Uthgardt Beast Tribes

Credits: some mechanics adapted from homebrew content on D&DWiki.

Father of the Uthgardt barbarians of the Savage Frontier, Uthgar is a proud, fierce, and independent warrior. According to some legends he is the son of Beorunna (a Netherese warrior hero whose followers became the barbarian tribes of the North), while others claim he is the divine offspring of mighty Tempus. The Battle Father has few friends and has remained relatively uninvolved in divine politics. Little known outside the harsh realm of the North, the church of Uthgar does not exist per se outside the collected ranks of those who venerate the various beast cult totems. Uthgar has neither temples, nor shrines, nor formally ordained clergy. Although generally seen as savage and frightening by other inhabitants of the Savage Frontier, in truth the character of the cults of Uthgar varies greatly from tribe to tribe.

Dogma: Strength is everything. Civilization is weakness. Men should fight, hunt, and raid from the weak to provide for their wives and families. Family is sacred, and its bonds are not cast aside lightly. Arcane magic is effete, self-indulgent, and ultimately leads to weakness. Reliance upon arcane magic is an evil and false path that leads to death and ruin. Revere Uthgar, your ancestors, and your tribe’s spirit. Commune with your totem so that you know its virtues and its weaknesses; claim its virtues as your own and weed its weaknesses from your spirit. The totem holds wisdom and raw power that you can make your own. Make the others of your tribe fear and respect your power and knowledge so they heed the wise words of your ancestors speak through you to them.

Alternate Class Feature: Ritual Enemy (Ex): Each tribe has a ritual enemy — its sworn foe and target of agression for countless generations. Every member of an Uthgardt tribe has learned from birth to suspect anyone of these ancient enemies, if not attack them on sight. Because of this, each of these ritual enemies is considered a choice for a favored enemy for characters who have the UnRanger’s ability. Any warrior class belonging to the tribe that does not have the favored enemy ability may sacrifice a bonus feat or class talent in order to gain their ritual enemy as a favored enemy with a flat +2 bonus; they may sacrifice up to two additional bonus feats or talents to increase the bonus by another +2 each.

Worship: The church of Uthgar is divided among the eleven beast totem spirits that serve Uthgar as intermediaries to the Uthgardt tribes of the Savage Frontier. Uthgar is not worshiped directly, but each tribe venerates one of these servant spirits as the divine embodiment of the spirit of their tribe — the symbol of its vitality, wisdom, mystical ability, endurance, speed, and moral nature. Uthgardt shamans tend to the respective needs of their tribes, teaching tribal history and customs passed down by heroic tales and lineage chants in an oral tradition spanning centuries. They provide healing for their tribes, initiate youths into manhood after they complete their tribal quests (often missions against a tribe’s ritual enemy), and provide counsel to the tribe’s chieftain and elders. When the tribe faces a new situation or a quandary, shamans consult with the ancestral spirits and totem animal great spirit to find guidance. All Uthgardt shamans believe that personal strength can demonstrate purity of purpose, and so arguments are often settled by a test of strength or a battle of first blood, to surrender, or to the death-if the matter is serious enough.

Most taboos and traditions vary from tribe to tribe, but at least one stricture is universal among the Uthgardt: magic other than that of the shamans or the magic of weapons and armor is forbidden. Uthgardt tribes are the originator for olden tales of savage, superstitious barbarians who hated magic. Like all legends, the stories have some basis in fact. A true Uthgardt frowns at any use of magic that comes from anyone other than a druid or shaman, and they will eschew as much magic as possible — many even to the point of refusing a potion unless they are assured it was distilled from the prayers of a sacred one.

