could stem from literal madness. Either the Cults of the Dragon Below or a deep faith in The Fury could lead to ecstatic battle-rage. Depending on which path you’re taking, things like Danger Sense and Feral Instinct could be flavored as being deeply attuned to primal instinct (through the Fury) or the same, but flavored in madness (“The little man on my shoulder told me to dodge, so I did.”). Berserker is an easy path for follow, but you could also reflavor Storm Herald’s Fire path to inflict psychic damage, suggesting a character in the midst of a psychic maelstrom.