Tribal Berserker
Revised D&D3e Prestige Class by M Jason Parent (hound@ambient.on.ca)

	
The Berserker NPC class  was originally created by John Pickens and was published in the October 1976 issue of Dragon Magazine (issue 3). This version of the Berserker Prestige Class for 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons is as closely based on that version as possible while staying within game balance and D20 system restrictions. Throughout this document spellings have been rendered in Canadian / British standard and pronouns have been rendered in the feminine.

	Tribal Berserkers are a Barbarian prestige-class and elite fighting units of some of the northern tribes. Many tribal war councils or warrior groups keep a magically-preserved store of blood from their lycanthropic totem.  A promising young warrior of the tribes is sometimes chosen to join the ranks of the berserker tribes in a ritual that involves the mingling of her blood with the Tribal stores of their lycanthropic totem.  Some tribes are aligned with a specific lycanthrope, while in other tribes the Berserkers are more of a religious blood cult tolerated within the tribe because of their fierce nature as tribal warriors.
	Hit Die: d12

Requirements
	To qualify to become a Tribal Berserker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
	Alignment: any non-lawful alignment
	Base Attack Bonus: +4 or higher
	Fortitude Save: +5 or higher
	Intimidate: 6 Ranks
	Strength: 13+
	Constitution: 13+
	Feats: Power Attack, Cleave
	Special: either
		Ability to Rage at least 1 / Day (as the Barbarian ability)
		or
Been bitten by or have consumed the blood of a lycanthrope in the heat of combat and have been accepted into the ranks of one of the lycanthrope-affiliated barbarian tribes.

Class Skills
	The Tribal Berserker’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex) and Wilderness Lore (Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
	Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier

Class Features
	All of the following are class features of the Tribal Berserker prestige class.
	Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Tribal Berserkers are proficient in all basic and martial weapons except projectile weapons (bows, crossbows and the like) and shields, but are not proficient with any armour (although since most are drawn from Barbarian stock, they usually have light and medium armour proficiency already).
	Berserk Rage: The Tribal Berserker’s Berserk Rage ability is almost identical to the Barbarian’s rage except as follows. The Berserk Rage lasts for (5 + new Constitution modifier) rounds. If the Berserker is still in his Berserk Rage when all opponents have fallen, there is an 11% chance each round that he will turn on a friendly character. This chance is reduced by 1% per level in the Tribal Berserker prestige class. During a Berserk Rage, a Tribal Berserker with the Cleave feat in light or no armour is treated as having the Great Cleave feat, if the Tribal Berserker has the Great Cleave feat already and is wearing light or no armour, then treat her as having the Whirlwind Attack feat.
	Damage Reduction: A Tribal Berserker’s damage reduction (gained at level 2) does not stack with damage reduction provided by other sources or classes except the Barbarian class. For Barbarian Tribal Berserkers, ½ the Tribal Berserker damage reduction can be stacked with the character’s Barbarian damage reduction if it would produce a higher damage reduction than the Tribal Berserker damage reduction on it’s own.
	Detect Invisible: The Tribal Berserker’s senses are preternaturally sharp and she now treats invisible foes as having 50% concealment (20% miss chance instead of 50% miss chance).
	Fearsome Rage: The Tribal Berserker’s Berserk Rage can cause morale penalties in enemies. Compare the Tribal Berserker’s level to the opponent’s level or Hit Dice on table 1-1 when a Tribal Berserker in Fearsome Rage attacks. For purposes of this table only, treat the Tribal Berserker as being two levels higher if she is wearing no armour other than a shield, or four levels higher if she is completely skyclad (again, except for a shield) and in warpaint.
	Heightened Senses: The Tribal Berserker gains a +2 bonus to spot, listen and search rolls from her refined animal-like senses (this does not stack with racial modifiers).
	Great Rage: As with the Barbarian ability, at this level the Berserker’s stat bonuses are greater during a Berserk Rage.
	WereShape: Beginning at the level indicated, the Tribal Berserker gains the ability to shapeshift into the form of his lycanthropic totem during his Berserk and regular Rages. Treat this in all ways as the Druidic shapeshifting abilities. The Tribal Berserker does not gain the Lycanthrope’s damage reduction or other supernatural abilities. Each Tribal Berserker can assume one wereshape, and this shape is determined by what Lycanthropic tribe they are a member of.

Table 1-1 Effects of Fearsome Rage (Subtract opponent’s level from Tribal Berserker’s)		
Level Difference	Effect	
5+	-4 morale penalty to attacks rolls, concentration and saves, -2 morale penalty to target’s allies within 40'	
+1 to +4	-3 morale penalty to attacks rolls, concentration and saves, -1 morale penalty to target’s allies within 40'	
0	-2 morale penalty to attack rolls, concentration checks and saving throws	
-1 to -4	-1 morale penalty to attack rolls, concentration checks and saving throws	
-5	No effect	

Class Level	
Base Attack 	
Fort Save	
Ref Save	
Will Save	
Special	
1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Berserk Rage 1/day	
2	+2	+3	+0	+1	Damage Reduction 1/-	
3	+3	+3	+1	+1	Heightened Senses, Fearsome Rage	
4	+4	+4	+1	+2	Berserk Rage 2/day	
5	+5	+4	+1	+2	Damage Reduction 2/-	
6	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	WereRat Shape, Detect Invisible	
7	+7/+2	+5	+2	+3	WereWolf Shape, Berserk Rage 3/day	
8	+8/+3	+6	+2	+3	WereBoar Shape, Damage Reduction 3/-	
9	+9/+4	+6	+3	+4	WereTiger Shape, Great Rage	
10	+10/+5	+7	+3	+4	WereBear Shape, Berserk Rage 4/day