• Uthgar has no clerics, no blackguards, in short, no divine caster that would be considered of a more “organized” sort of religion. The exceptions to this are the clans which have forsaken the staunch traditions of the Uthgardt, and begun to follow other deities — many of the Black Lion, Elk, and the Thunderbeast tribes.
• Sorcerers, Witches and Wizards, if they even exist, will be ostracised, or even hunted, by most tribes, depending on the tribe’s alignment. Even a bloodrager would be looked upon with some suspicion.
• This leaves Druids, Hunters, Incarnates, Oracles, Rangers and Shamans (or archetypes that inherit their spellcasting ability) as the potential spellcasters found amongst Uthgar’s divine servants.
  • Druids of all tribes have access to the domains Animal, Arctic, Badlands, Mountains, Retribution, Strength [Ferocity], War, and Wrath domains. Other domains particular to a tribe are listed below.
  • Oracles of all tribes have access to the mysteries Ancestor, Battle, Life, and Nature. Other mysteries particular to a tribe are listed below.
  • Shamans of all tribes have acces to the spirits of Ancestor, Battle, Life, and Nature. Other spirits particular to a tribe may be listed below.

The Beast Tribes

Rather than follow the one step alignment rule of a deity himself, those who take follow Uthgar as a patron deity must abide by the somewhat broader alignment guidelines of the beast totems who mediate between Uthgar and his people. Any alignment that fits the guideline for a beast totem is suitable for a shaman of Uthgar of that totem. To be a part of this tribe means the character forges a connection through shamanic ritual with the beast totem; and as part of this, all followers of that tribe gain a spirit bond which grants benefits that is also detailed in each entry below.

• Black Lion Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: Beorunna’s Well
  • Chieftain: Alaric the Strong
  • Cleric: Patreveni Onehand (Torm)
  • Shaman: Bogohardt Blackmane (Uthgar)
  • Ritual Enemy: Tundra barbarians (tribes beyond the Spine of the World), Dark Arrow orcs
  • Alignment: Chaotic Good
  • Additional Druid Domains: Chaos, Good, Lion, Plains (Loses Arctic, Mountain)
  • Spirit Bond: Commune with lions, +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against lions. Acrobatics is always a class skill.

  The black lion is long gone from the North, yet the Tribe that bears its name lives on. Chief Alaric’s badge of office is said to be a cape made of black lion skin. Nestled in the wide valley that separates the North from the glacier beyond is the small village of Beorunna’s Well (mostly small huts, long houses, and a few tents), which stands a respectful distance from the watery pit that is its namesake. Here, the complacent Black Lions have forsaken tradition to become farmers and herders. Hunters still roam the wilds, but the tribe no longer depends upon them for survival. Agricultural success lets them trade with others for their needs. In forsaking the barbarian traditions, they have also cast aside their tribal totem. Most folk of Beorunna’s Well worship the Tyr alliance of Tyr, Torm, Ilmater, and Helm. Beorunna’s Well is one of the most sacred sites of the Uthgardt barbarians, and the folk there sense its eldritch nature and fear it more than they revere it. During Runemeet, the Red Tiger Tribe performs the required rituals while the Black Lions avoid entering the well.

• Black Raven Tribe
  • Chieftain: Ostagar Tenfeather
  • Shaman: Pureheartman
  • Ritual enemies: Griffon Tribe, foreign merchants and clerics.
  • Alignment: Chaotic Evil
  • Additional Druid Domains: Animal [Feather], Chaos, Evil, Vulture
  • Additional Mysteries: Wind
  • Additional Shaman Spirits: Wind
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with corvids, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against corvids. Perception is always a class skill.

  Of all the Uthgardt, the Black Ravens are the most conservative, holding tightly to the old ways and reacting violently to the new. Pureheartman and his assistant, Wulphgehar, are the only shamans tolerated by the tribe. As far as the caravans who ply the north are concerned, the Black Ravens are the worst of the tribes. Black Raven warriors are renowned as bandits, gaining this reputation because they prey upon those whom they despise the most- foreigners, especially merchants and missionary clerics. They seek to destroy that which may threaten their way of life. The tribe is aided in their quest by their totem, the gigantic ravens of Ravenrock. The raiders sit astride massive ravens, swooping down out of the sky to rob and terrorize caravans. The Black Raven have little respect for tribes who dwell in towns (particularly the Thunderbeast and Griffon tribes), since those tribes have adopted foreign ways. In return, they are enemies of those tribes. King Gundar Brontoskin (Thunderbeast chieftain) offers a bounty for the destruction of the black ravens’ eggs. Because their raiding spoils are tainted with foreign influence (including gold, jewelry, weapons, fabric, etc.), these items are sacrificed to the black ravens and secreted away in Black Raven shrine, near the Ravenrock ancestor mound. The Black Ravens protect their shrine closely and do not welcome foreign intrusion. Woe betide the person who is caught searching for (let alone robbing) the tribe’s treasure laden shrine.

