WARRIOR-BARBARIAN KIT

Highlander

Description:  Highlanders are those Barbarians who hail from areas of rolling 
hills, high mountain peaks, and desolate trackless moors and heaths.  Highlanders 
live for the thrill of battle, but at the same time they often face an ongoing battle 
to eke out a living in the harsh and unforgiving highlands that are their homes.  
Their native lands are characterized by grim mountains, icy rivers, vast empty 
hills and stretches of evergreen forest, and rocky coastlines pounded by relentless 
surf.  Weather is a brutal and ever-present challenge--spring and summer are 
short, while winter is long and hard.  Snow and icy rain assault the land 
mercilessly, driven on biting northern winds.  The plants and animals of the 
northern highlands are hardy and resourceful, and Highlanders share this 
toughness of spirit, as only the strongest can survive in this rugged land.  Fierce 
independence and a deep sense of honor are the only rules a Highlander 
recognizes.  Here, loyalty to one's family and companions is a higher and truer 
calling than loyalty owed to a sovereign or clan chief.  To uphold these ideals, 
Highlanders are never slow to defend their realms should an external threat arise, 
setting aside blood feuds and internecine warfare to fight a common foe with a 
bravery and skill that are legendary.

Requirements:  Highlanders share the usual Barbarian racial and ability score 
requirements.

Weapons & Armor:  Except in rare cases, Highlanders never wear armor, though 
they may use shields.

At 1st level, a Highlander must become proficient in the following weapons:  axe 
(hand), club, great club, dagger, spear, and sword (claymore).

Special Benefits:  Highlanders love battle and march joyously into conflict with 
their hearts bursting with courage and excitement at the coming fray.  They are 
terrifying opponents to face on the field, and their charge can break the ranks of 
the stoutest-hearted soldiers.

Battle Song:  On the field of battle, Highlanders will almost always burst out in a 
glorious chanting song celebrating the wondrous joy of combat and bloodshed.  
This Battle Song helps Highlanders to focus their energies on laying waste to the 
enemies before them, and it grants them a +4 bonus to saves vs. fear (and morale 
for NPC Highlanders) and allows a +1 bonus to hit and damage with any of their 
'preferred weapons' listed above.  Even if a Highlander is not able to sing (or 
convinced not to do so for some reason), he or she still receives a +2 bonus to 
saves vs. fear (and morale) due to his or her overwhelming confidence in coming 
success in battle.

All beings within 60' hearing this horrific dirge suffer a -2 penalty to their morale 
checks regardless of whether they are allies or enemies of the Highlander, save 
that creatures immune to fear (including other Highlanders) are unaffected.  
Allies within 10' of the Highlander, however, gain a +2 bonus to saves vs. fear 
due to the Highlander's obvious willingness to fight and die on their behalf.

Blood Feud:  Highlanders hold grudges for slights against their honor, and it is 
not at all uncommon for a Highlander to declare a blood feud with a person or 
group that has slighted him or her.  At each level of experience, a Highlander can 
declare a Blood Feud with an individual person or creature, that person's family, 
their nation, or even their entire race.  Thereafter, any time a Highlander 
confronts the object of his or her Blood Feud in battle he or she will become 
enraged and attack in a berserk bloodletting frenzy.  In order to achieve this 
enraged state, a Highlander must be chanting his or her Battle Song, though this 
can be done in preparation for battle--a Highlander need not wait until combat 
actually begins.  After 1d4+2 rounds of chanting his or her Battle Song, the 
Highlander will slip into an enraged battle fury that will last until he or she is 
killed or rendered unconscious, or else 1d4 rounds after all potential targets in 
sight are slain or the Highlander is restrained in some fashion.  Even if a 
Highlander is prevented from singing, there is a 5% cumulative chance per round 
spent in the presence of the object of his or her Blood Feud that he or she will 
become enraged and attack (even in a noncombat situation).  This rage provides 
the following benefits to the Highlander:

	- Attacks per round are doubled (he or she can throw two weapons 
(axe, club, spear) while advancing into melee, but cannot attack in melee in the 
same round)
	- A bonus of +1 to hit and +3 to damage with all attacks
	- A temporary AC bonus of 1 point per level (to a maximum of AC 0 at 
10th level)
	- A bonus of 2 hit points per level, even beyond his or her normal 
maximum; damage suffered is subtracted first from these bonus hit points
	- Attacks from behind gain only a +2 bonus to hit and no other benefits 
(no backstabbing allowed) due to his or her frenetic and nearly hyperactive 
movement in combat.
	- Half damage from Punching and Wrestling attacks by humanoid 
characters
	- Immunity to stunning and knockout attacks
	- Immunity to mind-affecting attacks (save for illusions)
	- +4 to saves vs. blindness or knockdown attacks
	- Temporary immunity to all necromantic effects (effects are held in 
abeyance until the rage ends, at which point they take effect in the order they 
occurred), including all forms of curing

