ULFRIC
"Still breathing. Cursed still breathing."
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ULFRIC

"Still breathing. Cursed still breathing."
Aasimar Barbarian · Path of the Berserker
Level 7. Chaotic Neutral
the bards haven't found them yet

The Character

Age 32
AC 14
HP 68
Speed 40 ft.
Rages 4
Prof +3
STR
0
+4
DEX
0
+2
CON
0
+2
INT
0
-1
WIS
0
+1
CHA
0
-1
Armor Class
14
10 base + 2 DEX + 2 CON (Unarmored Defense)
Primary Attack
+8 to hit, 5ft reach
1d12+5 slashing
+1 Greataxe (STR). 1d12+7 raging. Cleave mastery.

Attacks & Actions

+1 Greataxe
+8 to hit. 1d12+5 slashing (1d12+7 raging). Cleave: on hit, second attack vs. adjacent (weapon dice only).
Javelin
+7 to hit, 30/120 ft. 1d6+4 piercing. Slow mastery: speed reduced by 10 ft on hit.
Javelin of Lightning
Speak command word, hurl 120 ft. 5-ft-wide line, 4d6 lightning. DC 13 DEX save, half on success. Reverts to normal javelin until next dawn.
Unarmed Strike
+7 to hit. 1+4 bludgeoning.

Rage Features

Rage
Bonus action. 4/long rest. Advantage STR checks/saves. +2 Strength-based attack damage. Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing. 1 minute.
Frenzy
When you use Reckless Attack while raging, deal 2d6 extra damage to the first target you hit on your turn. No exhaustion (2024). Dice scale with rage bonus.
Reckless Attack
First attack each turn: choose advantage on melee STR attacks. Attacks against you also gain advantage until your next turn.
Mindless Rage
Cannot be charmed or frightened while raging. Entering rage permanently ends these conditions (2024).
Instinctive Pounce
When you enter rage, move up to half your speed (20 ft) as part of the bonus action.

Features & Traits

Unarmored Defense
AC = 10 + DEX + CON = 14 (no armor, no shield)
Extra Attack
Two attacks per Attack action.
Fast Movement
+10 ft speed while not wearing heavy armor. Total: 40 ft.
Danger Sense
Advantage on DEX saving throws unless Incapacitated.
Feral Instinct
Advantage on Initiative rolls.
Savage Attacker
Once per turn, roll the weapon's damage dice twice and use either result.
Weapon Mastery
Greataxe: Cleave (on hit, second attack vs. adjacent, weapon dice only). Javelin: Slow (reduce speed by 10 ft).
Primal Knowledge
Additional skill proficiency from the Barbarian list. While raging, use STR for Acrobatics, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, or Survival checks.

Aasimar Racial Features

Celestial Revelation: Necrotic Shroud
Bonus action. 1/long rest, 1 minute. Eyes become void-dark, ghostly wings. Creatures within 10 ft: CHA save DC 10 or frightened. Once/turn: +3 necrotic damage.
Healing Hands
Magic action. Touch a creature, restore 3d4 HP (proficiency bonus d4s). 1/long rest.
Celestial Resistance
Resistance to necrotic and radiant damage.
Light Bearer
Light cantrip (CHA). He never uses it willingly.
Darkvision
60 ft. See in dim light as if bright light, darkness as dim. Celestial sight.

Magic Items 7/7

Mantle of Spell Resistance (Rare, 3pts)
A heavy wolf pelt cloak from a fallen Ruathym comrade. Advantage on all saving throws against spells. Attunement.
+1 Greataxe (Uncommon, 2pts)
Etched with celestial runes that react to holy sites. +1 to attack and damage rolls. The Humming Axe.
Javelin of Lightning (Uncommon, 2pts)
Command word: hurl 120 ft, creates 5-ft-wide lightning line. 4d6 lightning damage, DC 13 DEX save. Reverts to normal javelin until next dawn.

Disadvantages

Mechanical

AC 14
Unarmored Defense with CON 15 and DEX 14 is respectable but thin for a frontline melee build. No shield. No armor. One crit and the wolf pelt starts soaking red.
CHA 8, INT 8
Terrible at persuasion, deception, and anything requiring social finesse. Necrotic Shroud save DC is only 10. The celestial power is there, but the vessel can barely channel it.
Reckless Gamble
Frenzy requires Reckless Attack, which gives enemies advantage. A glass cannon that invites return fire. High damage at the cost of taking more in return.

Backstory-Driven

The Blood on His Hands
Slaughtered innocents in a blind rage. Constantly scrubs his right hand raw. In moments of extreme violence, the guilt breaks through. Freezes when seeing innocent casualties.
Paranoid About Control
Every rage is a calculated risk. He enters it willingly but dreads what happens if he can't stop. If a rage lasts too long or an ally gets caught in crossfire, the spiral begins.
Celestial Revulsion
His Aasimar blood disgusts him. The Light cantrip, the faint glow in his eyes when enraged: he sees it as a curse, not a gift. Refuses to use Healing Hands unless someone is dying. Won't acknowledge the wings.
Touch Aversion
Verbally warns people away. "Do not touch me." Not aggression. Fear. He broke the last person who startled him out of sleep.
Isolation Default
Sits twenty feet from the group. Eats alone. Volunteers for watch not out of duty, but because he can't sleep. Could be manipulated by anyone who cracks the perimeter and shows genuine kindness.

Origin

Ulfric in a blind celestial rage
Listen to narration by a fisherman

Ulfric was born on the frozen craggy island of Ruathym. The locals respect only strength and survival. His celestial blood made him an unsettling outcast even among his own people. He survived by leaning into the brutal training of a village soldier and ignoring the suspicious glares of his kin.