• Blue Bear (dead tribe): This tribe was defeated by the Beast Lord, Malar, who subsumed the aspect of their totem and drew the cultitsts into his faith. They were branded traitors to Uthgar.
• The Elk Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: Flintrock
  • Chieftain: Zokan Thunderer
  • Shaman: Berchtwald Bandylegs (Uthgar)
  • Cleric: Trothgar Grunald (Auril)
  • Ritual Enemy: “The Ancient Ones” (any old ruin, tomb, or evidence of ancient civilization qualifies)
  • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
  • Additional Druid Domains: Chaos, Stag
  • Additional Mysteries:
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with cervids (elk, etc), and +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against cervids. Stealth is always a class skill.

  The Elk tribe used to be one of the noblest, fiercest tribes, with many renowned orc fighters. Since then, they have apparently lost touch with the Old Ways, and the more traditional tribes see them as arrogant and self-indulgant, nothing more than mere bandits. They raid caravans and villages endlessly, taking prisoners ransom or selling them as slaves. Under the leadership of chieftain Zokan Thunderer, they have also gained loose ties with Luskan, who pay them good gold for their slaves and often hire them to target certain competing merchant companies for their attacks. Chief Zokan Thunderer is regarded by most of the other tribes as an arrogant thug. Under his rule, clerics of the Furies (Talos, Talona, Malar, Auril, and Umberlee) have gained a strong hold on the tribe. Their current hunting grounds are the Evermoors and the Dessarin and Surbrin Valleys.

• Grey Wolf Tribe
  • Ancestral Mound: Ravenrock
  • Chieftain: Alrik Tenstone
  • Shaman: Clovis Greenteeth
  • Ritual enemy: The orcs of Gauntlgrym
  • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
  • Additional Druid Domains: Chaos, Moon, Wolf
  • Additional Mysteries: Lunar
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with wolves, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against wolves. Survival is always a class skill.

  Though they are not the most numerous or the most powerful, this is the most feared of the Uthgardt tribes. Long ago, the tribe adopted human refugees from the lost city of Gauntlgrym. The evil that had possessed the city caused the tribe to be cursed with lycanthropy. Any tribesmen who possesses Grey Wolf blood becomes a wolf under the light of the moon. On moonlit nights, the entire tribe roams the wilderness in search of prey. During Runemeet, the Black Raven tribe tolerates the Grey Wolf at their shared ancestor mound of Ravenrock so long as the moon is not full. The Beast totem of the tribe has altered the curse to allow it to lift if any tribal member chooses to leave the tribe.

• Great Worm Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: Great Worm Cavern
  • Chieftain: Bardawulf Boldheart
  • Shaman: Elrem, called “The Wise” (Great Worm)
  • Ritual Enemy: Evil creatures (orcs, giants, tanar’ri)
  • Tribal size: moderately large, centered at Great Worm Cavern
  • Alignment: Chaotic Good
  • Additional Druid Domains: Cave, Chaos, Good, Scalykind [Dragon]
  • Additional Mysteries: Dragon
  • Additional Shaman Spirits: Dragon
  • Spirit Bond: Bonus language Draconic, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against Good Dragons. Sense Motive is always a class skill.

  The Great Worm Tribe lives far to the North in the Spine of the World Mountains, and has little contact with the other tribes at most times. The most notable feature of this tribe is its chief shaman, Elrem the Wise. Imagine a gigantic, bat-winged snake with the head of a red dragon and you will have a picture of this tribe’s mythical totem and its elder shaman. Unlike most other tribal shamans, Elrem is not human. He is a great worm, possibly the only remaining great worm in existence (though tribal legend states that he was once huamn and may be one of Uthgar’s sons). Elrem sleeps year round in the depths of Great Worm Cavern, waking only once each year at the Runemeet to prophesy the future, based on his dream travels. Through Elrem’s guidance, the tribe has chosen evil creatures — particularly those residing in Hellgate keep — as its ritual enemies.

