CapnZapp
Legend
I have no problem granting Barbarian staying power in combat - that's pretty much his entire thing, so feel free.
However, getting damage reduction, I feel, reintroduces the problem of in combat healing being too good.
Healing Barbarians (or anyone else with damage resistance) is twice as good as healing anyone else.
Now, compared to the playtest, Cure Wounds was halved in healing output, because the playtest found that in combat healing became too good. (This isn't about why combat healing needs to be restricted, but in short: it all but forces the cleric to use her actions on combat healing which for some is not as fun as doing something offensive yourself; spending your actions on healing instead of damage-dealing prolongs combat which is seldom a good thing, etc. Feel free to start a new thread if you have thoughts on combat healing; this thread is about barbarians)
So the problem is: How can we allow the barbarian his "staying power" without making healing effectively twice as good?
Possible solutions:
a) Make Rage make you resistant to healing as well as damage. That is, just as you convert 10 points of damage into 5, you also convert 10 points of healing into 5.
Comment: The easiest solution. It is probably too crude, but it does have the advantage of being simple. It automatically works with all other rules, which can't be said for the following alternatives. Note that it only limits in combat healing: as soon as you turn off your rage, healing works normally again (which is fine).
b) Anytime you enter a rage, you gain a number of temporary hp equal to your current hit points.
Comment: This is more about approximating the current rule than replicating it exactly, to keep it simple. The main thing is achieved: to heal 10 points of damage, you need to apply 10 points of damage, not 5. This alternative doesn't play nice with spells that provide temporary hp.
b1) Like b, but adding "You can only use your temporary hp when taking blunt, slashing and piercing damage" and "if you're a bear totem barbarian, you can't use your temporary hp when taking psychic damage".
Comment: Hewing closer to the PHB rule, at the expense of slight complication. If you use b), you need to rewrite the bear totem ability.
c) When you rage, your current hp is doubled, even beyond your normal maximum. Damage other than blunt, slashing, piercing is doubled. When your rage ends, your current hp is halved.
Comment: Now we're getting wonky, but at least this alternative would work with temporary hp.
c1) When your rage ends, you take damage equal to your maximum hp. This damage cannot be prevented or reduced in any way.
c2) When your rage ends, you take damage equal to ten times your level at the end of your every turn, until you have taken damage equal to your maximum hp.
Comment: this might be needed to prevent abuse. Essentially, if you only survived because your rage allowed you to take more damage than you normally could, you will need healing. Alternative c2 is less abrupt, which is probably better.
Which one do you prefer? Do you have another suggestion?
However, getting damage reduction, I feel, reintroduces the problem of in combat healing being too good.
Healing Barbarians (or anyone else with damage resistance) is twice as good as healing anyone else.
Now, compared to the playtest, Cure Wounds was halved in healing output, because the playtest found that in combat healing became too good. (This isn't about why combat healing needs to be restricted, but in short: it all but forces the cleric to use her actions on combat healing which for some is not as fun as doing something offensive yourself; spending your actions on healing instead of damage-dealing prolongs combat which is seldom a good thing, etc. Feel free to start a new thread if you have thoughts on combat healing; this thread is about barbarians)
So the problem is: How can we allow the barbarian his "staying power" without making healing effectively twice as good?
Possible solutions:
a) Make Rage make you resistant to healing as well as damage. That is, just as you convert 10 points of damage into 5, you also convert 10 points of healing into 5.
Comment: The easiest solution. It is probably too crude, but it does have the advantage of being simple. It automatically works with all other rules, which can't be said for the following alternatives. Note that it only limits in combat healing: as soon as you turn off your rage, healing works normally again (which is fine).
b) Anytime you enter a rage, you gain a number of temporary hp equal to your current hit points.
Comment: This is more about approximating the current rule than replicating it exactly, to keep it simple. The main thing is achieved: to heal 10 points of damage, you need to apply 10 points of damage, not 5. This alternative doesn't play nice with spells that provide temporary hp.
b1) Like b, but adding "You can only use your temporary hp when taking blunt, slashing and piercing damage" and "if you're a bear totem barbarian, you can't use your temporary hp when taking psychic damage".
Comment: Hewing closer to the PHB rule, at the expense of slight complication. If you use b), you need to rewrite the bear totem ability.
c) When you rage, your current hp is doubled, even beyond your normal maximum. Damage other than blunt, slashing, piercing is doubled. When your rage ends, your current hp is halved.
Comment: Now we're getting wonky, but at least this alternative would work with temporary hp.
c1) When your rage ends, you take damage equal to your maximum hp. This damage cannot be prevented or reduced in any way.
c2) When your rage ends, you take damage equal to ten times your level at the end of your every turn, until you have taken damage equal to your maximum hp.
Comment: this might be needed to prevent abuse. Essentially, if you only survived because your rage allowed you to take more damage than you normally could, you will need healing. Alternative c2 is less abrupt, which is probably better.
Which one do you prefer? Do you have another suggestion?
