WARRIOR-BARBARIAN KIT Ravager Description: All Barbarians contain within them a certain contempt for civilization and a dislike for magic in varying degrees. No other Barbarian, though, takes these dislikes to the extremes of rabid, atavistic hatred that characterizes a Ravager's outlook on the world. To a Ravager's way of thinking, civilized society exists merely to provide something for barbarians to raid and pillage (or simply avoid, when that is possible). Civilized law is an irrelevant consideration to a Ravager, as only loyalty to tribe and clan is important. The use of magic is not only distasteful, but an unnatural abomination that endangers everyone around. Such supernatural powers should be reserved to the gods and the spirits of nature (and the shamans who serve them); others who traffic with the supernatural invite disaster simply to satiate their own vanity and thirst for power. They are tampering with forces that will either draw the unwanted attention of hostile supernatural forces or will inevitably lead such wielders of magic into adopting the arrogance of the gods for themselves. For the general good and ultimate survival of all, their magical meddling must be stopped. In sum, Ravagers believe that both organized society and the use of magic have distanced people from their natural roots, and both must be eradicated if the world is to be restored to the pure, clean state that existed prior to the rise of so- called civilization. This is not to say that they immediately smash or destroy everything they find, but Ravagers believe in the natural primacy of the barbarian way of doing things and can be very forceful in attempting to make their anti- magic and anti-civilization ideals a reality. The Ravager epithet was conferred upon them by civilized folk who fear their rampages and the danger they represent to the established order. Restrictions: Ravagers must be of chaotic alignment and must be humans, dwarves, half-orcs, or half-ogres. Ravagers must have minimum scores of 15 in Strength and Constitution and 14 in Dexterity, but their Intelligence and Wisdom scores can be no higher than 10. Weapons & Armor: Ravagers generally will wear no armor, though in rare cases a Ravager might wear hide armor fashioned from the remains of a creature he or she personally had a hand in slaying. Ravagers favor the use of two-handed weapons, and their training and general attitudes preclude shield use. Ravagers are similar to 'generic' Barbarians, in that they do not possess a certain culturally proscribed set of weapons. Thus, they use the same weapon list as a standard Barbarian, save that they will never use missile fire devices. Special Benefits: As paragons of the barbaric ideal, Ravagers share most of the standard class abilities of Barbarians, plus several magnified powers. Battle Fury: Ravagers have the power to enter a rapturous trance of bloodlusting Battle Fury, becoming totally berserk. This requires at least one round of preparation, during which time the Berserker growls, bites his or her shield, and engages in various other noisy, frenetic activity to psych him- or herself up. After this round of preparation, the Ravager must make a save vs. death magic, adding his or her level and any penalties for low Wisdom as a bonus to the save (+2 if within the area of an allied Ravager's War Cry), with success indicating that he or she has driven rational thought from his or her mind and become a berserk killing machine. If the save is failed, the Ravager can continue attempting to go berserk each round, with a cumulative +1 bonus to the saving throw. After ten rounds of trying, regardless of the results of the dice, the Berserker automatically goes Berserk. Efforts to induce Battle Fury do not preclude engaging in combat or other activity, but engaging in other activities while working up to Battle Fury imposes a -4 penalty on the Ravager's saving throw. A Ravager's Battle Fury will last until the battle is over or as many rounds pass as the sum of the Ravager's level and his or her Constitution score. A Ravager who is not within melee range of a potential target can also attempt to calm down and intentionally give up his or her Battle Fury, requiring a save vs. death magic at -4; failure indicates that he or she charges into melee range with the nearest creature and the Battle Fury continues. A Ravager's Battle Fury can be used only once per day, regardless of its duration. Once Battle Fury begins, a Ravager gains the following benefits: - all Hardiness benefits are doubled - all Tribal Warfare benefits are doubled - the chance of success and duration of a Heroic Effort are doubled - one extra attack per 2 melee rounds - +2 to all saving throws against attacks inflicting physical harm - +1 to Armor Class for every two levels of experience (rounding up) - damage to the Ravager reduced by 1 point per die - immunity to pain, stunning, knockout or knockdown attacks, or paralyzation - immunity to mind-affecting attacks (including Telepathic psionic powers) - necromantic effects, including all forms of curing, do not take effect until the Battle Fury ends - gain 2 bonus hit points per level; damage suffered is subtracted first from these bonus hit points In addition, if a Ravager in the midst of Battle Fury is reduced to negative hit points and successfully makes a Heroic Effort to remain active and fighting, his or her Battle Fury becomes even more intense. A Ravager can operate at negative hit points for as long as his or her Battle Fury persists, regardless of the normal limit allowed for his or her Heroic Effort, and he or she gains the following additional benefits: - additional +2 to saves vs. any attacks that inflict physical harm - additional +2 bonus to Armor Class - additional +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls - damage suffered by the Ravager is reduced by 2 points per die rather than 1 - one additional attack is gained every round, rather than every two rounds A Ravager's Battle Fury does carry with it several significant hindrances. A Ravager in the midst of a Battle Fury must: - always be affected by a taunt spell (or similar effect), with no saving throw allowed. - choose a specific foe to attack (usually a wizard, if one is visible to attack) and must immediately charge to melee, pursuing that foe until it (or the Ravager) is killed or knocked unconscious (or feigns unconsciousness or death, with a Wisdom check allowed for the Ravager to recognize the deception). If a target attempts to surrender, a Ravager - always charge when moving from target to target, suffering all normal penalties (though the normal +2 bonus is gained to attack rolls at the end of a charge). - never attempt to take cover from missile or magical attacks; movement is allowed only to close to melee range with a new enemy. - fight on without regard to injuries suffered, as a Ravager has no idea how many hit points he or she has and feels no pain from wounds (save for an obvious effect such as a severing blow from a sword of sharpness), shrugging off every blow as nothing but the sweet caress of battle. The DM keeps track of the Ravager's hit points, and only informs the Ravager if he or she drops below 0 hit points and needs to make a Heroic Effort to fight on (with the additional bonuses described above). - attack the nearest available target once his or her initial foe is knocked out of the fight. A Ravager has a percentage chance equal to the sum of his or her Intelligence and Wisdom plus twice his or her level to be able to recognize an ally and not attack; if this check is failed, the Ravager must attack immediately. If an ally is attacked but does not attack the Ravager in return (e.g., he or she parries or attempts to flee), a new check may be made each round to recognize the ally. If the ally strikes the Ravager for damage, however, he or she will be considered an enemy for the remainder of the Battle Fury and attacked with intent to kill. When a Ravager's Battle Fury ends, he or she loses any bonus hit points remaining and immediately suffers the effects of a ray of enfeeblement spell (q.v.) for as many rounds as he or she was berserk. In addition, the Ravager is totally exhausted, suffering a -4 penalty to all die rolls until he or she is able to get one full hour of uninterrupted rest. Any necromantic effects used on the Ravager while he or she was berserk take effect in the order that they were cast, and they take effect after the Ravager's bonus hit points disappear. A Ravager who is at negative hit points when his or her Battle Fury ends suffers the effects described under Heroic Effort in the standard Barbarian description. Hardiness: As a standard Barbarian. Heroic Effort: As a standard Barbarian, but a Ravager gains this ability at 1st level rather than 11th. In addition, the negative hit point total possible for a Heroic Effort by a Ravager is increased by 1 point per level; hence, a 7th level Ravager can function down to -27 hit points while making a Heroic Effort. Sense Magic: Ravagers despise magic greatly and have a natural sense for when magic is being used in their vicinity. A Ravager has a base 25% chance to detect the presence of magic within a 30' radius, and this chance is increased by 5% per level of the Ravager over 1st (maximum 90%). This chance is halved if he or she is confronted with priest magic rather than wizardly magic, but Sense Magic does not differentiate between the two. If a Ravager successfully notes the presence of magic, he or she has a like chance to detect the source of the magic. This ability never provides information on the type of