• Griffon Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: Shining White
  • Chieftain: Kralgar Bonesnapper
  • Shaman: Adalfus Stormgatherer
  • Ritual Enemy: The Cities of the North
  • Tribal size: large, strong, centered at Griffon’s Nest
  • Alignment: Neutral
  • Additional Druid Domains: Air [Wind], Lion
  • Additional Mysteries: Wind
  • Additional Shaman Spirits: Wind
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with griffons, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma-based checks against griffons. Perception is always a class skill.

  The Griffon tribe is led by the charismatic Chief Kralgar Bonesnapper. Under his leadership, the tribe has strived toward many greater accomplishments, making them among the most powerful of the tribes. They have declared war on the cities of the North, with their eventual goal being the conquest and acquisition of one of the region’s cities. Scattered, unallied clans that typically seek benefits from these cities have often rather joined the Griffon tribe, increasing their ranks dramatically. So much so that the Griffon’s Nest, the tribe’s main encampment, rivals even some of the smaller cities in the Silver Marches. Despite the fact they are perpetually at war, the tribe welcome outsiders, considering all possible potential allies in their quest. Among these allies are orcs that are hungry for plunder, wizards who hold personal grudges against particular city-dwellers and agents of distant empires seeking chaos in the region for one reason or another. Some of the more traditional tribes feel they are traitors of the highest order for allying with the racial enemy of Uthgardt, the orcs, and will have nothing to do with them.

• Red Tiger Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: Beorunna’s Well
  • Chieftain: Adalwulf Longfang
  • Shaman: Garinen the Maker
  • Ritual Enemy: Blue Bear Tribe (now Malarites), Dark Arrow Orcs
  • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
  • Additional Druid Domains: Chaos, Panther
  • Additional Mysteries: Ascetic
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with tigers, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against tigers. Exotic Proficiency: Claw Bracer.

  Like their totem beast (which is also called the snow cat, since its fur changes color in winter), this tribe is wild and solitary. They hunt in very small family groups and roam widely, primarily in the Cold Wood. They are wary of strangers and would sooner avoid contact with things or folk which they do not know. The tribe has few shamans and no shrines other than Beorunna’s Well. The men of the Red Tiger Tribe are strictly hunters, leaving gathering and trading to the women, elderly, and children. The Red Tigers believe that the truest test of a hunter is the ability to bring down prey unaided. Often, their only weapon are “tiger claws”, short wooden handles embedded with three sharp stone daggers, held so the daggers project between their fingers like claws (treat as a claw bracer). The Red Tigers are loyal to King Gundar Brontoskin of the Thunderbeasts, who won their respect during a Runemeet Runehunt by bringing back a leucrotta slain only with a pair of tiger claws.

• Sky Pony Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: One Stone
  • Chieftain: Jerek Wolf-slayer
  • Shaman: Valric High Eye
  • Ritual Enemy: Orcs of the North
  • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
  • Additional Druid Domains: Chaos, Air [Wind]
  • Additional Mysteries: Wind
  • Additional Shaman Spirits: Wind
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with horses and Pegasi, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against these. Handle Animal and Ride are class skills.

  Members of this tribe seem to be constantly on the move, riding their shaggy mountain-bred horses from their ancestor mound at One Stone (in the eaves of the eastern Moonwood) westward across the North as far as Icewind Dale. A few legendary warriors of this tribe acquire pegasus mounts; a common quest for a true Sky Pony hero is to seek out such a mount. Unlike most of the other Uthgardt barbarians, the Sky Ponies perceive their beast totem as a manifestation not of Uthgar but rather his frequent ally Tempus. This does not seem to anger Uthgar, perhaps because the Lord of Battle his never espoused a dogma in which Uthgar could not see merit. As a sign of its devotion to the deity, the Sky Pony tribe makes war on the orcs of the North whenever possible, often tracking them high into the mountains in order to destroy their homes and erase their threat to the southern lands.

• Tree Ghost Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: Grandfather Tree
  • Chieftain: Gunther Longtooth
  • Shaman: Chungred Ghostheart
  • Archruid: unknown
  • Ritual Enemy: evil undead creatures
  • Alignment: Neutral Good
  • Additional Druid Domains: Good, Kami (Protection), Plant [Growth] (Loses Animal and its subdomains)
  • Additional Mysteries: Spirits, Spirit Realm
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with plants, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma checks against plant creatures. Sense Motive is always a class skill.

