Strength and Constitution must be at least 15, with Dexterity 14 or better. Wisdom may not exceed 16. Having no prime requisite, they do not gain an experience point bonus for high ability scores. They may not be lawful.
Barbarians get d12 hit points per level, and fight and save as fighters. Although they can use any weapons and any armor, they are restricted at the beginning of play by availability in their tribe. They receive the doubled hit point constitution bonus (+2 points per point of constitution above 14) of their occidental cousins; however, they only get the standard armor class bonus for dexterity.
They are also restricted in their use and relation to magic; in short, they hate it and anyone who has anything to do with it. They cannot use any magic items at all before level 3, and are very limited in what they can use thereafter. These restrictions are very different from those of the occidental version. They cannot freely associate with wu jen or spirit folk. They do not get experience points for magic items, except that they get full experience for any magic item they destroy. They also gain a few benefits from this aversion to magic.
Level |
Ability |
3 |
Can use magic potions |
4 |
Can use magic weapons; +1 on saves v. spells |
5 |
Can use magical armor |
6 |
Earns half experience points on adventures with wu jen and spirit folk* |
7 |
Can use weapon-like miscellaneous magic items |
8 |
Earns full experience points on adventures with wu jen and spirit folk |
9 |
Can use protection scrolls (if he learns to read) |
10 |
+2 on saves v. spells |
11 |
Can summon a barbarian horde |
12 |
+3 on saves v. spells |
These abilities are common to all oriental barbarians at level one.
He can climb natural cliffs and trees as a thief climbs walls. He can climb walls and other smooth surfaces at half the given chance of success.
He can hide in natural surroundings which are similar to those of his tribe, very like a thief hides in shadows. In other terrain his chance of success is half that shown.
Barbarians surprise three times in six, and are only surprised once in six times.
Back protection is an innate ability of all barbarians; even if a ninja or other thief type attempts to backstab the character, he might detect the attack, in which case he immediately converts it to a normal attack (eliminating the to hit bonus for attacks from the behind and the damage multiplier for backstab), and gains a free attack on that attacker at the end of the round in addition to his normal attacks for that round.
The character is also skilled in leaping and springing, 10' forward, 3' backward, or 3' upward from a standing start. If it is possible to run into the jump, the distances are 15'+d6' forward or 4'+(d4/2') upward.
Like his occidental counterpart, he can detect illusion by focusing his concentration on it, with up to a 75% chance. He is even more able to detect magic, including spell effects and magic items, but not spell casters or creatures who use magic. He cannot tell what the magic is or does, only whether it is present, with a chance of success rising to 90%.
Level |
Climb |
Hide |
Back
Protection |
Detect
Illusion |
Detect
Magic |
1 |
85% |
25% |
5% |
5% |
30% |
2 |
86% |
31% |
10% |
10% |
35% |
3 |
87% |
37% |
15% |
15% |
40% |
4 |
88% |
43% |
20% |
20% |
45% |
5 |
89% |
49% |
25% |
25% |
50% |
6 |
90% |
56% |
30% |
30% |
55% |
7 |
91% |
63% |
35% |
35% |
60% |
8 |
92% |
70% |
40% |
40% |
65% |
9 |
93% |
77% |
45% |
45% |
70% |
10 |
94% |
85% |
50% |
50% |
75% |
11 |
95% |
93% |
55% |
55% |
80% |
Because of his hard life and environ, he doubles the normal rate of healing. This does not give him the ability to heal others.
Beginning with nine proficiency slots, up to six of these may be spent on weapons, and the remainder on oriental non-weapon proficiencies of the barbarian sort selected from the list appropriate to the territory type, below. No barbarian may be able to read or write at the beginning of the game. Human barbarians speak only the trade language (the equivalent of common in the oriental world) and the language of their tribe. Korobokuru speak those languages normal for their race, and no others.
Steppeland barbarians are roving nomads who master horsemanship. They use use light lance, horsebow, sword, and hand axe. They may also choose from horsemanship, long-distance signaling, outdoor craft, tracking, animal handling, weaponsmith, armorer, bowyer, running, dancing, singing, weaving, tanning, sound imitation, survival, or chanting. They live in leather tents and move with their herds of cattle or sheep.
Forest barbarians live in snowy wooded regions, usually on islands in the north. They prefer spear, short bow, hand ax, harpoon, and sword. Non-weapon proficiencies common to them are small water craft, fishing, tracking, survival, animal handling, weapon smithing, pottery, bowyer, sound imitation, snare building, weaving, tanning, carpentry, agriculture, singing, chanting, dancing, and rhetoric. They combine simple agriculture with hunting, dividing the work on gender lines, and live in small but permanent villages.
Jungle barbarians are from the southern tropical jungles. Using blowgun, spear, sword, hand ax, and dagger, they also may learn small water craft, fishing, swimming, survival, animal handling, carpentry, weaponsmith, armorer, sound imitation, snare building, pottery, tracking, chanting, dancing, music, and sailing craft. They are fisher-hunter-gatherers living in small permanent villages.
All oriental barbarians begin at the social level of "outcast", since they have no place in society. They do not roll on the ancestry or birthright tables, as to those who are barbarians it is clan which matters, and to those of the civilized lands, only power matters.
A barbarian horde can be summoned by a barbarian of level 11 or higher in his native land from among his people. In size it is equal to the lesser of the character's experience points divided by 2000 or the total number of barbarians living in the area. It will also contain one aide for each 500 men, at half the level of the leader, and several shamans or witch doctors (who provide spell support but also tend to meddle). It grows by 500 per week at the designated meeting place, and must be given a specific mission which is unalterable. The horde must be active, or it will disperse. It may be held together for a number of weeks equal to the leader's level, provided the leader stays busy keeping the peace between rivals, factions, and feuding families. It may be kept together longer if a large amount of treasure is captured. If the mission is successful and/or profitable, the leader will be able to raise another horde easily. However, failure results in the character being unwelcome at home.
Advancement table:
Level |
From |
To |
1 |
0 |
4000 |
2 |
4001 |
8000 |
3 |
8001 |
16000 |
4 |
16001 |
32000 |
5 |
32001 |
75000 |
6 |
75001 |
130000 |
7 |
130001 |
240000 |
8 |
240001 |
460000 |
9 |
460001 |
900000 |
10 |
900001 |
1400000 |
11 |
1400001 |
1900000 |
Oriental humans and korobokuru may be oriental barbarians.
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