Devil in the Details: Alfar Berserkers

The Devil is in the Details has grown on me since I first saw it in Fight On!

I generally don't like character background tables or mechanics.  Mostly because I want chargen to be very fast. And with minimal steps/choices so newbs aren't overwhelmed.  I wouldn't make these tables a required or even suggested part of character creation.

To me the true value in these lists lie in how they concisely convey a bunch of background and flavor to the reader.  Whether that reader is a player trying to get a grasp on the campaign world or me at a later date wondering what the hell I was thinking...

Here is my entry for Alfar Berserker.  These are Basic D&D/LL style race and class are combined.  "Alfar Berserker" is the class, there are no Dwarf Berserkers or Human Berserkers.  All Alfar share the Many Alfar table.


Many Alfar (roll 1d20 three times)

1. Adventure due to a death wish and desire to die "young and happy".
2. Would rather die then let a slight or insult stand.
3. Have been outlawed by their city-states.
4. Will not wear the color red (blood color tempts weapons to strike).
5. Have synesthesia.
6. Are exiled and seek to return honor to their name/clan.
7. Believe today is a good day to die.
8. View humans and halfmen as out of control animals in need of frequent culling.
9. Believe if you can't keep me from taking your stuff, then it's not really your stuff, is it?
10. Suffer from narcissism.
11. Claim other worlds exist.
12. Believe "Loosing" is dishonorable. Cheating, dirty fighting, using unfair odds, etc in order to win is not.
13. Appear androgynous to humans and halfmen.
14. Proudly display their clan via distinctive dress/facial tattoos/hair styles.
15. Find the concepts of aging and death endlessly fascinating.
16. Treat short lived races as the naive, ignorant children that they are.
17. Have not learned to hide their arrogant aloofness around others. -2 reaction.
18. Sense latent emotions left in items, areas. 2 in 6.
19. Secretly worship the Vanir and Jotuns.
20. Are hundreds (3d6) years old.

Some Berserkers (roll d16 once)

1. Consume narcotics and hallucinogens to enter berserkergang.
2. Sing beautiful, melodic, haunting songs while slaughtering.
3. Berserkergang with eyes closed.  Their blows guided by hate and anger.
4. While berserkergang remain absolutely silent, flowing gracefully from one slaughter to the next.
5. Consul against violence and war.
6. Have lost faith/interest and tire of the endless slaughter.
7. Really have it in for Jotuns(giants).  Must attack them first, -4 reaction, +2 hit.
8. Really have it in for big snakes and ophidians.  Must attack them first, -4 reaction, +2 hit.
9. Are actually just psychotic murderers and give a rat's ass about Thor and his cult.
10. Have interests other than fighting, battle, and Thor.
11. Know the time of their death, know they can not avoid it and that it will not come early.
12. Follow war/violence/death god other than Thor.
13. Name and talk with their weapons.
14. Violent, murdering ways have attracted dark beings keen to complete the Berserker's corruption.
15. Have unintentionally killed friends while berserkergang. 
16. Have tasted human flesh.

Common Traveling Gear (d16 1d3 times)

1. Wolf pelt worn as cape.
2. Plants and mushrooms eaten to achieve berserkergang.
3. A wide leather strap embossed with the runes of Thor's Blessing worn across chest bandoleer style.
4. Roman style weighted Cesti, for sparing amongst friends.
5. Armband with one feather/tassel/ornament for each viking they have participated on.
6. Token of Thor's admiration.
7. Scroll detailing the major arteries and vital organs of several races.
8. Soap and scents to clean off the blood and gore of the dead.
9. Shaving knife to keep their head nicely bald.  
10. The ring with crest of powerful Human noble house, acquired while viking.
11. Warpaint.
12. A halfman child's doll, slightly stained with blood.
13. Knee spikes.
14. Pouch with the finger bones (index, middle) of defeated enemies.
15. Rune scribed belt indicating their rank within Thor's cult.
16. Helmet with horns!

Alfar Berserker

[After thinkering over the feedback I got in my first Berserker Post I decided to change things up a bit. Below I present the complete GnG Alfar Berserker class for Labyrinth Lord or B/X, BECMI, RC, whatever float your Swanboat. Needs play testing but I think I'm done messing with it before I see how it plays.]