  The Tree Ghosts were long time wanderers who spent a great deal of time searching for Grandfather Tree, their lost ancestor mound. At Runement, they had been worshipping at whichever ancestor mound was most convenient, before resuming their travels again. About a decade ago, they were exhausted and gave up the search, choosing to settle down with the Blue Bear Tribe. When Tanta Hagara rose to power, taking over the tribe with her evil, Shaman Ghostheart declared that the Tree Ghosts were wanderers once more. This upset Tanta greatly for their tribe held the long lost signs and riddles of the location of the Ghost Tree, which she secretly desired for evil ends. She led the Blue Bears on a hunt for the same mound for over a year before giving up and taking the Blue Bear Tribe to live inside Hellgate Keep. Unmolested at last by the Blue Bears, the Tree Ghosts finally discovered the location of the lost sacred mound a few years ago with help from Alustriel and settled down. They now live in a semi-permanent base camp near the Grandfather Tree and nomadically hunt from there throughout the High Forest. The co-exist with the elves that also live in the area, and are probably to tribe with the most authentic connection to the old ways. Unlike the other Uthgardt tribes, the Tree Ghost’s totem is not a beast. The Tree Ghost is a woodland spirit, drawing life, energy, and intelligence from the forest and giving back its energy to the forest as a caretaker and guardian. Supposedly, each forest has a Tree Ghost whose power depends on the size of the forest. The elves disclaim the existence of such beings, but the Tree Ghost Tribe stands firm in its belief in their tribal totem and are able to draw the spirits power. The Tree Ghosts are cordial to foreigners, but will not ask for outsider’s help in their affairs. Although as a rule the Uthgardt people hold the civilized folk of the North in disdain, the Tree Ghost warriors owe allegiance to the High Lady Alustriel of Silverymoon for showing them the hidden location of Grandfather Tree.

• Thunderbeast Tribe
  • Ancestor Mound: Morghur’s Mound
  • Chieftain: King Gundar Brontoskin
  • Shaman: Kierkrad Seventoes
  • Archdruid: Wisteria Borsdotter (Silvanus)
  • Cleric: Sigurd Gandolfsson (Tyr)
  • Ritual Enemy: Wolves
  • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
  • Additional Druid Domains: Ancestors (Repose), Chaos, Scalykind [Saurian]
  • Additional Mysteries: Bones
  • Aditional Shaman Spirits: Mammoth
  • Spirit Bond: Communicate with saurials, and +4 racial bonus on Charisma-based checks against them. Knowledge (Any) is always a class skill.

  The town of Grunwald on the edge of the High Forest is home to the most civilized of the tribes. Although he wields no official power over the other tribes, King Gundar has the charisma and respect necessary to call the tribes together into a horde. The tribe takes its name from the Brontosaurus. which in ancient times roamed here. Tribal shamans claim that thunderbeasts still dwell in the High Forest. The clans hearth at Morghur’s Mound is surmounted by a Brontosaurus skeleton. It is said that in time of great need, the tribal shamans can animate the skeleton to fight in the tribe’s defense. In addition to the beast cult shamans, the Thunderbeast tribe in Grunwald has grown civilized enough to tolerate priests of other religions, primarily the druids of Silvanus, and the clerics of the Triad.

For Followers of Uthgar

Archetypes: Beastmaster (Ranger), Beastskin Berzerker (Barbarian), Crow Druid (Druid, Black Raven), Draconic Shaman (Shaman, Great Worm), Dragon Shaman (Druid, Great Worm), Feral Champion (Warpriest), Lion Shaman (Druid, Black Lion), Mounted Fury (Barbarian, Black Raven, Griffin, Sky Pony), Saurian Shaman (Druid, Thunderbeast), Spirit Ranger (Ranger, Tree Ghost), Totem Guide (Companions), Viking (Fighter), Weretouched (Shifter, Grey Wolf), Wild Stalker (Ranger), Wolf Shaman (Druid, Grey Wolf)