Berserker (PEACH) - based on Fire Emblem [Archive] - Wizards Community

Berserker (PEACH) - based on Fire Emblem [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Prime32
10-31-06, 02:51 PM Well, this class's abilities are a mishmash of PrCs in Complete Warrior. I hope having no good saves balances all the abilities. Oh, and Lotus Crane? I know what you're thinking.

EDIT: After some thought, I removed Deathless Rage

Prerequisites
Base Attack Bonus: +7
Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus (any axe)
Special: Rage or Frenzy ability

Hit Dice: d12

Class Skills: The berserker’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis) and Spot (Wis)
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Lvl BAB Fort Wil Ref Special
1 +1 +0 +0 +0 Improved Critical (any axe)
2 +2 +0 +0 +0 Swing Blindly, Improved Initiative
3 +3 +1 +1 +1 Improved threat range (+1), Arcing throw
4 +4 +1 +1 +1 Improved Power Attack, Heavy blows
5 +5 +1 +1 +1 Banzai charge, Fast movement +5 ft.
6 +6 +2 +2 +2 Diehard, Toughness
7 +7 +2 +2 +2 Improved threat range (+2)
8 +8 +2 +2 +2 Rage +1/day, Fast movement +10 ft.
9 +9 +3 +3 +3 Standing charge, Surging rage
10 +10 +3 +3 +3 Supreme Power Attack, Tireless rage

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Berserkers are proficient with axes of all types (even exotic ones).

Improved Critical: A berserker gains Improved Critical as a bonus feat for a type of axe he is proficient with.

Improved Initiative: A 2nd level berserker gains Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.

Swing Blindly (Ex): A berserker’s rage becomes more powerful when he reaches 2nd level, but at the cost of lowered defences. The berserker adds an extra +4 to Strength while in a rage, but his Armour Class penalty goes from –2 to –4.

Arcing throw (Ex): At 3rd level, a berserker learns to throw axes so that they return to him. Treat any hand axe thrown by the berserker as a returning weapon.

Improved threat range (Ex): The threat range of any axe a 3rd level berserker wields is increased by one (This stacks with the benefit of the Improved Critical feat). At 7th level, the threat range is increased by two. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured.

Improved Power Attack: At 4th level, a berseker deals +50% the normal damage from
his use of the Power Attack feat. In other words, when using the Power Attack feat, a berserker
wielding a two-handed weapon gains a +3 bonus on damage rolls (instead of a +2 bonus) for each –1 penalty he applies to his attack rolls.

Heavy Blows (Ex): When making a full attack, a 4th level berserker can reduce the number of attacks he makes by one to gain a +2 bonus on all attacks. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured.

Banzai charge (Ex): When a berserker of 6th level or higher charges into battle, he can accept a variable penalty to Armour Class and take an equivalent bonus on the damage roll. The normal –2 AC penalty for charging still applies and counts towards the bonus, but the berserker cannot accept a penalty smaller than –2 or larger than his base attack bonus. For example, a berserker could take a –8 penalty to AC in exchange for a +8 bonus on the damage roll.

Fast movement (Ex): At 5th level, a berserker’s base land speed is increased by +5 feet. This rises to +10 feet at 8th level. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured.

Diehard: A 6th level berserker gains Diehard as a bonus feat.

Toughness: A 6th level berserker gains Toughness as a bonus feat.

Deathless rage (Ex): At 6th level and higher, a berserker can scorn death and unconsciousness while in a rage. As long as his rage continues, he is not treated as disabled at 0 hit points, nor is he treated as dying at –1 to –9 hit points. Even if reduced to –10 hit points or less, he continues to fight normally until his rage ends. At that point, the effects of his wounds apply normally if they have not been healed. This ability does not prevent death from massive damage or from spell effects such as slay living or disintegrate.

Rage +1/Day (Ex): When a berserker attains 8th level, the number of times per day that he can enter a state of rage or frenzy increases by one.

Standing charge: A 9th level berserker may treat any attack he makes as a charge. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured.

Surging rage (Ex): All bonuses from a berseker’s rage or frenzy ability are increased by +2 in the first round. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured.

Supreme Power Attack: A 10th level bereseker deals +100% the normal damage from his use of the Power Attack feat. In other words, when using the Power Attack feat, a berserker wielding a two-handed weapon gains a +4 bonus on damage rolls (instead of a +2 bonus) for each –1 penalty he applies to his attack rolls.

Tireless Rage: A 10th level berserker no longer becomes fatigued after using his rage ability.
starfire311
10-31-06, 03:16 PM thank you, I actually like it a lot, much better than Frenzied berserker... it may be more powerful too, not sure.... one thing I dont like is the poor fort save, should be good IMO.
Prime32
11-02-06, 05:06 AM ...whose reckless fighting style leaves him with poor defences

Berserkers are high offense, low defence
Ghenesh
11-02-06, 09:35 AM Highly Overpowered... as almost every homebrew PrC posted here.

