When do you rage?

[demon_jr]

How often and when do you find yourself using your barbarian rage ability?

How do you handle the "fatigue" effects in your campaign?

I hardly use my barbarian rage, even though my character can do it 3 times, because of the unpredictablity of how long the "fatigue" state will last. For my campaign, the DM has stated that he will inform me when the encounter has ended and if I am no longer "fatigued". I find this a little bit troubling, since one encounter can last for quite some time...

 

[0-hr]

An encounter should not last much longer than the fight in which you rage. If you find yourself rolling initiative again, that is a good sign that you are in a new encounter (and so no longer fatigued).

 

[Petrosian]

"I find this a little bit troubling, since one encounter can last for quite some time..."

have you tried it and seen how he is running it?

i would give it a number of tries before costing yourself the ability in anticipation.

besides, even if EVERY single encounter saw you raging for extra strength and con followed by suffering fatigue for lowered strength and dex, so that you took the fatigue in combat every time, i think you still come out ahead since you rage first. (higher yeild early beats lower yield later every time.)

My advice is play it, rage when you want to and after a good number of tries if you see a problem with how he runs it then talk to him about it out of game session.

for me, when i run rage the penalties will last AT LEAST three times as long as the rage, but in most cases this is non-combat time so it hardly matters. i think our barbarian has had her rage run out during a fight maybe once a level at most... just often enough to make sure she knows that it is still an issue.

BTW, if the GM wants you to feel fatigue, there are ways to end your rage early.

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

How often and when do you find yourself using your barbarian rage ability?

All the time.

How do you handle the "fatigue" effects in your campaign?

The effects end after the combat is over.

I hardly use my barbarian rage, even though my character can do it 3 times, because of the unpredictablity of how long the "fatigue" state will last. For my campaign, the DM has stated that he will inform me when the encounter has ended and if I am no longer "fatigued". I find this a little bit troubling, since one encounter can last for quite some time...

The end of a combat encounter is after you are no longer in combat rounds. (i.e. you are not cycling through initiative order.)

How exactly is this vague? Is your DM being silly?

 

[hong]

I can't be the only one who keeps parsing the title of this thread as "when do you rape?"


Hong "not a hentai fan, honest" Ooi

 

[Li Shenron]

for me, when i run rage the penalties will last AT LEAST three times as long as the rage, but in most cases this is non-combat time so it hardly matters

Non combat? I think you are not winded at all when combat ends, is it?

 

[hammymchamham]

every time I deal with a stupid customer... oh when I play a Barbarian you mean. I tend to do it if the enemy is making me mad (hard to hit, doing a lot of damage, etc).

 

[demon_jr]

My concern is how the wording is for rage:

"At the end of the rage, the barbarian is fatigued ... for the duration of that encounter..."

My DM has stated that encounter does not always end at the end of combat. For instance, we could be in the middle of a fight, I rage, we are about to win and then the enemies surrenders. Our party is still talking to the surrendering party up when my rage ends and I am fatigued. I am still fatigued when, during the middle of our talking with the surrendering party, we are ambushed. New iniatives are rolled and new combat takes place, but this is still the same encounter, according to my DM, so I am still fatigued.

I've tried to look for a definition of "encounter" and how long an "encounter" is within the PHB and DMG, but strangely enough, have only seen it appear in regards to the barbarian rage...

 

[zyzzyr]

Hi all,

I've played a barbarian now from levels 1 -> 7 and I, too, am annoyed at how vague "end of encounter" is.

My own interpretation (and that of the GM's), is that if you have time to "collect your thoughts" sort of deal. That is, you've managed to calm yourself down, take a deep breath, relax ... ok, you're no longer fatigued.

I took "extended rage" from MotW, which has proven great in earlier levels, but later levels seem to have shorter combats so far (when you dish out 50+ dam/round, it can't last too long). Right now I can have a range that lasts 12 rounds. I rage at the beginning of combat if it looks tough - otherwise I save it (I only have 2 right now!)

demon_jr: I think you got screwed. By that definition, an "encounter" can last many hours. that's silly.

zyzzyr

 

[Petrosian]

So how long were you talking? A minute or two game time? If so, it seems Ok for me. if it was an interrogation lasting hours, then nah, you have recovered.

i do not see why the rage penalties should end because the guy surrenders.

I tend to define it as into noncombat but with a minimum of 3 rounds per round of rage. This way, if the fight restarts quickly, you still feel the penalties.

I guess maybe my barbarian sees having to fight fatigued maybe once or twice in a level of adventures. Maybe less.

But regardless... unl;ess he is a poor GM he is not out to get you. Rage when you think IN CHARACTER it makes sense to. understand that sometimes you are going to get caught and have to fight fatigued. That is a drawback of rage and it is his job to make sure you feel that sting now and again. Since he is not out to screw you, it wont happen enough to become onerous.

if it does, talk with him out of game session about it.