UA variant: Whirling Frenzy

[Sejs]

Wood Elf commando style barbarians with spears and bone/horn shanks.

 

[Perun]

This might be a bit too much stereotyping, but, in my warped little mind, the standard barbarian goes with the viking- or Conan-like barbarians, usually from colder climates, armed with axes, greatswords or hammers. The whirling frenzy variant, OTOH, is the plains-warrior type, swift and agile, using spear (or, perhaps, a quarterstaff) as his primary weapon, perhaps even double-wielding handaxes (sort of like Native Americans).

Also, if you're playing in FR, it might be appropriate for ghostwise halflings, who have barbarian as their favoured class.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Thanks for the help. I sorta like the deverish idea or the light infantry, quick moving, planes warrior approach to it.

 

[ForceUser]

I play a falchion-wielding dwarf fighter with one level of barbarian, Extra Rage, and the whirling frenzy variant. He's buckets of fun, though I must admit that most foes die before he completes a full round of attacks, especially when hasted, but that's totally okay--the attacks lost are the iterative attack, which have far less of a chance to hit anyway. Better to gain +20/+20/+15 than +20/+15/+10.

In my campaign, I use whirling frenzy as one of three regional variants for barbarians--standard rage for northern barbarians, whirling frenzy for barbarians from the tropics, and favored enemy in lieu of rage for barbarians of certain races.

Having played with it for nearly a year now, I sometimes wonder if whirling frenzy is too good. Speaking as a multiclass barbarian/fighter, I would rather have the +2 AC than the extra hit points any day, and being able to essentially use flurry of blows--that is, to gain an entire extra attack at my full, disgusting fighter BAB--is way, way better than a mere +2 to attack from standard rage. A quick comparison:

Standard rage
+4 Str
+4 Con
+2 Will saves
-2 AC

Whirling frenzy
Extra attack on full attack
+4 Str
+2 AC
+2 Reflex saves

Which looks better to you?

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

The image I get is Eric the Viking, from the movie of the same name, when he thinks he's invisible.

Taunts and all.

The Drizzt Do'Urden reference is good, too-- and the last statblock I saw for him included levels of Barbarian.

 

[azmodean]

Night goblin fanatic



Warhammer players represent

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

the attacks lost are the iterative attack, which have far less of a chance to hit anyway. Better to gain +20/+20/+15 than +20/+15/+10.

Don't you mean +18/+18/+13/+8? The bonus attack gives -2 penalty for all attacks.

 

[ForceUser]

Don't you mean +18/+18/+13/+8? The bonus attack gives -2 penalty for all attacks.

No, because whirling frenzy grants +4 Strength, so the +2 to attack from the strength bonus cancels out the -2 attack from taking the extra attack. Essentially, when you take that extra attack on a whirling frenzy, your non-frenzied attack bonus stays the same, but your damage goes up.

 

[shilsen]

Having played with it for nearly a year now, I sometimes wonder if whirling frenzy is too good.

...

Which looks better to you?

The Whirling Frenzy variant definitely looks better to me. I don't think it's better enough to count as overpowered, but that's a decision for the individual group based on the power level of the other PCs, I think.

 

[Whimsical]

One thing to keep in mind is that regular rage lasts two rounds longer than whirling frenzy. And that makes a difference when you only have a 16 CON or so and you end up fatigued while the fight is still going with Whirling Frenzy when you could have still been raging.