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
New Uses For Old Skills
Climb
Use the Climb skill to scale a cliff face, move up and down the trunk of a redwood tree or creep over the top of a fortified village wall.
New Use: Brachiation – The deep forests and jungles of the world are choked with hanging vines and flexible branches. The barbarian, instinctual master of the wild lands, can use these objects as impromptu ropes and swing lines, giving him the ability to move with incredible speed, far removed from the dangers of the forest floor.
In order to use Climb in this manner, there must be sufficient flexible branches and vines for the barbarian to grasp and they must be long enough to allow him to swing between trees. For this reason, brachiation can only be used in forest, jungle and some swamp terrain (specifically, swampy forests). If the Games Master rules that there are sufficient vines and flexible branches to use this skill, then the barbarian can use his ranks in the Climb skill, rather than the Jump skill, to perform a forward jump. When using branches or vines to jump in this fashion, the barbarian is always considered to be making a running jump.
New Use: Slow Descent – A barbarian who falls or is knocked from a tree can, with a successful Climb check, grab hold of branches on his way down, slowing his descent and minimising the damage he takes. With a successful Climb check (DC 20), the barbarian reduces the damage he takes from a fall by 10 feet.
New Use: Slide – Barbarians who live in forests, especially those who live in tree top villages, quickly master the art of sliding down tree trunks by using only their toes and fingertips to maintain loose contact with the bark. With a successful Climb check, the barbarian can slide down the trunk of the tree at up to his full movement rate. This skill use can also be used to slide down columns or other, similar objects.
Slide DC
| Object | DC |
|---|---|
| Tree, rough bark | 20 |
| Tree, smooth | 15 |
| Pillar | 10 |
If the object the barbarian intends to slide down is larger in circumference than his arm span, then the DC is increased by +5.
Synergy: A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Jump skill gains a +2 bonus to all Climb checks made to employ brachiation.
Craft
Barbarians use the Craft skill to create totem icons, to make their smoke lodges and homes and to weave shelters out of the available foliage.
New Use: Create Shelter – The weather is unpredictable and potentially deadly, so barbarians quickly become very skilled at weaving temporary shelters out of available foliage. In arctic areas or in deserts, the barbarian can also construct a shelter by digging into the snow or soil and reinforcing it with whatever materials are at hand. The DC of the Craft check depends on the scarcity of available materials, as shown on the table below. Typically, it takes a single Craft check and an hour’s time to create a shelter suitable for one person but the barbarian can enlarge his shelter to accommodate more people, at a cost of 10 minutes and a +5 increase to the DC for every two inhabitants.
Shelter DC
| Environment | DC |
|---|---|
| Lush (forest, jungle, swamp) | 15 |
| Standard (hills, mountains) | 20 |
| Sparse (arctic, desert) | 25 |
New Synergy: A barbarian who successfully crafts a shelter adds a +5 bonus to all checks made to endure inclement weather conditions. The same bonus applies to checks made by those who share the shelter.
Handle Animal
Barbarians use the Handle Animal skill constantly, training animals as beasts of burden, hunting companions or guards.
New Tricks: In addition to the various tricks provided in Core Rulebook I, a barbarian can teach an animal the following new tricks.
- Follow (DC 15): Barbarians use this trick to train their sled dogs to follow a designated lead dog, or to teach their horses to follow a specific stallion if separated from the tribe. An animal trained in this trick follows a specific, designated animal. If the designated lead animal is slain, then a new lead animal can be designated after a week’s additional training. The listed DC is for animals which are traditional pack or herd animals. Teaching a typically solitary animal to follow another, or teaching a pack animal to follow a lead animal not of its species, increases the DC to 25.
- Lead (DC 20): An animal that learns this trick knows how to follow its master’s orders and direct other animals to follow them. It will not allow any member of its ‘pack’ to lag more than a standard movement’s distance behind any other member. The listed DC is for animals which are traditional pack or herd animals. Teaching a typically solitary animal to lead another, or teaching a pack animal to lead an animal not of its species, increases the DC to 25. If the lead animal is successfully pushed by the Handle Animal skill (see Core Rulebook I for the DC of pushing an animal), then all animals trained to follow it are automatically successfully pushed, even mount animals ridden by others.
- Return (DC 20): An animal that learns this trick will always return to its home, no matter the distance. An animal with the scent ability which has been taught to Track can be taught to return to its master, rather than to its home. The DC of this trick is set for animals which are not, by nature, pack or herd oriented. The DC to teach a pack or herd animal to return is 15.
- Specific Attack (DC 25): An animal with more than one attack form, or one which has extraordinary abilities or feats which are applicable to combat, can be taught to use a specific attack on command. Only an animal which has already learned the attack trick can be made to attack using a special command.
- Swim (DC 15): An animal trained to swim will unhesitatingly enter a body of water, even if it normally avoids water entirely. It swims using Swim skill checks as normal. Barbarians often teach their mounts to swim, so that they can cross rivers more easily.
New Use: Throw Rider – A barbarian who gains a hold on another’s mount, whether by grabbing the reins, or by twining his fists in its fur or mane, can attempt to force it to throw its rider. In order to do this, the barbarian must succeed with an unarmed touch attack roll against the mount’s armour class, provoking an attack of opportunity as normal. If the barbarian succeeds in his attack, he instantly makes a Handle Animal skill check, opposed by the rider’s Ride skill check. If the barbarian’s check succeeds, the rider is thrown from his horse; a Ride check to stay in the saddle is not allowed, since the initial opposed Ride check was made to avoid falling.
Intimidate
Barbarians are not much for small talk but they are very good at using their innate ferocity to get what they want from others.
