The Barbarian

by Brian Asbury Explanation of Barbarian Abilities

While having many similarities to other character Basic Abilities
classes, barbarians comprise a separate character Tracking: Like the ranger sub-class, barbarians have a
class of their own, and are not a sub-class of any other chance of tracking most types of creatures. However,
type. Prime requisite is constitution, because one of the figures given in the table represent the base
the barbarian's greatest assets is his sheer hardiness chance of tracking, and must be adjusted as follows:
and capacity for survival. Thus a barbarian makes
Conditions Subtract From
saving-throws as for clerics, but as though he is 4 levels Chances To Track
higher than his actual level. Although anyone with a OUTDOORS
Hard ground -20%
decent (i.e. average) constitution can become a Raining or snowing -30%
barbarian, which should give players something to do Quarry crosses water -40%
with those useless-in-everything-but-constitution DUNGEONS
characters, for a barbarian to have full abilities, then a Trail runs through normal passage -25%
" " " normal door -30%
strength of 13+, a dexterity of 13+, an intelligence of " " " a trapdoor -40%
9+ and a wisdom of 14+ are needed. " " up/down a chimney -50%
" " through a secret door -55%
Barbarians are twice as resistant to disease as other
classes. This class, however, is rather limited as Fearlessness: Barbarians are hard men and do not
regards armour. Levels 1-5 may use a shield but no usually panic and thus spells and other devices
armour; levels 6-10 may wear leather armour and employing Fear will, 50% of the time, cause
shield; and level 11 and above may wear chainmail and barbarians to become wild with battle-rage and fight
shield. Barbarians dislike plate armour and never wear as berserkers, rather than flee.
it. Their natural instinct for self-preservation, though, Sensing Danger: This does not detect anything
gives them a better chance of dodging blows, specific, but it does tell the barbarian that something,
regardless of dexterity. Therefore, they should always somehow, is wrong. Any time a barbarian is walking
be treated as though one armour class higher than into a situation which might endanger him, the DM
their actual class. should check, by rolling a D6, whether he senses
All barbarians have a number of basic abilities. danger. Range - about 20 ft, regardless of any
These are: obstacles (including doors and walls) in the way.
 High Resistance to harm (as explained above) Special Abilities
 Listening for noise (as human thieves) Sign Language: This ability is possessed by all
 Tracking barbarians of intelligence 9 plus. Sign Language
 Sensing Danger affords the barbarian a chance of communicating
 Fearlessness with any intelligent creatures encountered, by means
There are also a number of special abilities which of signs and gestures.
a barbarian might have if he has the necessary First-attack Ferocity: Barbarians of strength 10+
requisites. These shall be explained later. always hit at +1 because of their natural ferocity. In
Weapons addition, if strength is 13+ and dexterity at least
Most barbarians are limited to using sword, spear average, then they have 75% chance in any melee in
and hand axe. However, for every point of dexterity which they gain the initiative, of using First-attack
the barbarian has above 12, he may use 1 additional Ferocity. This is their chance of whipping themselves
weapon - longbows, two-handed swords, slings and up into such a frenzy that their first attack only will be
daggers being the most favoured. Also, barbarians of carried out at a +2 hit bonus, and do double damage
strength 13+ may use battle axes. The more if the barbarian is 1st to 4th level, triple damage for
sophisticated weapons such as the arquebus and 5-8th levels, and quadruple damage for 9th level and
compound bow are prohibited. above.
Climbing: Barbarians of dexterity 10+ can, like
thieves, climb nearly sheer surfaces. However, their
base chance to fall is 20%, not 13%.

The Barbarian copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1977 and 2022.
Catching Missiles: Barbarians of above average catching by 5% for every positive point of bonus (e.g.
dexterity have a chance of actually catching any a +3 magic arrow would subtract 15% from the
missile aimed at them in mid-air. The chances of barbarian's chances of catching it but a -3 cursed
achieving this feat increase by dexterity, i.e. arrow would actually add 15% to the barbarian's
Dexterity Bonus to chances of chances of catching).
catching missile Barbarian Magic
13-14 None
15-16 +5% Barbarians may use any magical items usable to
17-18 (01-50%) +10% fighters or thieves, except for those items of
18 (51%-75%) +15%
18 (76%-90%) +17%
weaponry or armour already prohibited to them. Few
18 (91%-99%) +20% barbarians are literate (only those with a Wisdom
18 (00%) +25%
score of 14+), and so most will be unable to use
Note that no barbarian is able to catch spell- magical Books or Runes. However, this also means
generated magic missiles or bullets, and missiles with that they are immune to the effects of such items.
a magical bonus reduce the barbarian's chances of This does not of course, apply to literate barbarians.

