Totem Rager

underneath the stands. Around the periphery, various vendors sell icons, perfumes, ceremonial silks, and votive candles at individual stalls. The perfects always worry that some outside source might corrupt the ceremonies by trying to “fix” the fights, so they might assign a PC to listen in the training rooms or outdoor areas and relay any conversations involving potential corruption back to them. The current august perfect of roses in this area is Aqrom Orit (LN incarnate 2/fi ghter 4/spinemeld warrior 10), lord of the Mishtoran. He is attended by three male skarn spines of snow (LG and LE soulborn 5/spinemeld warrior 5), two female skarn spines of rain (LG and LE soulborn 6/spinemeld warrior 4), and one female skarn fl aw seeker (LN fi ghter 1/wizard 8/spinemeld warrior 3). A cleric of Wee Jas (cleric 9) oversees the shops selling paraphernalia and tends to the fallen.

“I am the wrath of all beasts bound into one terrible form.” —Sikudhani, the Bringer of War

The totem rager embodies the wrath of nature in its most bestial form. Like the barbarian, she can stir herself into a fierce rage to cleave her enemies, and like the totemist, she can shape the forces of nature into soulmelds that grant her the power of magical beasts. But only in the totem rager do these abilities feed upon each other like the beasts of the wild, growing stronger from one another’s essence. She can use her rage to make her soulmelds better, and use her soulmelds to make her virtually unstoppable in combat.

BECOMING A TOTEM RAGER

Since a totem rager needs both the ability to rage and the ability to bind soulmelds to her totem chakra, the best path into this prestige class is to combine the barbarian and totemist classes. At least two levels of totemist and one of barbarian are required, but since the base attack bonus prerequisite mandates a character level higher than 3rd, most candidates take additional levels in those two classes. A few levels in druid or ranger might also prove useful, but few candidates stray from the wildernessoriented classes. Since a totem rager is primarily a fi ghting character, she needs a high Strength score. A high Constitution score is also vital, both for the additional hit points it provides and because it controls her meldshaping ability. Finally, a high Charisma score can improve her wild empathy ability.

Entry Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Skills: Intimidate 5 ranks, Survival 9 ranks.

Feat: Cobalt Rage.

Special: Ability to bind soulmelds to totem chakra, rage class feature.

CLASS FEATURES

As a totem rager, you depend heavily on your rage ability and your soulmelds, and the new abilities you gain allow those key features to work together more effectively. Using your rage ability makes your totemist soulmelds better by giving you extra essentia to invest. If you then invest that essentia in your rage ability, you can extend its duration and increase both your damage and your Will save modifi er. All of the following are class features of the totem rager prestige class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: You gain no new profi ciencies with weapons, armor, or shields. Meldshaping: At each totem rager level except 1st and 6th, you increase your meldshaper level, the number of soulmelds you can shape, the number of chakra binds you can create, and your essentia pool as if you had gained a level in the meldshaping class to which you belonged prior to gaining the totem rager level. You do not, however, gain any other abilities of that class, such as new tiers of chakra binds. If you had more than one meldshaping class before becoming a totem rager, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining your essentia pool, meldshaper level, and the number of soulmelds and chakra binds available.

Totem Rage (Su): You can enhance the power of your rage by tapping into the furious spirits of the beasts within you. The essentia capacity of your Cobalt Rage feat increases by 1. Furthermore, as long as a soulmeld occupies your totem chakra, you gain a number of extra essentia points equal to one-half your totem rager level (minimum 1) while you rage. At your option, you can invest some or all of this extra

Table 6–8: The Totem Rager Hit Die: d10

Base Attack Fort Ref Will Level Bonus Save Save Save Special Meldshaping

1st +0 +2 +2 +0 Totem rage, wild empathy 2nd +1 +3 +3 +0 Extra rage

— +1 level of existing meldshaping class 3rd +2 +3 +3 +1 Damage reduction 1/— +1 level of existing meldshaping class 4th +3 +4 +4 +1 Chakra binds (crown, feet, hands) +1 level of existing meldshaping class 5th +3 +4 +4 +1 Extended rage +1 level of existing meldshaping class 6th +4 +5 +5 +2 — — 7th +5 +5 +5 +2 Damage reduction 2/— +1 level of existing meldshaping class 8th +6 +6 +6 +2 Extra rage +1 level of existing meldshaping class 9th +6 +6 +6 +3 Chakra binds (arms, brow, shoulders) +1 level of existing meldshaping class 10th +7 +7 +7 +3 Totem chakra bind (+2 capacity) +1 level of existing meldshaping class Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Profession, Ride, Spot, Survival, Swim

