The University of Idaho Argonaut

Outside, he finds six men with torches.

"Monster," one says with a sneer. The others laugh.

Krusk stands his ground. One of the men comes toward him, sword drawn. The fire reflects in the brute's eyes. He blinks and brings his club down.

Within two minutes, all the men have fled. Blood is scattered on the ground. Krusk looks into the woods, sees nothing and enters his home. He returns to a peaceful sleep, exhausted after his fit of rage.

Krusk is a barbarian, one of the most interesting character classes in Dungeons and Dragons. Barbarians have their advantages - they are incredibly strong, and can use their rage ability to exert even more damage. They are the muscle of any party.

Barbarians, as their name might suggest, are the only characters that start out illiterate. The creator must expend points to have Krusk, or any other barbarian, learn to read. This is one of the major downsides to playing a barbarian.

Role playing as a barbarian can be fun. There is the opportunity to play a truly stupid person, one without a lot of social skills, or both. Combine illiteracy with low intelligence and charisma scores, and one can annoy the hell out of the game master and the rest of the group. However, fellow players will appreciate the high potential for damage a barbarian brings to a party.

Choosing a race as a barbarian is fairly limited. The concept of a gnome barbarian is ridiculous, and it is hard to imagine a noble elf grunting and swinging a club. Half-orcs are the best core race for playing a barbarian, but dwarves and humans are also viable options.

The third edition book, "Savage Species," contains instructions for adapting a monstrous race for a player character. In addition to full orcs, kobolds and various other creatures, it has an appendix detailing how to create an anthropomorphic character. Using the book, players can create an overpowered orca barbarian whose flipper could knock out anyone. There are almost limitless possibilities for making a surreal barbarian - just clear it with the GM first.