Barbarian
Third built class. Runs on the homebrew engine in the Core Rules using the Martial Discipline power model, with a build-up resource instead of a refilled one. Built from the Dawnstar lore and the Skjaldor clan perks. Numbers tunable.
1. What a Barbarian is
The northern warriors of Skjaldor. Cold-country fighters: human, dwarf, or half giant, raised on hard ground and harder weather. No spellcraft, no oath, no mount required. Their power is their own body, their endurance, and the rage they carry into a fight. "Strength Through Endurance." They wear heavy plate or hide as they please, swing axe, hammer, greatsword, or shield, and they get more dangerous the longer a fight goes on, not less.
Power model: Martial Discipline. Abilities are trained maneuvers, not spells. No environmental gating. They can be re-trained on a long rest (a warrior drills new forms), which makes the loadout swappable, like the Cavalier and unlike the Sea Shepherd. Fueled by Fury, which behaves differently from any pool above (section 2).
2. Fury (the resource) and the build-up mechanic (the signature)
Fury is the opposite of a caster's pool. A Sea Shepherd starts a scene near the sea with a full tank. A Cavalier starts with most of Conviction in hand. A Barbarian starts a fight nearly empty and earns the rest. Fury is not how much you walked in with; it is how much the fight has worked you up.
Starting Fury each scene = 2 (regardless of level). Maximum Fury is the base column of the core pool table for your level. The gap between 2 and that maximum is what the fight fills.
Gain Fury (up to max) when you:
- deal weapon damage to a foe (+1 per landed strike),
- take damage from a foe (+1 each time you are hit for real damage),
- drop a foe to 0 HP (+2),
- begin a turn already in the Rage state (+1).
Fury does not regenerate from rest the way other pools do. A long rest empties it back to 2; rest is not where a Barbarian recharges, the fight is. There is no leyline tap and no valor refill outside of taking and dealing hits. This means a patient defensive turtle who hangs back stays weak and runs out of options. A relentless attacker who keeps closing and trading blows climbs toward terrifying inside two or three rounds. That trade is the class.
Rage is a state, not a single action: see Enter Rage in the core maneuvers (section 6). While raged you deal more, resist more, and feed Fury faster, which is what lets a Barbarian's late-fight turns dwarf their opening ones.
Costs: at-will tricks free; tier-1 maneuvers 1; tier-2 maneuvers 2; tier-3 and specialization 3; tier-4 maneuvers 4; capstones 6 to 8. Because Fury starts low, early-round options are deliberately the cheap ones, and the big spends only come online once the fight has fed you.
3. Progression (levels 1 to 10)
| Level | Title | Fury (max, base) | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Reaver-born | 8 to 10 | clan chosen at level 1; at-will roars + tier-1 maneuvers; Enter Rage |
| 3 | Raider | 14 | tier-2 maneuvers |
| 4 to 5 | Warband | 18 to 22 | pick a path (specialization) at level 4; tier-3 begins |
| 6 to 7 | Hersir | 28 to 34 | clan Lv6 perk; tier-3 and branch maneuvers |
| 8 | Warlord | 42 | tier-4 maneuvers |
| 9 to 10 | Jarl (house head) | 54 to 68 | clan Lv10 perk; capstones, staff managed |
Same pool curve as the core (base column), but it is a ceiling the fight climbs toward, not a balance you spend down from full (section 2).
4. At-will roars (free, no cost, no roll)
Always available. The everyday bearing of a Skjaldor warrior.
| Roar | Effect |
|---|---|
| War Cry | a battle shout that turns heads; pure flair, no combat (the barbarian tell, the northern answer to a knight's Flourish) |
| Iron Stomach | shrug off cold rations, bad weather, and rough drink without ill effect |
| Cold Read | judge a stranger's fighting weight and whether they mean trouble |
| Standing Strong | never knocked off balance by wind, slick footing, or a shove from a smaller foe |
| Bloodscent | sense when a nearby creature is wounded or bleeding |
| Skald's Boast | recite your deeds and lineage; your name and standing read clearly to anyone who knows the North |
War Cry is the Barbarian's tell, the thing that announces what you are before a blow lands. It moves no one and breaks nothing; it just makes very clear who walked into the room. A knight Flourishes, a Sea Shepherd ribbons water through the air, a Skjaldor warrior plants their feet and roars.