essentia into your Cobalt Rage feat as a free action. (This option is an exception to the normal rule that essentia can be invested in an incarnum feat only once every 24 hours.) You must make this decision when you begin your rage, and you cannot shift any essentia away from Cobalt Rage while you are raging. You can invest any remaining extra essentia in other feats, soulmelds, or class abilities as normal. When your rage ends, you lose this extra essentia, and all your essentia investments return to what they were initially. For example, a totemist 2/barbarian 4/totem rager 6 has an essentia capacity of 4 for her Cobalt Rage feat (3 for her character level, +1 for totem rage) and has chosen to invest 2 points of essentia in Cobalt Rage. When she enters a rage, she gains 3 extra points of essentia. She can immediately invest up to 2 points of this essentia in her Cobalt Rage feat for a total investment of 4 (the maximum capacity for the feat). She can invest the remaining point elsewhere as normal. When her rage ends, the extra essentia gained from totem rage is lost. Her essentia investment in Cobalt Rage returns to 2, and any other investment she made with the extra essentia returns to what it was before she raged. Had her initial investment in Cobalt Rage been 1 or 0 points of essentia instead of 2, she could have invested all 3 extra essentia points in that feat.

Wild Empathy (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, you can improve the attitude of an animal. See the druid class feature, page 35 of the Player’s Handbook. Your totem rager level stacks with levels of any other classes that grant the wild empathy ability for the purpose of determining the bonus.

Extra Rage: At 2nd level and again at 8th level, you gain one extra use per day of your rage ability.

Damage Reduction (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow or attack. See the barbarian class feature, page 26 of the Player’s Handbook. If you already have damage reduction against damage of all types from another source, the amounts stack. For example, a totemist 2/barbarian 7/totem rager 3 has DR 1/— from her barbarian levels and DR 1/— from her totem rager levels. Thus, her total DR from these sources is 2/—. This damage reduction does not stack with damage reduction specific to any one type of damage. At 7th level, your damage reduction increases to 2/—. This value stacks with other damage reduction abilities you might haveas above.

Chakra Binds: Beginning at 4th level, you can bind your soulmelds or magic items to your crown, feet, or hands chakra. When you attain 9th level, your arms, brow, and shoulder chakras become available for chakra binds.

Extended Rage (Ex): Beginning at 5th level, the duration of your rage increases by a number of rounds equal to the points of essentia you invest in your Cobalt Rage feat. This benefi t does not stack with that of the Extend Rage feat (see Complete Warrior and the EBERRON campaign setting).

Totem Chakra Bind: When you attain 10th level, the essentia capacity for any soulmeld bound to your totem chakra increases by an additional point, adding to the expanded capacity from your totemist levels for a total of +2. People talk about the wrath of a hurricane or the fury of a tsunami, but they are speaking in metaphors and have no inkling of the truth. You know the real rage of nature—the fury that burns in the creatures of the wild when they fi ght to defend their lives, their lairs, and the lands they call home. You might fi nd the source of your own rage in any of these motivations—you could be a staunch defender of the wilderness against the encroachment of civilization, or you might fi ght like a fury for simple self-preservation. Whatever your reason, you leap into battle as if you were a beast, raking with all four claws and sinking your teeth into your prey. That visceral rage is the true form of nature’s wrath, and you have made it your own.

Combat

Combat is your element, and you are most at home in the forefront of it. You probably don’t have a very high Armor Class, but you can soak up and deal out plenty of damage. Rage as often as you can, and use your soulmelds to enhance your abilities in melee combat. The best soulmelds for you are the ones that let you make natural attacks or increase the damage you deal, since those options fit naturally with your favorite tactics—namely, wading into combat and cutting down your opponents like wheat. Even so, it’s a good idea to shape at least one soulmeld that gives you an alternative to melee. A meld that provides you with a distance weapon (such as basilisk mask or frost helm) gives you an attack that you can use at range and also lets you hurt opponents that can resist your melee attacks. Progression as a totem ranger means you get better at what you do best. You don’t gain any unique special abilities, although the ability to bind soulmelds to your chakras makes your soulmelds both more versatile and more powerful. You do gain additional uses per day of your rage ability, damage reduction to help you resist enemy attacks, better meldshaping, and the ability to extend your rage. Be sure to take advantage of your increased damage-dealing ability by putting as much essentia into your Cobalt Rage feat as you can spare, especially against monsters that are diffi cult to take down.

