Instincts
Source Core Rulebook pg. 86 4.0
You channel your rage through an instinct. You decide what your instinct means to you. It could be a creature or symbol beloved by your clan, or a purely internal source or filter of your rage, such as a belief, curse, heritage, or state of mind. Each instinct grants an instinct ability, plus more abilities you can gain via feats that list that instinct as a prerequisite. It also determines what damage you resist with raging resistance and, at higher levels, increases the additional damage you deal when you Rage.
Each instinct lists acts that are anathema to it. Whenever you perform such acts, you lose the instinct's abilities and any feats that list your instinct as a prerequisite until you spend 1 day of downtime re-centering yourself, though you keep all of your other barbarian abilities.
Animal InstinctLegacy Content
Source Core Rulebook pg. 86 4.0The fury of a wild predator fills you when you
Rage, granting you ferocious unarmed attacks. Cultures that revere vicious
animals (such as
apes or
bears) give rise to barbarians with this instinct. You might also be at war with an uncontrollable, animalistic side of your personality, or you might be a descendant of a
werewolf or another werecreature. Select an animal from Table 3–3: Animal Instincts that best matches your chosen animal.
Table 3-3: Animal Instincts
Howl of the Wild Animal Instinct Options
| Animal |
Attack |
Damage |
Traits |
| Ankylosaurus |
Tail |
1d10 B |
Razing, unarmed |
| Ant |
Mandibles |
1d10 P |
Grapple, unarmed |
| Bat |
Fangs |
1d10 P |
Unarmed |
|
| Wings |
1d4 P |
Parry, unarmed |
| Bird |
Beak |
1d10 P |
Unarmed |
|
| Talon |
1d6 S |
Agile, unarmed |
| Brontosaurus |
Tail |
1d10 B |
Trip, unarmed |
| Crab |
Big Claw |
1d10 B |
Razing, unarmed |
|
| Claw |
1d4 S |
Parry, unarmed |
| Crocodile |
Jaws |
1d10 P |
Unarmed |
|
| Tail |
1d6 B |
Agile, unarmed |
| Orca |
Jaws |
1d8 P |
Forceful, unarmed |
| Scorpion |
Stinger |
1d6 P |
Reach, unarmed, venomous |
|
| Pincer |
1d4 S |
Parry, unarmed |
| Seal |
Jaws |
1d10 P |
Grapple, unarmed |
| Spider |
Fangs |
1d8 P |
Grapple, unarmed, venomous |
|
| Web |
Special* |
Range increment 15 feet |
| Tyrannosaurus |
Jaws |
1d8 P |
Deadly d12, unarmed |
|
| Tail |
1d6 B |
Agile, unarmed |
| Wasp |
Stinger |
1d4 P |
Backstabber, deadly d8, unarmed, venomous |
* The spider’s web attack deals no damage, but the target takes a –10-foot circumstance penalty to its Speeds for 1 round on a hit. If a target is hit a second time by the same character’s web attack while they have this penalty, they’re instead
immobilized until they succeed at a check to
Escape against your class DC.
Anathema
Flagrantly disrespecting an
animal of your chosen kind is anathema to your instinct, as is using weapons while raging.
Bestial Rage (Instinct Ability)
When you
Rage, you gain your chosen animal's unarmed attack (or attacks). The specific attack gained, the damage it deals, and its traits are listed on Table 3–3: Animal Instincts. These attacks are in the
brawling group. Your
Rage action gains the
morph,
primal, and
transmutation traits.
Specialization Ability7th
Increase the damage die size for the unarmed attacks granted by your chosen animal by one step, and increase the additional damage from
Rage from 2 to 5 for your chosen animal's unarmed attacks. The frog's tongue attack and deer's antler attack gain
reach 10 feet. If you have greater weapon specialization, increase the damage from Rage from 5 to 12 for your chosen animal's unarmed attacks.
Raging Resistance9th
You resist piercing and slashing damage.
Legacy Content
Source Core Rulebook pg. 86 4.0PFS Note The
wyrmblessed sorcerer bloodline provides options for primal and imperial dragons. Character with a similar draconic connection, such as draconic bloodline sorcerors or draconic instinct barbarians, can also select from these dragon types. You must own a copy of Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse to select these options.
