Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Cooperjera Sep 07, 2014 19:57:50	I like playing a barbarian, however, I have a concern with the Frenzy feature in Path of the Berserker.  It's optional to enter a frenzy and get outstanding damage output.  The drawback is exhaustion.  I looked for ways to remove exhaustion and found two: 1) Greater Restoration, or 2) a long rest.  Therefore, it seems very unlikely that a barbarian would frenzy more than one time in a 24 hour period.  If the barbarian has a steed to ride on then maybe they would frenzy twice in a 24 hour period.  However, no player, in my opinion, would frenzy more than three times in a 24 hour period, unless they have a bard, cleric, or druid with them that can cast Greater Restoration.  Then it will take two additional days, or castings, to put the character back to "normal."    Is the design intent to limit the frenzy capability of the barbarian as much as it seems, or are there other ways to reduce the exhaustion penalty at a greater pace than with a spell or a long rest?   Thank you
#2 Macv12 Sep 08, 2014 0:18:11	It's definitely working as intended. Greataxe attacks are the sirloin steaks of meaty weapon damage. Notice that you're using a bonus action, the same resource a two-weapon fighter is using, except that your weapon die is twice as big, you add ability damage to both attacks, Great Weapon Fighting or whatever other style you chose on top of that, and you can have Great Weapon Master for +10 to each hit (the -5 is canceled by you getting CA whenever you want) and extra hits when you kill something or crit (which will happen a lot with your huge hits and constant CA). Later on the berserker can counterattack when something hits it, which should almost always happen, meaning 4 attacks per turn reliably, plus any extra swings GWM adds. [Edit: strike that. I think the extra crit/kill strike requires a bonus action?]   You can still output terrific damage without frenzy, so you're not intended to use it several times per day. But when you do, you trade a penalty later for a big bonus right now, which is great for desperate or important fights. My group rarely fights more than once a day, so this penalty is also highly dependent on the type of campaign you're in.   And no, I'm not sure how else to deal with exhaustion.
#3 Leugren Sep 08, 2014 3:43:00	For the Frenzy ability to see any sort of regular use, I believe that a barbarian would need to load up on potions of Greater Restoration. We have not yet seen the rules on potion crafting, though given that Greater Restoration is a 5th-level spell, this will likely prove quite expensive in practice, and will generally not be an option for parties below 9th level. Barring that, I probably would not use Frenzy at all except in major boss fights.  The 3rd-level Totem Warrior features for Bear and Wolf are much more generally useful than Frenzy.
#4 LongTimeLurker Sep 08, 2014 14:30:59	Paladins used to be able to remove a level of exhaustion with Lay on Hands, but that did not make it into the final version of the PHB. ​ ​Frenzy is extreme powerful, and it comes with a choice. That choice probably means the ability won't get used on chump fights and will instead be saved for thematically important fights. ​ ​I would probably rule that being in frenzy allows you to ignore exhaustion effects. The drawbacks of exhaustion are already high enough. ​
#5 Bumamgar Sep 09, 2014 7:53:46	Potion of Vitality (from the Starter Set) removes any exhaustion:   Potion of Vitality Drinking this potion removes any exhaustion you are suffering, cures any disease or poison affecting you, and maximizes the effect of any Hit Die you spend to regain hit points within the next 24 hours.   Of course, till the DMG comes out, no idea on it's rarity or how to create one...