Advancement

If you started your career as a totemist, you discovered along the way that channeling incarnum derived from beast souls also opened a channel for an enhanced sort of rage. A digression into the barbarian class was the next logical step. If you started your career as a barbarian, the path of the totemist soon began calling to the beast within you. In either case, you now know that you can infuse your rage with incarnum and use that heightened wrath to empower your soulmelds. As you attain higher totem rager levels, you continue to hone the abilities you gained from your previous classes. You need neither formal training nor membership in any organization to enhance your combat prowess by following the totem rager’s path—you simply draw from your personal essence to improve your meldshaping and increase the power of your rage. Some totem ragers describe this process as “becoming one with the beast,” and prefer to seek out their

primal natures through long retreats in wilderness areas between adventures. But such sabbaticals are not strictly necessary; the way that you mark your progress as a totem rager is up to you. To maximize your effectiveness, choose feats that enhance your best abilities. Feats that expand the essentia capacity of your Cobalt Rage and your soulmelds can dramatically improve your combat prowess. More basic combat feats, such as those in the Power Attack tree, also complement your strengths. As far as skills go, try to continue improving both Intimidate and Survival throughout your career. You are a frightening fi gure who is at home in the wild, and these skills help to reinforce that image.

Resources

Like a barbarian, you can benefit greatly from a magic weapon, magic armor, and items that enhance your Strength and Constitution. Magic boots or other items that increase your already high speed or grant you different forms of movement can help you build on your strengths in a different way. Magic items that help to cover your weaknesses are useful as well—particularly those that compensate for the low Armor Class you probably have thanks to your lack of armor profi ciencies and the AC penalty you take for raging.

TOTEM RAGERS IN THE WORLD

“Sikudhani, you come with me. I like your magic.” —Krusk, half-orc barbarian

Totem ragers can function as tribal war leaders, wilderness hunters, trailblazers, or violent mystics. But even a totem rager whose role among her native people is narrowly defi ned can fi nd different uses for her talents in the world beyond her homeland.

Daily Life

Though totem ragers typically begin their careers as totemists, they are more likely to serve as war leaders for their tribes than as spiritual guides. In times of peace, they become loners and outcasts, wandering the wilderness alone to commune with the magical beasts they revere. When war threatens again, though, they return to their people and lead the warriors into battle, inspiring the troops with their ferocity and courage. Totem ragers who venture into civilized lands fi nd work as caravan guards, guides, explorers, or hunters.

Notables

The totem rager Hapuna-tantha was a great leader of the Mountain People in the far north. He gained fame in the outside world for leading the entire tribe’s warriors in defense of their homeland against an invading army of dwarves who sought new lands to mine. In the Amedio Jungle, Kuntabwa the Red was a brutal totem rager who united thirteen Olman clans in a campaign of conquest. Years later, she fi nally met her doom somewhere in the Hellfurnaces.

Organization

Totem ragers have no more need of a unifying organization than totemists or barbarians do. In foreign lands, however, a member of this prestige class might fi nd comfort in the company of others from her homeland. Since she comes from the wilderness, such individuals could be diffi cult to fi nd, though any business or guild that caters to barbarians is a likely place to seek pleasant companionship.

NPC Reactions

The reaction of NPCs to a totem rager depends on their attitude toward her people. Members of the totem rager’s own tribe or a tribe friendly to hers treat her with respect bordering on reverence and begin encounters with a friendly attitude. Members of enemy tribes greet her with hostile or at least unfriendly reactions, though fear prevents

Illus. by E. Polak

Sikudhani, a totem rager

any overt hostility. The reactions of people in civilized lands vary widely, but hover around the unfriendly side of indifferent, based on a general prejudice toward barbaric people.

TOTEM RAGER LORE

Characters with ranks in the Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (the planes) skill can research totem ragers to learn more about them. A character gains the information corresponding to all DCs equal to or below her Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (the planes) check result.

DC 10: Totem ragers combine the totemists’ worship of magical beasts with the raging fury of barbarians.

DC 15: Totem ragers can shape incarnum into soulmelds the way totemists do, but they also use soul energy to empower their barbarian rage and extend its duration. They serve as war leaders for their people.

