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#813425 11/04/22 10:56 AM
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geala Offline OP
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I like to play as Barbarian, which has nothing to do that it is a veryyy powerful class, of course, it just allows me to run around with a loincloth only, to have maximum skin shown (to attract Shadowheart f.e. ...).

I don't understand however the role and place of the "Barbarian" in the Faerun world/DnD universe, as I'm not a DnD player. It is a strange class because it mixes combat style with social/economical/mayby ethnic aspects. A Fighter/Warlock/Cleric/Wizard etc. can come from anywhere, depending on personal abilities. Even a Druid can be a person who grew up in a civilized city and later went into the woods for tree hugging.
But a Barbarian? In the dialogs (where the Barbarian options are most often very stupid) there is an option to tell Astarion that I'm from Baldurs Gate, a big and civilized city. Then after being raised in a luxurous palace I went to the primitive combat form as Barbarian? Just because I can rage? And what about the Wildheart, at least that seems impossible for such a city background.

When I hear Barbarian, I envisage a warrior with a bit a "primitive" background, which does not mean that the warriors are necessarily strong, stupid and roar all the time. They are unarmored due to economical and pride-based reasons and utilize their inner wildness or connections to totems to prevail in the fight while preferring simple throwing weapons or bows for ranged. They despise magic and would not even use scrolls. They certainly would never wear pants (ok, that's very personal taste, I admit grin )So, the DnD Barbarian is only partly satisfying for me. He/she can wear medium and light armor, seemingly can be from a very civilized big city background (although wearing a rather primitive looking garment which is great visually on the torso but terribly unpractical and mage-like around the legs, it's sad) and can use ranged hightech weapons like crossbows and also magical amulets and armor in abundance.

It is as it is and that's not my main concern. But lore-wise, from where do the Barbarians come in Faerun? How do they behave? Is it even possible from a logical standpoint to be a Barbarian as main where you have to make some delicate conversations and act as an intelligent and experienced person for the better of the story? A person from a primitive background while being a wild rage based warrior, can be an intelligent, charismatic and experienced person, although maybe restricted by some educational deficits. The Barbarian in BG3, judged from the dialog options, however is not, he/she is a stupid strong hulk. I find that irritating.

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As it was allready mentioned few times ... Conan was a King. smile
And yet he was Barbarian. wink


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One can only hope Larian sorts these narrative issues out and presents the PC with multiple background options.

Same thing happened with my Wood Elf ranger…when the Baldurian dialogue option popped up I thought why would my wood elf ranger be from Baldurs Gate? That’s not how I imagined her.

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Originally Posted by Etruscan
Same thing happened with my Wood Elf ranger…when the Baldurian dialogue option popped up I thought why would my wood elf ranger be from Baldurs Gate? That’s not how I imagined her.
Have you concidered "not" picking the option then?
Bcs you know, when you "dont" ... she is working exactly as someone, who is "not" from Baldur's Gate. laugh


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[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Barbarians can come from all over Faerun, literally all over. There are a couple of places that are famous for Barbarians, such as the tribes of Uthgardt in the northern areas, the Rasheman Berserkers far to the east near Thay, and the tribes from Chondalwood in Chult to the far south.

But a Barbarian isn't just an uncivilised warrior. Barbarians are part of a group that was previously known as the Primal classes, which included Druid, Shaman, Warden, and others that didn't make it into 5e. Primal classes are usually classes that are in some way focused on "primal" energy, being the energy of nature and the natural world, and each class channels this energy in a different way. Different Barbarians channel energy in very different ways too, a Totem Barbarian draws on animal aspects to strengthen them via a totem, an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian draws on the spirits of their ancestors to aid them in battle, etc.

All Barbarians, regardless of where they come from or how they fight are united by their ability to channel their violent urges into a primal rage, that's it really. You don't have to be a naked feral man living rough and eating bugs to be a Barbarian, just embrace the wild rage inside you (see above image). You might have lived in the city, but also spent a lot of time out on the road or in the wilds for various reasons, or maybe you don't actually spend a lot of time out in the wilds, but you've learned to channel your primal rage anyway.

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barbarian is a misnomer in 5e dnd

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In Dragonlance ... Karamon was also Barbarian, or more like Fighter? O_o


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Originally Posted by RagnarokCzD
In Dragonlance ... Karamon was also Barbarian, or more like Fighter? O_o

When Dragonlance was still being published, Barbarian was actually still a subclass of Fighter, along with Paladin and Ranger. Then in Ad&D 2e, Barbarian, FIghter, Paladin and Ranger were all Warrior subclasses. It wasn't until 3e that Barbarian became it's own class.

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hey there, wink

I like this text here:
https://www.history.com/news/where-did-the-word-barbarian-come-from
"It was the ancient Romans, who by the original definition were barbarians themselves, who first transformed the use of the term. Late in the Roman Empire, the word “barbarian” came to refer to all foreigners who lacked Greek and Roman traditions, especially the various tribes and armies putting pressure on Rome’s borders."

