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Player Tips Adding More Class to Your Class – Barbarian

Nerdarchist Ted here and today I want to start a whole new series.  Many of you may have been playing D&D for a long time and still have associations built into each class.  Or perhaps you are new and unaware that each class has a broad selection of options built in outside of the mechanical choices.

While some classes seem to have a profession or idea about what the class is, it is merely a suggestion that flavors the mechanics that go along with the other parts of your character.

So today we are going to look at the barbarian.  I will talk a little about the preconceived notions and easy ways to get away from this.

How do You Play a Barbarian?

BARBARIAN.  Instantly when you hear this word ideas of hulking men wearing almost nothing spring to mind.  We think of large muscles and slow minds.  We imagine primative cultures not aware of societal norms.

How would you feel if you could play a barbarian and throw all of these options out the window?  So for starters my first option is going to be a High Elven Noble Barbarian.  Tall and lithe he is the epitome of grace.  His fine long sword  hangs in a scabbard decorated with fine filigree of gold.  So he walks about talking up a storm in high society, but when the situation call that he draws that weapon he is taken over by the power of the fight.

He releases all abandon and sense of self he is one with the fight caring not for himself but the objective of the fight.  He gains size and strength or so it appears by those on the other end of his blade.  He is a storm of blade and death.  Visually he can fight like a barbarian but is not the icon we all think of as a barbarian.

Another option is to play a primitive shaman.  He lays claim to the fighting spirit of the animals, the spirits of his ancestors or possessed by the power of his god. Visually he can look and fight like a barbarian, but he is not the mindless killing machine that most people imagine when they hear the class: barbarian.

The point is to look beyond the name and all that is associated with it.  Think outside the box and create a character that is more unique because during the character creation process you open up new ideas that you might have thought not really possible.  Lets look at each of the background options and see how they could mix with this class.

An acolyte could easily be the tribe shamans apprentice.  This would not be an education made by an institution in a brick building but a hard lesson made in nature and would be used to harden him enabling the barbarian to better serve the tribe.  Some of the lessons could have long impacting lessons that might be able to be brought up as the campaign progresses.

A charlatan could be a cast out from the tribe.  Perhaps you were viewed as too weak and you were too conniving to be an accepted member of the tribe.  Perhaps you left because you knew that you were not going pass the trials to be accepted.  Going in a different direction, perhaps you convinced some random traveler to part with an item and it has cursed you with terrible power.  The trinket you have has given you the powers of a barbarian.  The item is drained of magic and you are forever changed.  Perhaps you are questing just to have this effect removed.

A criminal could just represent that you are a thug.  You are a bruiser that is just guided as to who to hit and when.  It matches right up there with barbarian.  Perhaps your tribe was slaughtered and you turned highwayman even from an early age just to survive.  You could then either turn from this life or turn towards a Robinhood type character trying to bring down a corrupt government.

An entertainer could entertain in a more tribal sense.  You could do primitive dances, perhaps known to cause seasonal dances to invoke the elements.  Perhaps the world views these dances as elegant but you do them to bring the sun, the wind or rain.  Perhaps you do these dances to honor the fallen.  Perhaps you push the boundaries of pain threshold.  Or going on another direction perhaps you are your tribes historian and you tell the stories of the great ancestors.

The folk hero could have brought something to the tribe.  It could be medicine to stop a plague a new home when the current home has become in jeopardy.  Perhaps your great deed has not been done yet but the shaman has named you as a star child or some other term proclaiming your destiny and you are burdened with this potential future.

The guild artisan could be very easily any standard type and be a mighty warrior with a a trade, but how do we make this more interesting.  Perhaps you are just naturally gifted.  Talk to your DM and see about setting up a situation were the trade of your choice will be necessary and it will come down to your character to solve it.  Might be a little cheesy but it is always cool to get a skill that you are good at without knowing it. This has actually happened to me.

A hermit is an easy one for barbarian.  Now to make it different than it is presented in the book, what if your seclusion was forced?  Perhaps you witnessed something someone did not want you to see, perhaps you committed a crime and that was your punishment.

As a noble you could use the high elf selection above or perhaps you are the child of the tribes chieftain.  The civilized world might not mark you as noble but you know your heritage and perhaps that is a point of contention for you.  You are seeking to have your tribes power be recognized in the area.

Outlander is another one that is very easy for barbarian.  Outlander is in fact one of my favorite backgrounds.  It is the perfect background for an adventurer, though I would say that you do not want a party full of them.

A sage has some interesting ideas as well.  You can always go with the acolyte example above and you just apprenticed to the tribes mystic instead.  But as a more interesting idea, you spent years studying to be a wizard, one day your master performs some terrible magic and a catastrophe destroys the tower and your master along with it.  Only by chance did you survive.  You were forced to resort to a primitive side in order to survive.

A sailor could be just any old sailor who loves the fight.  Whether you are a pirate or whether you hunt pirates, when the fighting starts you are in the thick of it and are at your prime.

A soldier could be like the sailor above.  You adore fighting, but lets take it one step further.  Perhaps you have a reputation as a trouble maker.  Always starting fights.  You spend a lot of time  in the brig and your commanding officer always rolls his eyes at your troublemaker.

Starving as a child you are an urchin.  None of the town help you in any way and people have looked on you with disdain.  Fleeing the town, or even being chased out of town, you are forced to survive on your own.  Your savage side takes over You grow in power and size as you age and being primal leads you away from those who are too civilized for you.

So I hope that opens your eyes and gives you a few more character ideas.  Barbarians have more options than most people think.  As always thanks for reading.  Tell me whether you like this series or not.

Remember Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!

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