Author Topic: Concept: Alternate system for barbarian rage  (Read 1526 times)

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Prime32

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Concept: Alternate system for barbarian rage
« on: September 08, 2008, 11:43:10 AM »
Alright, I'm not sure how balanced this is - I go for concept first.


Quote
A barbarian gains 1 rage ability at 1st level, though he can increase this number by taking rage defects. A character may not take rage defects after 1st level. The character receives an additional rage ability at every 4th level.

Rage abilities
  • Ability Boost
    Increase one physical ability score by 4.
  • Improved Ability Boost
    Increase one physical ability score for which you have selected Ability Boost by 2. This ability may be taken multiple times.
  • Save Bonus
    You gain a +2 bonus on one type of saving throws (Fortitude, Reflex or Will)
  • Natural Attack
    You gain a pair of claws, slams or tentacles, or one bite or gore attack. This ability may be taken multiple times.
  • Aligned Strike
    Your attacks gain an alignment descriptor and deal an extra 2d6 points of damage against creatures of opposed alignment.
  • Energy Strike
  • Improved Energy Strike
    Your Energy Strike ability deals an extra 2 points of damage per die. This ability may be taken multiple times.
  • Flurry of Strikes
    You may make one extra attack in a round at his highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity you might make before your next action.
  • Size increase
    Your size increases by one category, as the enlarge person spell.
  • Type Change
    Your creature type changes to a type of your choice, and you gain the Augmented subtype.

Rage defects
  • Defenceless
    You take a -2 penalty to AC.
  • Wild Fury
    You cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can you cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. You can use any feat you have except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats.

This system lets you have a barbarian descended from pseudonatural creatures you taps into his abberant heritage to grow tentacles, or a holy warrior who "finds his centre". I wanted to do something like this since I watched Claymore.

There's plenty of other abilities to add (a fear effect for one).
« Last Edit: January 15, 2009, 09:15:27 AM by Prime32 »
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The tier system in a nutshell:
[spoiler]Tier 6: A cartographer.
Tier 5: An expert cartographer or a decent marksman.
Tier 4: An expert marksman.
Tier 3: An expert marksman, cartographer and chef who can tie strong knots and is trained in hostage negotiation or a marksman so good he can shoot down every bullet fired by a minigun while armed with a rusted single-shot pistol that veers to the left.
Tier 2: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything, or the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.
Tier 1: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything and the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.[/spoiler]

AstralFire

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Re: Alternate system for barbarian rage
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2008, 12:14:45 PM »
Improved Ability Boost needs a cap or you've got barbs with +14 Str running around.

Aligned/Energy/Flurry/Natural Attack might work well together. A 2HF Barb will be sticking to IAB though.

Wild Fury isn't much of a defect. Make it mandatory or just forget it, since a raging Barbarian will rarely go "hey, I want to waste a turn of my strength bonus, go-go Combat Expertise!" Swift action spells can be useful, but I don't think it's a big deal.

I'm not sure defenseless even is really a defect (go go +16 Str Barbs!) but at least the -2 AC will hurt a bit at low level. No issue by high levels, though, a barb'll be getting hit anyway.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2008, 12:29:17 PM by AstralFire »


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