Expanded Use: Forced Discount – With a successful Intimidate skill check, you can force a merchant to ‘offer’ a 10% discount on all purchases. The consequences for doing this are more severe than for a normal Intimidation use, as merchants do not look kindly on coercion, unless they are the ones doing it. After the effects of Intimidation wear off, the merchant is automatically considered Hostile to you.
New Use: Freeze – You can use an Intimidate check to attempt to freeze an opponent in his tracks in combat. To do so, make an Intimidate check opposed by the target’s modified level check (see Core Rulebook I). With a successful check, the target cannot perform a move action for one round and is restricted to a single five-foot step. You can only freeze an opponent who is threatened by you in melee combat and only one that can see you.
New Ability Modifier: Raging Intimidation – A barbarian who is raging adds his Strength modifier, rather than his Charisma modifier, to all attempts to demoralise an opponent using the Intimidate skill.
Synergy: A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Handle Animal skill gains a +2 bonus to all attempts to Intimidate animals.
Jump
Barbarians use Jump to leap across chasms and streams, to vault over stable doors, or to leap up to the rooftops of their huts.
New Synergy: Branch Spring – A barbarian can use a flexible branch to spring up a tree, rather than having to Climb it. When Jumping from a tree, a barbarian gains a +2 bonus to his Jump check if he has five or more ranks in the Climb skill.
Knowledge (nature)
Barbarians use Knowledge (nature) to predict weather patterns, or to gain an understanding up the migratory patterns of animals.
New Use: Tribal Understanding – Barbarians are one with nature, their attitudes and beliefs primal and instinctive. A barbarian can use a Knowledge (nature) skill check to gain an understanding of a barbarian’s, or barbarian tribe’s lineage, history, family trees and customs. In other words, while dealing with barbarians, this skill replaces Knowledge (nobles and nobility).
New Synergies: A barbarian with five or more ranks in Knowledge (nature) gains a +2 bonus to all Survival checks and a +2 bonus to all attempts to influence the attitudes of other barbarians, or members of barbarian civilisations.
Listen
Barbarians use this skill to listen for approaching storms, to stalk animals during a hunt and to detect the presence of animals hunting them.
New Synergies: Barbarians have an instinctive understanding of the instincts and attitudes of others and know how to read the subtle shifts in tone and the quickening of the heart beat that indicates falsehood. A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Listen skill gains a +2 bonus to all Sense Motive skill checks made to oppose a Bluff check.
Likewise, barbarians rely as much on their hearing as they do on their sight to track game. A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Listen skill gains a +2 bonus to all Survival checks made to hunt game.
Finally, a barbarian’s keen ears can pick up the distant rumble of thunder long before clouds appear on the horizon. A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Listen skill gains a +2 bonus to all Survival checks made to predict weather.
Ride
Barbarians use the Ride skill quite frequently, as crossing vast stretches of wilderness is much easier with a sturdy, swift mount beneath you.
New Use: Hide Under Mount – Nomadic horsemen know very well the advantage of catching an enemy by surprise. They often surprise opponents by swinging underneath their mount, gripping its belly with their knees and elbows. With a successful Ride check against DC 25, you can instantly swing under your mount as it is moving, gaining cover as per the cover Ride action and a +5 circumstance bonus to Hide checks.
New Synergies: A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Ride skill gains a +2 bonus to all Handle Animal checks made to throw a rider.
Barbarians are skilled judges of horse flesh. A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Ride skill gains a +2 bonus to all Appraise checks made to judge the quality of a horse or other mount. If the barbarian is permitted to ride the animal before purchase, then a Ride check substitutes for an Appraise check when judging the animal’s quality.
Survival
Barbarians use Survival constantly, to hunt game for their larders, to identify the tracks of dangerous animals and to predict the weather.
New Use: Gather Natural Antidote – The wilderness is full of poisonous animals and equally toxic plants. Fortunately, nature has a way of taking care of its own and there are many beneficial herbs which can limit the effects of natural poisons, if one knows where to find them. With a successful Survival check against DC 20, a barbarian can gather together the materials to make a herbal poultice. If applied to the victim of a poison attack after they have been affected by the initial effects but before the secondary effects have occurred, the recipient gains a +2 circumstance bonus to their saving throw. A herbal poultice lasts for one day before losing its potency.
New Synergies: A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Listen skill gains a +2 bonus to all Survival checks made to hunt game.
A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Listen skill gains a +2 bonus to all Survival checks made to predict weather.
Swim
Using this skill, a barbarian can ford rivers and streams or swim underwater to surprise his opponents.
New Use: Pierce the Waves – With a successful skill check against a DC equal to twice the normal swim DC for the appropriate water conditions (see Core Rulebook I for the DCs of calm, rough and stormy water), the barbarian can negate the armour class bonus a creature wading or partially submerged receives when attacked by a being on land, as well as reduce the total cover bonus a completely submerged creature receives to partial cover. This represents the barbarian’s instinctive understanding of combat in all terrain. Since the barbarian must study the water and strike at exactly the right moment, using Swim in this fashion requires a standard action.
New Use: Cliff Dive – With a successful Swim check against a DC equal to the conditions of the water below, +5 for every 10 feet of height, the barbarian can dive from a cliff, or other high object, into water and take no damage. In addition, once in the water, he can move up to his full normal movement rate for one move action, without need of another skill check, as the speed of his fall propels him like a dolphin through the water. Only water which is of a depth at least equal to the barbarian’s height can be dived into in this fashion. On an unsuccessful check, the barbarian takes full damage from the fall. The cliff dive counts as a move action.
Synergy: A barbarian with five or more ranks in the Jump skill gains a +2 bonus to all Swim checks made to cliff dive.