Levels Experience Hit Dice (6- Sign. Lang Hear Sense Follow Trail Catch Chance to
Points sided) Noise Danger Missile Fall
1 Tribesman 0 1+1 10% 1-2 1 40% 5% 20%
2 Savage 1,500 2+1 20% 1-2 1 45% 10% 19%
3 Clan-brother 3,000 3+1 30% 1-3 1 50% 15% 18%
4 Hunter 6,000 4+1 40% 1-3 1-2 55% 20% 17%
5 Warrior 12,000 5+1 45% 1-3 1-2 60% 25% 16%
6 Brave 24,000 6+1 50% 1-3 1-2 65% 30% 15%
7 Elite Warrior 48,000 7+1 55% 1-4 1-3 70% 35% 14%
8 Headman 96,000 8+1 60% 1-4 1-3 75% 40% 13%
9 Chief 200,000 9+1 65% 1-4 1-3 80% 45% 12%
10 War-chief 325,000 10+1 70% 1-5 1-4 85% 50% 11%
11 Laird 450,000 10+2 75% 1-5 1-4 90% 55% 10%
12 Laird, 12th 575,000 10+3 75% 1-5 1-5 95% 60% 9%
13 Laird, 13th 700,000 10+4 75% 1-6 1-5 100% 65% 8%
(+125,000 per (etc) (max) (max) (etc) (etc)
level)

The Barbarian copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1977 and 2022.
 consult the following table to see what the effects will
The Barbarian be:

Some minor Modifications Barbarian

Level
% Die-
Roll
Bonus to chances of catching
missile
1-4 01-75 Attack bonus + 2, double damage
by Brian Asbury 76-00 Attack bonus + 1, normal damage
Since the barbarian character class first appeared,
5-8 01-25 Attack bonus + 3, triple damage
there have been major upheavals in the world of D&D 26-75 Attack bonus + 2, double damage
not the least of which has been the appearance of the 76-00 Attack bonus + 1, normal damage

Advanced D&D Players Handbook. The Handbook has 9 and up 01-25 Attack bonus + 4, quadruple
introduced major changes in most character classes, damage
26-50 Attack bonus + 3, triple damage
and these have made some of my original rules for 51-75 Attack bonus + 2, double damage
Barbarians a little out-of-date. This article is intended 76-00 Attack bonus + 1, normal damage
to bring the barbarian class into line with the Thus a barbarian capable of first-attack ferocity
Handbook, and also to introduce changes suggested always gains at least +1 on attack dice even if the die-
by others who have been using the class for the last roll is too high for double damage or greater.
year or so. Remember though, this bonus only applies to the first
Hit Dice (Change) melee round, and only if the barbarian has initiative.
With the Players’ Handbook changing the hit dice of After this first round he will attack normally; the rule
most classes, it seems appropriate to do the same for about barbarians of strength 10+ always hitting at +1
barbarians. After all, why should Clerics receive better is cancelled.
hit dice than barbarians? Therefore, whilst retaining A barbarian is entitled to only one round of first-
the same numbers of hit dice as they had before, attack ferocity per battle. If he switches opponents in
barbarians will now roll eight-sided dice to determine battle he does not gain any first-attack bonus on his
hit value. new opponent. Similarly, if the barbarians first-attack
Hiding In Shadows (New Ability) ferocity attempt misses, he does not get another
It has been pointed out to me that “…the greatest attempt in the next round.
barbarian of them all used his ability to hide in Illiteracy (Clarification)
shadows to great effect on many occasions.” So be it. Illiterate barbarians cannot copy down magical
Barbarians should be able to hide in shadows if they writings which they cannot understand. To do this
are to emulate the feats of you-know-who. However, would be to set off any harmful effects which the
the minimum requisite for the barbarian to have the writing might endow upon the reader, e.g. the
ability are dexterity 11+ coupled with intelligence 9+. damage done by a book readable only by magic-
They do not gain bonuses on this ability for high users. This is because there have been cases of
dexterity as thieves. parties using non-literate barbarians to copy down
Sensing Danger (Clarification) the title page of magical Books so that they could
The ability to sense danger is merely an instinct. It is divine their nature without risk of harm. Magical
not directional, and does not give any clues as to what writings can be copied down only by those who fully
form the danger takes. Thus a barbarian cannot walk understand them.
up to a door and automatically say “Aha! Twelve feet Barbarians As A Race (Change)
beyond this door is an evil magic-user!” He would Barbarians can be considered to be a sub-race of
simply feel that something was wrong, but would have humans who have developed a special hardiness due
no idea of where the source of danger lay or what it to their upbringing in an especially hard environment.
was. A barbarian who fails to sense danger in a given However, that does not exclude the possibility of
situation cannot try again. barbarian hybrids. Orcs will breed with anything, and
First-Attack Ferocity (Change) it is quite likely that barbarian women have been
All barbarians who succeed in attacking with first- carried off by raiding orcs. Thus half-orc barbarians
attack ferocity automatically do at least double exist, having attributes of both the orcish race and
damage if they roll 75 or less on percentile dice. the barbarian class. Half-orcs may progress as high as
However, the higher level types no longer do 8th level as barbarians; also they may elect to be split
automatic triple or quadruple damage. Before the barbarian/thieves or barbarian/assassins, dividing
first-attack strike is made, roll percentage dice and experience equally between their two classes.
The Barbarian (some minor modifications) copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1979 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.
The Halls of Testing for Barbarians copyright © Brian K. Asbury and Aryxia Press, 1978 and 2022.