The Frenzied Berserker: I'm Just Curious

[Razz]

Why does RP always get in the way of gaming? That shouldn't happen. Which is why I love the Frenzied Berserker. I love prestige classes that invoke a good background, story and RP.
The character Oron from Lodoss War was awesome, and the Frenzied Berserker represented the rager who can't control his primal instincts. Fyodor from the Forgotten Realms novel series "Starlight and Shadows" was the same.

It was the same thing with the Forsaker prestige class. So many whined and moaned about how hard it was to play in a group with a Forsaker in it. Deal with it! Stop being a ROLL PLAYER and be a ROLE PLAYER for once.

 

[shilsen]

Stop being a ROLL PLAYER and be a ROLE PLAYER for once.

Excuse me, Comrade Razz - that silly dichotomy has been completely debunked and is no longer part of the gamer's manifesto.

Please report to the nearest detention center for reprogramming and colonic irrigation.

 

[Seeker95]

Missing option.

Never used. Never met.

 

[Sarellion]

It was the same thing with the Forsaker prestige class. So many whined and moaned about how hard it was to play in a group with a Forsaker in it. Deal with it! Stop being a ROLL PLAYER and be a ROLE PLAYER for once.

Right now one of my character´s roleplaying traits consists of killing people who annoy her too much. Better him than the rest of the group, bye, bye, see you in your next incarnation.

Seriously, how is one guy intruding into my character concept enhancing roleplaying or why is someone who doesn´t like a loose wild cannon in his group a bad roleplayer?

I think that both prestige classes actually strain the already strained suspense of disbelief to its limits. Why should any party hang around with these guys?

And at least some of these Forsakers were quite happy to destroy a lot more than only their share. Ok, you only play your guy in character, dude? That´s nice, my character play will now give you the boot.

A Frenzied Berserker is even worse. He regularly flips out and is prone to attack the own party. How am I sure that the guy doesn´t flip out during some friendy argument in a tavern? The player knows how the class ability works but not the character. That´s more metagaming than I am comfortable with.

The only way my characters could tolerate such behaviour is that the character or class in question is seen as some kind of divine blessing or similar things or the other character is a childhood friend. In case of the berserker I would rather try to seek help for the friend who seems to be suffering from insanity or finally lost control.

 

[gnfnrf]

I've seen the FB twice.

Once, in 3.0, I had one in my RtToEE campaign as a PC. He never killed another PC, though he tried. The big problem was that, since he had to be dropped after every fight, he took up a lot of healing resources. Then a bunch of shadows and wraiths killed him.

Then I used one as an NPC villian, and he was effective but not broken (he wasn't that high level, though). I marvelled at trying to explain to the PCs how he had an armor class of 9.

--
gnfnrf

 

[Patlin]

I've only fought one in a CRPG, so you may not want to count that. It was pretty clear what he was, so after he frenzied I ran away until the frenzy expired, then clobbered him. Wasn't too much trouble.

 

[Presto2112]

Reading this thread has given me a wonderfully evil idea.

FB, using a Vicious weapon, backed up by a cleric who wears a ring of invisibility and has the Silent Spell and Reach Spell feats, not attacking anyone, but healing and buffing the FB from afar as necessary (if necessary).

This would be a pair of villains to use as a 12th or 13th level encounter.

 

[kaomera]

Where's the option for "Met one as a fodder henchman of the BBEG, tagged him with the edge of a fireball, and he then proceeded to pound on said BBEG for about five rounds, during the last two of which the party actually didn't bother taking actions."?

 

[3d6]

Had one in the party, after a arrow trap hit him in a small dungeon area, he killed a party member; the rest of the party killed him.

 

[Crothian]

We have had one in the party and like most things with my group we had no issues with it.