The Quintessential Barbarian II
The Quintessential Barbarian II first edition cover
| Author | Patrick Younts |
| Series | Quintessential Series |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2004 |
| Pages | 128 |
| ISBN | 1-904854-31-1 |
| OGL Section 15 | qbbnii |
The material below is designated as Open Game Content
Career Paths
Career Paths provide a range of templates for each character class and race that will allow a Player to plan his character’s advancement following a given concept. While a Career Path focuses on the mechanics of advancement by providing a small benefit and disadvantage to the character’s abilities, it also serves as a roleplaying aid to guide the character’s progress and goals through his adventuring career, shortening the time spent choosing new abilities and powers during level advancement.
Any one Career Path may be applied to a character when he gains a new level. The listed benefits and
disadvantages are applied, any roleplaying description modified and adjusted to take into account the template and then the character is ready to follow his chosen path. From this point forth, both the Player and the Games Master should be aware of the selected Career Path and take steps to ensure the character is played accordingly. It must be stressed that Career Paths are a roleplaying tool,
not simply a method to gain lots of new abilities!
Following a Barbarian’s Career Path
A character can tread onto a barbarian’s Career Path at any time he gains a new level. The character must possess at least one level of barbarian in order to follow a barbarian’s Career Path. In each path’s description, the advancement options section describes a number of skills, feats or other choices that serve both as a route map and a list of prerequisites for that path. The character must
possess the following requirements:
- Two skills at the requisite rank from that path’s advancement options.
- Two feats from that path’s advancement options.
- The minimum ability requirement (if any) for that path.
A character may only follow one path at any time. In addition, the path he has chosen must be maintained.
Every time the character advances a level, he must do at least one of the following:
- Select a new feat from the Career Path’s advancement options (only available if his level advancement grants a feat).
- Increase the ability listed as the minimum ability for that path (only available if his level advancement grants an ability increase). Not an option for Way of the World paths.
- Increase a skill from that path’s advancement options. If the character is taking a barbarian level, he need only spend 1 point. If he is taking any other class level, he must spend 2 points, though he may split this among two different path skills if he wishes.
For example, a 5th level barbarian with a base Constitution of 16, Climb 6 ranks, Survival 6 ranks and the Iron Will feat decides he wants to follow The Way of the Stone Ox Career Path. As he meets all of that path’s requirements, he may start following the path when he next increases his level. When he reaches 6th level as a barbarian he must either spend one skill point on Climb, Survival or Swim, or select his new feat from the way of the stone ox’s options (meeting all the normal prerequisites for that feat). He is now a 6th level barbarian who follows the way of the stone ox path and receives the relevant benefits and disadvantages. If he chose to advance as a fighter instead, making him a barbarian 5/fighter 1, he must either spend his one new feat from The Way of the Stone Ox’s options (meeting all the normal prerequisites for that feat), or spend 2 skill points on Climb, Survival or Swim. In neither case can he opt to increase the path’s required ability in order to maintain his dedication, though he could do so when attaining 8th level.
Note that skills and feats do not change their status regarding the character. Cross-class skills do not become class skills and he must still meet the prerequisites of a feat in the advancement options list before being able to gain it. The Career Path is more like a road map that restricts the character’s freedom of choice in exchange for a benefit and a clearer sense of purpose.
The character immediately gains a benefit upon entering the Career Path but also suffers a disadvantage. Some Career Paths offer several benefits and disadvantages that a character can choose from, representing the different choices present to even the narrowest path. Only one of these benefit/disadvantage combinations is chosen in this case.
Abandoning a Career Path
A character may voluntarily abandon a Career Path, and lose both the benefit and disadvantage immediately. This normally happens when the character is preparing to switch to a new Career Path (possibly not even a barbarian path). Switching paths is entirely feasible. This mostly involves time – at least 6 months minus the character’s Intelligence modifier in months (minimum 1 month) between dropping the old path and gaining the new path’s benefits and disadvantages. During this period, the character demonstrates how he is changing his style and philosophy through roleplay. He must still meet all the prerequisites for the new Career Path.
If the character gains a level and does not comply with at least one of the Career Path’s advancement options, he is considered to have abandoned the path. He will lose the benefit (but also the disadvantage) of the chosen path, as he has allowed his top-notch skills to get rusty in favour of training in other areas. In order to regain the path, he will have to wait until he gains another level, this time complying with the path’s advancement requisites, in order to walk the path and gain the benefits once more. Note that a character that has followed multiple Career Paths and then abandoned his most recent one altogether can only regain the path in this manner for the path he as
most recently abandoned.
Way of the Natural Man
* The Way of the Iron Lion
* The Way of the Quicksilver Cobra
* The Way of the Stone Ox
* The Way of the Sapphire Dragon
* The Way of the Jade Owl
* The Way of the Golden Peacock
The Way of the World
* The Way of Rain and Wave
* The Way of Sun and Earth
* The Way of Fire and Ash
* The Way of Frost and Snow