I think you should revise the whole class, keeping in mind that all of his bonuses stacks with Frenzied Berserker's. The prereqs are a bit low for such powerful class, i would add another rage feat and some ranks in Intimidate. The poor fortitude save doesn't fit at all in the class description, he is deathless for ****** sake. Gaining more than 1 class feature per level is a bit too much.

You should make this PrC more specific for Axe wielder Barbarians instead of another version of FB (that's what it looks like to me).

About the class features i will tell you what i think of them:

Weapon and Armour Proficiency with all Axes... kinda weird, you should take this off.

Improved Critical: Totally Agree.

Improved Initiative: Don't like it... and he already gained a bonus feat as a class feature a level ago. Improved Initiative should be a prerequisite for this Prestige Class.

Swing Blindly (Ex): +4 unnamed bonus to strenght is too much for the cost of AC... you should consider improving the Rage as the Barbarian.

Arcing throw (Ex): Don't like it at all... nuthing to do with the class.

Improved threat range (Ex): Nice.

Improved Power Attack: Do not like... FB has it already and it's uber.

Heavy Blows (Ex): Nice feature! you should explain that the Berserk dismiss his last attack everytime, great sinergy with Power Attack. Why Unarmoured? There's nothing wrong with them using Light Armors or even Intermediate.

Banzai charge (Ex): You should make the max penalty to take equal to your Berserk Class Level, the way it is is calling for using Shock Trooper and playing an ubercharger with negative AC... and that's already done.

Fast movement (Ex): Great sinergy with barbarian, why unarmoured again? Barbarian can use armors and have Fast Movement... you should change the name of this class feature cause it's diferent from the original Fast Movement.

Diehard: Bad idea, this class is not meant to have Endurance and the next level it has Deathless Rage... this feature is pointless unless you ask for Endurance as a prerequisite.

Deathless rage (Ex): I have always consider this feature highly overpowered... specially for uber chargers with NO AC, as your class screams to be. You should leave this to FBs only and Clerics with "Delay Death" (another overpowered divine spell).

Rage +1/Day (Ex): Great. Your class should gain another rage per day.

Standing charge: Still don't like the obvious features that make this character a classic charger but customized. Still don't understand the unamoured stuff.

Surging rage (Ex): Nice feature... unarmoured again.

Supreme Power Attack: Again... still don't like, you already have Leap Attack, why do you want to create a character that kill everything in one swing?

Tireless Rage: Obvious and good.

You should look at the Berserker Prestige Class in the Deities and Demigods book. I know that you wanted to create an uber charger, but making him weak to disintegrate is no way of balancing the class. Play a Frenzied Berserker, it's good enough... although i like the whole Axe specialist thing.

