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Thread: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
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2007-10-16, 06:12 PM (ISO 8601)
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Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Rage always struck me as, in a certain sense, lacking. I mean, you get stronger, but where's the anger, the passion? Sure, you can go the Frenzy route and have the Barb just go nuts on everyone in sight, but here's a different idea...rage being the Barbarian pushing himself beyond the limitations of nature...strength now, pay later.
The Death Rager
The body is suprisingly resilient, it'd have to be to survive the kind of punishment adventurers put it through.
Howerver, certain intrepid souls push the elastic survivability of the body to the extreme. Barbarians, with their natural ability to channel bursts of extreme strength, can focus that strength even farther. In the short term, the benefits are great, but in the long term, the barbarian's body pays a heavy price.
Those who develop these self-destructive skills are regarded with fear, and known to others as Death Ragers.
Requirements:
Base Attack: +4
Feats: Power Attack, Diehard
Special: Rage 2/Day
Hit Die: d12
Death Rager
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Exceed Limits
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0| Edge Walker
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Die Harder +3, Rage +1/Day
4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|Pass the Brink
5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Revenant Strike
6th|+6/+1|+5|+2|+2|Die Harder +6
7th|+7/+2|+5|+2|+2|Rage +2/Day
8th|+8/+3|+6|+2|+2|Shatter Threshold
9th|+9/+4|+6|+3|+3|Die Harder +9
10th|+10/+5|+7|+3|+3|Final Fury[/table]
Class Skills: The Death Rager's class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str)
Skill Points per Level: 4+Int Modifier
Exceed Limits (Ex): A Death Rager can press his body beyond his natural limits, achieving great strength at the expense of safety. Starting at 1st level, whenever the Death Rager enters a Rage, he gains +6 Strength and Constitution, and a +3 morale bonus to Will saves instead of his normal benefits. The penalty to AC remains the same. At the end of this rage, however, he takes 1d6 damage per character level.
Edge Walker (Ex): As someone used to pressing his body to the limit, the Death Rager can shrug off lesser annoyances. At level 2, the Death Rager gains immunity to nonlethal damage.
Die Harder (Ex): A Death Rager’s natural endurance allows him to withstand serious blows…he has to, or else he’d have killed himself already. At 3rd level, and every three levels after that, the maximum number of negative hit points which the Death Rager can reach before dying increases by 3.
Additional Rage: At 4th level, and again at 7th level, the Death Rager can enter Rage one additional time per day.
Pass the Brink (Ex): In times of great need, the strong Death Ragers can focus the very force of his life into surges of great might and speed. Starting at 4th level, when making a Strength or Dexterity based skill or ability check, the Death Rager can choose to add a bonus to this check up to his character level. Afterwards, he must succeed on a Fortitude Save (DC 10+Twice the Bonus) or take damage equal to the bonus.
Revenant Strike (Ex): A mighty Death Rager’s ability to break his bodily can be focused into powerful, penetrating strikes. Starting 5th level, while making a Power Attack, the Death Rager can reduce the penalty he takes on attacks by a number up to his Death Rager level. If the attack succeeds, he must succeed on Fortitude Save (DC 15+Twice the Reduction of the Attack Penalty) or take Damage equal to twice the number by which the Attack penalty was reduced.
Shatter Threshold (Ex): A powerful Death Rager can willfully press his body past the point at which even lesser Death Ragers would die. Starting at 8th level, whenever the Death Rager enters a Rage, he gains +8 Strength and Constitution, and a +4 morale bonus to Will saves instead of his normal benefits. The penalty to AC remains the same. At the end of this rage, however, he takes 1d6 Strength and Constitution damage, in addition to the 1d6 damage per character level due to Exceed Limits.
Final Fury (Ex): With singular purpose, the mightiest of Death Ragers can eradicate even the most basic limits on his physical power, gaining massive power at the cost of his own life. Starting at 10th level, when a Death Rager enters a Rage, he can, as a free action, choose to enter a Final Fury. Instead of the normal benefits of Rage, the Death Rager gains a +10 bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, acts as though under a haste spell and a freedom of movement spell, gains DR 10/-, gains SR 20, gains immunity to Mind-Affecting effects, and gains a +5 bonus to all Saves for the duration of the Rage. A Final Fury cannot be ended prematurely by any means.
When the Final Fury ends, however, the Death Rager immediately dies, with no save. Because of the immense strain placed on his body, rigor mortis sets in immediately after the Death Rager dies, either due to the end of the Final Fury or if the Death Rager is slain during the Final Fury, and the Death Rager’s body stiffens in the position where he ended his rage, and ressurection of any sort is impossible for at least 24 hours, although a wish or miracle can restore the Death Rager to life.Last edited by ArmorArmadillo; 2007-10-21 at 11:01 AM.