So you could RP as, you are coming from a far far away country, you've been "snatched" by "that ship" and there you go, unleashing you rage to whom every moved around ya !

And here, the very first barbarian character, introduced in 1985 (jeezz .. the guy is prob a grand-father today.. laugh ):
First Character Barbarian
"The class was introduced in 1985 and went through a number of evolutions in subsequent editions of the game."


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Interestingly and off-topic, there is a region in central Sardinia called Barbagia, which is a legacy from when the Romans were in Sardinia and called the inhabitants of the central mountainous areas Barbarians.

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Thanks. To me the imaginagion of a Barbarian class in the original sense of the wording (barbaroi as non-Greek speakers) does not make much sense. For the Greeks the Romans, for example at the time of the Pyrrhus war, but also later, were barbaroi , but they would hardly fit the fantasy Barbarian style. I see the Barbarian as a kind of primitive tribal warrior. That will put my poor roleplay abilities under stress (I still don't know where the DnD barbarians grew up / loiter around in their free time), and will lead to suboptimal use of the class, surely. smirk

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Getting hung up on the original sense of the wording, or the original meaning of the word is the main mistake here, and you'll probably have a better time of things if you don't do that. Think of it this way, as a similar analogy:

"When I think of 'Orcs', I think of (Orcs as defined by Lord of the Rings), so I'm really not sure how to rp them like that in this Faerunean setting where (origin of tolkien orcs) does not exist!" - the answer is, *Don't*. Tolkien orcs and Forgotten Realms orcs are not the same, and they're two completely different things - they may share some mythological origin roots, but they are, in the present day, completely unrelated to one another and it makes no sense at all to even think of one as the other.

The same is true of Barbarians - FR Barbarians plain and simply are *not* "primitive tribal warriors". They *can* be - a primitive tribal warrior can certain be a barbarian - but that is not the definition of a barbarian, and it makes no sense to treat one as the other. They simply aren't the same. Treat the word barbarian, as used in the realms, as a homonym to your real-world conception of barbarians, nothing more. Piff's description is actually a pretty good summary of what lies at the core of FR barbarians.

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Uthgart barbarians are the decedents of the survivors of Nethril. When the Netherese way of life came crashing down the commoners and slaves of the empire decided to rid themselves of all elements of Netherese culture - living in cities, practicing / studying magic, complex forms of social hierarchy . . . "see where this way of living lead you"?

Eventually Mystra persuaded some of tribes to accept sorcery as a weapon and the newly formed god Uthgart found a way to weave magic into the barbarian way of life so that the nomads weren't wiped out by their city dwelling neighbors.

Similar story with Minsc's people - decedents of the slaves of a corrupt, demon binding empire. The terrible secret that Dynaheir and her sisters hold close is that their secret society is the last remnant of that evil empire.

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I'm always amused that one of the Uthgardt tribe totems is... alongside tribes like the 'Red Tiger', the 'Thunderbeast' or the 'Black Lion'... there's the 'Sky Pony' tribe ^.^ Now there's a tribe that's totally secure in its self identity!

(And then you giggle at them, and discover that they are all zealously fanatical followers of Tempus, the Lord of Battles, whose domain is War and whose folio is War and whose are of interest is, you guessed it, War.)

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Originally Posted by geala
I like to play as Barbarian, which has nothing to do that it is a veryyy powerful class, of course, it just allows me to run around with a loincloth only, to have maximum skin shown (to attract Shadowheart f.e. ...).

I don't understand however the role and place of the "Barbarian" in the Faerun world/DnD universe, as I'm not a DnD player. It is a strange class because it mixes combat style with social/economical/mayby ethnic aspects. A Fighter/Warlock/Cleric/Wizard etc. can come from anywhere, depending on personal abilities. Even a Druid can be a person who grew up in a civilized city and later went into the woods for tree hugging.
But a Barbarian? In the dialogs (where the Barbarian options are most often very stupid) there is an option to tell Astarion that I'm from Baldurs Gate, a big and civilized city. Then after being raised in a luxurous palace I went to the primitive combat form as Barbarian? Just because I can rage? And what about the Wildheart, at least that seems impossible for such a city background.

When I hear Barbarian, I envisage a warrior with a bit a "primitive" background, which does not mean that the warriors are necessarily strong, stupid and roar all the time. They are unarmored due to economical and pride-based reasons and utilize their inner wildness or connections to totems to prevail in the fight while preferring simple throwing weapons or bows for ranged. They despise magic and would not even use scrolls. They certainly would never wear pants (ok, that's very personal taste, I admit grin )So, the DnD Barbarian is only partly satisfying for me. He/she can wear medium and light armor, seemingly can be from a very civilized big city background (although wearing a rather primitive looking garment which is great visually on the torso but terribly unpractical and mage-like around the legs, it's sad) and can use ranged hightech weapons like crossbows and also magical amulets and armor in abundance.

