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ksbsnowowl 06-30-07, 09:32 AM

I'm running a game wherein I have a player with a Goliath Barbarian 1/Scout 2. He mentioned to me the other day that he would probably just keep increasing in scout levels, because for the next several levels, Barbarian doesn't grant him anything that scout wouldn't also grant (uncanny dodge, etc.) That go me thinking... with the advent of the Swift Hunter feat from Complete Scoundrel, I wondered if it would be balanced to introduce a similar feat for Barbarian/Scouts, stacking rage and skirmish. For those who do not know of Swift Hunter, it is a feat that requires minimum levels of Scout 3/Ranger 1 to aquire it, and it allows ranger and scout levels to stack for favored enemy and skirmish, and you can skirmish your favored enemies, even if they would normally be immune [ie- undead, plants, etc.]) Thus, a Scout 4/Ranger 16 gains +4d6/+4 AC skirmish over a character without said feat, an additional favored enemy increase, and the potential ability to skirmish uncritables. Similarly, a Scout 19/Ranger 1 gains 4 free favored enemies, and again the potential to skirmish uncritables. That's an additional +8 in bonuses, as well as the basic +2 vs. 4 more types of creatures. My question is, what would be balanced with that in regards to Rage, rather than favored enemies? (Oh, and just so you know, my player did take the Whirling Frenzy rage varient from Unearthed Arcana*) Would you suggest just swapping out the Favored Enemy progression for the Rage (times per day) progression? Should I give more than just the increase in times per day he can rage? Should I give him the increases of Greater Rage, Indomitable Will, Tireless Rage, and Mighty Rage? Or is that too much? Keep in mind that the Favored Enemy feature increases in its bonuses, and provides the extra benefit of skirmishing uncritable creatures who are normally immune. Also, he could just opt for more Barb levels, gaining almost all the rage benefits anyway, and gaining full skirmish. I realize that Swift Hunter is itself a very powerful feat. What would you consider balanced against Swift Hunter (or maybe just a little bit weaker than Swift Hunter)? *Rage Variant: Whirling Frenzy A barbarian with this variant form of rage doesn't gain the normal bonuses when he enters a rage. Instead, when a barbarian with whirling frenzy enters a rage, he temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength and a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class and on Reflex saves. While in a whirling frenzy, the barbarian 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 the barbarian might make before his next action. Whirling frenzy is otherwise identical to the standard barbarian rage in all other ways. At 11th level (when a standard barbarian gains greater rage), the Strength bonus increases to +6, and the dodge bonus to Armor Class and on Reflex saves increases to +3. At 20th level (when a standard barbarian gains mighty rage), the Strength bonus increases to +8, and the dodge bonus to Armor Class and on Reflex saves increases to +4. A barbarian using this variant doesn't gain indomitable will at 14th level. Instead, he gains evasion, but only while in a whirling frenzy. A character can't use whirling frenzy at the same time that he uses any other form of rage (or similar ability).