(custom class) the sacred berserker

General ACKS Forums House Rules
1

The paladin of the barbarians, holy warrior of its tribe, protected by the ancient runes of the long forgoten dwarves.

Requisite: Str and Con
xp to level 2: 2300xp
Hit dice: 1d6

Fighting 2 (1000xp)
4 Tradeoffs: armor unrestricted to forbidden (+600xp)
Hit dice 1 (500xp)
Thievery 1 (200xp)(3 custom powers)

Powers:
Flesh-runes (3 powers)
Savage resilience
Divine blessing
Fighting fury (2 powers)

Proficiencies:
Acrobatics, Beast Friendship, Blind Fighting, Climbing, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (force back, knock down, overrun, wrestling), Command, Dungeon Bashing, Endurance, Fighting Style, Intimidation, Leadership, Military Strategy, Naturalism, Passing Without Trace, Precise Shooting, Prophecy, Riding, Running, Seafaring, Skirmishing, Sniping, Survival, Swashbuckling, Weapon Focus, goblin-slayer.

2

Awesome. It’s like Dwarf Fury meets Paladin meets Barbarian.

3

Should / does swashbuckling stack with flesh-runes? Level 13 AC would equal the AC of plate mail +3.

4

I have that doubt to, its a really powerfull combo, on the other hand, at level 13 is not that weird to have a plate mail +3 and all monsters of 5 HD or more can bipass your damage reduction, same goes for magic weapons.

5

Thanks!

6

While I like the notion of combining berserker and paladin (I have read that it is probable that Scandinavian berserkers were closely connected with animal-cults, and filled that sort of “holy warrior” role), I’m a little put off by taking Fury powers wholesale. I guess in a game where Fury wasn’t available I probably wouldn’t mind.

7

Why you dont like fury powers?

8

Doesn’t feel different / divine enough for me, I guess.

9

i could change fighting fury for one custom power at level 2, one at level 4 and one at level 9:
it will be meditative trance (reanming it battle trance) at level 2
gain a totem at level 4
and being able to cast skinchange at level 9 (unsure if using this or another spell at level 9

10

I have produced an alternate, more Saga- and divine-powered berserker, up at http://wanderinggamist.blogspot.com/2015/07/acks-class-bearsarker.html

11

very interesting!

12

I like how straightforward this build is, it really does feel like a rune covered counterpart to the typical image of an armored paladin from a marbled temple.

Instead of taking thief1 for the three powers, you could instead drop unrestricted weapon access to narrow and give up one of the weapon styles and missile damage scaling for 3-5 powers to use. You can explain the restrictions as this people’s holy warriors use of certain ritual weapons favored by their gods and heroes of old. Considering that your sacred berserker already eschews all forms of armor, restrictions on what weapons they can use makes sense.

This then leaves you open to going either HD2 so your sacred berserker is still able to take hits like a fighter, or even Fighter 3 for faster attack bonus scaling to represent their divine favor.

13

thanks!
i chose to take the thief 1, because taking all the custom powers from fighting tradeoff would put the xp cost over 3000. but as i have little expirence in the game i have to ask ¿how much that xp difference hurt a character? because having HD2 would be nice.

14

That largely depends on how your table is starting the game and how long it lasts. From the styles I’ve seen:

“Start at level 1”- These games favor higher exp classes as they’ll start with more abilities at the table. Level 1 characters are also quite frail so you need everything you can to survive.

“Start at X experience”- In these games the very fast exp track classes like thief may be 1-2 levels above your sacred berserker while more focused classes like fighter are maybe 1 level ahead.

In most “start at level 1” games I’ve played in and observed, the high exp classes like Spellblade may level up slower but also live longer because they have unique abilities that let them survive combat from a safe distance, hit harder to end fights faster, or just had a bit more hitpoints to survive the enemy’s ambush/counterattack.

15

ok here is a very modified alternative, whit more mystic ancestral power:

Requisite: Str and Con
xp to level 2: 2600xp
Hit dice: 1d6

Fighting 2 (1000xp)
4 Tradeoffs: armor unrestricted to forbidden (+600xp)
2 Trade off weapons from unrestricted to narrow (+300xp)
(in this case axes and hammers, given the relation between the sacred berserkers and the dwarfs in my setting)
Hit dice 1 (500xp)
Thievery 1 (200xp)(3 custom powers)

Powers:
Flesh-runes (3 powers)
Savage resilience
Divine blessing
Totem (as shaman)
2 powers for a power at level 2, one at level 4 and one at level 9
1 power for one power at level 6 and one at level 8
Level 2: Battle trance (meditative trance, re-flavored as being possessed by your warrior ancestors)
Level 4: Swift Sword Once per day

Level 6:
Power of the stones, once per day, takes a turn to cast. Divine and personal only version of giants strength:
Giants strength
Self
1 turn per level

Divine
Total
80
0,5
0,8

1,25
40

Level 8:
Summon Einherjars (custom spell) once per week.

Summoning
1d4 creatures
14 HD
Only one monster
Special abilities.1
One turn per level
Divine
Total

100
1
0,7
1
0,6
1,2
50,4

The Einherjar are the ancestors warrior spirits, The Einherjar summoned by this spell are the most powerful and greatest warriors of your tribe. they have flesh runes reducing all non magical damage by 3 points per dice and give it 6 AC. It will came naked and armed with a set of hammers and axes +2 (one in each hand and one two handed). Given the sacred status Einherjar they are not technically undead.

Proficiencies:
Animal husbandry, Animal training, Beast Friendship, Blind Fighting, Climbing, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (force back, knock down, overrun, wrestling), Command, Dungeon Bashing, Endurance, Fighting Style, Intimidation, Land surveying, Leadership, Mountaineering, Military Strategy, Naturalism, Passing Without Trace, Precise Shooting, Prophecy, Riding, Running, Skirmishing, Survival, Weapon Focus, goblin-slayer.