The tension snapped when the rival Blood Bear clan raided his settlement specifically to wipe out the glowing freak. They burned his home but they did not anticipate what the grief would unlock. He blacked out in a blinding bloody frenzy. When he finally came to his senses he was standing in the ashes of the Blood Bear village. He had slaughtered their warriors along with their elders and innocents.

Exiled by Kaelen Frostbeard, the terrified surviving elder of his own tribe, he fled across the sea. The weight of that massacre is permanently burned into his mind. Now he wanders the Sword Coast trying to outrun his own shadow. He takes whatever mercenary work keeps his hands busy and his body exhausted. Guards broken-down merchant carts. Bounces at shady taverns. Takes quick security gigs just to afford a bed and a drink. Craves exhaustion because it is the only way he can sleep without dreaming.

Hidden Connections

The Thundertree Rift
The Humming Axe's celestial runes were inert when Ulfric found it. They started glowing on the Sword Coast. The axe hums near places where the Shadowfell bleeds through, remnants of a rift torn open near Thundertree by a wild magic surge decades ago. Ulfric doesn't understand the pattern. He takes jobs in these areas because the pay is better (desperate towns pay more). He doesn't realize the axe is leading him toward the wound.

Plot Threads

Kaelen Frostbeard
The surviving elder who exiled Ulfric. He lied about the Blood Bear raid to justify the exile. Kaelen orchestrated the assault to remove the celestial threat. Dark secrets buried under tribal politics.
The Blood Bear Survivor
An unknown assassin tracking Ulfric across the Sword Coast. Wants vengeance for the ashes of their village. Ulfric doesn't know they exist. They know exactly where he is.
Astrid The Red
A ruthless mercenary captain who knows about the Ruathym massacre. Constantly tries to recruit Ulfric for wetwork. She sees his guilt as leverage and his rage as a weapon worth owning.
Brother Vance
A blind street cleric in Waterdeep who throws odd jobs Ulfric's way. Sees something worth redeeming in the cursed strength. Ulfric tolerates him because Vance never flinches at his eyes.
The Humming Axe
The +1 Greataxe is etched with celestial runes that react to specific holy sites on the Sword Coast. Ulfric doesn't know what they mean. The axe sometimes hums at night, near places of power. He pretends not to notice.
The Tattered Mantle
The wolf pelt cloak (Mantle of Spell Resistance) belonged to a Ruathym comrade who died in the Blood Bear raid. Their family may want it back. Ulfric wears it like a penance.

Play Guide

Speech Patterns

Short declarations
Brief, choppy statements. "Too much noise. Move or fight."
Guttural grinding
Aggressively clears his throat when nervous or angry. A sound like grinding stones before drawing his axe.
Touch aversion
Verbally warns people away. "Do not touch me." Flat. Final.

Physical Mannerisms

The invisible blood
Constantly scrubs his right hand with intense, pained focus. As if trying to clean something only he can see.
White-knuckled grip
Grips his wolf pelt cloak tightly when threatened or tense. Comfort object and last connection to Ruathym.
Ambush scan
Ignores people upon entering a room. Scans the ceiling, corners, and exits first. Always.
Entry strategy
Sits straight-backed facing the door only after everyone else is seated.
Steamy rage
Shallow, loud breathing with wisps of celestial smoke escaping his mouth before a fight.
Surviving extreme danger:
"Still breathing. Cursed still breathing."
Asked about his past:
"Blood Bear is gone. The village is dust. That is all."
Party is arguing:
"Quiet. Focus. The enemy hears us even if we do not hear them."

The Exile Under the Rage

Punishes himself through exhaustion
Takes the hardest watch, the worst bedroll, the heaviest load. Not generosity. Penance. He does not believe he deserves rest.
Hates his own light
The celestial glow that burns through during rage is the thing that got him exiled. He cannot control it. Every time it surfaces, he is reminded that his body betrays him.
Scrubs blood only he can see
The right hand, always. The Blood Bear village burned because of what that hand did. The skin is clean. The memory is not.
Earns, never asks
Takes coin only for work completed. Will not accept charity, gifts, or favors. Anything given freely must be repaid or refused.
Craves belonging, fears earning it
Stays near the party but keeps distance. Sits last, speaks least, leaves first. He wants to be part of something. He does not believe he deserves to be.

Introductions

To potential employers
"I am Ulfric. You hiring?"
To strangers
"Ulfric." Followed by a stare at the floor.

Situational Reactions

Entering combat
Stops speaking entirely. Breathing becomes a heavy rhythmic snort as he unhooks the greataxe.
Seeing innocent casualties
Freezes briefly. Scrubs his right hand raw. Then violently engages the threat responsible.
Offered praise or thanks
Grunts dismissively. Walks away to find a corner to brood in.
The Trackless Sea, north of the Sword Coast
Ruathym
Frozen crag island · Where only strength and survival are respected, and celestial blood is a death sentence
"Still breathing."
Born with heaven in his blood and violence in his hands.
He carries a dead man's cloak and an axe that hums for reasons he won't explore.
When he rages, the celestial light burns through. He hates it every time.
Ulfric's gear: the Humming Axe, wolf pelt Mantle, and Javelin of Lightning

References

Player's Handbook (2024)
p.48-55: Barbarian class, Path of the Berserker
Player's Handbook (2024)
p.187: Aasimar race
Player's Handbook (2024)
p.182: Soldier background
Dungeon Master's Guide
p.180: Mantle of Spell Resistance, Javelin of Lightning