Gnoll Paladin with Zanbatou Avatar by Oregano.
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Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald
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2007-10-17, 08:52 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Just a question but is there really much point to the once a week for the final rage? I can see why but after he gets rezzed so much he's gonna stop doing it. If they raised him with true ress then they will probably run out of money relativley fast.
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2007-10-17, 09:01 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
I agree.
Instead, set Final Rage to give those stats with the effects of a delay death spell, but the rage doesn't end until whatever the rager is attacking is dead. Then require that the rager must attack every round against something.
That way, the rager, if he must, can enter into a state where he will continue to attack until you hit the MAD principle.
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2007-10-17, 09:24 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
I don't know about you, but a cleric in one of my recent campaigns had a spell that acted as True Rez without costing anything, so long as it was within a minute or so of the person dying. It must've been WotC, since my group doesn't touch third-party stuff. And it was a fairly low-level spell, because he could pretty much cast it at the drop of a hat.
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2007-10-17, 09:38 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
I know what spell you're talking about, it's out of the SpC. It requires you to cast it within caster level rounds of the person dying, works as a raise dead, except they don't lose a level or constitution. They come back at like -9 but stable.
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2007-10-17, 09:57 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Last Breath from Complete divine would also work on that. The only problem is that it has to be cast within one round of subject's death.
Adrie, half elven bard. Drawing by Vulion, avatar by CheesePirate. Colored version by Callos_DeTerran. Thanks a lot, you guys.This place is not a place of honor…no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here… nothing valued is here."There will come a day so dark you will pray for death. On that day your prayers will be answered."Book of shadows, book of night, wake the beast and banish light.
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2007-10-17, 11:30 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Revivify...yep.
I originally didn't add the 1/week for it, but after talking with some friends who said that spell could break the ability, I tossed it in to protect against Final Fury revivify cheese.
I don't like it, but I think it's unfortunately necessary given the structure of the D&D "afterlife".
Final Fury should be an extreme, ultimate last-ditch measure, not something that players can reliably count on in tough battles.Gnoll Paladin with Zanbatou Avatar by Oregano.
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Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald
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2007-10-17, 04:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Minor issue: Troll/anything with regen, with Edge walker, and Elemental immunity cast on them for fire/acid.
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2007-10-17, 05:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
It seems to me that the fortitude saves you have to resist damage from the "Pass the Brink" and "Revenant Strike" abilities are extremely low. As, say, a fifth level Death Rager (with the prerequisite four levels of barbarian), the most the character could add would be a +5 bonus, making the DC 15. The character already has a +8 fortitude save not counting whatever their constitution modifier is (and it should be relatively high for a barbarian), and the player must roll only around a 5 or higher to succeed. The save might be better placed at DC 10+1.5xbonus (rounded up) or DC 10+2xbonus.
Also, a way to possibly remove some of the overpoweredness of the "Final Fury"/Revivify combo is to make it take all of the Rager's uses of rage for the rest of the day and cost at least two uses of rage. Also, the ability does such strenuous damage to the physical body that the Rager's corpse (or the suddenly resurrected Rager) counts as fatigued for the next day. Also, when in a Final Fury, it might be good to have some spell resistance, say 15+(newly increased)Con modifier, because a barbarian raving louder and frothier than normal is just begging for a dominate person spell, +5 bonus to will saves notwithstanding.
My two cents, hope this helps.Spoiler
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2007-10-17, 09:13 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Quite a bit, actually.
You're dead-on about the saves on Rev-Strike and Brink, they should definitely be higher; also the SR. I may just also add immunity to mind-affecting effects just because if anyone used a Final Fury and was Dominated...it'd just be really really bad.
As for Final Fury/Revivify, I want it ideally to be a last resort, so I wouldn't want to have the ability unusable when you only have your last rage left. I also don't want to list it as though it's just a "double rage" or that you'll be doing other things that day...It's not that it's not a good suggestion, it's just that I feel like the ability is becoming too metagamy.
I think a solution that might work is just flatly saying "you cannot be rezzed for one day." It'll flatly prevent revivify without the awkwardness of 1/Week.Gnoll Paladin with Zanbatou Avatar by Oregano.
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Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald
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2007-10-17, 09:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Fluff explantion:
The exhaustion of Final Fury is so high, that when it ends, it completely exhausts your body killing it, and even your soul is exhausted. Your soul cannot respond to revivification magics for the next 24 hours, while it rests in it's final reward.
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2007-10-18, 01:59 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Make a contingency of phantasmal killer on the deathrager with trigger '1 round before the rage ends'. The deathrager, having accepted the contingency, gets no save. The phantasmal killer kills him before the rage can and he can get ressurected normally.
