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*Dungeons & Dragons
Berserker Barbarian good or needs fix? What Fix?
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<blockquote data-quote="SmokeyCriminal" data-source="post: 7105272" data-attributes="member: 6876146"><p>I remember Mearls mention their approach to 'fixes' that was interesting. He mentioned that sometimes the real problem isn't the problem everyone is complaining about. That when a mechanic is pointed out as needing to be "fixed" (And they agree) the first thing they try to do is look at <em>everything</em> that interacts with the mechanic and try to determine if the problem is in fact the mechanic that everyone is pointing at, or if the mechanic is just a "symptom" of the real problem. With that in mind, it sounds like the real problem isn't Frenzy but rather Exhaustion.</p><p></p><p>From day one Exhaustion hits you like a truck. Players avoid it like the plague and the moment a character has it all they care about is getting rid of it. Which makes the mechanic either non-existent or hyper focused in a game. So I think maybe the 'fix' shouldn't be Frenzy but rather making Exhaustion a tiny bit more subtle, that way you can sprinkle the mechanic in your game a little more so it's no longer non-existent, and the players can leave it in the back burner for a few scenes so it's no longer hyper focused.</p><p></p><p>Maybe add one more level of Exhaustion so there's 7 and make it so you can't add your proficiency to Ability Checks. That way, at first, it only feels like a -2 to a fraction of your Ability Checks, Something that feels annoying but not crippling. Plus it's Thematic "You're too Tired to be <em>better</em> then others at this thing, but you're still not bad at it." Then just say that it gets replaced with Level 2 Disadvantage on Ability Checks.</p><p></p><p>Now your Berserker won't mind carrying around a single level of Exhaustion every now and then which means he'll Frenzy a little more. Even if it's just once more then before it's still twice as often. Plus there's something cool and rugged about being the one that's still pushing on even when your the only one exhausted, like you're pushing yourself harder then the rest of the party, but not feeling gimped or like a liability.</p><p></p><p>OR! Berserker gets a Feature at Lv3 that says something like " You Ignore any Effects from Exhaustion that would give Disadvantage" </p><p></p><p>So you basically shrug off Lv1 and Lv3. That feels super badass but nitch enough to not be OP and helps with Frenzy.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SmokeyCriminal, post: 7105272, member: 6876146"] I remember Mearls mention their approach to 'fixes' that was interesting. He mentioned that sometimes the real problem isn't the problem everyone is complaining about. That when a mechanic is pointed out as needing to be "fixed" (And they agree) the first thing they try to do is look at [I]everything[/I] that interacts with the mechanic and try to determine if the problem is in fact the mechanic that everyone is pointing at, or if the mechanic is just a "symptom" of the real problem. With that in mind, it sounds like the real problem isn't Frenzy but rather Exhaustion. From day one Exhaustion hits you like a truck. Players avoid it like the plague and the moment a character has it all they care about is getting rid of it. Which makes the mechanic either non-existent or hyper focused in a game. So I think maybe the 'fix' shouldn't be Frenzy but rather making Exhaustion a tiny bit more subtle, that way you can sprinkle the mechanic in your game a little more so it's no longer non-existent, and the players can leave it in the back burner for a few scenes so it's no longer hyper focused. Maybe add one more level of Exhaustion so there's 7 and make it so you can't add your proficiency to Ability Checks. That way, at first, it only feels like a -2 to a fraction of your Ability Checks, Something that feels annoying but not crippling. Plus it's Thematic "You're too Tired to be [I]better[/I] then others at this thing, but you're still not bad at it." Then just say that it gets replaced with Level 2 Disadvantage on Ability Checks. Now your Berserker won't mind carrying around a single level of Exhaustion every now and then which means he'll Frenzy a little more. Even if it's just once more then before it's still twice as often. Plus there's something cool and rugged about being the one that's still pushing on even when your the only one exhausted, like you're pushing yourself harder then the rest of the party, but not feeling gimped or like a liability. OR! Berserker gets a Feature at Lv3 that says something like " You Ignore any Effects from Exhaustion that would give Disadvantage" So you basically shrug off Lv1 and Lv3. That feels super badass but nitch enough to not be OP and helps with Frenzy. [/QUOTE]
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