magic sensed, nor does it detect the presence of magical ability in a character or creature. It can, however, detect the fact that a particular creature is magically created, animated, or summoned. Survival Skills: As a standard Barbarian. Toughness: Ravagers are almost always the toughest and strongest warriors in any Barbarian tribe. They gain three six-sided hit dice at 1st level, and in addition they are considered to have a natural Armor Class of 8 (armor type adjustments are still as for normal clothing/bare flesh), and this natural Armor Class improves by 1 for every four levels of experience (rounding down; i.e., AC 7 at 4th, AC 6 at 8th, and so on). Tribal Stature: As a standard Barbarian. In addition, a Ravager gains a +2 bonus to reactions with any barbarian tribe that has Ravager members, as they recognize the Ravager's special status immediately. Tribal Warfare: As a standard Barbarian. In addition Ravagers gain a +1 damage bonus when using any weapon of size M or larger with both hands, in addition to any other bonuses. Ravagers are seen in barbarian society as individual champions rather than war leaders, and they cannot call for leadership of a barbarian horde (though of course they can and do accompany them on their missions of pillage). Ravagers also have a unique facility at battling very weak enemies (1 hit die or less), receiving one attack per round for every level of experience against such foes. This reflects the relatively poor combat abilities of such creatures and the intimidation factor of facing a Ravager in combat, allowing a Ravager to stop attempt by such foes to gang-rush and overbear him or her by weight of superior numbers. War Cry: In any combat encounter a Ravager can (and usually will) utter a wild, ululating War Cry that is quite daunting to his or her foes. Any sentient opponents within 10' per level of the Ravager must make an immediate morale check with a -1 penalty for every five levels of the Ravager (rounding up); note that unlike the War Cry of a Nomad, a Ravager can affect other Barbarians with this ability. If it is failed, creatures of less than 1 hit die or level will immediately flee in fear from the Ravager until out of sight and earshot. Creatures with 1 or more hit dice or levels (but not more than the level of the Ravager) who fail their morale check will not be forced to flee, but they will suffer a -2 penalty to morale and a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls for 2d6 rounds. Creatures with more hit dice or levels of the Ravager cannot be affected the War Cry, and animals, mindless creatures, undead, and extra-planar creatures are never affected. NPC allies who are within this range and succeed in a morale check gain a +1 bonus to morale and saves vs. fear for 2d6 rounds. In addition, all Barbarian allies within this radius have a 5% chance per level of the Ravager to gain a +1 bonus to hit and damage for 2d6 rounds, assuming they can clearly hear and see the Ravager PC and are able to take up the War Cry themselves. Special Hindrances: Ravagers share the usual hindrances of other Barbarians. They are even more despised by civilized NPCs, however, suffering double the normal reaction penalty with civilized NPCs and receive no reaction bonus that may apply for a high Charisma score. The best reaction possible with any civilized NPC is 'indifferent'. Ravagers will never learn what they consider to be 'civilized' skills, including proficiency in weapons other than those listed under Weapons & Armor or weapons native to barbarian cultures; other weapons will be shunned. Their loathing of magic is even more pronounced, and they suffer triple the normal reaction with wizards. A Ravager will never use a magical item unless he or she can be convinced that it does not bear the taint of wizardry. Obviously, most magical tests will fail to impress a Ravager; generally, an item must be examined by a Shaman of some type (most often a Skald) and pronounced acceptable. Even in this case, Ravagers share the usual restrictions on magical item use of other Barbarians, but they also will not knowingly use any magical item that improves their Armor Class or saving throws as a primary power (e.g., bracers of defense, rings of protection), though they will sometimes use items that provide such a bonus as a secondary effect (e.g., boots of speed, gauntlets of dexterity). It is possible for a Ravager to have a suit of 'trophy armor' (i.e., hide from a slain foe) enchanted by his or her tribal shamans. Regardless of type, a Ravager will never own more than one magical item for every six levels of experience (rounding down). Ravagers will never gain proficiency in any missile fire device, as they consider ranged combat cowardly and beneath their dignity. They can become proficient in weapons that can