Weapon Proficiencies:
Required: Battle Axe, Bastard Sword. (These are the classical fiction - barbarian weapons; the DM may decide to substitute others more appropriate to his own world.) Barbarian fighters may specialize in any weapon, but are not likely to encounter unusual weapons (like lances, quarterstaves, flails, peculiar polearms) until they reach the outer world. Recommended: Bow (any), Sling, Sword (any), War Hammer.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
Bonus Proficiency: Endurance. Recommended:
General
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Animal Handling, Animal Training, Direction Sense, Fire
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Building, Riding
(Land-Based), Weather Sense, (Warrior) Blind-Fighting, Hunting, Mountaineering,
Running, Set Snares, Survival, Tracking, (Priest—costs twice the listed number of
slots if Fighter or Ranger, or just the listed number if Paladin) Herbalism, (Rogue
—costs double slots) Jumping. The DM is within his rights to insist that the Barbarian
character take a proficiency in the tribal specialty (Fishing, Agriculture, whatever) if the DM so wishes.
Equipment:
The character, when he spends his starting gold, may not buy armor heavier than splint mail, banded mail, or bronze plate mail. Outside his tribe, once he has adventured in the outer world, he can use any type of armor without penalty.
When he spends his starting gold, he must limit himself to weapons the DM says are appropriate for his tribe—the usual group of weapons includes battle axe, bows (any),
club, dagger or dirk, footman's flail, mace, or pick, hand or throwing axe, sling, spear,
or sword (any).
Special Benefits:
Barbarians are impressive because of sheer strength, intensity,
and animal magnetism; this gives them a +3 reaction adjustment bonus in certain
situations.
Whenever the barbarian character achieves a reaction roll of 8 or less (including
Charisma and racial bonuses), you subtract the modifier. That is, if the reaction is
positive at all, it will be even more positive than it otherwise would have been.
Example: Torath the Toranaran is a Barbarian with a Charisma of 15.
Encountering a knight who could be friend or foe to him, he speaks with the knight in a friendly fashion. The DM rolls his Encounter Reaction and achieves an 11 on 2d10.
On the "Friendly" column of the Encounter Reactions chart from the Dungeon Master Guide, this is a "Cautious" reaction.
But wait—his charisma gives him a +3 bonus. The 11 becomes an 8, still an indifferent reaction. But because he's reached an 8, his Barbarian bonus comes into play, making the final reaction roll a 5: A friendly reaction.
Special Hindrances:
All that impressiveness can work against the Barbarian, too.
Whenever the barbarian character achieves a reaction roll of 14 or more, he takes an additional –3 modifier. That is, if the reaction is negative at all, it will be even more negative than it otherwise would have been—the barbarian is scary, and the other person overreacts.
Example: Torath next meets a suspicious witch, and is indifferent toward her. On the "Indifferent" column of the Encounter Reactions chart, the DM rolls a 17.
Torath's Charisma bonus of 3 reduces the roll to a 14, but it's still enough that his Barbarian penalty just shoots it right back up to a 17 again. The witch becomes Threatening.
Wealth Options:
The Barbarian gets the starting gold for a Warrior (5d4x10 gp), but he must spend it all (before starting play) except three gp or less; he can have some pocket change when he reaches civilization, but must be close to penniless