The barbarian must track down and kill the totem creature in single combat. This is done in the form of ritual sacrifice. It is a connection forged by blood –the barbarian must slay his totem creature, taking a part of its spirit into himself, thus sealing the bond between them.įor a barbarian seeking to capture a totem spirit, the first step is to find and slay a powerful totem creature within his tribal holdings. It is a connection given at birth by the tribe, fulfilling tribal oaths taken by the barbarian when he achieves adulthood and status in the tribe. Barbarians see no more difference in the bond between themselves and their bestial or exotic companions than they do in the bond between a tree and the soil in which it grows, or in the bond between an eagle and its prey. The connection between a barbarian and his chosen companions is a matter of ritual and spiritual belief. Such taboos can be of nearly any nature, such as shaving all of one’s body hair, not eating after dark, washing only with one hand, or choosing to not travel or work on certain days of the week or month. Whether a great tribe or small, it is the domain of the GM crafting the game world in which the player characters live and die, though certainly many such referees appreciate input in this regard from the players.Ī barbarian’s connection to a totem creature is dependent on certain taboos which the barbarian must follow in order to maintain his connection with the totem spirit. On the other hand, the tribe may be very small and have only one totem that truly identifies its spirit and personality. To barbarians, the totem of their tribe represents their cultural identity and their ties with the land and its peoples.īarbarian tribes may have several totems, representing various unions with different tribes via conquest and/or marriage that have sculpted the ideologies and philosophy of the people. The totem is an ideal to be achieved and strived for by the people as a whole. The totem can be an animal such as a deer or lizard, or a beast such as the magical griffon or the owl bear, or even something more powerful, such as a dragon. A totem is a spirit creature –be it animal or monster –that is revered by primitive societies as the source of their strength. 5e SRD > Class Options > Path of the Totem FamiliarĪt third level, when the barbarian chooses his Path, he may choose to bond with his totem spirit, gaining a familiar in the process to aid and guide him on his journeys.
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