Demographics (CBarbH)

How many barbarians should appear in a campaign? Put simply, very few. Barbarians exist outside the mainstream of a conventional campaign, confined to a game world's most isolated areas. The likelihood of a traveler stumbling across a barbarian is remote. Interaction between outworld and barbarian societies is all but nonexistent. The demanding ability requirements also limit the number of barbarians, as do the harsh conditions under which they live; primitive environments don't promote long lives or large populations.

To maintain a semblance of realism, the DM should keep barbarian characters to a minimum. Barbarian NPCs should be rare, limited to encounters in unexplored territories or occasional run-ins with scouts, hunters, and exiles. Most parties can accommodate one or two barbarians PCs. But if a party contains more barbarians than, say, rangers or paladins, or if twice as many encounters feature barbarian NPCs as dragons or halflings, the DM might want to rethink his campaign.

Adventurous DMs might wish to experiment with parties composed exclusively of barbarian PCs. To keep the campaign manageable, it's suggested that all-barbarian parties come from the same tribe, and that their adventures focus on problems associated with their homelands (food shortages, territorial disputes, monster raids). As barbarian PCs gain experience (and the DM gets use to handling them), they may venture into the outworld. If so, the DM should be careful not to overwhelm them with inappropriate encounters; barbarians probably won't have much luck facing an army of evil wizards, nor will they have much fun spending weeks on end in outworld cities.

Age[]

Both his environment and culture conspire to keep the barbarian's life short. He is victimized by disease, famine, and predators. Tribal rivalries take their toll, as do traditions that glorify warfare. Disagreements may escalate into bloody free-for-alls, initiation rites may inadvertently end in death.

It's not unusual, then, for as many as 90% of a tribe to die by age 30. A man reaching age 40 is considered an elder. Only those blessed by the spirits live beyond 60.

Typically, barbarians confer all the privileges and responsibilities of adulthood at the cusp of adolescence; because of the high mortality rate, they can't afford to wait. Therefore, a 1st-level barbarian may be as young as 13. The majority of higher-level barbarians fall between the age of 16-30. Note that with access to sophisticated medicines, magic, and equipment, a barbarian may live a much longer life in the outworld than he would in his homeland.

Gender[]

In a patriarchal culture, women may outnumber men by as much as two to one. Though disease and famine claim as many women as men, males are more likely to place themselves in harm's way. Men hunt dangerous animals, wage war, and seek combat for personal glory, often with devastating results. In matriarchal societies, these roles may be reversed, resulting in a population with considerably more men than women.

But even in male-dominated societies, females must shoulder their share of the burden. With so many hardships to overcome, a tribe must draw on the strengths of all members to survive. Consequently, females are not only encouraged but expected to become fighters and clerics. A woman must learn to hunt and fish in case her mate dies prematurely. She must learn to fight so that she can help defend her village. She must learn the traditions of her culture in order to pass them along to future generations. In short, female barbarian characters in most cultures are as able as their male counterparts, and should be treated accordingly in the context of a campaign.