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I need help w/ a Lvl 11 82k starting gp Viking build for the Savage Tide. Thoughts & links Appreciated.
And I did read here: http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/dnd/archives/vikingCh aracter
but other than a few things, nothing pops out as a build, i.e. Feats, Gear, skills, build. Multi-class options. It should be tough and able to throw down some serious attacks.
Of course I'm thinking Human or Dwarf for race.
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Think in terms of the KIND of viking you want to play.
Think Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Barbarian as the classes you would use to create your Viking, and remember, there are several real-world examples and variations to take inspiration from...
I guess what I'm saying, in so man words is that you need to answer the question: "What do I want to do?" Which leads to the question "How will I do it?"
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I need help w/ a Lvl 11 82k starting gp Viking build for the Savage Tide. Thoughts & links Appreciated.
And I did read here: http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/dnd/archives/vikingCh aracter
but other than a few things, nothing pops out as a build, i.e. Feats, Gear, skills, build. Multi-class options. It should be tough and able to throw down some serious attacks.
Of course I'm thinking Human or Dwarf for race.
Are we talking 3.5 or PFRPG?
In either case, Barbarian/Ranger/Rogue all work, depending on your focus. Focus on Swimming, Profession(Sailor), and (for a bard/skald) Perform for your skills. Survival, Knowledge (nature, geography), Craft(Blacksmith) and Ride would also be appropriate. Light armor, axes for weapons. You can go any direction with the build, either dual-wield or power attack, or make a good archer. Of course, if you have a prestige class (Battle Rager, IIRC, from 3.5 would be a good choice) in mind, of course, build towards it.
For inspiration, watch 13th Warrior.
For inspiration, watch 13th Warrior.
QFT - love that movie.
I have a 5th level barbarian built around a Viking concept.
He's built around the Danish Axe (greataxe) with feats in dodge, power attack, cleave, and Weapon Focus (greataxe). The barbarian class skills all work in great for a Viking type design (sort of like it was built that way or something), took craft (carpentry) to reflect woodworking and boat building, acrobatics to give jumping ability and swim and ride to reflect common activities.
I'd go with Barbarian or Fighter, but you can also go Bard depending on the type of Viking you'd like to be.
You should be Ulfen in regards to race.
Assuming you are going the combat route, choose skills like Swimming, craft (woodworking or weaponsmithing), Intimidate and Survival.
For feats go with Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Endurance, Intimidating Prowess, Athletic
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I'd go with Barbarian or Fighter, but you can also go Bard depending on the type of Viking you'd like to be.
You should be Ulfen in regards to race.
Assuming you are going the combat route, choose skills like Swimming, craft (woodworking or weaponsmithing), Intimidate and Survival.
For feats go with Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Endurance, Intimidating Prowess, Athletic
All great ideas, Thanks!
http://wickedthought.livejournal.com/925690.html
I'm still working on it, but the above gives some good info that others have posted as well.
Fighter will be a part of it definitely, Barbarian is also a possibility. I should have mentioned that this campaign is in the Pathfinder/Greyhawk world.
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/dnd/archives/vikingCh aracter
I always felt that Vikings were a culture and not a class. Any of the classes would fit - just roleplay them in that particular culture.
Just remember when you play a Viking, its rape, pillage THEN burn. (Old SCA joke, sorry.)
Barbarian-beserker types I would save for higher level character. Remember, the etymology of "beserker" comes from "bearskin" which Nordic warriors used to wear. They whipped themselves into a frenzy - rage, raaahrrrr! The prestige that would come with a position like that I would reserve for a higher level character, or one with a higher societal position. Maybe the actual Bear Warrior prestige class later on.
To create a Viking-feeling character, I would take max ranks in Profession (sailor), ranks in Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (religion) (maybe one or two, as they were religous folk), Perform (oratory), Knowledge (nature) (for weather/seasons), Swim, Intimidate, and Balance. For Craft skills, weaponsmithing, blacksmithing, woodcarving; for Profession, maybe fishing and farming.
For equipment: handaxe or longsword, spear(s), chain shirt, probably a dagger for backup.
I was thinking a Fighter lvl 5/Cleric lvl 6 - Air Domain (For a Storm God) as a possibility in Pathfinder that would be Gozreh. I'd want a massive Trident/BattleAxe or something.. Viking-ish.
One thing that might help in your decision is to decide whether you are building a historical Viking or a more pop culture Viking complete with the horns on the helmet.
Historically Vikings fought with a melee weapon and a shield so they could fit into a shieldwall. They were skilled and versatile fighters with a high degree of discipline when it came to battles. In this sense a fighter with a level or two of ranger or rogue to round out different character concepts would work best.
The pop culture would be better done with a barbarian so you could run screaming into melee with your axe. This better represents the berserker. Again, fighter, ranger, or rogue can help round concepts out.
The Godhi is the Viking equivalent to a cleric. Historically a Godhi was a wealthy lord who took the responsibility to be a community's religious leader. In the historical context they would have far more warrior levels than cleric levels. As a pop culture Viking a Godhi could be a multi-class fighter(or any warrior class)and cleric or even single class cleric though they would use spears, swords, and axes or, of course, a hammer.
A skald would be the bardic equal to what I wrote above for the Godhi. Historically they were the Viking warriors with good memories and good storytelling skills.
Also try some research on your own. A lot from that era was lost and new discoveries happen every so often. As far as I know what I've written is correct but I noticed some mistakes about Vikings in a National Geographic story years ago so I could be wrong.
