1.3. Introducci´ on hist´ orica sobre la ac´ ustica y la intensimetr´ıa.intensimetr´ıa
1.3.2. Breve introducci´ on a la intensidad ac´ ustica
In the midst of the levied warriors and elite members of the many warbands in Scandinavia, other groups exist, too – fiercer ones that cause dread where ever they go. These sacred warriors are chosen by the gods and do not abide by the rules or laws of others. They are the Úlfhéðnar, or ‘Men (Who Wear) Wolf Pelts’, and are possessed by the wrath and fury of Oðin.
These groups of warriors are found throughout Scandinavia and the Nine Worlds and take on many variations in appearance and even titles, but their role in society is the same – to cause havoc and slaughter on the foe in the name of the gods. Mentally unstable before they were ever inducted into the fighting order, the Berserker learns to hone the frenzy to its greatest extreme. They are so lethal and seemingly unstoppable that all others who confront them fear them greatly. Luckily, their numbers are small in the whole of tribes and kingdoms, but they make a difference in battle by taking part no matter how small their numbers. Somehow, fire and iron are unable to affect them once they are in their frenzied state, and this puzzles and bothers their foes. Berserkers swear to only bathe in the blood of their enemies and not in water. They let their hair grow wild and remain unkempt, but this isn’t for some sense of fashion; it is because their minds are too far gone to pay attention to those details. These warriors are ‘touched’ and given a sacred purpose by the Allfather to commit great slaughter in his name anywhere they go.
The Berserkers do not follow any rules or laws and can wander aimlessly throughout Nordic regions, as they wish, seeking work with their deadly skills for any willing lord. If they want food and alcohol, they take it. If they want a woman or two, they can claim them from the local populace without reprisals. A Berserker possesses the ultimate freedom in the Nine Worlds and abides by no king or lord. It is rare that they ever agree to the Ring Oath because they are so fickle in their daily lives and go where ever their bloody urges take them. Many kings and nobles have their ‘house’ Berserkers on hand that have been serving for generations in the same way for the same line of royalty. The Berserker is the special warrior that is the last option for any lord wishing to gain victory if his other warriors have failed. The erraticism and unpredictability of the Berserkers makes the decision delicate because they do not fol- low orders well.
In their frenzied state, they only lust for the blood and slaugh- ter of others and do not mentally have the facilities to think things through carefully. Berserkers commonly are armed with a spear and don a wolf pelt, regardless of where they come from in Scandinavia or the Nine Worlds. This is to symbolize the source of their inspiration, Oðin.
Once in the frenzy, the Berserker cannot distinguish friend from foe and must be set loose to cause havoc until everything is over. They see only red, literally, as they hack and impale their way through the throng of foes.
Oðin has the divine power to send others into a Berserk frenzy at a whim, if he so chooses. Likewise, he can also dispel the fury and rage others have just the same. The Berserker does not wear any armor aside from the animal pelt and uses their inner rage to fend off the damage by others.
Observers of these wild men say that they chew and gnaw on their shields and growl and snarl like beasts as they get worked up into their frenzy. The frenzy that overtakes them, when it does, enables them to cause and suffer more damage than the average
D) Suffer being hit by another: +1 per each time hit by an- other, either in combat or not.
Once the Fury is summoned, the Berserker gains these basic advantages for its duration:
1. +5 strength. This counts for the damage caused by the Ber- serker and any strength related actions they do.
2. The Berserker can endure more damage during combat. These are exactly half of their total number more onto what they already have at the time. The Berserker can- not feel the wounds they suffer in the duration; they are numb to the injuries, no matter how awful they really are. Their original hit points will return after the battle and Fury is over minus the number of points taken during the combat.
3. The Berserker will be unable to be harmed by any fire or bladed cutting attacks but is vulnerable to all others (blunt, ice, water, etc.).
4. The Fury will last for as long as the battle is happening or they are dead or unable to fight.
Unfortunately, every time this ability is called upon, it weakens the Berserker’s mind and sanity. If the Berserker manages to survive the Fury, they must make a wisdom check. If they fail, they lose one point each time from that attribute. A fumbled save takes two points away. Gradu- ally, the Berserker will lose their sanity and reasoning when they summon the Fury of the Allfather. One way or another, they cannot keep ahold of their sanity and be able to possess the Fury of Oðin.
At 5th level, the Berserker can shatter any bladed weapons that come their way while they are in this state. Swords, axes, knives and all other bladed weapons made from metal will break if they are struck in this heightened state of the Fury.
While at 10th level, the Berserker will gain their hit points twice in number for the duration of the Fury and battle, but once the battle is over, their hits will return to normal (minus whatever is lost in the battle).
