How does a character multiclass into the Barbarian Class

[johnsemlak]

Does anybody allow this?

I mean, how can someone who was not a barbarian actually become one?

I really hope 3.5e deals with this.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

First- I don't allow it. I don't even like people who have multi'd out of it taking more levels in it.

But, I can see how it is possible....

Have you read the 13th Warrior? It involves an Arabic poet(iirc?) travelling with some vikings. He becomes more like them over time.

I also consider Porthos an urban barbarian. Someone who thrives on women, booze, and fighting- they could care less about books. With that in mind, I can see someone who ends up with the wrong crowd and begins to live their lives in such a manner.

Thankfully- this has not come up in my group.

SD

 

[Tsyr]

Actualy, my shaman in a friends game recently picked up a level of barbarian.

She had been a fairly "martial" caster anyhow, using a sword and such, and I had been going to take a level or two of a fighter class to reflect that for a long time.

Long story short, torture. One day her captors pushed her just a wee bit too far, and she managed to get ahold of something vaugly sharp...

 

[Mark]

First, he has to unlearn how to write in the common tongue. This requires several hours of intensive deprogramming ALA A Clockwork Orange The upside is that this type of deprogramming has the opposite effect intended regarding his ability to Rage...

Never has made a lot of sense to anyone that a person could multi-class to a lot of the different classes, Barbarian most notably. It does seem like a reversion that would require loss of a lot of a person's learning. I've never seen a good argument for it, though that 13th Warrior reference may come closest (Thanks Sagan! ).

 

[Oni]

Have a really really bad day at work?

Seriously, I kind of think like Lord of the Flies.

 

[smetzger]

Ever see Dances with Wolves?

Really it all depends on if you look at a Class as a bunch of different abilities or as something that someone 'belongs' to.

If its just a bunch of abilities then it should be allowed freely.

 

[jmucchiello]

If you take the view that the character is not fully formed at first level then any multiclassing in the first couple levels is valid. Say the character has a background as a barbarian but takes rogue or sorcerer as their first level. Yeah, they know the whole axe swinging thing, they get furious in combat but it takes them till 3rd level when they take that level of barbarian before they actually gain STR and CON from getting mad. IOW, the background is there. He just isn't very competant with those abilities until his self-confidence is bolstered by experiencing other activities first.

After around 3rd or 5th level this method becomes much harder to use for justification.

 

[nameless]

I treat the "barbarian" part of Barbarian as more of flavor than a literal barbarian. They have abilities that would help them in a primitive culture, but that doesn't mean they are exclusively found there. Where a Bighter relies heavily on training and technique to beat his foes, a Barbarian relies on instinct and superior physical ability. Barbs are just plain faster, tougher and stronger than their opponents.

As for multiclassing into Barbarian, it seems like a natural way to learn combat. Basically, without specific training to be a Fighter or Ranger, a warrior will act like a Barbarian. So by simply wading into combat and surviving, you can probably become a Barb.

Per my view, when I DM for Barbarians, I allow free multiclassing, and may or may not drop the "non-lawful" restriction. I do ignore the illiteracy restriction.

 

[Henry]

Remember the Adam Sandler movie The Waterboy?

Other than the obvious (once being part of a tribe and having the abilites manifest later, living at one with nature for a period of time, awakening a feral blood taint in your family, etc.) I think that Barbarian powers are best represented by "losing one's cool." Having a dissociative episode (not sure of the correct term here) wherein the character loses all sense of rationality and control, and just lays about to and fro with the nearest melee implement.

I once wrote a two paragraph story detailing a wizard who had simply "had enough taunting" from an orcish enemy, and he simply took his staff two handed and beat his enemy to death with it. It's not hard to work it up into a story hook, and as long as the player is willing to work it into his character's story (no wilderness lore, no acute listening, etc.) then it is definitely workable.

 

[Ulrick]

Now if Conan didn't start out as a barbarian to begin with, then the answer to this question would be obvious.