and BTW: Your class hit things. In the face. With an Axe.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Prime32 10-31-06, 02:51 PM	Well, this class's abilities are a mishmash of PrCs in Complete Warrior. I hope having no good saves balances all the abilities. Oh, and Lotus Crane? I know what you're thinking. EDIT: After some thought, I removed Deathless Rage Prerequisites Base Attack Bonus: +7 Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus (any axe) Special: Rage or Frenzy ability Hit Dice: d12 Class Skills: The berserker’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis) and Spot (Wis) Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier. Lvl BAB Fort Wil Ref Special 1 +1 +0 +0 +0 Improved Critical (any axe) 2 +2 +0 +0 +0 Swing Blindly, Improved Initiative 3 +3 +1 +1 +1 Improved threat range (+1), Arcing throw 4 +4 +1 +1 +1 Improved Power Attack, Heavy blows 5 +5 +1 +1 +1 Banzai charge, Fast movement +5 ft. 6 +6 +2 +2 +2 Diehard, Toughness 7 +7 +2 +2 +2 Improved threat range (+2) 8 +8 +2 +2 +2 Rage +1/day, Fast movement +10 ft. 9 +9 +3 +3 +3 Standing charge, Surging rage 10 +10 +3 +3 +3 Supreme Power Attack, Tireless rage Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Berserkers are proficient with axes of all types (even exotic ones). Improved Critical: A berserker gains Improved Critical as a bonus feat for a type of axe he is proficient with. Improved Initiative: A 2nd level berserker gains Improved Initiative as a bonus feat. Swing Blindly (Ex): A berserker’s rage becomes more powerful when he reaches 2nd level, but at the cost of lowered defences. The berserker adds an extra +4 to Strength while in a rage, but his Armour Class penalty goes from –2 to –4. Arcing throw (Ex): At 3rd level, a berserker learns to throw axes so that they return to him. Treat any hand axe thrown by the berserker as a returning weapon. Improved threat range (Ex): The threat range of any axe a 3rd level berserker wields is increased by one (This stacks with the benefit of the Improved Critical feat). At 7th level, the threat range is increased by two. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured. Improved Power Attack: At 4th level, a berseker deals +50% the normal damage from his use of the Power Attack feat. In other words, when using the Power Attack feat, a berserker wielding a two-handed weapon gains a +3 bonus on damage rolls (instead of a +2 bonus) for each –1 penalty he applies to his attack rolls. Heavy Blows (Ex): When making a full attack, a 4th level berserker can reduce the number of attacks he makes by one to gain a +2 bonus on all attacks. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured. Banzai charge (Ex): When a berserker of 6th level or higher charges into battle, he can accept a variable penalty to Armour Class and take an equivalent bonus on the damage roll. The normal –2 AC penalty for charging still applies and counts towards the bonus, but the berserker cannot accept a penalty smaller than –2 or larger than his base attack bonus. For example, a berserker could take a –8 penalty to AC in exchange for a +8 bonus on the damage roll. Fast movement (Ex): At 5th level, a berserker’s base land speed is increased by +5 feet. This rises to +10 feet at 8th level. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured. Diehard: A 6th level berserker gains Diehard as a bonus feat. Toughness: A 6th level berserker gains Toughness as a bonus feat. Deathless rage (Ex): At 6th level and higher, a berserker can scorn death and unconsciousness while in a rage. As long as his rage continues, he is not treated as disabled at 0 hit points, nor is he treated as dying at –1 to –9 hit points. Even if reduced to –10 hit points or less, he continues to fight normally until his rage ends. At that point, the effects of his wounds apply normally if they have not been healed. This ability does not prevent death from massive damage or from spell effects such as slay living or disintegrate. Rage +1/Day (Ex): When a berserker attains 8th level, the number of times per day that he can enter a state of rage or frenzy increases by one. Standing charge: A 9th level berserker may treat any attack he makes as a charge. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured. Surging rage (Ex): All bonuses from a berseker’s rage or frenzy ability are increased by +2 in the first round. This ability functions only while the berserker is unarmoured. Supreme Power Attack: A 10th level bereseker deals +100% the normal damage from his use of the Power Attack feat. In other words, when using the Power Attack feat, a berserker wielding a two-handed weapon gains a +4 bonus on damage rolls (instead of a +2 bonus) for each –1 penalty he applies to his attack rolls. Tireless Rage: A 10th level berserker no longer becomes fatigued after using his rage ability.
starfire311 10-31-06, 03:16 PM	thank you, I actually like it a lot, much better than Frenzied berserker... it may be more powerful too, not sure.... one thing I dont like is the poor fort save, should be good IMO.
Prime32 11-02-06, 05:06 AM	...whose reckless fighting style leaves him with poor defences Berserkers are high offense, low defence
Ghenesh 11-02-06, 09:35 AM	Highly Overpowered... as almost every homebrew PrC posted here. I think you should revise the whole class, keeping in mind that all of his bonuses stacks with Frenzied Berserker's. The prereqs are a bit low for such powerful class, i would add another rage feat and some ranks in Intimidate. The poor fortitude save doesn't fit at all in the class description, he is deathless for ****** sake. Gaining more than 1 class feature per level is a bit too much. You should make this PrC more specific for Axe wielder Barbarians instead of another version of FB (that's what it looks like to me). About the class features i will tell you what i think of them: Weapon and Armour Proficiency with all Axes... kinda weird, you should take this off. Improved Critical: Totally Agree. Improved Initiative: Don't like it... and he already gained a bonus feat as a class feature a level ago. Improved Initiative should be a prerequisite for this Prestige Class. Swing Blindly (Ex): +4 unnamed bonus to strenght is too much for the cost of AC... you should consider improving the Rage as the Barbarian. Arcing throw (Ex): Don't like it at all... nuthing to do with the class. Improved threat range (Ex): Nice. Improved Power Attack: Do not like... FB has it already and it's uber. Heavy Blows (Ex): Nice feature! you should explain that the Berserk dismiss his last attack everytime, great sinergy with Power Attack. Why Unarmoured? There's nothing wrong with them using Light Armors or even Intermediate. Banzai charge (Ex): You should make the max penalty to take equal to your Berserk Class Level, the way it is is calling for using Shock Trooper and playing an ubercharger with negative AC... and that's already done. Fast movement (Ex): Great sinergy with barbarian, why unarmoured again? Barbarian can use armors and have Fast Movement... you should change the name of this class feature cause it's diferent from the original Fast Movement. Diehard: Bad idea, this class is not meant to have Endurance and the next level it has Deathless Rage... this feature is pointless unless you ask for Endurance as a prerequisite. Deathless rage (Ex): I have always consider this feature highly overpowered... specially for uber chargers with NO AC, as your class screams to be. You should leave this to FBs only and Clerics with "Delay Death" (another overpowered divine spell). Rage +1/Day (Ex): Great. Your class should gain another rage per day. Standing charge: Still don't like the obvious features that make this character a classic charger but customized. Still don't understand the unamoured stuff. Surging rage (Ex): Nice feature... unarmoured again. Supreme Power Attack: Again... still don't like, you already have Leap Attack, why do you want to create a character that kill everything in one swing? Tireless Rage: Obvious and good. You should look at the Berserker Prestige Class in the Deities and Demigods book. I know that you wanted to create an uber charger, but making him weak to disintegrate is no way of balancing the class. Play a Frenzied Berserker, it's good enough... although i like the whole Axe specialist thing. and BTW: Your class hit things. In the face. With an Axe.