towards a Barbarian class

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towards a Barbarian class
« on: August 22, 2011, 03:01:10 AM »
Me play barbarian. Hit things, fight stereotypes. Sure, major in "things that go smash" but minor in women's studies.

I received this email from one of my oldest friends the other day; she is going to be playing DW along with me and several others in a campaign beginning tomorrow.  My roommate is going to GM.

Anyway, we're probably going to just go with the Fighter for her, but I was thinking about writing up a Barbarian class just for the hell of it.  Here’s an initial stab (or rather, swing) at it:

Names:
Human: Throndar, Koga, Veleg, Pallavo, Prelkar, Dugdammay, Sandaksatru, Teushpaa, Velinu

Half-Orc: Zivak, Avkosh, Toshmar, Güttar, Sangrock, Prok, Thur, Grivmal

Look:
Eyes: Suspicious Eyes, Sullen Eyes, or Smoldering Eyes
Garb: Worn Leathers, Revealing Leathers, or Smelly Hides
Tattoos: Elaborate Tattoos, Frightening Tattoos, or Mystical Tattoos
Thews: Mighty Thews, Iron Thews, or Lean Thews

Stats: The barbarian’s damage die, is, of course, the d12.  The base HP is 8.

Choose a racial move:

Human: +1 to Defy Danger or Saving Throw against magical effects
Half-Orc: +1 to all rolls to avoid bondage/imprisonment

You start with these moves:
Berserker: When you drive yourself into a frenzy before battle, roll +Con. 
On a 10+, you take +1 ongoing to Hack-and-Slash and damage rolls, -1 ongoing to Defend, and can drop out of berserk state at will (though you cannot reenter it again during the same fight). 
On a 7-9, as above, but you must make a Saving Throw to exit the berserk state (the monster level here being your own level, you brute). 
On a 6-: You gain none of the benefits of a 7+, and (1) You take a -1 to all rolls to Help/Interfere with the party, and they take a -1 as well to Help or Interfere with you while you remain berserk, and (2) you must make a Saving Throw to exit the berserk state, as above.

Totemic Guide: Choose one animal to be your spirit guide.  When you perform the ritual to consult your spirit guide, roll +Wis and consult the appropriate chart.
   Hawk: 10+: Hold 2; at any time either you or the GM may spend your hold to have your character perceive a lurking or otherwise hidden threat.  7-9, Hold 1.
   Bear: 10+: Gain 2+(level times 2) HP for the next fight.  7-9, gain 1+level HP for the next fight.
   Wolf: 10+: Hold 2; at any time you may spend your hold to have your character perform an amazing feat of athleticism involving jumping, climbing, swimming, or running.  7-9, Hold 1.

On a 6-, you have angered your spirit guide in some way; the GM will tell you what you must do to repair the relationship.

At Home in the Wild: You never need to consume rations when traveling through an unpopulated area, so long as it is not an absolute desert.  You take -1 to all Parley rolls to barter or haggle in towns and cities, however.

Alignment:
Chaotic Good: Mark XP when you defy an unjust authority figure.
Chaotic Neutral: Mark XP when you refuse to be bound by society’s laws.
Chaotic Evil: Mark XP when you destroy a work of civilized art or craft.

Gear: You have gifts from your rites of adulthood worth 15 gold plus any one Messy weapon of your choice.  (The Messy tags are missing from the book, but work it out with your group.)  7+Str.

Bonds:
My spirit guide distrusts __________.
__________ is over-reliant on the comforts and habits of civilization.
__________ has been chosen by the gods to assist me in some great task.
I worry about the ability of __________ to act decisively and without hesitation in moments of danger.

Advanced Moves:
Blood-drinker: Regain a hit point whenever you slay a foe.

Lore of the Tribe: +1 to Spout Lore about matters outside the ken of civilized folk.

Desperate Might: +1 to all damage rolls when at half HP or below.

Caged Ferocity: +1 to armor when surrounded and outnumbered.

Cleave: When you fell a foe using a melee weapon, if there are any other foes within your weapon’s range, you may deal 1d4 damage to one of them.

Your Enemies Driven Before You: When you kill a foe in a particularly gruesome or awe-inspiring manner, take +1 forward to Parley to convince your remaining enemies to surrender or flee.

Wheel of Pain: When you take n damage from a foe’s attack, you deal +n/2 (round up) damage forward against that foe.

The Bigger they Are: When you deal damage to a foe that is ancient and/or huge, do +1d4 damage.

Re: towards a Barbarian class
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2011, 03:02:17 AM »
Barbarian keys:
“What is good in life?”: Convince a civilization-dweller to give up their city-bound ways and adopt barbarian culture (2 XP).
The Riddle of Steel: Defeat a worthy foe armed with superior equipment and/or trained in a formal martial art.
Troubled Brow: Make a decision about governance, laws, or justice.
Hearing the Lamentations: A vanquished enemy cringes, pleads for mercy, or otherwise shows utter submission.
Scaling the Tower: Enter into an area that is blocked off, locked, warded, or heavily guarded.
Doom-breaker: Sunder a harmful magic item or sustained spell.
Gigantic Mirth, Gigantic Melancholy: You make a significant decision resulting from a sudden mood-swing.

Half-Orc Keys:
One of the Good Ones: An Elven, Human, or Dwarven authority figure trusts you with an important mission that you complete successfully.
Leader of the Pack: Teach a group of underdogs/misfits to successfully defend themselves against bullies/oppression.
Iconoclast: Bring down a corrupt religious institution.

Re: towards a Barbarian class
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2011, 02:33:40 PM »
Responded over at Story Games.