====== Berserker ======

The Berserker is a warrior defined by an unrelenting fury that escalates as battle wages on. Born from a brutal culture that celebrates aggression, Berserkers are relentless fighters who thrive in the heat of conflict. Their rage is not a mystical force or primal power, but a deeply ingrained part of their psyche, a drive that propels them forward with increasing intensity. The more damage they take or the longer a battle endures, the more their fury grows, pushing them toward a state of unstoppable violence. In this heightened state, their strength and endurance surge, but so does their inability to control their emotions, making them a ticking time bomb in combat.

{{ :legacy:characters:background:berserker.jpg?400|}}The Berserker’s rage is a steadily building storm. At first, they may simply grow irritated or eager for battle, but as the fight drags on and their enemies fall before them, their anger amplifies, clouding their judgment. With every blow struck, their fury boils hotter, and the once-clear distinction between friend and foe becomes blurred. The Berserker's instincts take over, and they unleash a torrent of destructive energy, often attacking with little regard for strategy or tactics. In their frenzy, they are unmatched in raw power, but the cost is high—what begins as calculated wrath becomes a relentless, uncontrollable storm that threatens both their enemies and their allies.

This escalating rage is both a gift and a curse. While the Berserker can become an unstoppable force, their growing anger often alienates them from others, even those they fight alongside. They are warriors driven by emotion, but that emotion frequently clouds their judgment, leaving them prone to reckless decisions and unpredictable outbursts. As a result, their allies might come to fear their presence, knowing that once the Berserker unleashes their fury, there's no telling where their rage will stop. The Berserker walks a fine line between a hero’s strength and a madman’s destruction, always on the edge of losing themselves to their own fury.

===== Features =====

**Stamina**:  A Berserker begins play with 15 stamina, plus an amount equal to your Strength bonus.

**Recovery Dice**:  When you select Berserker as your background, you gain two twelve-sided dice (2d12) as Recovery dice.  This is in addition to any Recovery dice you gained due to your ancestry.

**Defences**:  Add one training rank to both your Fortitude and Reflex defences.

===== Skills =====

Choose any three skills from the following list:  Athletics, Blades, Blunt Weapons, Intimidation, Polearms, Society, Thrown Weapons, Unarmed Combat, Unbalanced Weapons.
Place one training rank in each of the selected skills.

===== Rage =====

Don't hit a Berserker.  It only makes them angrier.

Whenever your character is struck for damage (specifically, whenever they suffer a loss of Stamina as a result of being struck by an attack), they gain one point of Rage, to a maximum equal to their level plus their Charisma modifier.  You may add your total Rage as damage to any melee attack, thrown weapon or unarmed combat attack that you make.

If you end your turn, and did not attack a foe or suffer an attack since the end of your last turn, you lose one point of Rage.

===== Traits =====

Choose one of the following traits, and add it to your character.  In addition,
the following traits are available to your character as Apprentice-tier traits.

  * [[legacy:traits:Cathartic Strike]]
  * [[legacy:traits:die_hard|Die Hard]]
  * [[legacy:traits:expert_weapon_training|Expert Weapon Training]]
  * [[legacy:traits:improvised_weapons|Improvised Weapons]]
  * [[legacy:traits:second_wind|Second Wind]]
  * [[legacy:traits:vitality|Vitality]]

The following traits are available to your character as Journeyman-tier traits, and may be selected starting at level five.

  * [[legacy:traits:Carved From Wood]]
  * [[legacy:traits:Lightning Reflexes]]
  * [[legacy:traits:Iron Will]]

===== Starting Equipment =====

You begin play with the following equipment:
  * 100 silver coins.