Walrus Bludgeoner (3.5e Class)

Walrus Bludgeoner

Walrus bludgeoners hail from the frigid Northlands, because one character class always hails from the frigid Northlands. They rely on their strength and familiar to survive.

Making a Walrus Bludgeoner

Walrus bludgeoners are very similar to barbarians. They excel at melee combat, but they are weak with ranged combat, and they don't do anything in the way of spells. This is the class to play if you want to beat things with blunt weapons. It's all they do.

Abilities: Strength, constitution, and dexterity, in that order, is everything that a walrus bludgeoner needs. Strength is important for dealing damage and many of the walrus bludgeoners abilities rely on it. Constitution is important to the survival of any character, especially a frontline combatant, and dexterity helps give them an armor class.

Races: Dwarves and Humans are the most likely races for this class, but any other race could be one as well. It simply requires that there be a tribe of the race in the north.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 5d4×10 gp (125gp).

Starting Age: Moderate, As fighter

Table: The Walrus Bludgeoner

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Muscle Points Per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Familiar Clubbing Frenzy, Summon Familiar, Musk of the Moose	0
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Clobber +1	1
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Hide of the Otter	2
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Claws of the Otter	3
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Tongue of the Otter	3
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Thrust Smack	4
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2	Clobber +2, Improved Crafting	5
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2	Eye of the Stoat	6
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3	Hide of the Walrus	6
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Claws of the Walrus	7
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	Tongue of the Otter (Others), Tongue of the Walrus	8
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Clobber +3, Lunging Thrust Smack	9
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Rage of the Reindeer	9
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	Double-Fisted Skull Smashing	10
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	Northern Exposure	11
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5		12
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Clobber +4	12
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Pulverise	13
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Improved Double-Fisted Skull Smashing	14
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6		15
Class Skills ( 4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Class Features

Walrus bludgeoners are taught from an early age the secret northern arts of bludgeoning. They also play at hitting things with sticks as children. Because of this, they are the ultimate bludgeon fighter, unbeaten in the prowess of smacking things. All of the following are class features of the walrus bludgeoner.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Walrus bludgeoners are proficient with all bludgeoning weapons, simple, martial, and exotic. They are proficient with light armor, but not shields.

Familiar: Walrus Bludgeoners adopt pets at an early age. They show these pets their love by beating them. They can obtain a Familiar the same way a sorcerer does. In addition to the list of familiars available to the sorcerer, a walrus bludgeoner can choose an otter or seal. The otter gives its master +3 on swim checks, and the seal gives its master 2 cold resistance

Familiar Clubbing Frenzy (Su): A walrus bludgeoner learns to show his love to his familiar. In return the familiar imbues him with strength. Or maybe he just gets a good work out from it. Nobody knows. All matters aside, to use this ability takes a full round action to begin and provokes attacks of opportunity. Your familiar must be in melee range of you to use this ability. Each round of this action, you declare that you are using Familiar Clubbing Frenzy, you make a full attack at your familiar. This deals non-lethal damage. When your familiar is unconscious you gain a temporary +4 bonus to your strength score. This lasts for 1 minute per level of walrus bludgeoner.

Musk of the Moose: A walrus bludgeoner has an innate ability to avoid getting any water on him when showering, but this has advantages. If he is within 100 ft. of any of his allies, they can pin-point his exact location by the smell.

Muscle Points (Ex): Walrus Bludgeoners have muscles that are so bulging that they make them seem almost magical. Beginning at second level, a walrus bludgeoner has a number of muscle points each day equal to the appropriate number on the table above + his strength modifier. These can be spent on abilities. As long as he has at least one muscle point left for the day, a walrus bludgeoner gets a +1 competence bonus to his attack rolls.

Clobber: A walrus bludgeoner knows the secret art of hitting people on the head for maximum effectiveness. Beginning at second level he can expend 1 muscle point to gain a +1 competence bonus on damage rolls. He must declare this ability before making the attack, and it uses up one muscle point even if it misses. No more than 1 use of this ability can be used with any one attack. Every 5 levels after second level the competence bonus to damage increases by +1.

Hide of the Otter (Ex): Walrus bludgeoners slide over the ice on their stomachs. This makes their skin very hardy. At 3rd level, a walrus bludgeoner gains a +1 competence bonus to his natural armor.

Claws of the Otter (Su): A walrus bludgeoner's bond with his familiar allows him to grow claws. Somehow these claws increase his ability to hit things with sticks. Beginning at 4th level, the walrus bludgeoner gains Weapon Specialization as a bonus feat, whether or not he qualifies for it. The chosen weapon must be a bludgeoning weapon. At 10th level, he can change the selected weapon for this feat.

Tongue of the Otter (Su): Through watching the otter tend to its wounds, the walrus bludgeoner learns healing maneuvers in a similar manner. As a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a walrus bludgeoner can heal himself hit points equal to his class level. This ability expends 2 muscle points. If an attack of opportunity is made, the attempt is ruined (no hit points are healed, but the muscle points are still expended for the day). At 11th level this ability can be used to heal others, provided they don't mind being licked. The target must be within touching distance of the walrus bludgeoner, and willing, or unconscious. The amount healed is equal to the walrus bludgeoner's level.