Alfar / Elves

The Fey know them as the Alvar Vekk (Fallen|Low|Lost Fey), men call them Elves, Alfar is the name they themselves use.  Long ago they turned their backs on their Fey cousins and the Mythic World. They embraced The Mundane. Ploughed the meadows, cut the woods and mtns pilling them into cities, learned science and technology. In a word they civilized and the other Fey have never forgiven them.

Elves cluster into large family clans.  Most clans have banded together into city-states.  Elves are fiercely loyal to their clan and city-state.  Competition, raiding and out right war is common between the city-states.  Known for exploration and colonization.  Their lodges and larger colonies may be found anywhere.  Sighting the prows of their flying Swanships on the horizon presages either a violent and merciless raid or a profitable trade meet.

Although various colonies and individual elf groups have adopted most other pantheons at one time or another the majority elves follow the Asgardian pantheon. Espcially Odin+Frigg and children (Tyr, Bragi, Baldur), Thor+Sif, and Loki.  These gods have taught and influenced elves to adopt much of the culture and attitudes of Earth's Norsemen.


Alfar Traits:

• "Slight Build" - 120lbs, 5-5.5' tall. Can wear only Light and Medium armor.
• "Unchanging" - Long lives, thousands of years. Most elves die of heartache or misfortune before old age reaches them.
• "Noble" - Graceful and beautiful by human standards.
• "Sly" - Acute sense of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. 2 in 6.
• "Star-eyed" - Low-light vision, see clearly with very little light.
• "Myth Born" - No chance of using Ancient tech*. -2 saves vs magic.
• "Look Elves!" - Loved by Hobbits, +2 reaction rolls. 
• "Fallen" - Despised by Fey, -4 reaction with Fey including Gnomes, Dwarfs, and Unseelie. Resistant to Fey magicks, +4 on saves vs Fey magick.

Alfar Berserker (Thor's Children)
Requirements:     INT 9
Prime Requisite:  STR and CON
Max Level:        9, upon reaching 9th lvl Valkyries arrive and take you to Valhalla
Hit Dice:         d8
Combat:           as fighter, 1h d6, 2h d8, Martial Skill
Saves:            as fighter
Level:            as fighter
Languages:        Elven (low fey)
Ethos:          Red only. Most are members of Thor's Cult.

"Berserkers stand and fight because if you run, you'll only die tired."

Must have 13+ in both STR an CON to earn 5% xp bonus.  Must have a CON of 16+ and STR of 13+ to earn 10% xp bonus.  Note: high Wisdom is a detriment for Berserkers making it hard for them to work themselves into and sustain berserkergang.  All Berserkers hold Thor in great esteem for it is his hate and anger that fuels their berserkergang frenzy.  Most are active members of his cult.  If there was any doubt all Berserkers follow the Red ethos*.  A Berserker may earn the right to various titles (wolf, bear, beast, dragon).  To do so they must kill the title's creature and wear it's pelt.

Berserkergang: During combat, whenever they take damage, a Berserker may attempt to work themselves into a berserker rage by rolling 2d6+damage >= their Wisdom score (2 always fail).  Hit point damage received is added as a modifier to the berserker rage roll.  Berserkers may attempt this roll every time they are hit for damage.

Berserkergang lasts until Berserker does not attack (for whatever reason) or Berserker fails to hit at least once in a round and also fails a sustain rage roll, 2d6+lvl >= Wisdom score (2 always fail).  Berseker's level is added as a modifier to the sustain rage roll.

After the berserkergang leaves them, Berserkers are mentally and physically exhausted.  Until they rest (during post combat recovery) Berserkers suffer the following effects.  Cannot work themselves into a berserker rage.  Have a -2 penalty to all activities; to hit, skill rolls, saves including Death & Dismemberment rolls!

Effects of berserkergang:

• Must opt for direct melee attacks over other activities. I.e. will not use ranged weapons, tricky combat maneuvers, stop to drink potion, stand still to receive healing, seek cover, withdraw, etc.
• Will use their most damaging preferably two-handed weapon.
• Will not use a shield other than to bash with. Does not gain any defensive benefit from shields.
• Receives a bonus to saves vs charm, friends, command, fear, etc. and moral checks equal to their level.
• Does 2x damage.  I.e. Roll normal damage die, multiply by 2, add modifiers.
• If required to roll on Death and Dismemberment Table, may roll twice taking best result and ignores stunned and knocked out results
• Gains "Bloodlust"* and "Slaughterhouse"*.