5. The maneuver model (how it resolves)
Every Barbarian ability is a row resolved exactly as the core engine says: action roll (1d20 + level action mod + Strength) vs Cast DC, then the target resists with the named save vs Resist DC. No environmental requirement field, no proximity band. The only thing that gates a Barbarian's big maneuvers is whether the fight has fed them enough Fury to pay the cost (section 2).
name | unlock | cost | Cast DC | Resist DC | resist type | damage | effect
6. Core maneuvers (every Barbarian)
| Maneuver | Lv | Cost | Cast DC | Res DC | Save | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reckless Swing | 1 | 1 | 8 | 11 | Reflex | weapon dice + 1d6; you take -1 to your own next defense (all in) |
| Enter Rage | 1 | 1 | 9 | none | self | enter Rage for one minute: +1d6 weapon damage, incoming physical damage reduced by your Strength mod, and you gain +1 Fury at the start of each of your turns. Ends early if a full round passes with no hit dealt or taken |
| Bloodied Resolve | 1 | 1 | 8 | none | self | shrug off one condition you are suffering (staggered, slowed, or weakened) |
| Hamstring | 3 | 2 | 10 | 12 | Reflex | weapon dice; target slowed for two rounds |
| Brutal Cleave | 3 | 2 | 11 | 12 | Reflex | strike all adjacent foes for weapon dice |
| Crushing Blow | 4 | 2 | 11 | 13 | Fortitude | weapon dice + 1d8; target staggered for one round |
| Intimidating Roar | 5 | 3 | 12 | 13 | Will | foes in a small area frightened for one round |
| Bear Hug | 6 | 3 | 12 | 14 | Fortitude | weapon dice; target rooted and you hold the grapple, 1d6 each round it is held |
| Earthshaker | 7 | 4 | 13 | 14 | Reflex | slam the ground; 2d8 in a burst and knock prone |
| Last Stand | 8 | 4 | 14 | none | self | for one round, you cannot be dropped below 1 HP and your strikes deal +2d6 |
7. Clan (chosen at level 1, layers perks at levels 1, 6, and 10)
Every Dawnstar character picks one of five clans at character creation. The clan is separate from the path chosen at level 4 (section 8). The clan is a level-1 fork that grants a perk now, a stronger perk at level 6, and a clan capstone at level 10. Each perk is one data row keyed to clan and unlock level, translated into the homebrew engine per the core doc's conversion rules. Pick one and it is yours for the life of the character.
Stormrider (cavalry). The riders of the northern plains.
| Lv | Perk | Engine translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Born in the Saddle | proficiency (advantage) on Animal Handling with horses |
| 6 | Mounted Combat Training | +1 to your defense rolls while mounted; reroll one attack action roll, once per short rest |
| 10 | Stormrider Charge | once per long rest, you and your horse dash and make one melee strike for double weapon damage; target rolls Strength or is knocked prone |
Ironshield (smiths and defenders). The forge-clans who armor the North.
| Lv | Perk | Engine translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forgehand | proficiency with smith's tools (advantage on forging and repair Craft checks) |
| 6 | Iron Guard | reduce one instance of incoming damage by your level mod plus your Constitution mod, once per short rest |
| 10 | Forged in Battle | weapons and armor you forge count as +1; once per long rest, gain resistance to non-magical physical damage (that damage halved) for one minute |
Frostwolf (survivalists and hunters). The trackers of the deep cold.
| Lv | Perk | Engine translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold-Blooded | advantage on Survival checks in cold and wilderness; resist natural (non-magical) cold |
| 6 | Wolf's Hunt | advantage on attack action rolls against a foe you are tracking or flanking, once per short rest |
| 10 | Frostbound Resilience | once per long rest, gain resistance to cold damage (halved) and add 1d6 cold damage to your weapon strikes for one minute |
Frostwolf characters may also bond a frost wolf companion, which runs on the core companion model (section 11 of the core doc): Light-tier HP, acts on the owner's turn, can die permanently.
