The Quintessential Barbarian
The Quintessential Barbarian cover
| Author | Robert Schwalb |
| Series | Quintessential Series |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2003 |
| Pages | 128 |
| ISBN | 1-903980-92-5 |
| OGL Section 15 | qbbn |
The material below is considered Open Game Content
Desert
These characters may have originated from extreme areas of true Saharan desert or semi-desert regions like hot scrublands and rocky wastelands. As deserts are truly inhospitable to plant and animal life due to the lack of water, many barbarians form nomadic cultures. These tribes move from place to place seeking new watering holes, food sources and other supplies. Most of these characters favour loose robes as they are useful for catching wind and substantial enough to stave off the cold at night.
Adventuring: There are a host of reasons why a desert barbarian would leave the burning plains of his homeland. In most cases, it is for want of supplies. In some cases, an oasis might have run dry, wells poisoned or fouled, disease or raids could have exhausted food stores. Merchant caravans will sometimes journey across these wastelands in search of a shorter route to a lucrative mercantile centre. Many times caravans and travellers seek out local desert folk to assist them in the role of guides, guards or to take them as slaves. On the other hand, these barbarians may be victims of a war with another tribe, thus leaving the character as the sole survivor, who must seek out new lands in which to dwell.
Roleplaying: Desert barbarians hold one thing above all others: water. Considering the bleak landscape and low survival rate in their homeland, they recognise its life-giving values. Thus, they will never waste it. If they share it, it is always a sign of friendship and trust.
Benefit Menu: Depending on the technology level of their native community, characters from desert regions may choose
up to three of the following benefits: +4 competence bonus to Ride checks while on a camel, +6 insight bonus when using Survival to find water, Fire Resistance 2, +2 competence bonus all Saving throws to avoid blindness, or they may survive twice as long as normal without water.