You summon the fury of a mighty
dragon and manifest incredible abilities. Perhaps your culture reveres draconic majesty, or you gained your connection by drinking or bathing in dragon's blood or after watching a marauding wyrm burn your village. Select a type of dragon from Table 3–4: Dragon Instincts to be your instinct's dragon type. Chromatic dragons tend to be evil, and metallic dragons tend to be good.
Table 3-4: Dragon Instincts
| Dragon Type | Category | Breath Weapon |
| Black | Chromatic | Line of acid |
| Blue | Chromatic | Line of electricity |
| Green | Chromatic | Cone of poison |
| Red | Chromatic | Cone of fire |
| White | Chromatic | Cone of cold |
| Brass | Metallic | Line of fire |
| Bronze | Metallic | Line of electricity |
| Copper | Metallic | Line of acid |
| Gold | Metallic | Cone of fire |
| Silver | Metallic | Cone of cold |
Anathema
Letting a personal insult against you slide is anathema to your instinct. Choose whether your character respects or abhors your dragon type. If you respect it, defying such a dragon is anathema, and if you abhor it, failing to defeat such a dragon you come across is anathema.
Draconic Rage (Instinct Ability)
While raging, you can increase the additional damage from
Rage from 2 to 4 and change its damage type to match that of your dragon's breath weapon instead of the damage type for your weapon or unarmed attack. If you do this, your Rage action gains the
arcane and
evocation traits, as well as the trait matching the damage type.
Specialization Ability7th
When you use draconic rage, you increase the additional damage from
Rage from 4 to 8. If you have greater weapon specialization, instead increase the damage from Rage when using draconic rage from 8 to 16.
Raging Resistance9th
You resist piercing damage and the damage type of your dragon’s breath weapon.
Source Rage of Elements pg. 54 2.0This instinct option for barbarians allows you to channel elemental forces, bonding with a single element and its associated plane. Perhaps your ancestors were elemental conjurers or blessed by an elemental lord. Select an element from the Elemental Instincts table to be your instinct's element. If your element offers multiple damage types, choose one of those type when you select your element.
Elemental Instincts
| Element | Trait | Damage |
| Air | Air | Electricity or slashing |
| Earth | Earth | Bludgeoning or piercing |
| Fire | Fire | Fire |
| Metal | Metal | Piercing or slashing |
| Water | Water | Bludgeoning or cold |
| Wood | Wood | Bludgeoning or piercing |
Anathema
Disrespecting an elemental creature is anathema to your instinct; defending yourself against one is not. Purposefully despoiling the elemental plane associated with your element is anathema to your instinct, though this doesn't prevent you from responsibly altering that plane.
Elemental Rage (Instinct Ability)
While raging, you're cloaked in a vortex of elemental matter; you become
concealed against ranged attacks. You can't use this concealment to
Hide or
Sneak. While raging, you increase the additional damage from
Rage from 2 to 4 and change its damage type to the one you selected for your element.
If you have any
kineticist impulses with the same element type as the one you chose for your instinct, such as ones gained by taking the Kineticist Dedication multiclass feat, they gain the
rage trait.
Specialization Ability7th
When you use elemental rage, you increase the damage from
Rage from 4 to 6. If you have greater weapon specialization, instead increase the damage from Rage when using elemental rage from 6 to 12.
Raging Resistance9th
You resist the damage dealt by attacks and abilities of elemental creatures of your chosen element, as well as creatures made of your element, regardless of the damage type. You also resist damage dealt by attacks, spells, and abilities with your elemental trait.
Legacy Content
Source Core Rulebook pg. 87 4.0Your rage comes from a deep and purely personal well within you. You use your rage as you choose.
Anathema and Instinct Ability
You don't have an anathema or an instinct ability. Instead, you gain an additional 1st-level
barbarian feat.
Specialization Ability7th
Increase the additional damage from
Rage from 2 to 6. If you have greater weapon specialization, instead increase the additional damage from Rage to 12.
Raging Resistance9th
You resist physical weapon damage, but not physical damage from other sources (such as unarmed attacks).
Legacy Content
Source Core Rulebook pg. 87 4.0Your rage gives you the raw power and size of a
giant. This doesn't necessarily mean you revere giants—you might scoff at them or even aspire to slay them! You could instead seem like a giant to other people due to your exceptional strength or larger-than-life emotions and ego.
