Viking (3.5e Class)

Viking

Coming from the harsh wastelands of the North, the Vikings are a fearsome group who kill, pillage, and destroy anything in their path. Despite their rather barbaric nature, upon returning home they live out mostly peaceful lives which include farming and raising their children to become just as fond of combat as they are.

Making a Viking

Description

Abilities: Strength and Dexterity are the most important abilities, even Constitution is also important. Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma can make for more cunning Vikings.

Races: This class is mostly for Æskmann, even if Hyborians, and rare seafaring Dwarves, Picts and Nadir can be possible as well.

Alignment: Any

Starting Gold: 5d4×10 gp (120 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Table: The Viking

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Sea Legs, Improved Feint
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Uncanny Dodge
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	1/day Rage
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Evasion.
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Low Blow +1d6
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Improved Uncanny Dodge, Damage Reduction 1/-
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	2/day Rage
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Trap Sense +1
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	Raven, Battle cry, Damage Reduction 2/-
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Low Blow +2d6
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	3/day Rage
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Trap Sense +2, Damage Reduction 3/-
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Greater Rage
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	Indomitable Will
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	4/day Rage, Low Blow +3d6, Damage Reduction 4/-
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5	Improved Evasion, Trap Sense +3
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Improved Low Blow
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Damage Reduction 5/—
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	5/day Rage
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	Low Blow +4d6, Trap Sense +4
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Geography) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Profession (Wis), Speak Language (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Viking.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Vikings are proficient with all Simple and Martial weapons, with Light and Medium armor, and with shields excluding tower shields.

Sea Legs (Ex)

At 1st level, a Viking has spent so much time on a rocking boat that she gets a +3 inherent bonus to balance checks and a +2 on saves to avoid being knocked prone or to stay upright on an undulating surface.

Improved Feint

At 1st level, Vikings gain Improved Feint as their feat, even if they do not meet the requirements. This allows characters to feint in combat as a move action rather than a standard action.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

Starting at 2nd level, a Viking can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a Viking already has uncanny dodge from a different class she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Rage (Ex)

A Viking can fly into a rage a certain number of times per day. In a rage, a Viking temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases the Viking’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While raging, a Viking cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A Viking may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, the Viking loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (–2 penalty to Strength, –2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter (unless he is a 18th-level Viking, at which point this limitation no longer applies; see below).

A Viking can fly into a rage only once per encounter. At 3rd level he can use his rage ability once per day. At 7th level and every four levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of five times per day at 19th level). Entering a rage takes no time itself, but a Viking can do it only during his action, not in response to someone else’s action.

Evasion (Ex)

At 4th level and higher, a Viking can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the viking is wearing light armor medium armor or no armor. A helpless viking does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Low Blow

At 5th level or higher, if a Viking successfully feints against an opponent, any attacks she makes in the same round deal an extra 1d6 damage. This damage increases by 1d6 every five levels. If a Viking can attack multiple times in the same round, the damage is applied to each attack separately.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

A Viking of 6th level or higher can no longer be flanked. This defense denies an enemy the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does Viking. If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Damage Reduction (Ex)

Starting at 6th level the Viking gets Damage Reduction 1. This increases by 1 every 3 levels thereafter.

Trap Sense (Ex)

Starting at 8th level, a Viking gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise by +1 every four Viking levels thereafter (12th, 16th, and 20th level). Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Raven (Ex)

At 9th level or higher, a Viking can summon a raven that scouts for him. The raven can speak a simplified form of common, it otherwise has all the stats of a standard Raven. If this raven is killed, the viking cannot summon another for 24 hours.

Battle cry

A player may use a battle cry as a standard action to try to make enemies within 50ft run as though feared. Enemies must make a will save of ten plus the player's level to not be affected. For example enemy must get a 19 or more to beat the battle cry when the player is level 9

Greater Rage (Ex)

At 13th level, a Viking’s bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his rage each increase to +6, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +3. The penalty to AC remains at –2.

Indomitable Will (Ex)

While in a rage, a Viking of 14th level or higher gains a +4 bonus on Will saves to resist enchantment spells. This bonus stacks with all other modifiers, including the morale bonus on Will saves he also receives during his rage.

Improved Evasion (Ex)

Starting at 16th level, this ability works like evasion, except that while the Viking still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless Viking does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Tireless Rage (Ex)

At 18th level and higher, a Viking no longer becomes fatigued at the end of his rage.

Ex-Vikings

A Viking who changes their alignment (Ex good to evil) cannot progress in levels as a Viking, though he retains all his Viking abilities.

Epic Viking

Table: The Epic Viking

Hit Die: d12

Level	Special
21st	Fast Healing
22nd
23rd
24th
25th	Low Blow +5d6, Bonus Feat
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th	Low Blow +6d6, Bonus Feat
6 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Other Features

Low Blow: +1 every 5 levels, starting from 25th.

Bonus Feats: The epic Viking gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Viking bonus feats) every 5 levels after 20th.

Epic Viking Bonus Feat List: You propose something?

Human (Æskmann) Viking Starting Package

Weapons and armor: Battle Axe and chain mail.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Climb	4	Str	−2
Swim	4	Str	−2
Jump	4	Str	−2
Use Rope	4	Dex	—
Knowledge (Geography)	4	Int	—
Spot	4	Wis	—

Feat: Weapon Focus (Battle Axe).

Bonus Feats: Improved Feint, Toughness.

Gear: Hide, Large Wooden Shield.

Gold: 50 gp.

Campaign Information

Playing a Viking

Religion: they worship the Æsir Pantheon, but most of all Njordr and Ægir (marine gods), as well as Thor and Freyr.

Other Classes: Vikings fit most with Skalds, who are their faithful companions of adventures and the recorders of their feats. They appreciate Healers and even Ranger or Rogues, for their peculiar ability. Barbarians and Fighters are as well valuable allies. They tend to mistrust arcane classes and even divine classes, for their powers..

Combat: They can fit nearly all roles, from Assault (with Odin's Call), to Sneak (with Low Blow), however they are best in melee.

Advancement: Some level of Skald or Healer can be useful. Authoritative Vikings can take the prestige class Legendary Leader, or if they wish, they can try enter the elite troops of Jomsviking or the Variag Guard in Basilea.

Viking Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Geography) can research Vikings to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Geography)

DC	Result
5	Vikings are terrible and merciless pirates in the North Sea.
15	Vikings can sail quickly and arrive unexpected with their Drakkar ships, so that they favour surprise attacks. They seed great fear into enemies.
20	Vikings are cunning navigators and they can reach also very far lands, in search for booty or revenge. They are also good farmers and praise family.
25	Vikings are divided in several warbands, chiefdoms and fiefs, so that it can be possible to take advantage of this.

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