Barbarian
AP 60 EP 60 FF 12 Gen. 3
Described in: Core book
Merlin’s latest creation is also one of the most destructive he has ever designed. Barbarian meta-armour is capable of dealing huge amounts of damage to Avalon’s enemies, but the risks that come with it make it as rare as it is impressive. The suit, modeled on a muscular human body, is a composite made of alpha element, spider silk, and nanomachines. Thanks to the billions of nanomachines filling the tiniest gap in the armour, its user can increase its strength an astonishing amount by simply increasing the suit’s frame. Adding to its upper body size and increasing its muscle density, the armour obtains staggering destructive potential in the space of a few seconds.
Barbarian armour is most useful when deployed in situations that require sudden, brutal damage dealers, surprise assaults, and mass destruction. Their increased size only affects physical prowess, however, making most weapons too small to be of use. Because of this, Knights in Barbarian meta-armour typically become skilled at hand-to-hand combat, capable of bending steel girders in two, throwing vehicles and boulders at their opponents, or just tearing them limb from limb.
Barbarian armour looks like a stocky second generation armour with slightly oversized muscles. When its Goliath mode is activated, its appearance is changes radically. Its muscles expand, increasing its strength accordingly, and the whole armour expands considerably. This transformation is made possible by nanomachines coursing through microscopic channels all over the suit’s surface. Responding in an instant to a silent command given by its wearer, nanomachines deploy to predetermined areas and build on the existing ’muscle tissue’ as ordered by the AI.
The biggest drawback of this modification is the drain to its standard reactor. Given the fragile nature of Infinity reactors, installing one of them on meta-armour designed for close quarter combat is out of the question. Due to Goliath mode’s huge energy requirements, users must constantly monitor their power reserves or risk running out at the worst time possible. In addition to being good fighters, Knights opting for Barbarian armour have to be smart enough to know when to use their size and strength boost, and when to hold back.
Available slots
Overdrives
Goliath Mode
The nanomachines forming a large part of the Barbarian armour gather and assemble matter from their surroundings in order to increase its size, muscle density, and strength. By activating Goliath, mode the meta-armour can reach a size of 18 feet, gaining power and endurance at the cost of reflexes and speed.
Effect: Upon activation, the PC gains 3 feet for every 2 EP they spend. They can grow up to a height of 18 feet (increasing their size a total of four times, 3 feet each), bearing in mind that the meta-armour and its wearer have a base size of around 6 feet.
The PC gains the following bonuses for each 3 ft increase:
- 1 automatic success to all skill checks using Strength or Endurance and can lift an additional 10,000 lb, added to any overdrive bonuses they may already have. If a skill check uses both Strength and Endurance, 2 successes are added to the roll (one per characteristic).
- An additional 1D6 damage and violence in melee combat.
- +1 force field
In addition to these bonuses, if the Barbarian reaches a size of 18 feet or more all their attacks are treated as having the anti-vehicle effect.
When they reach 18 feet, Barbarians can lift tankers, tear the turret off a tank, pulverise concrete walls, etc. PCs should feel free to improvise, and GMs may refer to the rules for scenery and improvised weapons (as per Chapter 4: Game mechanics mechanics – Improvised weapons and using the scenery, Improvised weapons and using the scenery, on page 93).
The downside of using Goliath mode is a loss of 1 defence and 2 reaction points for each 3 ft increase (down to a minimum of 0). When Barbarians reach 18 feet or more, their weapons automatically fold back onto the wielder’s Rack. Modules are still usable, but stay their normal size. No Strength checks are required to tear away small, medium or large pieces of scenery (but not very large or huge ones). (See Chapter Chapter 4: Game mechanics 4: Game mechanics – Improvised weapons ovised weapons and using the scenery, on page 93.)
| Energy | 2 EP per 3 feet gained |
|---|---|
| Activation | Move action (any target size) |
| Duration | 6 turns during a conflict phase, one minute outside of conflict phases. |
| GP | Description |
|---|---|
| 150 | Goliath mode can now reach 24 feet (6 increases of 3 feet each). |
| 200 | Defence no longer decreases when activating Goliath mode (although reaction still does). |
| 250 | Goliath mode can now reach 30 feet (8 increases of 3 feet each). |
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
Base or combo, any skill check with one, the other, or both.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
Yes.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
A single move action allows the user to reach any Goliath mode size available to them.
For mechanical purposes, a Barbarian’s base size is 6 feet. It can initially grow up to 18 feet (4 3-foot increases), then up to 24 feet (6 3-foot increases), and finally up to 30 feet (8 3-foot increases) with enough GP evolutions.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
Yes, they actually rack at 18 feet and above. All weapons return to the rack, but not the armour’s modules. This means that a cestus racks, but fighting claws and arm blades do not.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
Modules retain their initial size and their base damage/violence. The armour’s additional automatic successes and bonus damage/violence reflect its increased size where applicable. Increases to damage/violence only apply to melee attacks.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
No.
Q&A > Arsenal questions > Weapons - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
No, chimera gauntlets are weapons and are subject to all the usual Goliath mode rules.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
If the Barbarian’s size makes it too big to fully fit inside a Shrine or a portable force field, it gains no benefit from the ability/module.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
No.
Q&A > Meta-armour questions > Barbarian - Jan. 17, 2025, 12:31 p.m.
No, modules do not grow in size along with the metaarmour, and a Barbarian in Goliath mode is too big for that vehicle.