DC 20: Totem ragers draw on the soul energy of the beasts within, shaping soulmelds that mimic the special abilities of magical beasts. Characters can also use the Knowledge (geography) skill to learn about the peoples and cultures that typically produce totem ragers in a given campaign world.

TOTEM RAGERS IN THE GAME

The totem rager prestige class explores the natural multiclass combination of barbarian and totemist—two classes that blend well both conceptually and mechanically. The presence of totem ragers is a logical way to introduce the use of incarnum into any culture that includes barbarians. The totem rager could appear as the new tribal war leader of a barbarian clan, or as a mysterious fi gure who comes to the aid of the tribes whenever danger threatens. Either way, the totem rager can function as either a villain or a neutral or friendly NPC. The totem rager is also a very player-friendly prestige class option. Players who enjoy smashing enemies in combat are likely to enjoy the extra combat options that this prestige class presents. At the same time, players who like to explore the inner world of a character’s thoughts and emotions can have a field day with the totem rager. Roleplaying the “fish out of water” aspect of a barbariantype in the civilized world is a natural place to begin, but the spiritual connection between the totem rager and the magical beasts of the natural world is also excellent roleplaying fodder. If you have a totem rager PC in your game, be sure to provide her with plenty of targets for her rage. Cerebral encounters that must be solved by thinking or talking are likely to frustrate her, so be sure to include a few straight-up combats against foes frothing with bestial fury.

Adaptation

The totem rager need not be pigeonholed into a role as the barbaric outsider in the civilized world. A civilized society in your campaign world might spawn a “back to nature” movement that encourages people to rediscover their primal connections with the forces of nature and unlock their inner rage. The totem rager could add an extra dimension to the well-trained barbarian/fi ghter character model. Such a character could function as a specialized soldier who has learned to trigger a primitive rage as a combat tactic. On the other hand, giving a player the opportunity to bring a character into the main campaign area from a place far outside it can add depth and realism to a campaign world. The player could help to develop the culture and history of her character’s homeland, sharing the work of world-building so that you don’t need to do it all.

Encounters

A totem rager can be encountered alone or at the head of a small band of single-class barbarians. The encounter could focus on culture confl ict if the PCs must negotiate between a totem rager representing her people and a diplomat or governor of a civilized land or colony. Build suspense in such a situation by stressing that the characters are the last hope for peace between the two peoples, and that failure means war.

EL 8: After years of seclusion in the wilderness, Kursâk the Marauder, an orc totem rager, has returned to his ancestral homeland in the Black Spine Mountains hoping to stir his fellow orcs to war. A vision that he received in his hermitage has convinced him that an orc invasion of the nearby human lands, though doomed to failure, will somehow wake the tarrasque, bringing needed cleansing to the land. Kursâk travels with a group of 1st-level orc barbarians as bodyguards. Use the tables in Chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to create statistics for these orcs.

Kursâk the Marauder (Raging) CR 8

Male orc totemist 2/barbarian 4/totem rager 2 CE Medium humanoid (incarnum) Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +4, Spot +9 Languages Orc AC 14, touch 8, flat-footed 14; uncanny dodge hp 98 (8 HD) Fort +17, Ref +8, Will +7 Weakness light sensitivity Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee +1 greataxe +13/+8 (1d12+12/×3) or Ranged 2 manticore belt tail spikes +6 (1d6+3) Base Atk +6; Grp +12 Atk Options Cleave, Power Attack (–4 attack, +4 damage) Special Actions rage 3/day (9 rounds), teleport self only up to 10 ft., totem rage Combat Gear potion of cure serious wounds Essentia Pool 4; Capacity 2 (3 for totem chakra or

Cobalt Rage); Chakra Binds 1; Soulmelds 3 Soulmelds and Essentia Investment (CL 3rd):

Blink shirt (teleport self only as dimension door up to 10 ft. at will as a standard action)

Cobalt Rage 2 (+2 to melee damage and Will saves while raging)

Manticore belt 2 (+6 enhancement bonus on Jump and Spot checks; fire two spikes as ranged attacks at targets within 30 ft. of each other, range increment 30 ft.; bound to totem chakra)

