Barbarian Class for BECMI
by ParzivalMy approach for the various “subclasses” is to simply strengthen the use and availability of General Skills and/or the creation of new spells for when a mundane “skill” can’t possibly reflect the powers of an AD&D/3e-5e specialty class.
The skill system works great for ranger and assassin classes (and as a bonus allows ANY class to functionally be a ranger or assassin), and is easy to do. You can even produce “focused” subclasses— say a Ranger who is focused on a specific terrain area and thus has skills appropriate to that terrain, as a mountain Ranger would have the Climbing skill but a coastal Ranger would have Sailing or similar skills.
The magic spells approach allows me to create a more AD&D-like Druid class, and Magic-users who can focus on an increased array of illusion magic.
For a Barbarian, I admit to being a bit stumped. I’m not certain what makes a Barbarian a unique class from a Fighter, except for some sort of “rage” mechanic and maybe later acquiring the ability to shapeshift into bear (or something— all very 5e). And even that really doesn’t reflect the rather obvious fictional origin of the class— who, in the end, was just a really good fighter with some thief abilities, and to the best of my knowledge, never had any “rage” or “shapeshifting” abilities at all.
Historically, of course, a “barbarian” is more or less “somebody not from around here who we think is ‘uncivilized.’”
And of course the word itself derives from the Greeks, who thought non-Greek languages sounded like “bar bar bar.” (Hardly a positive view.)
The UA Barbarian is actually a somewhat limited class, all focused around combat. There’s no rage mechanic, just bonuses to AC based on wearing “non-bulky” armor, and the ability to hit enchanted foes with mundane weapons (going up in that ability as they level up). And they get saving throw boosts. Lots of restrictions on magic item use, but even these go away fairly quickly. The rest is all essentially a form of the General Skill concept. I read it all and think “what’s the point?” One can restrict one’s own character in the same manner if one wishes too. Getting extra XP for killing magic-users is honestly a lame advantage for the class. It just doesn’t make sense as a class choice on pure mechanical terms. The rest is all behavior easily mimicked without needing any class rules to produce them.
The later WotC class gains some funky powers, but I’ve never been a fan of that for BECMI. It’s just too unbalancing. BECMI classes are simple for a reason.
But let’s say you want Conan to be a class. In which case you want a Fighter class with some Thief skills thrown in. Maybe give him some sort of Saving Throw boost verses magical attacks, but at the same time, he suffers some “dampening” effect on non-weapons based magic (maybe he has to make saving throws against even beneficial magic). To compensate, he can have some personal healing boosts.
So, how about this:
Barbarian
PR Strength, Dexterity and Constitution.
Charisma is —2 whatever is rolled, minumum 3, unless dealing with other Barbarians/people from his home culture. Maximum starting Intelligence of 13.
Alignment: Any
Weapons Choice: Any
Armor: May not begin with anything above Leather & Shield, but may use any armor acquired later.
HP: d8+d4 (range 2-12)
Save as Halfling of equivalent level.
Special Ability: Wild Charge. On the first round of combat, a Barbarian may make a running attack equal to his top speed against any opponent at -2 to hit for double weapons damage (including Strength bonus) if successful. The Barbarian automatically loses initiative on the round after this attack is made, and can’t make another Wild Charge in the same combat encounter. The Set Spear vs. Charge tactic of Fighters, Elves and Dwarves may be used against this tactic. Barbarians do not get the Set Spear vs. Charge ability themselves. Note that the Wild Charge is made while on foot, not mounted or flying (or propelled by any other means), and can only apply against targets whom the Barbarian can reach and which are on the ground and not inside any form of cover. The weapon used must be a melee weapon, but otherwise the nature of the weapon doesn’t matter.
The Barbarian also gains the following skills and abilities:
Thief Skills: Climb Walls (Leather or no armor), Hide in Shadows, Move Silently (Leather or no armor).
Automatic General Skills (regardless of Intelligence score): Survival, Hunting, Tracking, Navigation (Wilderness terrain only)— all Barbarians have these skills.
Additional skills may not involve reading, writing, law, scholarship, or anything else related to “civilized” society— DM’s call.
Heal Self: This is an act of sheer will which results in wounds becoming reduced. Once per day a Barbarian may make a Constitution check. If successful, he may heal 1d4 of his own wounds up to his level maximum. This ability may not be used on any other being. The attempt may even be made when the Barbarian’s hit points reach 0 or below, in which case the Barbarian does not fall unconscious. This ability may also be used to shrug off the effects of poison or disease just as if curing magic was used on the Barbarian. The Barbarian may also make a saving throw every round when paralyzed or petrified to end that status; the check is made at the start of the round.
Restrictions: Cannot read or write, regardless of Intelligence score. (Can learn over time or with tutoring— DM’s call.)
Resistance to Magic: When using any magical device (aside from weapon attacks or protective magic and armor), the Barbarian must succeed in a saving throw vs. Magic for the item to work. The Barbarian must also make a saving throw when the recipient of beneficial spells (such as the various bless and cure spells or remove curse and the like). This is not required for Restore or Raise Dead magic. If the saving throw is failed, the spell does not work on the Barbarian. Note that this includes protective or disguising magic, but only with regards to the Barbarian; a Massmorph spell would disguise a party, but if the saving throw is failed, not the Barbarian!
And that’s as far as I would go. A big fighter type who’s hard to kill, with lots of handy wilderness skills, but no special “rage” mechanic, and a big drawback when it comes to beneficial magic.