Berserker

Possessing an unusual dichotomy, Berserkers combine raw fury with stealthy battle tactics, all with one goal in mind: to instill fear and doubt into their opponents before violently spilling their blood. Born killers, it is sometimes said that the Berserker is more animal than person. They are known to wear animal skins and even eat the heart of savage beasts in the belief that they will be granted some measure of its ferocity.

Berserkers prefer to start most battles in hiding, but certainly not out of fear or cowardice. Rather they use stealth to sneak along the flanks of the enemy and then, when the time is right, charge in with a bestial roar or unnerving howl. Once the blood begins to flow they wholly give themselves over to battle rage, unrelenting until all of their foes lie dead at their feet.

Wild and unruly, Berserkers can at times be a liability and run the risk of losing themselves to violence. In order to bring some semblance of order to their lives they tend to pledge their loyalty to the banner of those they deem worthy. This makes Berserkers highly prized by warlords and battle chiefs, who rely on their particular set of skills to sow chaos into the ranks of their enemies, or terrorize villages into compliance. When a Berserker makes their presence known then death, violence, and terror follow in their wake.

Class Overview

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Typical Roles: Support/Utility, Stealth, Melee Damage
Damage Types: Physical
Class Mechanic: Fury and Stealth

Default Stats: During Character Creation you may choose to use the default stat line shown below, before racial modifiers. This can be instead of rolling for stats, or if after rolling ten sets of stats you don’t like the results.

During Character Creation you may choose to use the Default Stat Line, before racial modifiers, instead of rolling for stats, or if after rolling ten sets of stats you don’t like the results

Proficiencies

Natural Armor Proficiency: Cloth, Leather
Trainable Armor Proficiency: None
Natural Weapon Proficiency: Knives, Swords, Bludgeons, Axes
Trainable Weapon Proficiency: Handweapons, Whips, Firearms

See Equipment section for details. When using weapons or armor that your class is not proficient with, see Combat Penalties. There is no level or title prerequisite to train in a new proficiency, however you must receive the appropriate Training.

Class Skills

Class Passive Skill: Caged Fury
Class Secondary Skill: (choose one) Dual Wield, Intimidator, or Warmonger

Primary Skills

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Fury

Berserkers follow the standard methods of gaining fury in combat by both inflicting and taking damage.

Stealth

Berserkers use stealth as an effective tool to not only draw close to their unsuspecting foes but also wage psychological warfare and sabotage their defenses. Berserkers follow the standard rules for Stealth classes and Learning New Stealth Skills.

Stealth Costs for Berserkers are as follows:

• All offensive or aggressive Stealth actions reduce Stealth by 2 prior to taking a Stealth Test
• All offensive or aggressive Stealth instants reduce Stealth by 1 prior to taking a Stealth Test
• Increase the Stealth cost by 1 if the offensive or aggressive instant or action is NOT a Stealth skill (i.e. a regular attack action)
• All regular movement reduces Stealth by 1 per tabletop inch moved prior to taking a Stealth Test

Berserkers have the following restrictions for Stealth Disciplines:

• Primary Discipline: Sabotage
• Available Disciplines: Thievery, Dirty Fighting, Survival, Assassination, 
• Forbidden Disciplines: Suppression, Subterfuge

Upon character creation, Berserker’s automatically gain the following Stealth skills (prior to applying level ups):

• Sever (Rank I)
• Bleed (Rank I)

To learn new stealth skills require training unless they are upgrades (i.e. Rank1 Stealth Shot -> Rank2 Stealth Shot). Stealth training for a Berserker is typically accomplished by paying an Expertise trainer or learning from a more experienced Stealth class.

Level Ups

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Berserkers use the following chart for leveling up:

Notes:

1. Re-calculate Fury Max each level
2. New fury abilities require training unless they are upgrades (i.e. Berserker Strike -> Improved Berserker Strike), see Learning New Fury Abilities for details
3. Re-calculate Base Stealth each level
4. New stealth abilities require training unless they are upgrades (i.e. Rank1 Stealth Shot -> Rank2 Stealth Shot), see Learning New Stealth Abilities for details

Specializations

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Specializations are recommended for advanced players only, and are accomplished through the Secondary Skill system (see Specialist Skills). Berserkers may choose to specialize their skills in up to one weapon use, one combat style and/or one stealth discipline, but can not have more than two specializations in total.

• Max one Weapon Specialist skill (choose from any known weapon proficiency)
• Max one Combat Specialist skill (choose from: Freehand, Great Weapon, Paired Weapon, Freestyle, Peltast)
• Max one Stealth Specialist skill (choose from: Thievery, Sabotage, Dirty Fighting, Survival, Assassination)

Title System

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Berserkers gain titles by completing a series of violent and savage Rites to prove themselves worthy and channel their violent temperament. However, Berserkers must also pledge themselves to a cause or a figurehead of some kind, known as becoming Bloodsworn. Without this sense of purpose they will lose themselves to violence, taking up the outlaw title of Savage.

The titles awarded through the Rites of Berserker are as follows:

Outlaw Titles

Savage

A savage is an outlaw title acquired by Berserkers who either neglect or refuse to pledge themselves to a cause and/or figurehead (such as a tribal chief), also known as becoming Bloodsworn to that cause or figurehead. Without this pledge of service or duty to anchor them, most Berserkers will lose themselves to mindless rage. While a Berserker can become Bloodsworn at any time, even switching causes or allegiances at times, it is best for Berserkers to pledge themselves early on in their lives. The longer a Berserker engages in their wild fury induced battle practices without being Bloodsworn, the more likely they will forever be lost to their rage.

Qualifications:

• Neglect or refuse the Rite of the Bloodsworn

Rewards & Consequences:

• At level 6 gain Mindless Rage (passive)
• all other Title Rewards are ignored

Common Builds

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coming soon…

Additional Lore

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coming soon…

Notable Characters

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Basmoric the Enforcer

Half-elven Berserker and official ‘Enforcer’ of Heroes Guild. Hero of the War for the Tindermoot. Fought in the climatic battle against the Maw of the Void in the Halfling port of Pearl, instrumental in the destruction of the Void Gate. Unconfirmed leader of the Guild Shadows and founding member of the Guild City of Eleutheria.

Seemingly satisfied with the blow it had just landed, the Void Terror repositioned itself for another round of attacks, growing yet another appendage with which to strike down the orc. Yet, before it could do so the mass of tentacles suddenly stuck out at all angles, going rigid for a brief moment and then collapsing in upon themselves as they went limp. From behind the creature a pair of axes sliced through its body in a scissor like motion, cutting it into two writhing halves before it crashed to the ground in a pool of thick oily blackness. There, looking up through the carnage, was the grinning face of Basmoric, covered in the Void Terror’s vital fluids.

“Well Brodash, looks like you’ll owe me one if we ever get out of this alive,”

-Excerpt from the War for the Tindermoot, ‘Transcript of the final moments of the battle against the Maw of the Void’

Demo Character

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Moragh Wolfbane

Level 4 Berserker, paired weapon knife specialist