Rageclaws (not disabled or dying at 0 hp or unconscious from –1 to –9 hp, immediate death at –10). Abilities Str 22, Dex 10, Con 22, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 10 SQ chakra bind (totem), meldshaping, trap sense +1, uncanny dodge, wild empathy +4 (manticore +4, other magical beasts +0) Feats Cleave, Cobalt Rage, Power Attack Skills Intimidate +7, Jump +9, Listen +4, Spot +9,

Survival +10 Possessions combat gear plus +1 greataxe, +1 breastplate, amulet of health +2, cloak of resistance +1 When not raging, Kursâk has the following altered statistics: AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16 hp 84 (8 HD) Fort +15, Will +3 Melee +1 greataxe +11/+6 (1d12+7/×3) or Ranged 2 tail spikes +6 (1d6+2) Grp +10 Essentia Pool 3 Cobalt Rage 1 Abilities Str 18, Con 18 Hook “Death will renew the land.”

EL 14: Sikudhani is called the Bringer of War by her people because she emerges from the wilderness only when some threat demands that she mobilize her people for battle. Despite her ominous sobriquet, Sikudhani does not seek out confl ict—at least not on a large scale. She mobilizes her people only when an external threat looms or when she needs their assistance in squashing a nascent evil before it becomes a more serious threat. A group of PCs might encounter Sikudhani in the wilderness near her people’s homeland. She could be scouting out some ancient ruin to assess the threat posed by its inhabitants, or she might have her own goals that either coincide or confl ict with the mission that brought the PCs to her lands.

Sikudhani, the Bringer of War CR 15

Female human barbarian 3/totemist 4/totem rager 8 NG Medium humanoid (incarnum) Init +3; Senses Listen +4, Spot +20 Languages Common AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 20; uncanny dodge hp 202 (15 HD); DR 2/— Resist +4 against supernatural abilities of magical beasts Fort +22, Ref +16, Will +10 Speed 40 ft. (8 squares) Melee +4 claw +21 (1d4+8/19–20) and 3 +4 claws +16 (1d4+6/19–20) or Ranged +1 composite longbow +16/+11/+6 (1d8+5/×3) Base Atk +12; Grp +26 Atk Options Cleave, Power Attack (–6 attack, +6 damage) Special Actions rage 3/day (14 rounds) Combat Gear 2 beads of force Essentia Pool 14; Capacity 3 (4 for totem chakra or

Cobalt Rage); Chakra Binds 3; Soulmelds 6 Soulmelds and Essentia Investment (CL 10th):

Ankheg breastplate 2 (+4 armor bonus to AC)

Cobalt Rage 4 (+4 to melee damage and Will saves while raging)

Girallon arms 4 (+10 bonus on Climb and grapple; gain 4 claw attacks with +4 bonus on attack/ damage; bound to totem chakra)

Great raptor mask 2 (+6 bonus on Spot)

Hunter’s circlet (+2 bonus on Heal and Survival checks; Track as a bonus feat; bound to crown chakra)

Landshark boots (limited tremorsense 10 feet; +4 bonus on Jump; bound to feet chakra)

Totem avatar 2 (+10 hp; +2 natural armor bonus) Abilities Str 18, Dex 17, Con 24, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 12 SQ chakra binds (totem, crown, feet, hands, arms, brow, shoulders), totem’s protection, trap sense +1, wild empathy +13 (+13 girallon, +9 other magical beasts) Feats Bonus Essentia, Cleave, Cobalt Rage, Improved

Critical (claw), Iron Will, Power Attack, TrackB ,

Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Climb +28, Handle Animal +7, Heal +2,

Intimidate +7, Jump +20, Knowledge (nature) +5,

Listen +4, Spot +18, Swim +12, Survival +12 Possessions combat gear plus ring of force shield, ring of protection +3, gloves of Dexterity +4, amulet of health +2, cloak of resistance +2, +1 composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) with 20 arrows, 27 gp Rage (Ex) When not raging, Sikudhani has the following altered statistics: AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 22 hp 172 (15 HD) Fort +20, Will +8 Melee +4 claw +19 (1d4+6/19–20) and 3 +4 claws +14 (1d4+5/19–20) or Ranged +1 composite longbow +14/+9/+4 (1d8+3/×3) Grp +24 Essentia Pool 10

Essentia Investment

Ankheg breastplate 2 Cobalt Rage 2

Girallon arms 4 Totem avatar 2 Abilities Str 14, Con 20 Skills Climb +26, Jump +18, Swim +10, Spot +14 Hook “Those who stand in my way seek only death.”