Base Requirements

• Races: Human, Firbolg, Minotaur
• Classes: Any
• Ability Requirements: Muscle 14, Fitness 14
• Alignments: Any
• Starting Cash: 1d4+5 gp
• Bonus Languages: Bothii or Reghedjic (pick one)
• Recommended Languages: Bothii, Illuskan, Northern, Reghedjic, Thorasta

Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class, plus Survival
• Bonus Proficiencies: Endurance, Fire-building, Survival, Weather Sense
• Required Proficiencies: none
• Recommended Proficiencies: none
• Forbidden Proficiencies: Literacy

Overview: The belief that the Savage North is full of barbarians has some basis in fact. There are numerous petty kingdoms that people would certainly call “barbarian.” Here, only the strong survive, and their adventurers, the first line of defense for these kingdoms, are humans of great fortitude and might.

Description: People from the Kingdoms dress and look much like what “civilized” folk think of as barbaric. They wear heavy fur cloaks and boots, horned iron helms, and metal armor decorated with grisly trophies of their past kills. Their culture requires them to make their clothes themselves, so those without much talent for such things can be dressed quite shabbily. They favor bastard swords, long bows, war-hammers, and battle axes. These adventurers tend to be a bit on the unkempt and unwashed side.

Each of these characters carries a medium-sized leather pouch with him at all times. The leather pouch is known as a charm pouch, and characters always wear them on a leather thong about the neck. The charm pouch is no mere ornament, for it holds a collection of items that have great spiritual importance to the barbarian. What these items are or why they are important to the character, he alone knows. Whenever the character advances a level he selects a new item and places it in the pouch.

Role-Playing: These characters are known for their willingness to face any challenge or hazard to attain what they want. Death holds no fear for them.

A barbarian values nothing more than his charm pouch. He protects it at all times, for it is believed to contain a portion of the character’s spirit. No barbarian ever willingly parts with his charm pouch for even a minute.

Special Abilities:

• Characters from the Barbarian Kingdoms are formidable fighters, and gain a +1 to hit when using a battle axe or bastard sword. They may become proficient with these weapons regardless of any restrictions normally associated with their class.
• Whether through a subtle magical power (which even a detect magic spell does not reveal) or simply because of the reassurance that it provides to the character, a barbarian receives a +2 bonus on all saving throws while wearing his charm pouch.
• These characters have become acclimated to conditions of extreme cold. Whenever a character from among the Barbarian Peoples must make a saving throw because of any cold-based or ice-based attack, he gains a +2 bonus whether this attack is magical or natural in nature.

Special Disadvantages:

• A barbarian PC starts out with a suit of leather armor, a single melee weapon of his choice, and 1d4+5 gold pieces.
• Once a year, the Barbarian Kingdom character must journey back to his home, and renew an oath of fealty to the leader of his homeland. Those who fail to do so are disgraced, and they will be exiled from the Barbarian Kingdoms forever. If the offending adventurer ever returns to the land, all will try to kill him.
• People of the Barbarian Kingdoms, even the mages, are superstitious and have a paranoid dislike of magic. All saving throws vs spells are done at -2 penalty.
• Because they have not made a science of magic use yet, spellcasters of the Barbarian Kingdoms must undertake complex rituals to work their spells. This is reflected in a doubling of all casting times.
• If the character is ever deprived of his charm pouch, he automatically suffers a -2 penalty on all saving throws until a new pouch can be created. This process requires one day of meditation and contemplation per level of the character.
• The same acclimation that makes these folk more resistant to cold-based and ice-based attacks makes them vulnerable to fire and heat. Whenever such a character is attacked with fire or heat, he suffers a -2 penalty to his saving throws.

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