Cleave Foe:
The Berserker can call on this ability only if Oðin’s Fury is already active. With this ability, the enraged warrior can shatter the enemy’s shields and weapons during battle. To use this, after an attack on an enemy (or a failed one), the opponent must make a dexterity save or their weapon or shield is destroyed by the mighty Berserker. Magical items can only be shattered by another enchanted weapon; otherwise they cannot shatter them so easily.Cleave Foe can be used as often in combat as the Berserker wishes, but the same chance of their own weapons or shield be- warrior. Each time they go into the frenzy, they lose a trace
more of their sanity when they emerge. Many can reach the frenzy with the aid of drugs or other means, but the true ‘masters’ are those that can reach Oðin’s Fury on their own. A Berserker believes he is not only touching on Oðin’s fury but that he is also channeling the beast of the wolf pelt he wears – that he is transformed into a wolf-like man, half both but also divine in nature. When given the chance before battle, the Berserker will swallow burning embers and shout aloud like rabid beasts, showing the world that they are invincible. Even though the members of a warband won’t normally retreat from battle because of oath-bound honor, the levied warriors will if overpowered and seeing defeat, but the Berserker abso- lutely will not stop slaying the enemy until either a.) The battle is over, b.) They are dead themselves or c.) The enemy is slain. Retreat is never an option for the Úlfhéðinn.
Men are not the only gender that can be among the Berserker- kind. Women can too earn this difficult place. Shieldmaidens have been known to possess the fury, the berserkergang. Those who have the Berserkergang are as strong as five to ten men and can lift, pull, hit or push with a mighty strength akin to the gods or giants.
The more powerful and older Berserker's abilities are truly divine-like in nature. As a player character, the Berserker can easily be intimidating and awkward around the rest of the party. Their mental state is never certain and any excitement could send them into frenzy.
abiliTies
Odin's Fury:
The Berserker can call upon the legendary rage and fury of the Allfather, when needed, to bring them to a higher state of physical being. Once this ability is mastered, the Berserker can control it and not require extra stimulae to encourage it. This is called berserkergang, or Ōðr, and means ‘furor, excitation and fury.’This ability is similar to the barbarian’s Primal Instincts & Will except that is only two of the functions this ability grants. Before battle or an event that causes great excitement, the Berserker must either try to control their urges or be a victim to them. To do this, the player must make a charisma save or slip into the mindless rage. If the charisma score is a secondary attribute, the Berserker will have to take measures to try to bring the fury out. These can range, but not be limited, to these modifiers:
A) Eat Red Cap mushrooms: +2 on save roll.
B) Gnaw shield and growl like a beast: +1 on save roll. C) Swallow burning embers: +2 to save roll.
ing destroyed applies on the reverse. For each time they strike an enemy and manage to shatter their armaments, they must also make a dexterity save unless their weapon or shield is magical. The Berserker can shatter a weapon if it hits their shield in the event of a failed attack on them with this ability.
Disarm Enemy:
The Berserker can use this against opponents for defense. They must designate to the Castle Keeper beforehand before being attacked that they want to try to disarm their enemies. To make this ability work, the Berserker must not be hit by the enemy first, meaning that the attack failed against them with a failed roll. The attacker then must make a strength save, or they will lose their grip on the weapon, sending it 1d10 feet away in whatever direction the Castle Keeper decides.The Heat of Tyr:
Once the Berserker reaches 3rd level, they are capable of possessing such an intense rage that their body heat becomes too unbearable for others. To call on this ability, the warrior must make a charisma save, but they can only do this while in combat. It is the rage and aggression that they feel from the struggle that creates this effect.In a ten foot radius, a powerful steam seethes from the Berserker making all flammable objects potentially burst into flames around them. There is a 2 in 6 chance that each item on others ignites and quickly burns – this means clothing, wooden items and hair. It could quickly escalate and make the enemies unable to attack as they pat out the many fires around them. Once the Berserker reaches 6th level, this ability grows in power. Not only does it cause flammable items to ignite (now a 4 in 6 chance), but it can burn those enemies who dare to come close, doing 1d6 damage a round to them and placing a -5 on their rolls for attacks. It only takes an enemy to leave the raging radius to not be affected.
The Allfather's Speed:
The Berserker is able to attack their foe twice per round because of their rage, but this can only happen while they are in Oðin’s Fury. This is similar to the barbarian’s Whirlwind Attack, in essence, but works a slightly different way. This ability can only work on one op- ponent at a time.At 4th level, the Berserker can add one more attack to their bloody barrage toward an enemy. While at 8th, one more ad- ditional attack is gained, and the Berserker can lay four attacks on each enemy.
Alternatively, the Berserker can also fire a bow with speed in a manner similar to the Allfather. Oðin is able to fire twenty arrows in one pull of the string, and his sacred warriors try to imitate this in their frenzy. They can fire one more arrow per ex- perience level plus any bonus taken from their dexterity score. This ability ends its additional arrows fired at 10th level.
PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Strength
HIT DIE: 1d12
ALIGNMENT: Any
WEAPONS: Any, preferably spear or axe
ARMOR: None
ABILITIES: Oðin’s Fury, Cleave Foe, Disarm Enemy, the Heat of Týr and the Speed of Oðin.
Level HD BtH EPP 1 d12 +0 0 2 d12 +1 2,101 3 d12 +2 4,701 4 d12 +3 9,401 5 d12 +4 20,001 6 d12 +5 40,001 7 d12 +6 80,001 8 d12 +7 170,001 9 d12 +8 340,001 10 d12 +9 600,001 11 +5 HP +10 800,001 12 +5 HP +11 1,000,001
13 and up + 200,000 per level