Brannik Thornback

Brannik was born the runt of his clan, a gnome whose small stature made him an easy target for ridicule in a world that valued speed and cunning. When he came of age, he joined a mercenary band seeking to prove his worth, but his natural slowness—exacerbated by the heavy armor he insisted on wearing—made him a liability in their eyes. During a disastrous ambush in the Thornwood Wastes, his company retreated without a second glance, leaving him to die among the blood-soaked stones. Alone and consumed by rage rather than despair, Brannik survived weeks of brutal wilderness, sustained only by fury and a desperate will to outlive his abandonment. When the legendary Ironback Urchin—a creature of myth and malice—cornered him in a ravine, Brannik fought with the ferocity of someone with nothing left to lose, ultimately slaying the beast through sheer stubborn refusal to yield. He carved the creature's metallic spines from its corpse and forged them into armor with his own hands, creating a second skin that would make him the opposite of what his companions feared: not faster, but immovable. Now Brannik walks the world at his own grinding pace, a living monument to betrayal, seeking neither redemption nor forgiveness—only the satisfaction of proving that the slow, the scorned, and the abandoned can become unstoppable.

Strength

18, modifier +4

Dexterity

10, modifier +0

Constitution

20, modifier +5

Intelligence

12, modifier +1

Wisdom

14, modifier +2

Charisma

8, modifier -1

Spiked Slam

Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3d8 + 4 piercing damage.

Thorned Charge

Brannik moves up to his speed in a straight line. Each creature in his path takes 3d6 piercing damage.

Rage

Brannik can enter a rage as a bonus action, gaining advantage on Strength checks and saving throws, +2 damage on melee attacks for 1 minute.

Thorned Retaliation

When hit by a physical attack, spines extend, dealing 2d6 piercing damage to adjacent foes.

Iron Curl

Brannik can become nearly immovable, gaining advantage on saving throws against being pushed or knocked prone.

Slow March

For every 10 feet Brannik moves toward an enemy, he gains +1 to AC and saving throws until he stops.

strength

+7

dexterity

+0

constitution

+8

intelligence

+1

wisdom

+2

charisma

-1

bludgeoning

piercing

slashing