Berserker

The first berserkers were dwarves. They would sacrifice finesse for the dark rage that increased their strength and resilience. Eventually, dwarves taught these skills to others, and now berserkers can be found amongst all races. They are renowned as terrifying adversaries.

Specialization bonus: +2 strength, +10 health

History

Experienced warriors tell of the horrors of war, of steeling one’s courage and fighting through pain and fear that would cripple lesser men. According to them, to give over to rage in battle is to hand victory to your opponents; anger clouds one’s mind and forces a warrior to make foolish and often fatal mistakes. The deadly berserkers dare (for a berserker would never beg) to differ. To them, the only way to conquer the terror of war is to become that terror yourself.

Founded centuries ago as a fighting tradition among the dwarves of the Frostback Mountains, the berserker philosophy is simple: embrace the rage, internalize the terror, and wreak horror upon the field of battle. When a berserker rages, finesse, precision, and honor cower in the face of pure violence and blades flash in a haze of red mist. While this makes berserkers unpredictable on the field, it also makes them terrifying to behold and even the vile and mindless darkspawn have been known to cower in the face of a squad of raging berserkers.

While berserkers make up a significant part of the dwarven warrior castes, the tradition was long ago taught to the Avvar barbarians in the Frostbacks and through them made its way to the Ash Warriors, themselves the most renowned mercenaries in human lands. Today, many human and dwarf armies go to field with a squad or two of berserkers—always on the front lines, ready to go mad and kill without fear.