Seastrider (sailors and raiders). The longship crews who raid the coasts.
| Lv | Perk | Engine translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sea Legs | proficiency with water vehicles; advantage on Sailing and Navigation and on Athletics (swimming) checks |
| 6 | Raider's Ferocity | add your level mod to the damage of one melee strike, once per short rest |
| 10 | Sea's Fury | once per long rest, near water, either summon a 30-foot wave (foes roll Strength or are knocked prone) or grant allies advantage on attack action rolls for one minute |
Skybreaker (aerial riders). The eagle-tamers of the high crags.
| Lv | Perk | Engine translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawk-Caller | proficiency (advantage) in Animal Handling with birds of prey; may calm and train giant eagles or griffons |
| 6 | Beast Companion | bond a juvenile griffon (ridable as a ground mount, fights at your side, cannot fly until level 10) or a giant eagle (scouts and fights, grants advantage on Perception with strong vision, cannot be ridden). Runs on the core companion model |
| 10 | Wings Unbound | the companion matures and gains flight. Griffon: once per long rest a Sky Charge dive for double weapon damage, target rolls Strength or is knocked prone. Eagle: twice per day a Dive Strike attack from above that does not provoke an opportunity attack |
8. The three paths (specialization, pick one at level 4)
Separate from the clan choice. The clan is your blood and trade; the path is how you fight. Locked once chosen.
Berserker, raw damage and Rage depth. The one who keeps swinging. Branch unlocks: Deeper Rage (Lv6, Enter Rage now also adds +1 to your action rolls and lasts until the fight ends), Frenzy (Lv7, one extra weapon strike on a turn you are raged, once per short rest), and the capstone Avatar of Wrath. The most Fury-hungry path, and the one that most rewards never backing off.
Juggernaut, durability and holding the line. The one who does not move and does not fall. Branch unlocks: Immovable (Lv6, you cannot be knocked prone or pushed against your will while standing), Bulwark of the North (Lv7, taunt all nearby foes and reduce incoming damage by your Strength plus level mod for one round), and the capstone Unbreakable. Slowest to climb the Fury curve, but the hardest to put down once it does.
Reaver, mobility and execution of wounded foes. The one who finishes the fight. Branch unlocks: Bloodhunter (Lv6, advantage on attacks against any foe below half HP), Pounce (Lv7, close a gap and strike in one action; weapon dice + 1d6 if you moved before striking), and the capstone Headtaker. Lower raw bulk, the fastest hands, and brutal against anything already bleeding.
9. Capstones (levels 9 to 10, house head, staff managed)
| Ability | Lv | Cost | Cast DC | Res DC | Save | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar of Wrath | 9 | 6 | 16 | 17 | Fortitude | for one minute, every weapon strike deals +2d8, your maximum Fury is doubled, and the first foe you drop each round refunds the cost of your next maneuver |
| Unbreakable | 10 | 8 | 16 | none | self | for one minute you cannot be reduced below 1 HP, you are immune to staggered, frightened, and prone, and any foe who strikes you takes 1d8 in return |
These are the Dawnstar house head's powers. Avatar of Wrath is the Berserker's promise made absolute (the fight has fed you so hard you overflow), and Unbreakable is the Jarl who simply will not fall while their people stand behind them.
10. Class traits
- HP tier: Heavy. Key stat: Strength. Saves as core.
- Swappable loadout: maneuvers can be re-trained on a long rest, like the Cavalier.
- Fury builds in combat and starts low (section 2). A long rest empties Fury back to 2; the fight is the only thing that fills it. This is the inverse of every other pool in the game and is the whole identity of the class.
- Magic gear: a Barbarian may attune and use martial magic items (enchanted weapons and armor) but not arcane casting items. They are not blooded.
- The clan layer (RP and mechanics): every Dawnstar character carries a clan (section 7) that grants skill proficiencies, a once-per-rest ability, and a level-10 clan capstone on top of the class. Frostwolf and Skybreaker also field a companion on the core companion model. The HUD surfaces clan standing and the companion panel; the clan perks resolve as ordinary data rows.
11. Open for your sign-off
- Level titles (Reaver-born, Raider, Warband, Hersir, Warlord, Jarl) and path names (Berserker, Juggernaut, Reaver). Note that Reaver is used as both a title band and a path name; rename one if the overlap reads badly.
- Whether starting Fury should be a flat 2 at every level or scale slightly (for example 2 plus the level action mod), since a level 10 Barbarian opening at the same 2 as a level 1 is a deliberate but aggressive choice.
- Whether the Frostwolf frost wolf and the Skybreaker companion should both sit on the same core companion model, or whether the Skybreaker griffon and eagle want the fuller mount panel the Cavalier's gryphon uses.