Make a calm emotions contingency that removes the rage before it ends.
The rest of the party kills the deathrager after every fight before the rage can.
Deathrager uses Iron Heart Surge to remove the rage before it ends.
Deathrager is turned to stone before his rage expires, then reverted to life after a few minutes, with the rage's duration having ended by them. Because he's neither alive nor dead while petrified, he's not subject to effects that kill him.
Deathrager dies naurally in the battle while raging. He's ressurected normally.IM IN UR WIZARD SCHOOL STABBIN UR HORCRUXES
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2007-10-18, 02:41 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Ahh. The cheese factory. Answer is simple. Once Final Fury is activated, end result of the rager's death is immutable regardless of what has occured to the rager's body in the interim (eg, the death is a foregone conclusion at the alloted time, activated the very moment he activates the final fury (which he must decide as a free action when he begins a rage), and thereafter seperate from the effects of the rage and the status of the rage itself).
Last edited by Helgraf; 2007-10-18 at 02:42 AM.
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2007-10-18, 03:41 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
The thing is, you can't die if you're not alive or already dead. Most of this cheese doesn't stop the death itself-it stops the 24 hour waiting time for the ressurection to follow.
IM IN UR WIZARD SCHOOL STABBIN UR HORCRUXES
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2007-10-18, 11:32 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
All things here would work. I think I'll add the clauses "rage cannot be ended prematurely" and make the 24 hour rez penalty apply if they die before the end.
That said, if people are going to complicated ends to abuse the ability, I can't and won't stop them; I'll stop basic oversynergy like revivify but not too much past that.Gnoll Paladin with Zanbatou Avatar by Oregano.
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Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald
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2007-10-18, 01:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
I really like this! If I was going to suggest anything, is that there should be some (even if trivial) modification to other's moral in there. It could be a bonus to allies or penalty to enemies, probably the latter.
I say this because while this guy is in his rage, hes tearing/lifting things apart he normally could, acting like things that don't make him bleed never happened, and probably acting in a generally loudmanner... especially during that final fury.
That kind of display just seems like it have some effect on the moods of those around him, even if it's represented something almost insignificant mechanically.
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2007-10-18, 10:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Catatar made for me many years ago ... pretty sure by banjo1985
Werewolf Awards: 'Best Narration: Helgraf'
Rabbit says stuff that makes me blush.
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2007-10-19, 02:04 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Actually, at the time he said this it was an issue. I changed it to what you see now to fix this.
So, no foul on either side.
As for Moron...theoretically, a Death Rager would be quite scary, but the class isn't really about fear. If I add a fear effect, the design can seem like it's branching off in too many directions.
I'm sigging the class at this point, because I think it's at a pretty good place right now.Gnoll Paladin with Zanbatou Avatar by Oregano.
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Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald
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2007-10-19, 03:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Final Fury (Su):
Change the ability to something like:
"By expending their life-force in a display of trememdous effort.... [insert Final Fury benefits] .....while Final Fury lasts, the deathrager is sustained by his own sacrifice. Should Final Fury stop sustaining the warrior, by any means, the sacrifice of the death rage's life-force finally catches up to them and they succumb to death immediately. Due to the vast expenditure of spiritual strength, such a death cannot be reversed by magic of any sort except Wish or Miracle for 24 hours"Last edited by Belial_the_Leveler; 2007-10-19 at 03:04 PM.
If all you have is a hammer, don't be lazy; be a blacksmith and start making more stuff.
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2007-10-20, 12:33 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Actually, I think it'd just be easier to just shift it back to an Ex ability, as Supernatural was really more for flavor than mechanics.
Sigh, again, stopping everything it really impossible...I think responsible players will see this ability as what it is: A desperation manuever for important final battles, rather than as some potential exploit.Gnoll Paladin with Zanbatou Avatar by Oregano.
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Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald
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2007-10-21, 04:16 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
I don't intend to be critical, I'm a fan of the Barbarian myself but there's something I'd like to comment on for this class feature. Doesn't this grant the Death Rager a similar class feature to Greater Rage, which normal Barbarians get at level 11? With the Death Rager, you can get this much earlier, a 4th level Barbarian can qualify easily. So with this, a 5th level Barbarian/Death Rager gets similar abilities equal to a 11th level Barbarian, just for the cost of 1d4 damage per level, which in this case is 5d4 if you're counting ECL, 1d4 if its just levels in Death Rager. The +6 con can easily make up for it. This would seem to encourage dipping into this class, instead of following it until Final Fury, no matter how good the class features are.
Also, why would a Barbarian have 4+Int mod skill points per level?Last edited by Uthug; 2007-10-21 at 04:18 AM.
