Chapter 1 - Class - Character Kits - Warrior Kits
Berserker
The Berserker is a warrior who has special attributes and abilities when
he's in combat. In combat, he can achieve an ecstatic state of mind that will enable him to
fight longer, harder, and more savagely than any human being has a right to. This makes
him a deadly warrior . . . who can be as much a menace to himself as to his enemies. In a
campaign, he's nearly identical to the Barbarian—except it's obvious from the outset that
he has a truly savage and inhuman element in his personality, and he tends to disturb and
unsettle other people.
Like the Barbarian, the Berserker must have a Strength ability score of 15 or more.
Role: - In his tribe, the Berserker has a special role. He's been touched by supernatural
forces, and accepted that touch so that he might better defend his people.
The idea of a Berserker Paladin is a little strange, and some DMs will prefer not to
allow it. That's fine. It's not always inappropriate, though. If the character's tribe is deeply
involved with an appropriate animal totem, such as a bear or wolverine, a paladin might
even be required to be a Berserker, since the DM may reason that it's only the
supernatural touch of the totem animal spirit that gives the paladin his other powers. But,
again, that's up to the individual DM.
Secondary Skills: - As with the Barbarian, the DM will decide what sort of secondary
skill is most appropriate for that specific barbarian/berserker tribe.
Weapon Proficiencies: - No specific weapon proficiencies are required of the
Berserker—but he may not start out play having a proficiency in a ranged weapon (nothrown axes or knives, no bows or crossbows, etc.). The Berserker lives to destroy things
in hand-to-hand combat, so he cannot start play with any sort of ranged weapon
proficiency. He can learn others during the course of the campaign, if he and his DM
wish to allow it—but it's a little out of character for the Berserker.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: - Bonus Proficiency: Endurance. Recommended:
General—Animal Handling, Animal Training, Direction Sense, Fire-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) Herbalism, (Rogue—costs double slots) Jumping. As with the
Barbarian, the DM may choose to insist that the Berserker character take a proficiency in
the tribal specialty (Trapping, Agriculture, etc.).
Equipment: - As with the Barbarian, the Berserker may not use his starting gold to
buy armor heavier than splint mail, banded mail, or bronze plate mail. 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 known to his tribe, and may
not choose missile weapons. Good choices include battle axe, club, dagger or dirk,
footman's flail, mace, or pick, hand axe, spear, or sword (any).
Special Benefits: - Berserkers receive a +3 reaction adjustment bonus from NPCs
belonging to any tribe that also has Berserkers—they recognize the Berserker
instinctively and respect him, even if he is an enemy.
The other benefit the Berserker receives is his Berserk.
At any time, the Berserker may choose to Go Berserk. This isn't an instantaneous
process—he must spend a little time to "psych himself up." It takes a full turn (ten
combat rounds) to Go Berserk. In that time, the character is growling, moaning, uttering
imprecations . . . it's impossible to be quiet when trying to Go Berserk. He may also be
fighting during that time, meaning that he can start to Go Berserk on the round the fight
begins, fight for ten full rounds, and then be Berserk on the eleventh round.
Of course, when the Berserker knows a fight is coming, he can begin to Go Berserk,
even if there is no fight currently going on. At the end of a full turn of preparation, he can
become Berserk instantaneously. If there's no enemy in sight yet, he can hold the Berserk
until combat is engaged. But if no combat takes place within five more full turns, he
automatically reverts to "normal" and suffers the ordinary consequences for coming out
of a Berserk (described below). The character can come out of his Berserk once the last
enemy is down (he must literally be down on the ground, even if still alive and
surrendering; the Berserker will stay berserk and continue fighting so long as there are
enemies still on their feet). Once the fight ends, the Berserker must come out of his
Berserk state.
For these reasons, Berserking is a more appropriate reaction when the characters are
about to attack or be attacked by a foe they know about. If the characters are, instead,
jumped by a small party of orcs, it's usually not worth the effort to Go Berserk; the
consequences and effort outweigh the benefits.
When Berserk, the character has phenomenal endurance and resistance to pain and
some forms of magic. Only while Berserk, he gains the following benefits:
1. He is immune (no Saving Throw is necessary) to the wizard spells charm person, friends, hypnotism, sleep, irritation, ray of enfeeblement, scare, geas, and the clerical spells command, charm person or mammal, enthrall, cloak of bravery, and symbol.
2. He gets a +4 to save against the wizard spells blindness, Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter, hold person, charm monster, and confusion, and the clerical spells hold person and hold animal.
3. The emotion spell has no effect on the Berserker, unless the caster chose the fear
result. If fear was chosen, the Berserker gets a normal Saving Throw; if he makes it, he
continues on as before, but if he fails it, he is prematurely snapped out of his Berserk,
with all the normal effects of coming out of the Berserk (but he doesn't suffer other fear
effect). The fear spell has exactly the same effect: If he saves, there is no effect, and if he
doesn't save, he's snapped out of the Berserk. If he fails a saving throw against charm monster, he simply counts the caster as one of his allies; he doesn't come out of the
Berserk or obey the caster's commands.
4. Being Berserk offers no real protection from finger of death, except that the spell
effects do not take place until the character has come out of his Berserk. If the Berserker
saves, he doesn't suffer the 2d8+1 damage until immediately after he snaps out of the
Berserk. If he fails to save, he doesn't die until he snaps out of the Berserk.
5. The Berserker, while Berserk, is immune to KO results from the Punching and
Wrestling rules, and takes only half damage from bare-handed attacks from these rules.
6. While Berserk, the character gets +1 to attack, +3 to damage, and +5 hp.
Special Hindrances: - The Berserker has hindrances as severe as all those benefits he
receives.
1. The Berserker character receives a –3 reaction from all NPCs (except, that is,
characters from tribes which have berserkers in them, as described above).
2. When the Berserker goes Berserk, the DM should immediately say to him, "Tell
me how many hit points you currently have." From that point until the fight is done and
the Berserker has returned to normal, the DM keeps track of his hit points. The player is
not told how many hp he has left, nor how many points of damage he is taking with each
attack. (After all, the character can feel no pain . . . so he cannot keep track of how close
he is to death.) The DM simply tells him something like: "The orc-captain hits you with
his axe, a mighty blow which you barely feel . . ." It is therefore very possible for a
Berserker to be nickled and dimed to death and not know it until he drops dead. The DM
can also, if he so chooses, roll all Saving Throws for the Berserker, not telling the player
whether they were failures or successes.
3. While Berserk, the character can use no ranged weapons. He kills only in hand-to-hand or melee-weapon combat.
4. While Berserk, he must fight each opponent until that opponent is down. Once an
opponent is felled, the Berserker must move to the nearest enemy and attack him. He
can't, for instance, choose to attack the enemy leader if that leader is behind seven ranks
of spearmen. The Berserker must keep fighting until all enemies are down, as described
earlier.
5. While Berserk, the character cannot take cover against missile fire.
6. If, while the character is Berserk, another character tries something he can
interpret as attack (for instance, hits him to move him out of the way of an incoming
attack,) the Berserker must roll 1d20 vs. his Intelligence. If he succeeds (that is, rolls his
Intelligence score or less), he's dimly aware that his friend is not attacking him. If he fails
(rolls higher than his Intelligence), he now thinks his friend is an enemy, and continues to
think so until the fight is done and he is no longer Berserk.
7. While Berserk, the character is temporarily unaffected by the clerical spells bless, cure light wounds, aid, cure serious wounds, cure critical wounds, heal, regenerate (and wither). He will gain the benefits of those spells only after he has come out of his Berserk
and suffered any and all damages which occurred then.
8. The taunt spell is automatically successful, and will cause the Berserker to
abandon his current enemy and rush to attack the taunter.
9. Finally, when the character comes out of his Berserk, bad things happen to him.
Wealth Options: - The Berserker gets the ordinary 5d4x10 gp for starting gold. Like
the Barbarian, however, he must spend it all (before starting play) except three gp or less.
Races: - It's the DM's choice as to whether his demihuman characters can have
Berserkers among them. It's entirely appropriate for dwarves, and not inappropriate for
elves, gnomes and half-elves. Halfling Berserkers are not very likely. In any case,
demihuman Berserkers would not advertise the fact that they were such; until the first
time they Berserked in combat, their companions would probably be unaware that they
were Berserkers. (The DM can help preserve the secret by not publicizing the fact that
all NPCs are taking a –3 to reaction rolls concerning the Berserker characters.)
