The Champion Barbarian

“I heard you just fine,” Einar said, taking a step toward the trio.

“So you can speak,” the man said. His companions sniggered, and the man on the left lifted his own bottle to his lips. “My friends and I were wondering, what do you need such a large sword for?”

“It's a tool of my trade,” Einar said.

“And what trade is that?” the drunkard asked, sneering before swigging again.

“Champion.”

All three of them laughed. Einar frowned, but said nothing while the riffraff guffawed. As their laughter grew louder, the street grew emptier. Travelers slipped down alleys or turned onto cross streets, eager to be away whatever was about to happen. By the time the black-banded brigands had finished, Einar stood alone in the late afternoon sun.

“A champion,” the leader said, putting a falsetto trill into his voice. “What kind of coward fights with a sword like that, eh?”

“Some men's tools are bigger than others,” Einar said with a shrug. “It's nothing for you to be ashamed of.”

The man to the left of the door sputtered, coughing cheap wine onto the dusty boards. The other door guard goggled. The third man stared, as if the northman had started barking at him.

“What did you say to me?” he demanded.

Einar smiled, showing square, white teeth. “I think you heard me well enough, friend. Or are you deaf, as well as ugly?”

The leader dropped his bottle, snatching at the butt of his cudgel. His stubby fingers were stupid with wine, and it took him a second longer than it might have had he been sober. In that lost moment Einar stepped onto the inn's porch, cupped the side of the man's neck, and heaved. The leader's head slammed into the support beam hard enough to shiver the timber, and he went down like he'd been poleaxed. With no lost motion Einar stepped over the leader, driving a heavy right hand into the second man's face. The guard's head smacked the solid wood wall, rattling his brains and rolling his eyes up to the whites.

“Inbred swine,” the last man spat. He threw his empty bottle aside, snatching his knife from its sheathe. “I'll take that out of your hide!”

He slashed, and the dagger's edge dug a shallow trench across Einar's brigandine. Metal screeched against metal, and Einar grabbed the man's knife wrist. The knife fighter let go of the knife, catching it in his free hand as he drew back for another blow. Einar drove his forehead down into the daggerman's face, and blood spurted as the smaller man's nose broke. The man with the black band shook the stars from his eyes, trying to stab Einar. Einar shifted his weight, and threw his opponent bodily into the street. The daggerman sprawled, the knife went flying, and before he could scramble to his feet Einar leaped after him. The northerner brought his boot down hard; ribs cracked, and the sprawled head cracker let out a howl choked with blood.

Before you call the tune, be sure you're ready to dance.

This week's character concept and into segment is brought to you by my latest book, The Rejects. The segment is from the story titled Champion For Hire, and if you're a fan of gritty, barbaric brawls I highly recommend giving it a look.

Who Do You Stand For?

Barbarians are terrifying warriors, able to call on reserves of strength and strange powers the likes of which other combatants simply cannot match. However, while some barbarians hone their skills through long practice and many battles, others may be given their powers in order to stand as champions. As I pointed out in 50 Shades of Rage: Flavoring The Barbarian's Signature Ability, Rage Powers can have all sorts of origins in a character's story... so why not as a gift so they may defend a people, or a cause?

None dare face the Dragon Prince in single combat when he takes his war form.

As an example, a barbarian with the dragon totem Rage Powers might have grown into them naturally, being selected to stand as the royal champion to the Dragon Throne. Perhaps they are the latest in a long line of warriors to develop such potent abilities, or perhaps the Great Dragon chooses them at random, bestowing their blessing on the warriors they see fit. Alternatively, your champion may have been raised in the Faith of Bones, undergoing a ritual where they drink the black blood of the champions who came before them, filling them with the spirits of departed warriors who fight alongside them when they let forth their Rage in the form of the spirit totem rage powers. They may have made a deal with powers of the fey for strength and savagery, but they are now tied to the forces of the First World with abilities like Spring Rage, allowing their ferocity to ignore the passage of time and the wasting of their bodies, fighting as if they were in the prime of their youth until the day they die.

All barbarians can fight, but the key for a champion is that they fight for someone, or something. It could be an individual they represent in duels (the very literal sense of a champion), or they could be chosen by a greater power. It might be a lineage, a kingdom, a knightly order, or even a god. What makes a champion really stand out, though, is that the powers they wield are often tied to the cause they fight for thematically, if not mechanically.

The barbarian in question may not even know they've been made a champion at first. But if word of their abilities spreads through their Small Legend, then they may find themselves being sought by faiths, orders, or families who expect them to take up arms in their name. Alternatively, a barbarian may have given a vow to become a champion, but turned away from those they once stood for... in these instances, that betrayal is not likely to be forgotten any time soon.

Position, Privilege, and Plot

Champion barbarians are some of the easiest characters to pull into plots, and they can be some of the more engaging characters to play. However, it's important for the player to know (and to work out with their DM) some of the following points:

- Whose Champion Are You?: Whether it's a martial order, a noble family, a town, a city, a religious sect, a cult, or an actual god, you should know whose interests you're fighting for.

- How Do Your Powers Reflect This?: Not all these powers are flashy. A barbarian champion of Cayden Cailean may take the Rage Powers roaring drunk and good for what ails you to reflect their communion with the drunken god of bravery. However, a champion of the fire lords might have the elemental rage powers instead, their wrath manifesting in blue flames leaping from their fists and weapons, and eventually healing them as it fuels their inner furnace.

- How Did You Acquire Your Powers?: This can be as involved or not as your story dictates. You may have been a weak foundling taken in by the Brotherhood of Blood, crippled and starved until you endured the Rites of The Beast. This made you strong and fast, but also granted you the beast totem Rage Powers as you grew into the savage ferocity of what the rite did to you. Alternatively, your Rage may have manifested spontaneously, the jutting horns and armored carapace allowing you to transform into a devil's champion due to a curse in your blood, or a vow given by your parents or grandparents.

- Do You Fight For The Same Person Who Gave You Your Powers?: While your powers may come from one source, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the person you fight for now. Whether the infernal champion turns their wrath upon demons and devils to protect the innocent, or the beast brother seeks to turn back the agents of the Brotherhood, just because your powers are derived from one place doesn't mean you're bound to serve those interests if you don't wish to. However, that conflict could also provide ripe story for the DM, as well as a potential source of NPCs on the hunt to make an example of your barbarian (or people who fear them because of where their powers come from, even if they depend on the champion's strength to protect them).

Once you have answers to these questions, and you've worked out the details with your DM, you should be on the way to creating a champion barbarian. Also, for more inspiration, don't forget to check out 5 Tips For Playing Better Barbarians!

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That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a dungeon master.

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