For the real Viking mentality, read This strip (WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK, Rating: IMMATURE)
The Godhi is the Viking equivalent to a cleric. Historically a Godhi was a wealthy lord who took the responsibility to be a community's religious leader. In the historical context they would have far more warrior levels than cleric levels. As a pop culture Viking a Godhi could be a multi-class fighter(or any warrior class)and cleric or even single class cleric though they would use spears, swords, and axes or, of course, a hammer.
Heh, I've never seen the Godhi-term until now, and I'm a Norwegian. Though with some searching (most results being related to one form or other of paganism), I found the Norse spelling ("goði", which is expressed more or less as, you guessed it, "godhi"). Anyway, as it turns out our word for it would be (a) "Gode", which rang a small bell in the back of my mind from those elementary school history lessons. In either case, though, we usually use the more general term "høvding" (basically our word for "chief", although we also often say "king", but then in a small regional sense - not large scale/national) which was what I suspected all along. Now, there's a difference between a Godhi and a Viking chief (being, for instance, that a chief doesn't necessarily have to be a godhi or religious person as the term actually would include the godhi's vassals). But I digress...
As mentioned, you should probably decide whether you would want a "historical"-type of character, or a more "popular culture"-type of viking. I'd obviously support the former ;) in which case what Audrin_Noreys says above would be good pointers. Seeing as your viking, being an adventurer, would have wealth (at least, if not status), a sword (or alternatively an axe) and chain armor would be apropriate as suggested. For the axe, it would most certainly look like a handaxe (or the Danish Axe linked earlier), although it should perform more like a battleaxe (or even dwarwen waraxe) for use with shield - but steer away from those curved edges in your description! The sword would simply be a longsword (though it is a spatha or gladius-like sword, mind you). Dagger has been mentioned as a sidearm, which is a must-have in any case. Note that the viking knife could in certain cases be tied to status (the same way as a sword) and have a variety of sizes (ie. the ammount of steel used implies higher/lower status), thus a wealthy viking could have a large knife (essentially making it a shortsword).
Alternatively you could pick up the use of polearms. A simpler or less wealthy warrior would only have a shield and a spear. Mind you, though, that this is where the game-system fails you as most evidence points to the fact that vikings used their spears (which could be quite long) in one hand in conjunction with a shield. But, apart from that, almost any polearm could represent a viking spear as variations are described in the sagas to include barbed tips or blades, blades for cutting as well as striking and a few variations which resembles the various halberd variants (halberd, glaive, etc). Except for the ones used for cutting, they could also be thrown.
I also agree on the skill suggestions so far, but I would like to make some additions; for a skald character or someone with position or rank would be Knowledge (nobility) and also (history). It's important not to forget that family and relations were important. Likewise I saw that Ride was mentioned, which is actually quite important (the vikings utilized cavalry), but also don't forget Handle Animal. I can understand that Heal, being a generally useful skill, hasn't been mentioned, but seeing a lot of combat, any viking would know how to patch himself up even though I'll admit they weren't medically advanced.
The feats mentioned are all good, too, depending a little on what route or style to take, of course. Iron Will and Great Fortitude could probably be mentioned, as well as Leadership if you want to become a local king (or godhi, or chief or whatever you want to call it). Another feat that I like is Lunge. While not necessarily your typical Viking feat, it's not far off either. Similarily you have the various Shield feats (Improved Shield Bash, Shield Slam, Shield Master, etc), even though they are more concept-specific. There's also the various "Improved" feats (Bull Rush, Sunder and Trip would probably be most apropriate). Also, don't forget Toughness as an option.
Classes really depend on your concept, although I would pick Fighter above Barbarian for the more "historical" character, as well as Ranger above Rogue for the more nature-related class skills. Bard or cleric are as mentioned other possibilities depending on your concept.
Alternatively, you could create a person utilizing witchcraft (Seid in Norse), like the Völva (you could call it a wise woman, priestess, shaman, soothsayer or prophesiser and witch all in one package - I'll link this one). The specifics of what a Völva is vary, but they were respected for their knowledge of the religion, as well as powers and abilities. Even Odin himself is said to have consulted one! As such, these characters are the ones worthy of the cleric class in a viking-setting; although the Druid (picking a domain), Adept, Sorcerer (Arcane, Celestial, Fey; with Abberant, Abyssal, Destined, Infernal as alternatives), or even Abjurer or Diviner (only problem is the whole Spellbook-theme). Good domains for a cleric, be it for a Völva or Godhi or other, would be Air, Animal, Community, Earth, Glory, Good, Knowledge [Skalds?], Magic [Völva], Nobility [Godhi], Protection, Rune, Strength, Travel, War, Water, Weather - which, yes, is most of them - plus many of the others fit as well).
I'd consider your general raid-and-trade Viking would be a Fighter, with the Berserkers being more effectively Barbarians. The armor selection would be a bit narrowed, since Vikings used chainmail byrnies (slightly shorter than a hauberk) in preference to most other available types, and the chainmail shirt would probably be extremely common. Alternatives like splint and scale would be rare or none-existent, and plate would be gone altogether. I'd be tempted to say that there wouldn't be any greatswords or weapons like scimitars, either, but the fact is that the poem Beowulf specifically mentions him finding a two-handed sword in the lair of Grendel's mother, so obviously that was known in Norse culture, and their trading went all across Europe, so picking up an exotic blade from the East wouldn't be too outrageous.