Home > Eternity TTRPG > Classes

Berserker

"My strength, resolve, and willpower speak for themselves. I fear no one."

Berserker Overview

The Berserker is a unique brand of warrior originally developed from various highlander clans, that focus on individual skill in war rather than military tactics. The Berserker emphasizes zealousness above all else, and uses fury to make up for any other weakness.

Hagraven, Eternal of stoicism and war, is father of the Berserker fighting style, and created it while still a mortal. After he became an Eternal he continued to rule his former clan from “the Dream.”

When the matter came before the Eternals about selecting a new ruler among them (known as the Eternal Flux), Hagraven elected instead to put his warriors to work. He began what came to be called the “Eternal Wars.” Because of his actions, war covered Altius and tens of thousands bled.

Bersserkers grew in numbers and dominated the battlefield with their unique and furious approach to warfare.

Berserker Class Strengths

Note that these values are not specifically used in Eternity TTRPG. Instead, these representative stats are meant to provide an overall idea of how the class plays. Definitions of these representations are provided below, which do directly align with the Eternity TTRPG system.

Berserkers have the following "class stats":

• 10 Attack
• 7 Defense
• 3 Intuition
• 0 Magic
• 3 Special
• 8 Quickness
• 6 Utility
• 8 Versatility

Value Definitions

The following stat definitions roughly cover the class' strengths and weaknesses, in a representational way.

• Attack: the overall ability of the class to deal damage and set the tempo in a battle.
• Defense: the innate ability of the class to reduce damage and negative effects taken, both from physical and magical attacks.
• Intuition: represents skills such as perception, stealth, or sixth-sense abilities to help them avoid otherwise unforeseeable harm.
• Magic: the innate ability of the class to manipulate the very fabric of Altius and The Dream, turning those powers to their will.
• Special: not all unique "powers" are magical in nature, and some classes have magic-like, "special" abilities.
• Quickness: the overall speed, mobility, and initiative of the class.
• Utility: the ability of the class to bolster allies, debilitate enemies, or provide useful effects in various out-of-combat situations.
• Versatility: the class' ability to adapt to any situation or environment, both in and out of combat.

Berserker Stat Bonuses

Berserkers gain stat bonuses upon leveling up, based upon the "Critical Option" chosen for each ability. These class-based stat bonuses provide roughly half of the overall stat benefits for your character, making them integral to your character's advancement.

The three categories of stat bonuses/ specialization for berserkers are: decimation (+1 Strike Bonus), recklessness (+1 Initiative), and dauntless fury (+3 Resilience).

Berserker Roleplay Powers

In Eternity TTRPG, each class has its own unique set of "Roleplay Powers," which enable players to feel truly outstanding. It gives each character something that sets them apart from the rest of their adventuring party.

Roleplay Powers either provide auto-successes on specific skill or knowledge checks related to the class, or provide unique effects that make players feel like they're living in the world of Eternity TTRPG with their chosen class.

Blitz

Auto success against Fate Rolls involving catching someone or something who’s running away, even if they have the “Dash” Roleplay Power. Berserker fury cannot be outpaced by willpower... or hope.

Berserk

Add your Strength Stat against a Fate Roll. When you do, you enrage and must act in the most reckless manner you can think of for the situation. It's up to you, as player, to decide what's most reckless for each situation - but when you do, you're richly rewarded.

Relentless

Auto success against Fate Rolls involving any tests of physical endurance that the Storyteller will have last for more than 15minutes straight. For berserkers, the more dangerous and difficult the situation becomes, the more they want to prove themselves (if even only to themselves), and push through the pain.

Berserker Abilities

The following berserker ability descriptions provide summaries of their actual in-game effects.

Assault

“Charge” up to 3 enemies, as a Move Action. You are also immune to the “Charge” effect for 1turn. 

Death Strike

You deal damage to yourself, imbuing a deadly attack with rage to increase its hit chance. If this attack hits, you also heal Wisdom.

Decimate

This Ability allows you to know how much damage every enemy has taken, at all times. This Ability can only be used against targets who have already taken damage.

Make an with your main-hand Weapon for every damage the target has already taken.

Dual-Wield

You can equip two Weapons. Whenever you attack with your main- hand Weapon, you also attack with your off-hand Weapon.

Juggernaut

Move your normal Speed value, ignoring Speed debuffs, Daze, and any other effects that inhibit movement, for this turn.

Mania

At the end of every one of your turns, you have the chance to damage up to 3 enemies who were nearby you at any point during your turn. You can choose to continually maintain this Ability. 

Massive Demoralization

The next time you attack, even if that attack misses, you have the chance to give multiple nearby enemies lowered hit chance, for 1turn.

Mortal Throw

Throw your main hand and off-hand Weapons at increased range, with lowered hit chance. You can also move your partial Speed value before or after this attack. After you throw your Weapons, they return to you, even if the attack misses. 

Vengeance

This Ability can only be used when you drop to 0HP. Instant Action. Take an attack Action against the target who dropped you to 0HP. After your Action, you still drop to 0HP.