Thrust Smack (Ex): This is the art of smacking with a thrust. At 6th level, a walrus bludgeoner can expend 2 muscle points to deal double damage on the first attack of a full attack action, but only half of his base attack bonus, rounded down, can be used. You declare the use of thrust smack before making your attack, and then roll your attack. If it hits, the weapon damage is doubled. For example, Erberk Valderk, a level 7 walrus bludgeoner, declares his use of Thrust Smack. He then halves his base attack bonus, +7/+2, which makes it +3/+1 and then adds his strength modifier (and any other modifiers) to his attack roll. He has a strength modifier of +3, so he gets +6 on the attack roll for his first attack and +4 for his attack roll on the second attack. He then makes his attack roll and hits. The damage roll for his Greatclub (1d10) and gets a 4. He multiplies the 4 by 2 getting 8, then adds his strength modifier of 3 to it getting 11 damage. He rolls for his second attack and gets a 4 again. This time he doesn't roll, and just adds his strength modifier to the damage getting 7 damage.

Improved Crafting: At 7th level, a walrus bludgeoner can craft better weapons than normal. He gets a +2 competence bonus on Craft (weapon) checks.

Eye of the Stoat: A walrus bludgeoner comes from lands where blizzards reign over every moment. His familiar converses with a stoat and confers this ability to him. It protects his eyes, and makes his vision a little sharper. At 8th level, the walrus bludgeoner gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat, except that it applies to all bludgeoning weapons. He also gets a +2 bonus to Spot checks made in snowy climates.

Hide of the Walrus (Ex): Living in the north it is cold. Very cold. From watching his familiar watching the walrus, a walrus bludgeoner learns to be fat without any of the typical downsides. This fatness makes his skin bouncy and most weapons can't pierce it. At 9th level a walrus bludgeoner gains damage reduction 3/Piercing.

Claws of the Walrus (Su): These claws are just like the otters claws, but stronger, providing a better grip on the walrus bludgeoners weapon. Beginning at 10th level, whenever a walrus bludgeoner is wielding a bludgeoning weapon, he is treated as having locked gauntlets, except that he can open and close his hands as he pleases. He also gains a +2 bonus to bludgeoning weapon damage rolls.

Tongue of the Walrus (Su): His tongue grows with age and matures into a fully formed walrus tongue. At 11th level his ability to lick his wounds furthers. This ability functions the same as Tongue of the Otter except that it does not provoke attacks of opportunity, can not target others, and only costs 1 muscle point.

Lunging Thrust Smack: A walrus bludgeoner learns to step forwards while hitting things. From 12th level onwards, a walrus bludgeoner can 1 muscle point to use Thrust Smack at the end of a charge (He must still spend the 4 muscle points on Thrust Smack).

Rage of the Reindeer (Sp): The thousands of years of suppression have built a huge pent up rage, and it's time for it to break free. At 13th level the walrus bludgeoner learns to harness the rage of 10,000 reindeer. He gains the ability to use the sorcerer/wizard spell Rage once per day, as a caster of his level.

Double-fisted Skull Smashing (Ex): At 14th level a walrus bludgeoner learns to hit things with two hands. His penalties are reduced to -2 for each hand provided he is wielding bludgeoning weapons of his size category or smaller. This qualifies as Two-Weapon Fighting for the purpose of qualifying for other feats and prestige classes.

Northern Exposure (Su): By 15th level, a walrus bludgeoner has had a lot of cold nights spent outside. This develops a hardy resilience in him and at 15th level he gains Cold Resistance 10.

Pulverise (Ex): At 18th level, if a walrus bludgeoner sunders an object it immediately turns into the food of his choice. The quantity of food is the same weight as the sundered object.

Improved Double-fisted Skull Smashing (Ex): At 19th level a walrus bludgeoner learns to hit things harder with two hands. His penalties are reduced to -2 for each hand provided he is wielding bludgeoning weapons of one size larger than his size category.

Ex-Walrus Bludgeoners

A walrus bludgeoner learns his innate powers and the art of thrusting and smacking from his bond with his familiar; Therefore if a walrus bludgeoner's familiar dies, or is dismissed, he loses all class abilities until he obtains new familiar, or resurrects his dead one.

Dwarf Walrus Bludgeoner Starting Package

Weapons: Greatclub.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Survival	4	Wis	—
Swim	4	Str	-4
Climb	4	Str	-2
Tumble	2	Dex	-2
Craft (weapon)	4	Int	—

Feat: Improved Initiative.

Gear: Chain Shirt, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, Flint and steel, 50 ft of hempen rope, waterskin, 10 SRDtrail rations, 2 sunrods.

Gold: 1 gp.

Campaign Information

Playing a Walrus Bludgeoner

Religion: Walrus bludgeoners typically revere nature, so likely deities include Obad-Hai, and Ehlonna. But some of them have a love for war, in which case Kord, Heironeous, or Hextor would be the possible deities for them. They have little interest in magic, so it would be unlikely for one of them to follow Boccob.

Other Classes: Walrus bludgeoners get along very well with the nature oriented classes like the druid, ranger, and barbarian. They feel a kindred spirit with their revere for nature, since most of their abilities come from learning from their familiar. They also get along well with fighters, but are generally slow to trust bards, sorcerers and wizards because of their magic, which they consider "tricksey."

Combat: Walrus bludgeoners deal a lot of damage. Just point yourself at the enemy and go.

Advancement: Fighter is the best multiclass option for a walrus bludgeoner. The fighter bonus feats add just the right touch with the walrus bludgeoner's abilities.

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