spellcasting barbarians?

punkorange

First Post
In a custom game world, I am thinking of combining the barbarian and the sorcerer into a battle-mage type class. The battle-rage from the barbarian being an uncontrolled arcane burst of energy, and at higher levels allowing them to cast spells. This will be a core class. Does anyone know of any open-content classes that would suit this need, or perhaps a variant on the barbarian or sorcerer that does something like this?
 

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I guess: d10 hp, good Fort only, rogue bab, rage ability, spells like bards (but access to wizard list), 2 skill points per level. The trick is to not overpower the class!
 

It's a PrC, but the Wyrd from Half Orcs (BadAxe Games) is a Barbarian/sorcerer multiclass build.


d6 HD, Average BaB, Good Fort/Willsaves, Poor Ref saves, offset spellcasting (gains an effective level every other level), 4 skill points per level.

Storyline is that the Wyrd is destuctively empathic. Every time you are charged, a character/npc begins raging near you, you are approached by a raging character/npc, or enter a rage yourself you gain a rage point (as I intrepret the class, you can't NOT receive these rage points). You can spend the rage points to increase caster level, add metamagic feats, decrease spell casting time with a metamagic feat, etc.

You can only spend your Cha bonus worth of rage points in a round. AT the beginning of your next action, if you have too many rage points bad things happen (might hurt just you, might kill everyone around you). The book comes with an Enraged Casting Feat: Concentration check to cast during a rage (DC 15 + spell level; +5 to cast defensively). Spell casting time doubles.


The book also has other rage based feats, including one that gives the bonuses of the Power Attack, Cleave, and Great Cleave Feats. The catch: It takes up two uses of your rage per day, and you have to move to and attack (charging if nessecary) the closest target, even if it is a friend. Attacks have to be full attack actions, if possible. The feats help you make for what you lose taking levels as a sorcerer.

Flavor text has warchiefs tying Wyrds to a bier, surrounded by a raging horde. Can you guess how it turned out? ;)
 
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Both the Rage Mage and Wyrd should serve the purpose very well. Either can be extended or one might be able to combine them to form some sort of base class, too.
 

I'm looking for anywhere that has a good Prc for a Barbarian/Cleric of Odin... There's nothing I know of in WotC products that fits, but I think there might be a Prc of that type in some book with Norse(-inspired) material.
 

Kobold Avenger said:
I'm looking for anywhere that has a good Prc for a Barbarian/Cleric of Odin... There's nothing I know of in WotC products that fits, but I think there might be a Prc of that type in some book with Norse(-inspired) material.

I haven't seen anything for the Norse. 'Slaine' may have something, but I believe that's more Celt/Irish mythos.
 

How about just use a multi-classed barbarian/sorcerer.

1st character level = barbarian 1
2nd character level = barbarian 1 / sorcerer 1
3rd level = barbarian 1 / sorcerer 2
4th level = barbarian 2 / sorcerer 2
5th level = barbarian 2 / sorcerer 3
6th level = barbarian 3 / sorcerer 3
7th level = barbarian 3 / sorcerer 4 [access to bull's strength, cat's grace, etc.]
8th level = barbarian 4 / sorcerer 4
9th level and on, just take barbarian levels

Or take wizard instead of sorcerer, to get the 2nd-level spells a level sooner. Come up with flavor text for the spellbook.

I really liked how Dragon magazine had an article a while back on how to make specific character concepts by multi-classing. I'd like to see more of that kind of thing.

If you or the Player needs a single class to get this, just write up a class that incorporates the above steps.

Why does everyone need a new class to make character concepts?

Quasqueton
 

If you want a divine caster / Barbarian, try the PrC "Champion of Gwynharwyf" from the BOED. It's really more like a paladin / barbarian, but if you just bump wisdom more than other stats, it makes a pretty good secondary caster.

If you want more powerful magic, you've got to go rage mage.

-Tatsu
 


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