This rage has several negative aspects, however:

	- The Highlander has no idea how many hit points he or she has while 
enraged.  He or she feels no pain, only the ecstatic rush of battle and utter 
fulfillment of glorious combat, and only the DM knows how many hit points he 
or she has unless he or she is killed.
	- Once the rage has begun, the Highlander must close to melee (though 
weapons may be hurled while advancing) and remain in melee until all opponents 
are killed; if an opponent is killed or flees, the Highlander must attack the closest 
living being.
	- An Intelligence check can be attempted to avoid attacking a known 
ally within 10' during combat.  If the ally is another Highlander, the check is made 
with a bonus equal to the enraged Highlander's level (as he or she can 
instinctively recognize the tribal markings and garb of a kinsman).  This check 
must be made whenever an ally is the closest person to an enraged Highlander; as 
long as actual enemies are closer to the Highlander than an ally, no check is 
necessary.
	- When a Highlander's rage dissipates, he or she is severely weakened, 
suffering a -2 penalty to all die rolls and losing 2 points of Strength and Dexterity 
until he or she is able to rest for 1d6 turns.

Whenever a Highlander declares a Blood Feud, he or she must do it openly and 
publicly, and a Highlander's contempt and hatred for such creatures is obvious to 
all.  This results in a -4 reaction penalty with any creature included within the 
Blood Feud over and above any other reaction modifiers, and the best possible 
reaction with such creatures is 'cautious'.

A Highlander can call off a Blood Feud if the real or imagined slight over which 
it was declared is made right, whether through payment of a 'weregild', penance 
performed by the perpetrator of the slight, or some other means.  It can also be 
called off once a Highlander has slain at least one member of the group named in 
the Blood Feud for every level of experience he or she possesses (or all creatures 
named, if less than this amount).  Once a Blood Feud has been settled, regardless 
of how it is settled, a Highlander cannot declare another until he or she gains a 
level of experience.

Hardiness:  As a standard Barbarian.

Heroic Effort:  As a standard Barbarian.

Highlander Charge:  The charge of a shrieking, chanting Highlander is a fearsome 
thing to behold, and it can shatter the fighting spirit of even the bravest foes.  
Hence, whenever a Highlander charges while chanting his or her Battle Song, he 
or she may attempt a Charisma check with a +1 bonus for every three levels of 
experience (rounding up).  If this check is successful, all sentient foes (save for 
undead and other fearless creatures or conjured/summoned creatures being 
forced to fight; animals are unaffected) within 30' of the Highlander who have hit 
dice less than or equal to half the Highlander's level must make an immediate 
morale check or be routed from the field of battle, fleeing for as long as the 
Highlander is visible and for 1d10 rounds thereafter.

In addition to this fearsome charge, a Highlander of 5th level or above can cause 
fear in weaker creatures that he or she meets.  The Highlander must be in plain 
sight and must adopt a threatening pose with weapons at the ready, though he or 
she need not actually attack or even draw a weapon.  All creatures with 1 hit die 
or less within 30' of the Highlander must save vs. breath weapon (at -2 if the 
Highlander is mounted) or flee from the Highlander for as long as he or she 
pursues and for 1d10 rounds thereafter or else will surrender to the Highlander 
and beg for their lives (depending on the circumstances).  Any creature terrified 
by a Highlander Charge will seek to avoid any confrontation with the Highlander 
for the rest of that day.  If forced into combat or unable to flee at least 30' away 
from the Highlander, the creature suffers a -2 penalty to initiative, attack rolls, 
saving throws, and ability checks.  These penalties apply to a 1 HD or lower 
creature even if the save is successful.

At 9th level, this ability improves to the point that a Highlander Charge can 
terrify creatures with up to 4 hit dice/levels.  In addition, though creatures with 
4+1 or greater hit dice/levels cannot be made to flee in panic they must still save 
or else suffer the above penalties if they are close to the Highlander.  Creatures 
with 4+1 or greater hit dice/levels who save suffer no ill effects.

A Highlander can choose when to use this ability, turning it on and off (as it 
were) at will.  A creature that makes its saving throw vs. this power is immune to 
the fear effect for the duration of that encounter with the Highlander but must 
save again if they meet the Highlander again later and the fear power is again 
invoked.  Note that this ability generally affects only humanoid creatures--animals 
and most non-humanoid monsters cannot be affected.

Survival Skill:  As a standard Barbarian, save that a Highlander gains a +10% 
bonus to his or her Climb Walls score, and his or her foraging ability is limited to 
mountain, hill, moor, forest, and 'rough' terrain.

Tribal Stature:  As a standard Barbarian two levels higher than their actual level, 
as Highlanders put great stock in a warrior's prowess and ability to boast of his or 
her accomplishments and intimidate 'civilized' weaklings.

Tribal Warfare:  As a standard Barbarian.

Special Hindrances:  Highlanders share the standard hindrances of all Barbarians.  
In addition, they avoid wearing armor, as they believe it carries at least an 
implicit assumption of cowardice on the part of the wearer and a lack of trust in 
his or her own battle prowess.  In some cases, they will wear hide armor made 
from the remains of a creature that they have personally killed or had a hand in 
killing, but even this is mostly done for ceremonial purposes or for warmth, 
rather than for protection, and Highlanders wearing armor will almost always 
strip it off before engaging in combat; failure to do so negates all Tribal Warfare 
benefits due to their discomfort.

All Highlanders follow a strict code of honor developed over centuries of 
tradition.  These traditions are very important in Highlander society, and a 
Highlander who violates them loses all Tribal Stature until such time as he or she 
makes restitution (DM's discretion) with those they have wronged.  This 'Code of 
the Clan' has the following strictures:

1.	Extend kindness to those who cross your door.
2.	Openly declare your presence, identity, and intentions when you 
encounter a stranger.
3.	Avenge the killing of a kinsman.
4.	Assume any legal claims of a kinsman who has died or cannot resolve 
the claim on his or her own.

On the field of battle, Highlanders face an even more stringent code of acceptable 
behavior in battle.  As with the 'Code of the Clan', these rules of engagement are 
very nearly bred into the bone of every Highlander and are an indelible part of 
their mental makeup.  Should a Highlander violate one of these strictures, he or 
she loses all Blood Feud and Tribal Warfare benefits until such time as 
appropriate atonement is made for his or her cowardly breach of honor.  This 
warrior code is as follows:

1.	Never strike an opponent without warning.
2.	Never strike an opponent until he or she is ready to receive your blow.
3.	Do not engage in mortal combat with an opponent who is less than your 
equal.
4.	Do not gang up on an individual opponent.
5.	Do not pursue a fleeing foe from the field.
6.	Do not mock your opponent.
7.	Missile weapons are for killing animals, not men.
8.	Pray for your fallen enemy after the battle is done

Highlanders will thus almost never attack from surprise, always announcing their 
presence and allowing their enemy to take the full measure of the warrior who 
challenges them and dares to confront them as an equal on the field of combat.  
They will also never use missile weapons vs. most opponents, except for hurling 
weapons at an enemy while advancing into melee.

It must be made clear that this warrior code does not apply against animals 
(especially while hunting) or non-sentient or nonliving opponents (e.g., undead, 
golems, carnivorous plants, jellies and oozes) is always permissible.  It is also 
possible (though rare) for the shamans of a tribe to declare certain creatures or 
the members of a particular nation or society da'tsang or 'without honor', meaning 
that they are such treacherous and dishonorable rogues that they do not merit 
normal consideration under the rules of engagement.  When battling such foes, all 
bets are off and a Highlander is free to use any and all means to eliminate them.  
Short of these categories, even enemies under a Blood Feud are entitled to be 
faced as warriors under a Highlander's normal rules of engagement.

Because Highlanders prefer open combat and eschew the use of surprise and 
similar sneaky (they would say 'cowardly') tactics, they do not possess the 
Natural Stealth of other Barbarians.  Also, they spend a great deal of time 
practicing for war and considering matters of personal and clan honor and thus 
do not gain the Outdoor Craft possessed by other Barbarians.

Bonus Proficiencies:  Chanting, Endurance
Preferred Proficiencies:  Agriculture, Animal Handling, Appraising, Brewing, 
Cooking, Fire-building, Hunting, Jumping, Leatherworking, Local History, 
Mining, Mountaineering, Pottery, Religion, Running, Stonemasonry, Tannery, 
Tracking, Weaponsmithing, Weather Sense, Weaving