Berserkers are well-trained at tapping into that most primal of emotions: rage. In mastering its utility they also master a variety of techniques and preternatural abilities to bring a tactical edge to crushing their foes. No matter what walk of life they come from, berserkers all shine brightest on the move. Far from lumbering brutes, the inner reserves they draw on sharpen senses and reflexes along with the cut of their blade.
While they are classically thought of as wandering nomads or members of remote villages, berserkers do not restrict themselves to such environs. A highway robbers’ camp, a coliseum’s sands, an elite strike force, and a tavern’s common room brawl are all places that would appeal to their skills. No matter where they are berserkers cut imposing figures even in repose, causing many to give them a wide berth—a wolf is still a wolf, even if it runs with the watch dogs.
Berserkers are terrors on the battlefield, wading into the fray where they rely on their reflexes and ability to shrug off massive damage to keep them alive for another day. It’s a dangerous life, but one that a berserker lives to its utmost. Let it not be said that berserkers do not practice strategy, however. Their ability to control their adversary’s place in the battlefield by stunning, frightening, or just plain knocking down enemies makes them invaluable at one’s side and a nightmare to face.
You can find the instructions on how to create a Berserker here.
- Bear Bonded (GPG #11) - Whether they were the children of druids, unusually good with animals, or literally raised by bears, bear-bonded berserkers share a connection beyond words with their ursine companions.
- Bringer of Bedlam (MMV2) - Berserkers Many berserkers have a bit of a chaotic bent to them, but a Bringer of Bedlam is infused with chaos down in some essential part of their being. They are often associated with otherworldly beings like aberrations or the courts of the faerie, but some seemingly spring up from nowhere in true chaotic fashion. With powerful abilities that they are only nominally in control of, they are the ultimate wildcards. (Wild Magic Barbarian Equivalent)
- Deathrager (PMG MOAR: L&D Pg. 14) - True to their name, deathragers are berserkers who fuse necromantic power and unbridled fury into a singular, dangerous whole. Typically motivated by dark impulses such as revenge, bloodlust, or devotion to a dark supernatural force, they infuse their weapons and bodies with the power of the grave. They may be the elite shock troops of a necromancer or tyrant, the martial arm of a religious order obsessed with death, or lone individuals tapping dark power to fuel their own (often sinister) goals. Wherever they come from, these warriors are so terrifying that the most powerful ones can cause heart attacks from the mere sight of them.
- Defiant (GPG #1) - While many adhere to tradition and believe their destiny is set, a defiant knows better. Destiny is power, fate is a tool, and there is no reason to allow it to run unchecked—or to let someone else decide it for you. This newfound resilience in the face of fate allows these berserkers to defy odds and do the impossible.
- Dragonblooded (MoAR Comp Pg. 124) - Whether through ancestry or devotion, some berserkers feel a connection to— and draw power from—the might of dragons. Their fury makes them ever more draconic as they grow in power. In some cases, this connection is quite literal; dragonborn berserkers find that training in the techniques of the dragonblooded can amplify their inborn draconic abilities. But such connections are by no means required. Some of these warriors acquire their abilities through a ritual involving drinking dragon’s blood (taken by force or given willingly) and still others have a more metaphysical connection to dragonkind. Whatever the origin, however, the powers of these berserkers are fearsome indeed.
- Dreadnought (AG Pg. 146) - Unlike many of their fellows who rely on their instincts and wits to keep them from harm, dreadnoughts have a different philosophy. Clad in the heaviest armor, these berserkers serve as mobile bulwarks, shielding their companions from harm and and using their armor and the momentum it grants to fullest effect.
- Empathic Rager (MMM) - For most berserkers, rage their fury is an internal, solitary thing. It explodes outward violently when it drives them to frenetic action, but it is still theirs. Empathic Ragers are those berserkers whose rage burns so fiercely, whose emotions are so strong, that they cannot be contained by their bodies. Their fury breaks through something, and touches psionic forces that render it contagious. Empathic Ragers are nexuses of rage, bending the minds of those around them to join in a maelstrom of violence.
- Executioner (PMG JJE Pg. 2) - Most people hope to die peacefully and privately, but some have not earned that right, and executioners are tasked with taking out these individuals in the harsh light of day. Often brutal and always deadly, executioners bring not just violence but death to those they or those they serve have determined are no longer worthy of life and set a terrifying example for those who bear witness. The morality and demeanor of executioners varies wildly. Some are sadists and psychopaths, reveling in the misery, terror and carnage they cause. Others are stoic, restrained agents of justice who see themselves as the means by which righteous and just verdicts are carried out. Few have many friends.
