Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast.

The Uthgardt are the barbarians of this Frozen North, more Conan-like than Viking-like. They’re one of the many people descended from the citizens of the human empire of Netheril, which scattered in a lot of different directions when that empire fell overnight. The ancestors of the Uthgardt stayed in the region when one of the Netherese flying islands fell here, and learned how to live off the land. They take their name from Uthgar, a mythical ancestor who was so badass he ascended to godhood and became one of the exarchs of Tempus, the FR god of war. There are many Uthgardt tribes today, each one named after a different kind of animal they admire and try to emulate. All of them venerate Uthgar along with a series of tribe-specific primal spirits, and don’t pay much attention to other gods.

A PC with this background belongs to the Thunderbeast tribe, who lives in the High Forest way to the east of our regional map. A bit before the campaign started, the tribe engaged in their annual custom of the Runemeet, when all of them travel to their ancestral holy site to worship the spirits and perform several important rites. The Thunderbeast’s site is a burial mound in Neverwinter Wood, the resting place of one of Uthgar’s companions. The skeleton of a great thunderbeast (which I guess is a type of dinosaur?) rests atop this mound.

Or at least it used to. This year, the tribe found the mound dug up - whoever did it carted off both the skeleton and the contents of the tomb beneath. The PC was supposed to perform a sacred hunt as their coming-of-age ceremony, but the elders decide to change their plans and charge the PC with a different quest: find out who did this, make them pay, and restore the mound.

The tribe returns home, but the PC stays to await the return of the Grey Wolf tribe, who lives nearby and who left for their own Runemeet elsewhere. They should know who the desecrators are… and if it turns out they are the desecrators, then the PC has another target for their hunt.

The Uthgardt disdain arcane magic, so most Uthgardt PCs will belong to martial, divine, or primal classes. Still, there are no hard restrictions and you could be a secret arcanist if you want added complications. The same goes for characters who worship anyone other than Uthgar and the primal spirits.

Similarly, Thunderbeast Uthgardt are all human, and you need a good reason to be something else (i.e, you or one of your parents was adopted into the tribe).

Features

At Level 1, they gain the Thunderbeast Stomp encounter power. Stomping is a minor action, and the resulting shockwaves act as an aura (2) that prevents enemies inside from making opportunity attacks. It lasts for a turn, which is enough to let the character run right past a defender line and charge the enemy squishies.

At level 5, the PC gains a +4 to Perception checks made to find tracks, and a +4 to Insight when dealing with beasts and other Uthgardt. The bonuses are specific, but also untyped, which is good.

At level 10, the character’s reputation as a barbarian hero gives them a +3 power bonus to Intimidate.

Utility Powers

These powers center on communion with primal spirits.

Spiritual Guidance is a level 2 daily power that lets the PC reroll a Nature, Religion, or History check they dislike with a +5 bonus. The spirits of the ancestors chime in to help you.

Strength of the Beast is a level 6 daily power that gives the PC a +4 power bonus to Athletics and Strength checks until the end of the encounter. Good for skill challenges or feats of strength during combat.

Spirit Swarm is a level 10 power that directly summons the PC’s ancestor spirits to help in combat. This minor action creates a zone in a Close Burst 2. Enemies inside the zone cannot regain HP or gain temporary HP. Allies who enter or end their turns in the zone gain 5 temporary HP.

Impressions

This theme can make characters of any class feel like Barbarians, and any actual Barbarians will be Barbarier-than-thou. There’s little to aid in combat here, but the skill bonuses will go a long way in the appropriate campaign.

Looks like the typical Uthgardt has a hard time relating peacefully to people outside their culture, so a PC in a mixed party is a somewhat atypical individual by definition. Multiple PCs could easily take it in the same party with the simple explanation that the tribe left behind a team instead of an individual. A party where everyone has this theme would be extremely uninterested in the fate of Neverwinter, and would single-mindedly pursue their quest.