#true primitive

[miss-dhalgren]

One time, I designed a Gnoll for a game of Pathfinder. Her name was Ch'ak and she had a macahuitl made of ogre teeth. She could not read, and measured the success of any mission by how much melon, steak, and corn beer she could enjoy afterwards. You can look at old pen-drawings of her, too, if you want.

[dailycharacteroption]

True Primitive (Barbarian Archetype)

Barbarians typically come from more warlike and primitive societies, but today’s entry goes a step further by representing cultures that are not only primitive, but outright xenophobic in their adherence to the old ways, fearing the advancements of so-called civilization. Still, their hardiness outstrips even their more open-minded kin.

In addition to xenophobic modern tribes, this archetype can be used to represent stone age characters, both anachronistic and otherwise, and brings back an old holdover from 3.5 that was dropped from the pathfinder barbarian: illiteracy. This makes sense, as for many true primitive cultures, writing might not have been invented yet, or might be reserved for the inscribing of runes, giving rise to superstitions about the written word.

  In addition to their illiteracy, they are left lacking in terms of technology, which is reflected in their weapons and armor, limiting them to hide and bone for protection, and the more simple types of weapons.

These braves know their homeland like the back of their hands, becoming especially proficient at navigating and surviving within.

What is most interesting, however, is their use of hand-crafted fetishes that they create from the bones, hair, feathers, and so on of their fallen foes. Whether it be a little extra bit of confidence or some primal mystic power, weapons and armor adorned with these attached spiritual foci seem to strike surer than their counterparts and protect against debilitating effects. Fragile weapons also seem to be less likely to break when so equipped. As their prowess and experience grows, the craft more and more such fetishes, drawing from the strength of fallen foes and commemorating past victories.

The rage powers recommended for this archetype revolve around the dual purposes of unlocking animal power in the barbarian, and warding and empowering them against the supernatural, granting enhanced senses, resistance to spells, and even the ability to lash out as spectral beings normally beyond their reach.

Wanna roleplay an especially primitive barbarian as well as play around with the fragile weapon quality while mitigating some of the risk associated with that? This archetype may be for you. No real mechanical reason for doing so beyond the favored terrain bonus, but it’s a fun archetype nevertheless. You can take you cues for your build from the recommended rage powers, creating an animalistic anti-mage warrior, or you can do whatever. The inability to learn written languages period, however, can be rough, making it another example of the few times I feel the retraining rules can be useful, to become a vanilla or other archetype of barbarian while maintaining the same feats and/or rage powers.

  Despite their lack of education, these barbarians are not necessarily stupid, so remember not to roleplay them as comically idiotic. Instead, focus on the struggle to understand a world that oftentimes does not fit into the proscribed grounds of your previous teachings.

    Goblins are not known for their civilized ways, but those that dwell in the deep earth are even more savage. Despite primarily fighting with bone weapons and stolen steel implements, they prove especially cunning in setting up ambushes, seeking to devour the strongest of their victims to gain their strength. Dealing with them is a constant hazard of walking the dark road.

  The River Turtle tribe stays far away from civilization, their rafts never coming close to the riverside ports, simply drifting past. However, their isolation has led to ghoul fever running rampant throughout the raft-village, and soon the druid magic that propels it fails, causing it to crash and unleash its lacedon cargo upon the unsuspecting town.

  Generations ago, the Brotherhood of Truth was an expedition to the lost lands beyond the Hogek Mountains. Losing their mages early on, the team’s descendants have reverted to savagery, worshipping the ancient texts and equipment of their ancestors, but daring not to read or use them in any way. Now they survive in that lost land, hunting and taming the massive savage dinosaurs that dwell within.