- Fanatic (GPG #13) - Devotion to a cause can bring with it a certain righteous fury, and those who choose to channel this devotion and wrath can become Fanatics, supernaturally-empowered berserkers who can advance their causes and destroy their enemies with furious attacks and potent incantations.
- Fanatic (HOaN) - Fanatics are religious zealots in the extreme, berserkers whose rage is not fueled by mere anger or wrath but by zealous devotion. They are absolutely committed to their faith, and the sight or even thought of those who would defy what they believe in drives them mad with fury. Terrors to the enemies of the faith, fanatics unleash righteous destruction or unholy slaughter where ever they go.
- Heart-Eater (Planestrider's Journal) - Legends of the hunter’s plane of Resvree travel far, and there are berserkers who try to walk the same path—and succeed, their bloodiest victories serving to literally make them stronger.
- Linebreaker (PMG ToW Pg. 2) - Berserkers specialized at breaking through enemy formations, Linebreakers are known for their fearlessness, ferocity, and destructiveness. These elite warriors crush the defensive positions of other armies on foot or on horseback and the most experienced can actually cause localized seismic activity and fling their enemies around like rag dolls.
- Magma Rager (PMG FJ Pg. 4) - Strong anger is often referred to as “burning rage,” but Magma Ragers take this out of the figurative and into the literal. These terrifying berserkers transform into terrifying juggernauts filled with scorching lava, and the most powerful ones can obscure the area around them with choking clouds of smoke and hurl crushing volcanic bombs at their foes.
- Rager (AG Pg. 147) - Less a commentary on how primitive or base their techniques are, these berserkers instead personify the essentials of the trade: dealing death and coming back from the brink of it themselves. From a rough-and-tumble highway bandit to a sophisticated royal guard, this sort of berserker is the one most commonly encountered.
- Reckless Protector (SoS) - Reckless Protectors are found in all walks of life, from the personal guard of the royal family to the strongest child in a gaggle of back-alley urchins, yet all share this commonality: a radical, furious devotion for those they protect. Always on the lookout for potential threats, these berserkers will gladly suffer having their teeth kicked in, but they will not suffer to see anyone lay a finger on those they’ve taken under their wing.
- Red Death (LoS) - Around hearthfires of yore, elders would recount the grim saga of the Red Death. They spoke of how in clash of steel and spray of life's essence, these battle‐mad souls unlocked a hellish rage to match any foeman. The more their veins spilled rubies or their flesh tore open, further the madness careened them into slaughter's embrace. Any since who tasted such scarlet‐soaked strife and crawled thence were doomed to stalk the killing fields again, for only under blazing skies awash with butchery could the howls in their hearts be lulled asleep.
- Seraph (LoS) - In the obscure tales of mythic eras, murmurs echoed regarding the Seraphs, an enigmatic presence. Their gaze aflame with otherworldly light, utterances of unraveled concealed truths, leaving cryptic marks upon selected adversaries. With wings radiant, they ascended beyond mortal reach, ethereal forms instilling fear into those who would dare even gaze upon them.
- Tempest (AG Pg. 147) - Whether they were struck by lightning as a child or inherited their spark of power from a parent or ancestor, tempests are a special sort of berserker. Often raised and trained by druids and other followers of nature, they have both the power of and protection from the elements of the raging storm.
- The Battering Ram (LoS) - In the shadows of an age lost to time, a lone warrior, earned the name "Battering Ram." The tale unfolded during a momentous siege where, armed solely with unyielding fists, this enigmatic figure faced the imposing gates of a castle. With a relentless fervor, each strike became a thunderous assault, resonating with a primal force that shattered the very foundations of that gate. The besieged, witnessing this awe inspiring feat, christened the warrior with a name that echoed through the ages.
- Trollslayer (DDG Pg. 32) - Trolls, particularly cave trolls, are reasonably common in Underland, and so too are troll slayers. This much is known. What enjoys less consensus is whether “troll slayer” means “one who slays trolls” or “one who slays in the manner of a troll.” There is plenty of evidence to support both interpretations. Certainly, a troll slayer’s flaming weapons and acidic blood make short work of trolls, but their ability to manifest troll-like physical traits (such as rapid healing, claws, and a keen sense of smell) show an affinity, not an animus, for troll-kind. What everyone agrees upon, however, is that these berserkers are exceedingly dangerous.
- Wrathburner (MoAR Comp Pg. 125) - Wrathburners are a rare brand of berserker who have managed to focus their inner fury so completely that they can use it to perform magic. Though limited in their repertoire of spells, they can “break the rules” of magic and fury, forcing both into a terrifying storm of destructive wrath. Wrathburners eventually learn to focus their fury into strikes of pure magical force and the most powerful ones can tear at the fabric of reality itself while enraged.