I’m making a Celtic barbarian/druid pc. I’m going to have him be tattooed, scarred, and very harsh looking. I have a great back story. I was going good until I started equipping my pc. I grabbed a spear and shortsword, but when it came to armor and the Celts I couldn’t find a lot. I found several references that said they preferred to go into battle naked. I found one reference that said some clad their chest in chain. I’m cool with fighting naked in DnD, but I think it would be ill-advised, so do I just throw on a chain shirt? Does anyone know what armor the Celts had, and are there any other weapons that would be more appropriate?
Fizz
I always thought of them as ranger-druid types, so I would probably go with leather, studded, hide, or a really light metal (chain shirt for example).
My $.02
Fizzban,
I highly recommend you check out GURPS Celtic Myth. It is a fantastic resource for Celtic culture, including information about their warriors and magic. As an example here are some things it had to say about Celtic warriors:
1) Typically a great hero or a king might have an iron breastplate or a mail shirt.
2) Most heroes went into battle protected only by their skills and their shields.
3) Looking good and making a good impression were much more important to a Celtic warrior than protection from enemy spears.
4) Every warrior tried to look his best for combat and rich warriors looked well indeed.
The book goes on to mention that the common weapons were spears, broadswords, and slings. Shields were the most common protective item employed. It talks about what types of wealth the warriors had, the codes of honor they employed, the role druids and priests played in society, and many more great, easy to use facets of Celtic culture ready to import into a game.
Anyway, as far as your character goes (presuming that you are starting out as a first level character), I recommend the following if you are starting as a fighter and you want to be as close to the realistic Celtic warrior as possible:
1) Place a good score in Dexterity and/or Constitution.
2) Look at the following feats:
a. Combat Expertise
b. Dodge
c. Weapon Focus Spear.
3) For equipment take a large wooden shield, short spear, and a long sword.
If you are starting as a druid, you will have the advantage of spells, which can augment your capabilities nicely. The above advice for a fighter still applies, though you will only have two starting feats instead of three (I would go with dodge and weapon focus). Drop the long sword from the equipment suggestions and replace it with a sling.
When combat occurs, look for opportunities to fight defensively and boost your armor class through spells when you start taking levels in druid. As you gain levels, look for those feats and spells that can exploit your ability to defend yourself while maximizing the use of your signature equipment. I think with a little research and planning you could really bring the feel of a Celtic warrior to your D&D game without giving up the hallmarks of their warrior culture.
Anyway, I hope that the above is somewhat useful and good luck with your character. It sounds like a really fun one to try out and has inspired me to take a look at possibly doing a similar one when I next get to play. :-)
Good gaming,
Mark
They did indeed go into battle stark naked. Painted blue as well if memory serves. They used it as a scare tactic, a way of saying "Look at me! I'm not scared of you. I'm so unafraid that I'm not going to wear armor" A longsword is a must as are a wooden shield and longspear. It sounds like a cool character though. I have been toying with writing a campaign in a Celtic setting.
There was a time in history when they went into battle stark naked and painted blue. I think Romans invented chain mail although I might be thinking of scale mail. I guess the whole thing depends on what tech level you're talking about.
From what I have read, Celtic warriors could and did wear armour but it was a matter of prestige to wear as little armour as one dared...so feel free to mock and ridicule those cowards who dress up in full plate while you yourself might consider wearing a chain shirt, maximum.
High DEX and CON are good ideas.
Also from what I have read, Celts were avid believers in reincarnation, so their attitude to death might be a bit looser...
+1- Celts did indeed invent chain mail. The romans had scale mail (persian) and banded mail (I think they invented this stuff), as well as solid breast plates (Greeks). They also used boiled leather, especialy for thier lighter troops. The celts would have adopted any and all of this as they went on, if it worked. The barbarian class is well suited for Celtic warriors, esp if drawing from an Irish mythos, and "salves" or paints of mage armor or shield (similar to potions) would be very handy indeed. Torcs (necklaces) and bracers were commonly worn, and as has been mentioned, shields were a major item. Also, look into chariots, and the tactics for those. Hire a driver and ride around chucking javelins :)
So I kind of have an idea how to act, but what should I focus on? Should I max out my ranks in intimidate? What animal companion should I take? Bear? Boar? Wolf? Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks, Fizz
According to the PHB, druids lose their powers if they wear metal armor. I'd go with leather, even if it's not the most historically accurate option.
I recommend a wolf companion at first level. That trip attack comes in handy.
I'm hoping the DM will let the metal armor thing slide. I plan on going into battle naked or semi-naked half of the time, and I will never be in anything heavier than a chain shirt. I plan on talking alot of b!!&#$~~ about the fullplated cleric.
Fizz
Rather than tweaking the rules, just build a naked warrior from the get go. Or use leather or hide armor as suggested. RPing hints- I am really only familiar with Irish mythology, but they were prideful, boastful, lusty, prone to fits of rage, and very strong. They had a very superstitious bent to them as well. Almost bi=polar, high highs and low lows. Wiki has a pretty decent section on Irish mythology and Cúchulainn.
So I kind of have an idea how to act, but what should I focus on? Should I max out my ranks in intimidate? What animal companion should I take? Bear? Boar? Wolf? Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks, Fizz
Bear would be cool but I think the wolf would be more practical for the barbarian side, simply because wolves can move faster & cover more ground in a day than bears.
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I'm hoping the DM will let the metal armor thing slide. I plan on going into battle naked or semi-naked half of the time, and I will never be in anything heavier than a chain shirt. I plan on talking alot of bulls*@! about the fullplated cleric.According to the PHB, druids lose their powers if they wear metal armor. I'd go with leather, even if it's not the most historically accurate option.
I recommend a wolf companion at first level. That trip attack comes in handy.
If you're building the character to be more of a Celt than the druid in the PHB, just change the allowable armor to light (plus up to heavy shields) and allow a longsword instead of a scimitar. This should balance out, since you can no longer wear dragonhide armors or ironwood plate. Of course, your DM may have other ideas, but this is such a minor rules tweak for a large roleplaying benefit that I wouldn't have an issue with it as a DM. I think using the Druidic Avenger variant with the tweaks mentioned, instead of multiclassing, would make a great character. You lose the animal companion ability, but this fits in with the mindset of a Celtic warrior ("What sort of pansy lets a beast do his fighting for him? That's even worse than cowering inside a heavy metal shell!"). You also lose the spontaneous casting ability, but the Spontaneous Summoner feat from Complete Divine can partially compensate.
Well the DM has finally decided to go with a gestalt game (see my other post) so I will have two classes in one with my Celtic warrior (druid/ barbarian). The group so far has a Barbarian/Druid, Fighter/Cleric, Monk/Rogue, and a Wizard/Rogue. I was thinkin for my Celtic warrior to take the Boar or Dragon totem variant Barbarian. The Boar Totem is more about hardcore rage and toughness that I could see in the Celts. The Dragon Totem is about intimating and using the frightful presence of a dragon to make the enemy piss themselves and run away. I can see the dragon playing along with the Dragon of Wales (Merlin’s vision). I have so many ideas about this character that I can’t decided! I would like a Celtic warrior that has the wisdom of his people at heart I guess.
Fizz
Well the DM has finally decided to go with a gestalt game (see my other post) so I will have two classes in one with my Celtic warrior (druid/ barbarian)... I was thinkin for my Celtic warrior to take the Boar or Dragon totem variant Barbarian.
If you have a good Charisma then go with the dragon totem (you may also want to be the party spokesman). If you don't have a good Charisma, then bear, boar, or wolf might be better choices.