It is as it is and that's not my main concern. But lore-wise, from where do the Barbarians come in Faerun? How do they behave? Is it even possible from a logical standpoint to be a Barbarian as main where you have to make some delicate conversations and act as an intelligent and experienced person for the better of the story? A person from a primitive background while being a wild rage based warrior, can be an intelligent, charismatic and experienced person, although maybe restricted by some educational deficits. The Barbarian in BG3, judged from the dialog options, however is not, he/she is a stupid strong hulk. I find that irritating.

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Barbarian?so=search

This link has all you need to know about Barbarians.

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"However, barbarians were united - no matter their origins - by a marked lack of discipline or patience for the laws and traditions that others adhered to."
Originally Posted by BladeDancer
Originally Posted by geala
I like to play as Barbarian, which has nothing to do that it is a veryyy powerful class, of course, it just allows me to run around with a loincloth only, to have maximum skin shown (to attract Shadowheart f.e. ...).

I don't understand however the role and place of the "Barbarian" in the Faerun world/DnD universe, as I'm not a DnD player. It is a strange class because it mixes combat style with social/economical/mayby ethnic aspects. A Fighter/Warlock/Cleric/Wizard etc. can come from anywhere, depending on personal abilities. Even a Druid can be a person who grew up in a civilized city and later went into the woods for tree hugging.
But a Barbarian? In the dialogs (where the Barbarian options are most often very stupid) there is an option to tell Astarion that I'm from Baldurs Gate, a big and civilized city. Then after being raised in a luxurous palace I went to the primitive combat form as Barbarian? Just because I can rage? And what about the Wildheart, at least that seems impossible for such a city background.

When I hear Barbarian, I envisage a warrior with a bit a "primitive" background, which does not mean that the warriors are necessarily strong, stupid and roar all the time. They are unarmored due to economical and pride-based reasons and utilize their inner wildness or connections to totems to prevail in the fight while preferring simple throwing weapons or bows for ranged. They despise magic and would not even use scrolls. They certainly would never wear pants (ok, that's very personal taste, I admit grin )So, the DnD Barbarian is only partly satisfying for me. He/she can wear medium and light armor, seemingly can be from a very civilized big city background (although wearing a rather primitive looking garment which is great visually on the torso but terribly unpractical and mage-like around the legs, it's sad) and can use ranged hightech weapons like crossbows and also magical amulets and armor in abundance.

It is as it is and that's not my main concern. But lore-wise, from where do the Barbarians come in Faerun? How do they behave? Is it even possible from a logical standpoint to be a Barbarian as main where you have to make some delicate conversations and act as an intelligent and experienced person for the better of the story? A person from a primitive background while being a wild rage based warrior, can be an intelligent, charismatic and experienced person, although maybe restricted by some educational deficits. The Barbarian in BG3, judged from the dialog options, however is not, he/she is a stupid strong hulk. I find that irritating.

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Barbarian?so=search

This link has all you need to know about Barbarians.

"However, barbarians were united - no matter their origins - by a marked lack of discipline or patience for the laws and traditions that others adhered to."
Ha ! I think I'm a barbarian IRL laugh


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Thanks for the link, that's very interesting for making a character role. smile A pity that wild elves are not in the game as race and that wood elves are suboptimal for Barbarian. Probably I would nevertheless choose the latter, for the looks if we don't get more skin options in release.

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Wild Elves and Wood Elves were consolidated as an Elf subrace in 5e, same with Sun Elves and Moon Elves, it explains this in more detail in the players handbook. Mechanically, Elf subraces were very much the same in previous editions, they swapped their positive and negative ability scores about a bit, and that was the only thing different for a lot of them, other than flavoured lore-text. The exception to this was Drow, which had more buffs, but also a level modifier, it really stood out when put next to the other Elf blocks.

None of the art actually reflects this, however, almost every single art that is supposed to be a "Wood Elf" in the PHB is clearly only of one very specific type of Elf (but this is what we get when every artist pictures Elves as graceful pale and slender in long flowing robes). Art in subsequent books has been better.

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I make my own pictures but it is seemingly not possible to load pics without having them on the Internet with an url, or is it? Strange that there are no attachment possibilities in this forum.

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The anti-magic angle of the barbarian class was big early on, which makes sense if everything fantasy barbarian stems from Robert Howard's works. Magic is always a perversion of nature in Conan, similar to civilization which draws similar if not as vehement distain from him.

I remember, once upon a time, looking for material relating to the Wizard Slayer fighter kit in BG:2 to see if it was a thing they had adapted, and if I remember correctly it was the template for the original barbarian, they had an almost psionic revulsion to magic and magic items that meant they couldn't use magic items and that any magic effect had a chance of failing on or around them, and a paladin-esque quest to purify themselves if they did use magic. I still really like playing as a wizard slayer in BG:2 so I'm always on the look out for stuff like that.

I don't remember this really being much a part of the class in 3e, except of course that rages and magic casting don't mix. It was also fun having a class that started out illiterate.

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