The toughest dwarven warriors generally become dwarven defenders, but a few find the orderliness of most dwarven cultures a poor fit for their chaotic nature. Over the centuries these rowdy dwarves developed a combat style all their own. They call themselves implacables, and enemies of the dwarves fear their wrath. The implacable fighting style resembles that of many barbarians, but possesses enough subtle differences to make it uniquely dwarven. An implacable, like any barbarian, expends his energy in a short burst of rage, but rather than channel this wrathful energy into an overwhelming assault he channels it into defence.
Implacables study defence first to protect others and only secondarily to protect themselves. An implacable stays alive and in the enemy’s path, letting his allies accomplish their mission. If forced to fight alone he throws all his energy into selling his life dearly. Before he falls, he kills as many of the enemy as possible. Tougher even than a conventional barbarian and as determined as a dwarven defender, a single implacable can hold out against a large number of opponents. A large contingent of these indomitable warriors in the throes of their rage strikes fear into even small armies of foes.
Although dwarves begot the implacables, other races soon discovered their value. Gnomes and humans, trading partners with dwarves and more likely to embrace chaos, soon generated implacables of their own. These non-dwarven implacables usually serve as dedicated protectors of their communities, although more than a few have exploited that protective power to make themselves into warlords. Eventually, a few savage humanoids learned to emulate their opponents. Implacables receive less acclaim in orc society than conventional barbarians, but goblins and bugbears embrace the implacable style. These implacables give the savage races the perfect defence against the armies of civilized races.
The implacable is a variant barbarian. Unless otherwise noted, an implacable advances in the same manner as a barbarian (same Hit Die, base attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, and so on). When a character elects to take a level of barbarian or implacable, he may not later take levels in the other. This prevents the character from gaining the benefits of a 1st-level barbarian twice.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: An implacable is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armour and shields (except tower shields).
Fast Movement: An implacable does not get the fast movement class feature.
Resilient Rage: An implacable in a resilient rage looks less like a bloodthirsty reckless barbarian and more like an impatient but doggedly determined guardian. He doesn’t gain the normal bonuses when he enters a rage. Instead, his rage more resembles the dwarven defender’s defensive stance, granting him a +4 bonus to Dexterity and Constitution, a +2 bonus on Will saves and damage reduction 1/—. This temporary damage reduction stacks with the permanent damage reduction the implacable gains at higher levels.
Resilient rage is otherwise identical to the standard barbarian rage in all respects. At 11th level (when a standard barbarian gains greater rage), the Dexterity and Constitution bonuses increase to +6, and the temporary damage reduction bonus improves to 2/—. At 20th level (when a standard barbarian gains mighty rage), the Dexterity and Constitution bonuses increase to +8, and the temporary damage reduction bonus improves to 3/—.
Even at 1st level, few barriers can impede a determined barbarian. A raging 1st-level barbarian with a Strength score of 18 and the maximum number of ranks (4 at 1st level), can benefit from a +12 on his Climb, Jump or Swim skill checks. Coupled with spells like bull’s strength (offering a +4 enhancement to Strength) and a specific skill-enhancing spell like jump (providing a +10 enhancement on Jump skill checks), a barbarian might gain up to a +26 bonus on such skills before even rolling.
Source: Dragon Magazine #330 (Page 84)