be hurled, but they will never use them as missile weapons except when facing wizards or civilized enemies. Even in such cases, they will only be used as missiles while advancing into melee or if their enemies refuse to risk spoiling their precious skin and face them in honorable melee (e.g., a wizard levitating above melee range). Ravagers trust in their own skills and abilities to carry them through a difficult battle, and they will not use protective devices such as armor and shields, with the exception of hide armor crafted from the remains of a creature they have personally had a hand in slaying. Ravagers concentrate to a great extent on studying the art of barbaric battle and function mostly as tribal champions and defenders. As a result, they do not learn the Outdoor Craft of other Barbarians. They train very little in areas other than weapon skills and gain only two non-weapon proficiency slots at 1st level regardless of Intelligence and gain new non-weapon proficiencies only every five levels of experience. In addition to the above, Ravagers despise the cowardly use of stealth to hide and avoid honorable combat, and they possess no Natural Stealth abilities of their own. They will also never attack a sentient living foe from surprise, except for a known wizard (or magical creature summoned, animated, or created by a wizard), who are inherently without honor and beneath any consideration of respect on the field of battle. Ravagers have a powerful and volatile temper. Anytime that a Ravager is given a piece of very upsetting news (e.g., a favorite weapon has been broken or stolen, a friend or family member has been killed), he or she must make a Wisdom check with a bonus equal to his or her level (a 20 always fails) or go into an unintentional Battle Fury, even if he or she has already it that day. This special Battle Fury always lasts at least one round, though a Ravager can attempt to voluntarily end it as normal. He or she will take out this bestial rage first on the bearer of the bad news (or the person who perpetrated the act, if available), and then on the next nearest person (with no roll to be able to recognize friends or allies). The news or occurrence must be significantly upsetting for this chance of rage to occur. Ravagers are restricted by their attitudes about who is and is not an acceptable adventuring companion. A Ravager will refuse to adventure with certain types of companions at low level (he or she becomes somewhat more pragmatic with advancing level, and willing to make small accommodations to necessity), and if forced to interact with someone he or she does not wish to deal with, he or she may become enraged and attack them, with a check to avoid rage being made every day (assuming the Ravager is aware of the person's profession): Class If Necessary On Occasion Freely Adept -- 1st 2nd Cleric -- 1st 2nd Crusader -- -- 1st Druid -- -- 1st Monk 1st 2nd 3rd Shaman -- -- 1st Psionicist (any)2nd 4th 6th Adventurer -- 1st 2nd Assassin 2nd 4th 6th Bard 2nd 4th 6th Guildsman 2nd 4th 6th Thief -- 1st 2nd Barbarian -- -- 1st Cavalier 3rd 6th 9th Fighter -- -- 1st Paladin -- 1st 2nd Ranger -- -- 1st Wizard (any) 4th 8th -- The effects of the above categories are as follows: If necessary: A Ravager will adventure with a character of this type if a truly dire need exists or if commanded to do so by a clan chief or shaman of higher level, but will not do so by free choice. A Ravager can tolerate such a comrade for up to one day per level of experience, but after that time at random intervals of 1d6 days the Ravager must make a check to avoid becoming enraged at such a character. A check must also be made if that character ever directly or indirectly harms the Ravager or a Barbarian ally. On Occasion: A Ravager does not like being around people of that type, but can tolerate their presence without ill effect for up to one week per level of experience, at which point he or she must make a check to avoid becoming enraged at the character. A check is also required if such a character ever directly or indirectly harms the Ravager or a Barbarian ally. Freely: A Ravager has learned to live with such a character among his or her companions and need not check for rage results against that character. Bonus Proficiency: Endurance Preferred Proficiencies: Acute Hearing, Animal Lore, Awareness, Boating, Chanting, Dancing, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Drinking, Eating, Excellent Vision, Foraging, Hunting, Immovability, Intimidation, Jumping, Lightning Reflexes, Navigation, Night Vision, Riding (Land-based), Running, Seamanship, Signaling, Sixth Sense, Survival, Swimming, Tannery, Tracking Forbidden Proficiencies: Reading/Writing, any proficiency from the Priest, Psionicist, or Wizard list that is not also on the Warrior list.