Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Sub-Classes: Barbarian
• Ability Requirements: Max Knowledge 6, Max Leadership 8
• Alignments: Any
• Starting Cash: None

Weapon Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: 2
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Required Weapon Proficiencies: Club
• Allowed Weapons: Axe (any), Celt, Dagger, Knife, Spear
• Allowed Armors: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: 1
• Available Categories: By class
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Danger Sense
• Required Proficiencies: none
• Recommended Proficiencies: Alertness, Animal Rending, Artistic Ability, Charge, Crude Armorer, Crude Clothesmaking, Crude Weaponsmithing, Direction Senes, Drinking, Eating, Endurance, Fire-building, Fishing, Foraging, Heart Feast, Hiding, Hunting, Light Sleeping, Natural Fighting, Running, Survival, Swimming, Tracking, Water Finding, Wild Fighting.
• Forbidden Proficiencies: All others.

Overview: The most primitive barbarian, the Brute combines traits of both humans and animals. He is heavily built and thick-boned, with a sloping skull resting low on his neck, and fanged jaws protruding over a receding chin. Coarse hair covers his hide-like skin. Long, powerful arms let him lope on all fours and clamber up trees like a monkey. Lacking the intelligence of other barbarians, he depends on his keen senses, natural resilience, and sharp instincts to help him survive

Description: The Brute typically wear leather armor, usually a large fur with a hole in the center, slipped over his head to hang down his body. A Brute rarely uses a shield as it interferes with hunting.

Role-Playing: In his homeland, the Brute’s life consists of hunting, sleeping, and fending off predators. Consequently, he values personal virtues that enhance the chances of survival, including cooperation, courage, and generosity. His moral code consists of two basic principles: (1) do no harm to those who pose no threat, and (2) destroy those who would harm him or his companions.

The Brute has no use for virtues and vices associated with civilized societies. Etiquette, greed, personal honor, and loyalty to abstract principles are unknown to him. He can’t be insulted or blackmailed, nor can he be tempted with treasure. A Brute’s interests seldom extend beyond his current needs; with food in his stomach and a soft patch of ground on which to nap, he’s as content as he can be.

A Brute allies himself with an adventuring party for companionship, protection, or even the promise of regular meals. He remains loyal so long as his companions treat him decently. He has no aptitude for leadership, strategic planning, or negotiation; he takes orders from anyone he trusts. He serves his party as a forager, hunter, and combatant.

Though a Brute’s companions may admire his loyalty and friendliness, they may also balk at his animalistic behavior. He howls at the moon, licks himself clean, and grooms animals by picking bugs from their fur. He eats raw meat, tearing apart carcasses with his teeth. He speaks in grunts, never more than a few syllables at a time. He identifies friends by their smells, and investigates strangers by sniffing them up and down.

Special Abilities:

• A Brute gains a +1 bonus on both his initial Muscle and Stamina scores or a bonus of 25% on exceptional scores (18/xx). This stacks with any racial bonuses to the Brute’s Strength score.
• Because of the Brute’s sharp senses, he receives a +2 bonus on his surprise rolls.
• The Brute’s coarse hair, thick skin, and dense bones give him a natural armor class bonus of +4. This stacks with any natural armor bonus he may have from his race (thus a Lizard Man brute has a natural AC of +9). As with other natural armor bonuses, wearing armor of equal or lesser value only increases this bonus by +1.
• When fighting without weapons, the brute can propel himself into a frenzy—biting, punching, kicking, and scratching at an opponent. This assault counts as a single attack, dealing 1d6 points of damage (plus the Brute’s Muscle bonus). This does not stack with normal Punching or Wrestling attacks, nor with any natural weapon attacks the brute may posses from his race.
• A Brute can trail a creature by scent, presuming the quarry made the trail within the previous 24 hours. The Brute must be familiar with the quarry, or must have a sample of the scent. He has the same change to follow that trail as if he had the Tracking proficiency, but ignores all modifiers for terrain. If the Brute also has the Tracking proficiency he gains a +2 bonus on his checks to track by scent. A Brute can also identify a particular character or creature by its lingering aroma by making a successful Intuition check.

Special Disadvantages:

• A Brute begins with only two weapon proficiencies (one of which must be the club) and one non-weapon proficiency. Thereafter, he gains new proficiency slots at the normal rate.
• A Brute begins only with items that he could have found, scavenged, or made for himself (using his available proficiencies). He receives no starting funds (or tradable goods) to purchase equipment with.
• A Brute does not gain the Barbarian’s normal bonus to his base speed.
• Like other Barbarians, he begins knowing only a single language. In addition, a Brute may never take the Ancient Languages, Modern Languages, or Literacy proficiencies, and therefore will never know more than that single language.
• A Brute cannot use any magical item that requires a command word or concentration to activate. He may use magical potions, weapons, armor, or worn items without penalty (so long as their effects are constant).

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