Barbarians of the Forgotten Realms come from borderlands and wilderness regions where live is harsh and dangerous. They are not necessarily unfamiliar with civilization, but their rough conditions usually preclude enjoying its benefits. Others, such as the Reghedmen, do live far from advanced civilization.
The Bedine of Anauroch are a proud, honor-bound folk living in the southern part of the great desert. Organized into nomadic tribes, their men are fierce warriors—but few women learn these arts—skilled at night-fighting and camel-riding.
Chultans hail from a distant continent in the far south, past the Shining Sea. Their home is a sweltering land of deep jungles, inhabited by gigantic reptiles, which are sometimes worshipped as gods. While cities thrive between the great jungles, Chultan barbarians are native to the jungle, and skilled in the ways of the wild.
The D'tarig of Anauroch are less strictly organized than the Bedine, surviving by stealth and cunning. They have a reputation for cruelty, but consider their way of life apt to their harsh circumstances.
The Eraka of the Ride are a hard people of horse nomads, who view outsiders as little more than prey for plunder. When a great chieftain unites several tribes, they are a terror to the cities of the Moonsea.
The Far Hills are home to rough people, pushed out of the Western Heartlands because they were unwilling to assimilate into the city-states that formed there. They live in extended families and small clans, fighting against orcs and goblins for space and resources, and occasionally raiding villages and caravans.
The ancient High Forest has long sheltered clans and small tribes of forest-men, reclusive and skillful hunters who meld their settlements into the woodland and hold the ruins of the fallen elven realms in superstitious awe and fear.
The High Moor is home to hardy herdsmen whose ancestors refused to join the Realm of Three Crowns until they were conquered. Fiercely independent, they are suspicious of outsiders, fearing encroachment and conquest.
The people of the Hordelands, or the Endless Wastes, who call their lands Taan, are multitudinous, but to outsiders, they are exemplified by the Tuigan Horselords: nomadic horsemen famed for their archery, great herds of horses, and raiding. They worship the gods of the earth, the open sky, and the storm, as well as animal totems, and have little interest in the weak gods of outlanders.
The Mir of the Tunlands live in the lowlands surrounding the Farsea Marshes, between the Storm Horns and the Sunset Mountains. They fish the rivers and waterways, herd goats, and hunt. They are, by necessity, hard and fierce people, used to fighting their neighbors in the Far Hills, as well as the orcs, goblins, and lizardmen of the region.
The Northmen are a warlike folk native to the islands of the Sea of Swords. Native to Ruathym, they also inhabit the Moonshaes, where they arrived generations ago as raiders and invaders, and established several realms. They are skillful sailors and deadly warriors, inured to cold and the sea-spray.
Rashemaar barbarians are famed in the Heartlands, but are actually a minority in their homeland. They are elite warriors of their society, berserkers who belong to spiritual lodges worshipping various totems (animal and monster). When not fighting off Rashemen's enemies—particularly the Red Wizards of Thay—they hunt for deadly prey in Rashemen's wildlands.
The Reghedmen are tribes of barbarians living in Icewind Dale, between the Reghed Glacier and the Sea of Moving Ice. These tall, pale and fair barbarians follow the migrations of the reindeer herds, either hunting or herding them. They hold magic in deep suspicion, and worship bestial totems whose names their tribes bear: the Bear, the Elk, the Reindeer, the Seal, the Tiger, and the Wolf.
The Shaar is a vast land of grass and rolling hills in the Shining South, and the Shaarans live upon it as horseback nomads, following the patterns of animal herds. Their tribes have regular contact with each other, discussing matters affecting all of them in great councils—or warring on and raiding each other.
The Uthgardti of the Savage North are an ancient people, hardy and strong warriors who have a long history of raiding the realms and cities of the North—often to catastrophic results. Over time, groups have settled down or conquered cities of their own, but the tribes still survive in the borderlands and the wilderness. Each tribe follows a distinct animal totem—Black Lion, Black Raven, Blue Bear, Elk, Gray Wolf, Great Worm, Griffon, Red Tiger, Sky Pony, Thunderbeast, and Tree Ghost—but all honor Uthgar, an ancestor-hero sometimes identified with Tempus.
| People, Region, or Terrain | Natural Proficiency | Weapons Permitted | Fighting Styles Permitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedine of Anauroch | Riding | Club, composite bow, dagger, hand axe, javelin, lance, short sword, shortbow, spear, sword | Two weapons, weapon & shield |
| Chult | Ambushing | Bola, club, dagger, darts, hand axe, javelin, net, shortbow, sling, spear | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| D'tarig | Passing Without Trace | Club, crossbow, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, short sword, shortbow, sling, spear | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Eraka of the Ride | Riding | Battle axe, composite bow, club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, short sword, shortbow, spear, sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Far Hills | Climbing | Battle axe, club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, mace, shortbow, sling, spear, staff | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| High Forest | Trapping | Club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, net, short sword. shortbow, sling, spear, sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| High Moor | Running | Club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, short sword, shortbow, sling, spear, sword, two-handed sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Hordelands | Riding | Composite bow, dagger, hand axe, javelin, lance, mace, pole arm, short sword, shortbow, spear | Two-handed weapon, weapon & shield |
| Mir (Tunlands) | Land Surveying | Battle axe, club, dagger, javelin, longbow, net, shortbow, spear, sword, two-handed sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Northman | Seafaring | Battle axe, club, dagger, great axe, handaxe, javelin, longbow, spear, sword, two-handed sword | Two-handed weapon, weapon & shield |
| Rashemaar | Berserkergang | Battle axe, dagger, great axe, hand axe, javelin, mace, morning star, spear, sword, two-handed sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Reghed | Survival | Club, composite bow, dagger, hand axe, javelin, net, shortbow, sling, spear, staff | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Shaaran | Riding | Bola, club, composite bow, dagger, hand axe, javelin, lance, shortbow, sling, spear | Two weapons, weapon & shield |
| Uthgardti | Beast Friendship | Battle axe, club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, shortbow, spear, short sword, sword, war hammer | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Desert Barbarians—Dervish | Endurance | Battle axe, club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, mace, short sword, shortbow, spear, sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Desert Barbarians—Nomad | Riding | Club, composite bow, dagger, hand axe, javelin, lance, short sword, shortbow, spear, sword | Two weapons, weapon & shield |
| Forest Barbarians (Border Forest, Troll Hills) | Trapping | Club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, longbow, net, shortbow, sling, spear, staff | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Hill/Mountain Barbarians (Earthrust Mountains) | Climbing | Club, dagger, great axe, hand axe, javelin, morning star, shortbow, sling, spear, staff | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Horse Barbarians | Riding | Battle axe, composite bow, dagger, javelin, lance, mace, spear, short sword, shortbow, sword | Two weapons, weapon & shield |
| Island Barbarians (Sea of Fallen Stars, Sea of Swords) | Swimming | Club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, longbow, net, shortbow, sling, spear, staff | Two weapons, weapon & shield |
| Marsh Barbarians (Farsea Marshes, Tun Marsh) | Land Surveying | Club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, longbow, mace, net, shortbow, spear, sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |
| Moor Barbarians | Running | Club, dagger, hand axe, javelin, short sword, shortbow, sling, spear, sword, two-handed sword | Two-handed weapon, two weapons |