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2007-10-21, 04:39 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
The normal PHB Barbarian has 4 skill points per level too.
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2007-10-21, 05:26 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Exceed Limits (Ex): A Death Rager can press his body beyond his natural limits, achieving great strength at the expense of safety. Starting at 1st level, whenever the Death Rager enters a Rage, he gains +6 Strength and Constitution, and a +3 morale bonus to Will saves instead of his normal benefits. The penalty to AC remains the same. At the end of this rage, however, he takes 1d4 damage per level.
Is the damage based on character level or class level?
Die Harder (Ex): A Death Rager’s natural endurance allows him to withstand serious blows…he has to, or else he’d have killed himself already. At 3rd level, and every three levels after that, the maximum number of negative hit points which the Death Rager can reach before dying increases by 3.
Pass the Brink (Ex): In times of great need, the strong Death Ragers can focus the very force of his life into surges of great might and speed. Starting at 4th level, when making a Strength or Dexterity based skill or ability check, the Death Rager can choose to add a bonus to this check up to his character level. Afterwards, he must succeed on a Fortitude Save (DC 10+Twice the Bonus) or take damage equal to the bonus.
Final Fury (Ex): With singular purpose, the mightiest of Death Ragers can eradicate even the most basic limits on his physical power, gaining massive power at the cost of his own life. Starting at 10th level, when a Death Rager enters a Rage, he can, as a free action, choose to enter a Final Fury. Instead of the normal benefits of Rage, the Death Rager gains a +10 bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, acts as though under a haste spell, gains DR 10/-, gains SR 20, gains immunity to Mind-Affecting spells, and gains a +5 bonus to all Saves for the duration of the Rage. A Final Fury cannot be ended prematurely by any means.
When the Final Fury ends, however, the Death Rager immediately dies, with no save. Because of the immense strain placed on his body, rigor mortis sets in immediately after the Death Rager dies, either due to the end of the Final Fury or if the Death Rager is slain during the Final Fury, and the Death Rager’s body stiffens in the position where he ended his rage, and ressurection of any sort is impossible for at least 24 hours, although a wish or miracle can restore the Death Rager to life.
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2007-10-21, 05:48 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Nope... Final Fury should stay FINAL...
Freedom of Movement would be nice, but doesn't fit the fluff at all to my mind.
I also HATE overly quantized stuff... if you are going to give them a 3 pointy increase in how low they have to go every 3 levels just smooth it out and make it advance one point per class level.Last edited by DracoDei; 2007-10-21 at 05:52 AM.
[Public Service Announcement]P.E.A.C.H stands for Please Examine And Critique Honestly[/Public Service Announcement]
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2007-10-21, 06:12 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Nope... Final Fury should stay FINAL...
Freedom of Movement would be nice, but doesn't fit the fluff at all to my mind.
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2007-10-21, 06:49 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
Flavor, and the few times it will.
I didn't say it would be pointless... I said it wouldn't fit the fluff... and I stand by that statement... of course fluff COULD be bent in the particular case... but I still think it fits better to not put it in.[Public Service Announcement]P.E.A.C.H stands for Please Examine And Critique Honestly[/Public Service Announcement]
Currently Running: Equestria Begins (A High Tactics campaign)
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2007-10-21, 10:54 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Overclock your Barbarian [PrC]
The moment the rage ends you lose the +6 to Con, so this is potentially very significant.
It is a powerful feature, but it had to be to justify the cost. Also, Greater Rage v Rage is essentially: +1 to Attack and Damage, +1 Hp per level, +1 Will Saves. Plus some extra to a few skill checks.
Not as impressive when you look at it in a vacuum.
The penalty does seem light though, so I'm upping it to 1d6 per level.
I didn't make it "Extra +2 to Existing Rage" to avoid dipping right after you get Greater Rage.
As for Die Harder...I don't see what's confusing about it. The operation of it is very direct and simple, and there is precedent (See the Rageclaws soulmeld from MoI) for raising the damage threshold. I didn't make it "Equal to Level" because it's really just there to avoid having dead levels.
And Final Fury: This ability is a capstone, it is not meant to be the core of how you use this class. This is meant to be used when the party is against BBEG at what could very well be the end of the biggest adventure arc, the party wizard and cleric are down, and things are grim. Enter Final Fury, carry the day, and sacrifice yourself nobly.
Again, see the precedent of a Wu Jen spell with similar function. I believe it's in Complete Mage.
But you are right on the FoM. It's in.Last edited by ArmorArmadillo; 2007-10-21 at 11:00 AM.
Gnoll Paladin with Zanbatou Avatar by Oregano.
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Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald