Viking character class ideas?

[Adindra]

So for an upcoming campaign that i'll be participating in i want to build a Viking esq character. My ideas so far have been either the shock trooper type of fighter or some form of barbarian, but i was wondering if anyone had any better ideas for an ancient Viking type of character. The build im going to use doesnt have to be too optimized i was going for the feel of playing a Viking over anything else however i dont want to suck.

In the end if i cant figure anything out ill just go shock trooper or barb but i would like any advice i can get from all of you ^.^

[Socratov]

I'd still go for the barbarian, since the defining ability of vikings is the berserker rage. However, if you have a good enough google-fu you can find the alternative class features for the barbarian which you can use to flavor you barbarian to beïng a viking.

[Serpentine]

Wasn't there a Berserker class/variant Barbarian around somewhere? I'll see if I can find it.

edit: Eeeeh... Some of the Barbarian variants could work, but I can't see what I was looking for.

[Yora]

However, berserkers were regarded as rare and special individuals unlike other warriors.
Which doesn't stop a fantasy-viking from using the barbarian class, but most normal vikings would be fighters.

[Eldariel]

Barbarian is based on the classic Viking Berserker archetype. Any kind of Priest, Warrior or Commoner would work tho. Warblade would be pretty reasonable. If you specifically want a Berserker (basically Bear Warrior; no, not the PRC but a warrior who wears Bear pelts and invokes uncontrollable frenzy in oneself before the fights), sprinkle Barbarian on any martial shell.

[Greenish]

Warblade/barbarian, says I. Sword & Board is hard to make work without ToB, and that's what I imagine a northman using when going viking.

[Edit]: Well, axe/spear & board, actually.

[Adindra]

All of those options sound amazing! I'll have to check a few of those out, i may have to go fighter warblade or something like that. The feeling i wanted to go for was kind of like a Norse warrior who defends his land through his own physical strength (i was inspired by a song by a group called Ensiferum called Victory Song). However i think i could probably work it with the Barbarian as well simply for the fact that although the class is powered by rage he could still be honorable and "noble" ie fighting for his people.

[Thespianus]

Depending on what you want your Viking to do, Crusader might be better.

If you want a marauding Viking, attacking and messing things up like we Scandinavians always do, go Warblade, but if you want a raging Viking "defender of the lands", check out Crusader.

The amount of damage a Crusader can soak up is just amazing. Not sure how it interacts with Rage, though.

[Adindra]

Alrighty im gonna borrow a friends ToB and check out crusader asap! Hopefully that will be what im looking for. :smallsmile:

[Zombimode]

Well, it pretty much boils down to what you want your "viking" to be.
Historically Vikings are not very different from any other people, warrior wise. Saying "I want to play a Viking" makes about as much sense as saying "I want to play a Frank/Saxon/Lombard". At least all Vikings on sea raids were generally adapt at sea faring, and thats a difference.

Equipment was, like almost anywhere else, based on individual wealth.
Normal viking "warriors" most likely had a round shield (heavy wooden shield), a spear (Spear or Longspear), an iron helmet (irrelevant in D&D) and maybe something to throw at enemies like stones, and not much else.
Richer (ie. of higher birth) vikings would gradually upgrade on armor to some form of chain or scale mail, and replace the spear with a sword.

Vikings on sea raids probably wont have used horses much, but seeing that Normans (which are Vikings) were one of the most famed mounted warriors for a time, it seems they had a knack for it too.

Bottom line: the term "Viking" is much more descriptive for the sea raiding, expansionistic culture of the scandinavian people in the early medieval times than a distinct equiment/fighting style.

[Serpentine]

If I recall my relevant unit correctly, they took horses with them and were at least adequate horsemen.

edit: Although... I believe that was in the context of the full-blown invasion of Britain. Normal sea raids of monastaries and the like may not have had them.

[Adindra]

So after checking out the crusader online it seems to be exactly the feel i was looking for other than the religious part but my dm said i could work on that for a more personalized feel to it ^.^ I especially loved the idea of setting aside pain and injury to use as your fuel for power! When i envisioned the character in my head it was him getting beaten to the ground then rising up and doing just that so it works exactly like what i was imagining thank you guys! :smallbiggrin:

[Combat Reflexes]

The feeling i wanted to go for was kind of like a Norse warrior who defends his land through his own physical strength (i was inspired by a song by a group called Ensiferum called Victory Song). However i think i could probably work it with the Barbarian as well simply for the fact that although the class is powered by rage he could still be honorable and "noble" ie fighting for his people.

I'd use a barbarian/warblade, or crusader even. Odin and Thor are the most badass gods around. I mean, Odin rides a huge horse with eight legs and has sold his left eye to a dwarf to get access to eternal wisdom. And he's permanently drunk.

Speaking of Ensiferum, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5tZB1RVh7M) is where I got my inspiration for the Viking runepriest I now play :smallsmile:

[Gnaeus]

Surprisingly, Bards also work well for vikings. Maybe dip a martial or TOB class for some proficiencies, then wade into battle singing your war song. There are Skald archetypes in every incarnation of 3.x/PF, as far as I know.

[NineThePuma]

Why don't you talk to your DM about playing a Cleric/Crusader/Ruby Knight Vindicator of Odin, with Shadowhand access replaced with Iron Heart. You can have this huge hatred/rivalry with Orcs because their one eyed god is a ****, and your one eyed god is clearly the better man.

[Spiryt]

Richer (ie. of higher birth) vikings would gradually upgrade on armor to some form of chain or scale mail, and replace the spear with a sword.

Well, higher birth wasn't really sunonimous with "richer" especially since, like you mentioned, the whole 'vikings' were guys who were sailing away for the sole purpose of getting wealthier by violent means.

Anyway, scale is not really confirmed from Iceland to Sweden still, AFAIR, and they would supplement spear with sword, instead of replacement.



edit: Although... I believe that was in the context of the full-blown invasion of Britain. Normal sea raids of monastaries and the like may not have had them.

Most certainly not, horse on ~ 20m drakkar would be hell of a pain in.... Not to mention feeding it.


Anyway, cleric could work well as a dip too, take Destruction, Travel, War, Strength or similar domain for raider fitting powers, and fluff spells accordingly....

[Crow]

Grab a shortspear so you can still use your shield at the same time.

[Thespianus]

Well, higher birth wasn't really sunonimous with "richer" especially since, like you mentioned, the whole 'vikings' were guys who were sailing away for the sole purpose of getting wealthier by violent means.

Nah, that's a bad rep. Some went to loot sure, most of them went to trade.

Sure, the difference might be blurry at some times (but hey, have you seen a huge sale at Bloomingtons? :smallwink: ) , but the bulk of the trips were for trade.

[Person_Man]

Frostrager (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040911a&page=3) seems appropriate. The key ability is that, while Raging, you are healed by Cold damage. Have an ally take Energy Substitution, and he can drop Cold Fireballs and similar spells in the middle of combat to heal you while harming enemies. Useful options you may wish to look at:

Lion Totem Barbarian 1: Gives you Pounce and Rage. Do not take more then 1 level of Barbarian - it's a trap. Complete Champion.
Extra Rage feat: Gives you 2 extra Rages or Frenzies per day. Comp Warrior.
Deepwarden (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=4) 2: Con to AC (replaces Dex). Requires that you be a Dwarf, but Dwavrves are very Viking like anyway.
Fist of the Forest 1: Adds your Constitution to AC while unarmored. Complete Champion.
Stuff that increases size or effective size. If you go with Frostrager and/or Fist of the Forest, then you'll probably be using Unarmed Combat. If so, it's not that difficult to push your Unarmed Damage up to impressive levels for a moderate investment. Comp Champion.
Totemist + Totem Rager: A fairly strong Barbarian PrC option. It helps out with Rage, Power Attack, and progresses soulmelds. The only real down side is that you have to learn the Incarnum rules. Magic of Incarnum.
Bear Warrior 1: One level is all you need to get a fairly large bonus to Str and Con while in a Rage. The down side is that you have to pay the "Wilding" clasp/enchantment premium on most of your magic items so that it works when you transform into bear form. But this synergizes very well with Totemist + Totem Rager, and with the Unarmed stuff if your DM allows you to use Unarmed Strike while in bear form (which is debatable). Comp Warrior.
Runescarred Berserker: Progresses Rage and grants weird tattoo spells, some of which are very potent (like Antimagic Field).
War Hulk (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20030914a) + Legacy Champion or Skillful Weapon or any divine caster with Divine Power: War Hulk grants massive Strength bonuses but no BAB. There are three or four back door methods of getting BAB though.

[noparlpf]

Deities & Demigods page 200 or so. PrC called "Berserk".

[McSmack]

So after checking out the crusader online it seems to be exactly the feel i was looking for other than the religious part but my dm said i could work on that for a more personalized feel to it ^.^ I especially loved the idea of setting aside pain and injury to use as your fuel for power! When i envisioned the character in my head it was him getting beaten to the ground then rising up and doing just that so it works exactly like what i was imagining thank you guys! :smallbiggrin:

Crusader is a great choice! As far as the fluff goes it's pretty mutable. Your character could just be devoted to his homeland instead of a particular religion. Patriotism replaces religion pretty handily. What were you thinking about going with for weapons/armor selection? And if your heart is set on Crusader what Disciplines are you going to choose? Crusaders don't get a lot of options, but they do have access to Devoted Spirit Discipline, which is awesome.

[Ernir]

Sure, the difference might be blurry at some times

Etymology time!

I Icelandic, we have the word "rannsaka". This means "to research", or "to investigate".
In English, you have the same word. Only you spell it "ransack", and have assigned a somewhat different meaning to it.

[NineThePuma]

Frostrager (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040911a&page=3) seems appropriate.

A good feat to complement this is the Blazing Berserker feat from Sandstorm. Gives you immunity to fire and Cold Vulnerability while raging. I wonder how this can be used well in conjunction. :smallwink:

[Serpentine]

Most certainly not, horse on ~ 20m drakkar would be hell of a pain in.... Not to mention feeding it.The Normans brought horses with them for their invasion of Britain. See here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_transports_in_the_Middle_Ages).
Compared with dragging their ships for kilometers on their journeys far to the east, shipping horses is a breeze.

[NineThePuma]

Don'tcha know? Viking ships could teleport.

[Spiryt]

The Normans brought horses with them for their invasion of Britain. See here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_transports_in_the_Middle_Ages).
Compared with dragging their ships for kilometers on their journeys far to the east, shipping horses is a breeze.

That was great Invasion, with hundreds of ships under strong feudal ruler.

With one, two ships, transporting just one horse for chieftain or other important figure would be problematic enough, definitely.

[Serpentine]

I said that. Or were you responding only to the bit about usual raids?

[Spiryt]

Well, yeah, I quoted only the part about 'normal' raids most probably not having them.

[ArcanistSupreme]

A good feat to complement this is the Blazing Berserker feat from Sandstorm. Gives you immunity to fire and Cold Vulnerability while raging. I wonder how this can be used well in conjunction. :smallwink:

I feel like you would get immunity to both. The feat gives you the fire subtype, with all of the benefits and weaknesses included, but the Frostrager ability just gives you a flat immunity. Any other insights on this?

EDIT: On second thought, the Frozen Berserker feat, which is a prerequisite for Frostrager, gives you the cold subtype. So you have both the fire and cold subtypes, and I'm confused.

[Greenish]

The amount of damage a Crusader can soak up is just amazing. Not sure how it interacts with Rage, though.Pretty well. Crusaders don't have access to any maneuvers that couldn't be used while raging.


I'd use a barbarian/warblade, or crusader even. Odin and Thor are the most badass gods around. I mean, Odin rides a huge horse with eight legs and has sold his left eye to a dwarf to get access to eternal wisdom.I thought he dropped the eye in a well.


Surprisingly, Bards also work well for vikings. Maybe dip a martial or TOB class for some proficiencies, then wade into battle singing your war song. There are Skald archetypes in every incarnation of 3.x/PF, as far as I know.War Chanter of CW, savage bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) of UA. Song of White Raven for combining bard and crusader.


If you feel that the measly lil' shortspear is too flimsy, but want spear & shield, try getting trident fluffed as a martial one-handed spear, it has a bit more heft to it.


[Edit]:
I feel like you would get immunity to both. The feat gives you the fire subtype, with all of the benefits and weaknesses included, but the Frostrager ability just gives you a flat immunity. Any other insights on this?I'd agree. Two feats for conditional immunities to energy types (which both can be pierced by anyone dedicated for it) isn't that hot, anyhow.

[Adindra]

What were you thinking about going with for weapons/armor selection? And if your heart is set on Crusader what Disciplines are you going to choose? Crusaders don't get a lot of options, but they do have access to Devoted Spirit Discipline, which is awesome.

For my weapons i was thinking either greatsword for a more intimidating rp look or sword and board for the protect the homeland look and armor was going to be the heaviest i could afford just for the fact that i would probably end up the party tank the people that dm the games i play in are cool with me editing the look of my armor and adding bits of fluff to it so that should be fine.

any advice on disciplines i've never used the tome of battle before to be honest

[Greenish]

We just happen to have a handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181655).

In short, Devoted Spirit has the tankiest maneuvers, White Raven is leadery action economy manipulation, Stone Dragon is a bit lacklustre but has some good stuff.

[Person_Man]

A good feat to complement this is the Blazing Berserker feat from Sandstorm. Gives you immunity to fire and Cold Vulnerability while raging. I wonder how this can be used well in conjunction. :smallwink:

If I was DM, while Raging, you'd be healed by Cold Damage and Immune to Fire damage. I would also give the player the homebrew option of changing Frost Rager to Fire Rager, which would be healed by Fire Damage (and Immune to Cold Damage if they took the Frozen Berserker feat).

[JaronK]

How about Lion Totem Whirling Frenzy Barbarian 1/Zhentarium Fighter 9/Rokugan Ninja 1/Scarlet Corsair 9? You can fly into berskerer rages, scare the heck out of everyone, and sail the high seas!

JaronK

[Metahuman1]

I'm all for the Warblade for this. Use a Warhammer/Maul/Goliath Great Hammer, A spear of some kind, Some Manner of Ax, or a Long/Bastard/Great sword, maybe a shield depending on what you wanna do.

Now, Schools, Look at Tiger claw, Iron Hear, and Stone Dragon. Primal Fury, skill at arms, and Brute strenght are the key goals of those schools, so they mesh well. Now just remember that you do not in fact have to say the attacks name when you use the maneuver.

Pick-up Adaptive Style, Power-attack, and anything else that's useful for your preferred fighting style, be it Sword and Board, TWF or THF.

Now, flavor as desired.

[Alefiend]

I'm not so sure about that Frost/Fire Berserker stuff for Viking flavor. Frost giants and Surtr's fire demons were the enemies of the Aesir and Vanir.

Definitely 1H weapons (spear, then axe, then sword, plus a dagger/short sword as backup) and a heavy round shield. Mail or hide, and a helmet. For style, you should know your way around small ocean and coastal vessels, and have good hygiene—Norse people were pretty good about bathing and keeping their hair neat.

[Andorax]

Refluff the Dread Pirate?