13th Age 2e Pregenerated Character Builds: Bloodbath Barbarian

By Jay Godden

In this series, I’m presenting two different pregenerated builds for every 13th Age Heroes’ Handbook character class, at all levels. My goal is to present complete mechanical builds using only standard elements and rules from the Heroes Handbook, ready for you to apply your own backgrounds, icon relationships, and One Unique Thing.

In this pair of articles, we look at two potential builds for the Barbarian.

The Barbarian is all about laying the hurt on their enemies as messily as possible. You are a frontliner with a huge potential damage output, able to take out your foes quickly and direct the course of battle.

The Barbarian’s most important mechanic is Rage, which you can access much more readily compared to first edition. You have a roughly one in three chance of starting to rage each turn and the first time each battle you are damaged by an enemy attack, with your chances increasing with the escalation die. You can also rage on command once per arc, with some feats giving you a few more options too. While raging, your crit range expands by 4 (typically to 16+) and your potential for bloodshed skyrockets. As a Barbarian you are typically lightly armoured, and don’t have exceptional hit points, so while you hit like a bulette you can’t always take it. Your best defensive stat is your enormous d12 recovery, so make use of this. Work with your party to take some of the heat off you and keep your hit point total looking healthy.

Being one of the simpler classes Barbarians don’t get powers or a spell list, but they do get access to an extra talent at 5th and 8th level.

Bloodbath Barbarian

Download the Bloodbath Barbarian Character Sheets by clicking here.

These sheets make use of the class-specific character sheets designed for the second edition by Miguel Friginal.

The Bloodbath Barbarian is all about the simple pleasures in life, slaying monstrous foes while wielding the biggest weapons you can carry. This build’s barbarian has very little regard for their own well-being, focusing entirely on dealing maximum Raging melee damage, so you will need to keep a close eye on your hit points and whether you have ended up overextended and isolated beyond your party. An especially effective character when supported by sturdy frontliners like Paladins, Fighters, or some Clerics.

Magic item choices are left out of the character sheets, since often they are out of your control as a player. Check with your GM to see if they will be granting you any items, and adjust your stats accordingly if they do. The biggest, most magical weapon you can find will probably be on the top of your priority list. To help offset your poor defences, you might consider asking for a magic belt for even better healing, boots for better running away (tactical repositioning), or any items with powers that let you heal or divert attacks away.

Talents

Barbaric Cleave

After you drop an enemy you can move and make a new attack against a still-breathing enemy. Since you’ll be killing things all the time, this will help you carry your momentum forward.

Two-Hander

While raging you get to use d12s for your melee damage dice. You can also daze foes that are staggered after your attacks, knocking them around with your oversized weapon.

Violence

Before making an important attack roll you can activate Violence to increase your chances of a hit and a crit, though you can’t use this in conjunction with cleave, or the daze from Two-Hander. Violence is jealous like that.

Kin Power

Troll-kin’s Lethal is a classic choice for a Barbarian, making your attacks more reliable and giving you another chance at a crit while raging. Sometimes the stereotypes have it right.

Attributes

Strength is for hitting monsters, Constitution is for being hit by monsters: Str 19 (+4) Dex 14 (+2) Con 17 (+3) Wis 10 (+0) Int 13 (+1 ) Cha 12 (+1).

1st level

Attributes: Str 19 (+4) Dex 14 (+2) Con 17 (+3) Wis 10 (+0) Int 13 (+1 ) Cha 12 (+1).

Kin Power: Lethal

Talents: Barbaric Cleave, Two-Hander, Violence

Feat: A: Lethal

2nd level

New feat (A: Two-Hander).

3rd level

New feat (A: Grim Determination).

4th level

+1 to three attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution), new feat (A: Barbaric Cleave).

5th level

New talent (My Turn), new feat (C: Barbaric Cleave).

6th level

New feat (C: Two-Hander).

7th level

+1 to four attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma), new feat (C: My Turn).

8th level

New talent (Bloody Resolve), new feat (E: Bloody Resolve).

9th level

New feat (E: Violence).

10th level

+1 to five attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Charisma), new feat (C: Rage).

Zenith feat

New feat (Z: Zenith Power), new talent (Building Frenzy)