Berserker Pelt
Berserker's who kill a wolf, bear, beast, or dragon earn the title wolf|bear|etc-slayer and the right to wear it's pelt.  A Berserker who drenches their pelt in the blood of 99 battles and takes it to 9 places holy to Thor may sacrifice themselves with this pelt.  If Thor is pleased he will return Berserker to Midgard as a shapeshifter able to transform into the creature matching the pelt.


Commentary & Notes 

Too many dice rolls?  A couple 2nd ed Kits, Berserker and Battlerager are very similar to my other Berserker Post, including the attacking friends FU.   Compared to Fighters, Berserkers are limited to medium armor, will be benefiting from shields less, do slightly less 2h damage (but 2x when berserk), two prime stats for xp bonus, susceptible to magic, and no ancient tech.  High damage, but likely to burn through hit points.  Maybe a bit like the combat version of magic user, in that they hit hard but quickly blow their wad and need to go home and rest.

Some numbers on entering/sustaining berserkergang.


Ancient tech -- the air cars, the laser pistols and the other kick-ass stuff are genetically coded to only work for the Ancients (or those possessing enough Ancients' DNA).

Red ethos refers to the five color MtG "alignments" Red, Green, Blue, Black, White.  Best translation is probably Chaos/CG.

"Bloodlust" -- After dropping an opponent in melee, receive free attack on nearby target.

"Slaughterhouse" -- When in melee with opponents who are all 1/2 your level or less, roll one attack and X damage dice where X is your level.  Damage dice may be split (one die per target) amongst opponents 1/2 your level or less that are "close".  It is assumed the warrior is hacking his way through this fodder and thus can reach enemies who aren't directly adjacent.

Berserker

Not anything overly wrong with the various "rage" mechanics I've seen for D&D (except they keep attaching them to barbarians).  None of them really do it for me either.  Looking for something to use for a Berserker Alfar* class I came up with this.


Going Berserk

• During combat, at the start of their turn, a Berserker may attempt to go berserk by rolling 2d6 >= to their Wisdom score.
• Damage received since the start of their last turn may be added as a modifier to their berserk roll.
• Berserkers may attempt this roll (once per round) as often as they like.

Being Berserk

• Must melee attack every round.  Even if only targets are "friends." If there are no known targets left alive Berserker will run off in random direction looking for something to murder.
• Will not use ranged weapons, stop to heal, etc.
• Will run/charge to get into melee range.
• Will use most damaging (preferably two-handed) weapon.
• Will not use a shield other than to bash with. Does not gain any defensive benefit from shields.
• Immune to to charm and the like.
• Receives bonus vs fear, command, moral checks, and the like equal to their level.
• to hit and/or damage bonuses of the typical sort.  Leaning towards double damage.

DeBerserking

• While berserk, at the end of their turn, a Berserker may attempt to calm the fuck down by rolling 2d6 <= their Wisdom score.
• Damage they dealt during their turn must be added as a modifier to their calm down roll.
• If Berserker is knocked unconscious/asleep/temporarily killed their berserker rage is over.

It has the feeling of wild rage I think of when picturing Berserkers.  I espcially like the roll above/below Wis. But, it's kind of a FU to other players. This douche will be killing hirelings and characters in uncontrollable rages.  Anything that makes Berserker less douchey also lessons the "risk" of going berserk.

I don't know what else to use as the "risk".  Being tired afterwards is not a big deal. Other balancing mechanics; X per day is supa-lame. Loss of hitpoints / new stamina stat are annoying, can be gamed with healing, and are obscured versions of x per day mechanics.

? Make the calm down roll mandatory every round.  To hit/damage/AC penalties, during post berserk period. Limit Berserker to one rage per "combat".

? May deberserk at will.  To hit/damage/AC penalties, during post berserk period.  Limit Berserker to one berserk roll attempt per "combat".


* Alfar are Fey (elves) who were enticed by Stargate SG-1 Asgard Grays to abandon their Mythic heritage. They've assumed Earth's Norse mythology and culture, with few wrinkles. Such as instead of going a viking in Dragon Longships they swoop down from the sky aboard flying Swanships. Having learned how to harness inertia dampeners salvaged from a crashed Asgard Mothership for flight.