Anathema
Failing to face a personal challenge of strength is anathema.
Titan Mauler (Instinct Ability)
You can use a weapon built for a Large creature if you are Small or Medium (both normally and when raging). If you're not Small or Medium, you can use a weapon built for a creature one size larger than you. You gain access to this larger weapon, which can be of any weapon type otherwise available at character creation. It has the normal Price and Bulk for a
weapon of its size. When wielding such a weapon in combat, increase your additional damage from Rage from 2 to 6, but you have the clumsy 1 condition because of the weapon's unwieldy size. You can't remove this clumsy condition or ignore its penalties by any means while wielding the weapon.
Specialization Ability7th
Increase the damage from
Rage when using a larger weapon from 6 to 10; if you have greater weapon specialization, increase it from 10 to 18.
Raging Resistance9th
You resist bludgeoning damage and your choice of cold, electricity, or fire, chosen when you gain raging resistance.
Legacy Content
Source Core Rulebook pg. 87 4.0Whether you are emotionally sensitive to the spirits around you; worship ancestors or apparitions; or are haunted by the specter of an ancestor, relative, friend, or foe, your rage takes the form of a spiritual possession.
Anathema
Disrespecting corpses or spirits is anathema to your instinct; defending yourself against
undead creatures is not.
Spirit Rage (Instinct Ability)
While raging, you can increase the additional damage from
Rage from 2 to 3 and change its damage type to negative or positive, instead of the damage type for your weapon or unarmed attack (choose each time you Rage). If you choose to deal negative or positive damage, your weapon or unarmed attack gains the effects of the
ghost touch property rune, which makes it more effective against incorporeal creatures, and your Rage action gains the
divine and
necromancy traits, plus
negative or
positive, as appropriate.
Specialization Ability7th
When using spirit rage, increase the damage from
Rage from 3 to 7. If you have greater weapon specialization, instead increase the damage when using spirit rage to 13.
Raging Resistance9th
You resist negative damage, as well as damage dealt by the attacks and abilities of
undead creatures, regardless of the damage type.
Legacy Content
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 108 2.0PFS Note Given the slightly relaxed rules around edicts and anathema in Society play, a barbarian with the superstition instinct can benefit from spells and magic items if they are an unavoidable part of a Society adventure, such as if a scenario assumes the PCs are transported to their mission location via a teleport spell, or if an adventure requires that all PCs participate in a magical ritual.
A deep distrust of magic drives you to forgo and counter the metaphysical nonsense of spellcasters. Whether you're a member of a superstitious family or culture that distrusts magic, a warrior in constant battle against wizards and witches, a survivor of a magical accident that instilled an intense aversion in your mind and body, or a scion of a bloodline known for its magic resistance, your rage is inimical to magic. This makes you an excellent mage hunter but slow to trust practitioners of magical arts. Your extremely restrictive anathema grants you powers beyond those of other instincts.
Anathema
Willingly accepting the effects of magic spells (including from scrolls, wands, and the like), even from your allies, is anathema to your instinct. You can still drink potions and invest and activate most magic items you find, though items that cast spells are subject to the same restrictions as all other spells. If an ally insists on using magic on you despite your unwillingness, and you have no reason to believe they will stop, continuing to travel with that ally of your own free will counts as willingly accepting their spells (as do similar circumstances) and thus is also anathema to your instinct.
Superstitious Resilience (Instinct Ability)
While raging, you gain a +2 status bonus to all saves against magic. Increase your damage from
Rage from 2 to 4 against creatures that can cast spells. Once every 10 minutes, when you Rage, you regain Hit Points equal to the temporary Hit Points you gain from that Rage action.
Specialization Ability7th
Increase the damage from
Rage from 4 to 8 against creatures that can cast spells. If you have greater raging specialization, instead increase the damage from Rage to 12 against creatures with spells and 8 against other creatures.
Raging Resistance9th
Choose two associated magical traditions: arcane and occult, arcane and primal, divine and occult, or divine and primal. The resistance from your raging resistance class feature applies against all damage you take from spells cast with these two traditions of magic, regardless of the type of damage dealt by the spell.