Most outworlders sense immediately that there's something different about barbarians. They look strange. They behave unconventionally. They speak odd languages. Some of them are duty and smell bad.
Because of their peculiar appearance and manner, all barbarians suffer a penalty to their encounter reactions with outworld NPCs (see Chapter 11 of the DUNGEONMASTER Guide). This penalty is cumulative with all other modifiers, including those associated with Charisma scores and character kits.
The DM assigns a penalty to the barbarian at the beginning of his career. He may assign a subjective penalty ranging from -1 to -6, based on his general assessment of the character's personality and features. Or he may use Table 22 as a guideline, using as many of the conditions that apply to the barbarian (the total penalty can't exceed 4).
| Condition | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Questionable hygiene (never bathes, wears rotting fur, greasy hair, bad breath) | -1 |
| Unique native language (grunts, snorts, chest thumps))* | -1 |
| Bizarre appearance (ape-like, elaborate tattoos, gaudy body paint) | -2 |
| Eccentric behavior (constant scratching, gropes the faces of strangers, nervously hops around) | -2 |
| Hostile attitude (growls, clenches fists, grinds teeth) | -2 |
- See the Language section elsewhere in this chapter.
- All modifiers are cumulative, but total penalty cannot exceed -6.
As the barbarian character becomes acclimated to the outworld, the player may petition the DM to reduce this penalty. For example, a barbarian who never took a bath in his homeland may become accustomed to washing himself on a weekly basis at the insistence of his companions. The DM might then consider reducing his reaction penalty by 1. But the penalty may never be reduced below -1; no matter how much time he spends in the outworld, a barbarian never completely abandons his primitive heritage.
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