Wrath

Every time you attack or are attacked by an enemy, increase your hit chance against that target. You can choose to continually maintain this Ability. 

Class Origin

Sometime before the Eternal Wars, between 4,213BK and 3,555BK, Altius and the Dream wakened to see the state of their mortals. Dismayed at the growing crisis between yzarc and mortals, they created Eternals.

As some mortals deified the yzarc in their great wisdom, while others villainized them, the world-gods elevated then a few mortals to have governance even over the yzarc. These “Eternals” were gifted with powers to shape the mortal and immortal experience of Altius and the Dream in ways they saw fit. Their power stopped short only of the world-gods, themselves. 

Then, humans worshipped the Eternals as their gods, those who were their own, yet champions over even the yzarc. And their gods walked among them. 

One of these new gods was Hagraven – a berserker of the Vangraven clan of what is today known as Iota. Hagraven was one of a brethren who developed a war style known as the “Berserker,” to deal with judges sent from the yzarc. Without force of arms, these ambassadors of the enemy would impose yzarc law and will upon otherwise free lands.

Studying judges, these berserk warriors cultivated a relentless physique and disposition. They met judges in battle with unhinged recklessness, blitzing strongholds until the law left them and their people.

Having developed a way to protect themselves against the wilds, the yzarc were satisfied that these berserkers and their kind no longer needed judges or alchemists – the mortal servants of ancient Yzarc. And so, berserkers became one of the first free societies, totally separated from the yzarc.

As word of their valor spread, so too did the combat style known as the berserker. Training to become a berserker from even an inexperienced practitioner of this most ancient of war styles, was a great honor.

When Hagraven became an Eternal, the status of berserkers elevated even further.

At that time, berserkers were like paladins of the modern age – purveyors of godly principles. As cultures change, their views of godliness adapt, and these values are no longer in vogue. But at that time, the “pious” and revered berserker, religion a key component of their lives, taught mortal societies the values of recklessness, dauntless fury, and freedom from oppression.

Many thousands of years later, as the only martial war-hardened people at the time, berserkers held key roles in the battles of the First Chaos War. Though they detested the lines and ranks of more orderly armies, their martial prowess was nonetheless studied, trained against, and utilized to develop more “standard” lancer, legionnaire, and vanguard assets, which came to comprise the forces that overturned the invading asura.

Berserker Playstyle

When it comes to combat, the berserker is an absolute offensive force, but often requires some kind of bolstering or healing from allies to sustain their attack. It's a fun experience to use "Assault" as your opener for a battle, charging into, and absolutely crippling a large swath of enemy forces.

If your initial attack is preceded by "Massive Demoralization," you can keep your berserker alive through your enemy's initial counterattack. From there, it's all "Death Strikes" and "Decimation" to slaughter your remaining foes.

In case you're fighting enemies who can attack from a distance, you have "Mortal Throw" at your disposal to close the gap while dealing damage, and "Juggernaut" to avoid any movement-impairing effects.

Finally, "Wrath" and "Mania" provide you with increased chances to deal damage (especially against multiple foes), giving you the edge as battle draws on. As a trump card, you can also use "Vengeance" to slay any enemy who manages to bring you down.

Berserker Lore

Hagraven was a son of the clan known today as the VanGraven clan of Iota. This was before the continent became an icy wasteland. He was a Berserker of the highest caliber – one of the warriors who developed the fighting style in early Altius. He was famed as a Dragon slayer, fighting them without support.

His name alone was sufficient to ward off other clans and even armies from the mainland of Altius. Among ancient heroes, he was a god. After Hagraven became an Eternal, his clan renamed themselves after their ascended son: Van (of) Graven (“of Hagraven”).

Hagraven is the Eternal of stoicism and war: all that he knew during his time as a mortal, those central pillars of his life. Hagraven has always believed that none should rule. He argued that the balance of existence was the purpose of existence. All mortals corrupt when given too much power.

When he was still a mortal among his warrior-clan of Iota, none had ruled. There were no laws. Each took what he needed, and supported his community. The notion of a leader only took place when facing larger, external threats to the clan: encroaching armies, disastrous weather, the curse of an Eternal. And the one chosen to lead was never made ruler. He or she only had power so long as the members of the clan allowed that power, and only for the duration of the need.

Such is the way now of the Berserker. More than a fighting style, "Berserker" is a way of life - a way of freedom. The more control kingdoms exert on their people, the more the Berserker fights back, in all manners of living.

Eternity TTRPG Races

Eternity TTRPG has nine unique playable races, each with their own lore, racial powers, and variety of options for play. Choose from races you know such as humans or treants, or dive into the entirely unique world of Eternity TTRPG with crour, espers, ateri, empyrean, jadori, stoneborn, and yzarc.

Core Rulebook Classes

Take a look at other Eternity TTRPG class pages from the Eternity TTRPG Core Rulebook to learn more about each. Characters gain their class at Lv.1 (after starting with only a race at Lv.0). Classes provide characters with stat boosts. along with spells, abilities, and roleplay powers entirely distinct from one another.