Rager

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:Life is battle, from the moment we are born to the final beat of our hearts. A warrior can't be measured by how much money he has - hah! I spit on money! Cowards and weaklings can hoard gold. A warrior can't be measured by some leatherhead's philosophy - I spit on philosophy! It's the pastime of those who are afraid to act! No, young hawk, there is only one thing to life, one reason for you to be. You are here to try your strength in battle. If you are worthy, if you are strong, if you are brave, you will survive. If not... then you were a coward and weakling.
:- Ulfgang Skardall, Rager of Ysgard
Ask any blood in Sigil, and she'll tell you that the Ragers are a band of addle-coved bashers who're a menace to anything in their path. Then she'll tell you what she really thinks, in words that can't be repeated here. What's there to say about a gang of glory-seekers who believe life's one battle after another? Stand up to a Rager, and a cutter's got a duel to the death to deal with. Let him blow on by, and a cutter's got to live with a fountain of scorn and ridicule. Ragers might just be some of the most annoying berks in the multiverse, and they're proud of it.
The Ragers probably got their start somewhere in Ysgard, but they're more widespread now. They turn up just about anywhere. Not too long ago, the Ragers built a great arena in Sigil's Lower Ward, and they looked like they were on their way toward becoming a faction. But in an unprecedented spree of random bloodshed and violence, they managed to anger every other faction in the Cage. The Ragers were declared too leather-headed and dangerous to stay in Sigil and were thrown out of the Cage one by one. And one by one they've been coming back, demanding honorable combat with whatever cutters happened to throw them out. Most bloods get I headache just thinking about the Ragers.
So, how did such an unpopular band ever get so large? Well, there's no dark to the fact that an old Rager's rarer than a toothless tanar'ri. They lead lives that're nasty, brutish, and short, picking one fight after another until finally some high-up gets bothered on the wrong day and squashes one like a bug. It's a sad statement about the quality of heroes today that there's always another berk with more muscles than brains, his head filled with dreams of glory and conquest, who's willing to sign up.
Ragers come in all shapes and sizes, but as a mark of their beliefs they tattoo themselves with records of all of their personal victories. They range from hulking axemen to slim, graceful fencers - any school or method of personal, hand-to-hand combat is possible among a gang of Ragers. In addition to their tattoos and obvious armament, Ragers also wear red cloaks, capes, or shirts to distinguish themselves.
==Combat==
The typical Rager's a warrior of 3rd to 8th level (1d6+2), although it's always possible to run across less or more experienced individuals. Usually, a cutter's got to have a minimum level of skill to survive the faction's philosophy early on - 1st-level Ragers don't live very long. On the other hand, Ragers of higher level just aren't that common because sooner or later every Rager meets his match.
Ragers often have exceptional ability scores, since only the best warriors stand a chance of surviving within their ranks. There's a 50% chance that any given Rager has a score of 15 to 18 (14+1d4) in either Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution, with the appropriate bonuses. There's a 25% chance that a Rager is a weapon specialist, with the appropriate extra attacks and bonuses. A Rager's THAC0 improves with his level, as normal for a fighter.
Ragers scorn the use of magical weapons or armor, relying on their own strength, speed, and skill to carry them through. From a Rager's point of view, the fight isn't fair unless it's mano a mano, one on one, with no props or crutches for either warrior. However, Ragers also believe in fighting fire with fire, and a Rager will use an enchanted weapon if he plans to take on a foe who can be damaged only by such a thing. In a similar light, Ragers refuse assistance such as bless or haste spells that unnaturally augment their fighting ability.
Ragers are normal warrior WCs in all regards, except for their ability to berserk. When a Rager engages in battle with a worthy foe (or a sufficient number of unworthy foes, for that matter) he enters a mystical battle rage. While berserk, the Rager gains 1 extra attack per round and inflicts 1 additional point of damage with each attack. He gains a 90% immunity to all mind- or emotion-based effects, such as fear, scare, charm, hold, and the like. Finally, the Rager gains the power to ignore wounds, and can fight on after being reduced to 0 hit points. In fact, the Rager doesn't fall until reduced to -10 hit points plus his level, so a 5th-level Rager can fight until he reaches -15 hp (at which point he's dead).
The Rager's berserk state doesn't allow him to engage in any actions except moving toward his chosen foe and attacking him until he drops. He can't choose to retreat, take a breather, or even fire missiles. He can only fight until there's no one left to oppose. The Rager's berserk state does allow him to tell friend from foe, although two berserk Ragers might turn on each other just for the joy of battle. When the berserk rage wears off, the Rager collapses; if he's been redced to a negative hit point total, he begins to lose 1 hit point per round until read. (See the optional rule "Hovering on Death's Door," in the "Character Death" section of the "Combat" chapter of the (DMG).)
==Habitat/Society==
Ragers constantly test themselves and everyone around them. In their own worlds, they want to know whether a basher's got "the heart of a warrior or the liver of a coward.” A Rager sees no honor in fighting someone weaker than himself, and won't issue a challenge to everyone he meets - just the bashers that look about as tough as or tougher than himself. Ragers never attack without is suing a ritual challenge and offering their potential opponent the opportunity to decline on the spot, acknowledging the Rager's superior strength and honor. Therefore, it's possible to avoid a duel with a Rager by a little shameless begging, pleading, or weeping. Of course, a Rager's free to defend himself immediately without any rigmarole if suddenly attacked.
A group of Ragers traveling together won't attack en masse; rather, the individuals prefer to undertake honor matches with any bloods they run across. One Rager at a time will challenge, and a cutter who won't back down might have to fight every one of the Ragers before he gets his point across.
Fortunately for the rest of the multiverse, Ragers spend a great deal of time challenging and killing each other.
==The Rager Sect==
As noted above, Ragers believe that the point of the universe is to find out where a body stands in the cosmic pecking order, and that the way to do that is to treat life as one big tournament ladder: Challenge the next blood, and see who wins. The Ragers (actually call themselves the Brotherhood of Glory) are common in Ysgard, Limbo, and Arborea, and scattered throughout the rest of the planes.
Bloods who want to join the Ragers must first defeat one of the Brothers and take his place. Once that is done, the prospective candidate is paired with an older, wiser Rager for a year of study and training. During this time, the student and master are considered off-limits to challenges from other Ragers, although they can still take on any other bashers they run across. At the end of a year of training, the prospective canditate masters the ability to berserk, and be's free to choose his own path.
Ragers aren't well-liked by most common folk; after all, they're violence waiting to happen. They're on excellent terms with the Doomguard, Xaositects, and Fated. On the other hand, they're regarded as dangerous lunatics by the Harmonium, Guvners, and Mercykillers. Some of the powers of Ysgard and any deity whose portfolio deals with personal combat or battle tend to look favorably upon the Ragers, so long as it's not their own proxies the Ragers're killing.
Category:Sects
Category:Planescape Appendix II Sects