Barbarians in 3.5 actually get base 4 Skill Points per level, which is more than Clerics, Fighters, Paladins, Sorcerers, and Wizards. I always took this as meaning that D&D Barbarians were intended to have more going on than just rage-smashing - stealth, tracking, nature lore, etc.
He eventually becomes king, so he’s definitely an intelligent tactician. He just had limited life experiences having been raised as a slave and then a gladiator.
Barbarians in 3.5 actually get base 4 Skill Points per level, which is more than Clerics, Fighters, Paladins, Sorcerers, and Wizards. I always took this as meaning that D&D Barbarians were intended to have more going on than just rage-smashing - stealth, tracking, nature lore, etc.
Yes, they’ve always been a Conan-type.
Conan was not stupid, he just had a very particular set of skills geared towards murdering people and looting ancient temples.
In the Conan books I read, he was primarily identified as a thief early in his life, and only later became known as a warrior and tactician.
Of course, most people know him more from the movies, which emphasized his brawn over else.
He eventually becomes king, so he’s definitely an intelligent tactician. He just had limited life experiences having been raised as a slave and then a gladiator.