Barbarian

Every rage leaves a mark. Not metaphorically. Visibly, permanently, on the body. The Barbarian is a class that improves by burning through itself, and the scars are the ledger.

Rage and Rage Scars

Each time a Barbarian enters Rage, they gain a Rage Scar, a visible, permanent mark that accumulates on the body over time. These scars are not cosmetic. They are a count. A Barbarian can enter Rage a number of times equal to twice their character level before the accumulated scars pass a threshold and exact a cost.

When that threshold is crossed, the Barbarian permanently loses 1 point of Charisma modifier and gains 1 point of Constitution modifier. The scar count then resets to zero and the process begins again. This is not a one-time event. It happens every time the threshold is crossed, for as long as the Barbarian continues to rage. The Constitution gain does not stop. The Charisma loss does not stop. Neither reverses.

The shift does not reverse. No magic, treatment, or rest restores lost Charisma modifier from Rage Scars. A Barbarian who has crossed the threshold six times has lost 6 points of Charisma modifier and gained 6 points of Constitution modifier, permanently. This is the cost of the class.

Charisma Modifier	Effect
0 or above	No restriction. Standard function.
−1 or −2	No mechanical restriction. Social consequences at GM discretion.
−3	Cannot make checks requiring reasoning or restraint outside of combat.
−4	−3 restriction remains. Additional behavioral deterioration at GM discretion.
−5	Death.

The scar count and threshold scale with level. A level 1 Barbarian crosses the threshold after 2 rages. A level 10 Barbarian crosses it after 20. A level 20 Barbarian can rage 40 times before the next shift. The threshold resets each time it is crossed, but the Charisma loss accumulated across all previous crossings does not.

A Barbarian approaching −3 Charisma modifier is not a character in decline. They are a character who has raged a very large number of times and is now paying the compounded bill. The Constitution gains mean they are also extremely difficult to kill. The order tends to run in that direction.

Rage branches. Everything on this page is the root of it. Three inputs feed the branches: the rage type, the archetypes the character has taken, and the compounds primed before the Rage begins. Hold all three and the Rage takes a named form, permanently, on the spot. There are eighty-eight of them across six tiers, each of the nine rage types runs to its own Apotheosis, and no two of those arrive anywhere near each other. See Rage for the full catalogue and the Rage Tree for the graph.

Rage Boosters

Rage boosters are compounds taken before a Rage. They do not take effect immediately on consumption. Instead, they prime the body, loading their effect into the Barbarian's physiology so that the next time Rage is entered, the booster activates and amplifies it. A booster that is consumed but not followed by a Rage within the same day expires without effect.

Only one booster of each type can be active at a time. Taking a second dose of the same booster before the first has resolved replaces the primed effect, it does not stack. Different booster types can be combined. A Barbarian may have a stat booster and the Endless Rage stim both primed simultaneously. The Super Rage booster is the exception: it cannot be combined with any other booster.

Activation: A booster's effect begins the moment the Barbarian enters Rage and lasts for the duration of that Rage unless the booster's own text specifies otherwise. Boosters that alter Rage duration alter the duration of the entire Rage rather than adding an extension to it.

Duration Booster

Endless Rage Stim

As long as the Barbarian takes one dose of the Endless Rage stim per day, their Rage does not end. Standard Rage expiration conditions (running out of enemies, choosing to end it, failing to attack) are suspended. The Rage continues through all of them.

While the stim is active, the Barbarian does not need to sleep. Exhaustion does not accumulate normally during this period. It is deferred, held in suspension by the compound's effect on the body.

When the stim ends, whether the Barbarian misses a daily dose, chooses to stop, or the compound runs its course, all deferred exhaustion arrives at once. The full accumulated load of missed sleep and sustained Rage crashes into the body simultaneously. A Barbarian who has run the Endless Rage stim for three days without sleep does not feel tired until the moment the stim ends, and then they feel all of it at the same time.

The Rage itself ends when the stim ends, regardless of circumstances.

Stat Booster · Strength

Strength Amplifier

Grants a bonus to Strength for the duration of the primed Rage. Select one grade on consumption.

+3 STR +5 STR +7 STR +9 STR

Stat Booster · Dexterity

Dexterity Amplifier

Grants a bonus to Dexterity for the duration of the primed Rage. Select one grade on consumption.

+3 DEX +5 DEX +7 DEX +9 DEX

Stat Booster · Constitution

Constitution Amplifier

Grants a bonus to Constitution for the duration of the primed Rage. Select one grade on consumption.

+3 CON +5 CON +7 CON +9 CON

Stat Booster · Intelligence

Intelligence Amplifier

Grants a bonus to Intelligence for the duration of the primed Rage. Select one grade on consumption.

+3 INT +5 INT +7 INT +9 INT

Stat Booster · Wisdom

Wisdom Amplifier

Grants a bonus to Wisdom for the duration of the primed Rage. Select one grade on consumption.

+3 WIS +5 WIS +7 WIS +9 WIS

Stat Booster · Charisma

Charisma Amplifier

Grants a bonus to Charisma for the duration of the primed Rage. Select one grade on consumption.

+3 CHA +5 CHA +7 CHA +9 CHA

Amplification Booster · Exclusive

Super Rage

All benefits granted by Rage are doubled for the duration. Every bonus to damage, AC, saves, or any other effect Rage normally provides runs at twice its listed value.

The cost is symmetrical. All damage the Barbarian takes during this Rage is doubled after all reductions have been applied, after resistances, after damage reduction, after any other mitigation. The number that remains after every reduction is then multiplied by two and applied to the Barbarian.

Cannot be combined with any other booster. Consuming the Super Rage booster clears all other primed booster effects. If another booster is consumed after Super Rage is primed, it replaces the Super Rage effect instead.

Rage forms, the stimulant catalogue, the instinct branches and the Instinct Bleed rule are on the Rage page, with the interactive graph at Rage Tree. The base Barbarian class, Rage Scar tracking, and threshold consequences are summarized on the Class Rules page. Full Pathfinder 2e Barbarian rules apply as written except where this page specifies otherwise.

For context on how physical compounds interact with other class abilities, see Core Rules.