Best of Rage

[Ruethgar]

What are the pros and cons of the rage variants? Which rage is best for what?

[StreamOfTheSky]

What are the pros and cons of the rage variants? Which rage is best for what?

Whirling Frenzy is the best one overall, I think. And works well with anyone who plans to full attack a lot, like an archer or a pouncer (Lion Spirit Totem). Also the best if you care about your AC.

Ferocity's main attraction is the immediate action initiation, allowing you to rage in response to, and pre-emptively of, bad stuff happening to you. Great with Mad Foam Rager and such. Biggest use is with Intimidating Rage + Imperious Command, to shut down a caster right as he tries to use a spell.

Normal Rage is the weakest of the 3, but the Con boost can make it ideal for someone following Solo's "Being Bane" handbook for Barbarians, which emphasizes all the ways you can add Con to stuff, including AC multiple times. Though something like Bear Warrior is even better then.

[eggynack]

Rage and frenzy also have the advantage of being called rage and frenzy. By my understanding, things like extra rage wouldn't work on ferocity, while it would work on the other two. I also think that frenzy is the best, though the attack penalty can be a little problematic. Extra attacks are just so good when you have the kind of natural to-hit numbers that a barbarian does.

[Ruethgar]

How about Resilient Rage(DR330:+4 dex, con +2 will +1DR/- improves with greater and mighty) and Battle Ecstasy(DR337:same as resilient but doesn't improve gives horse animal companion as ranger)?

[eggynack]

I haven't really looked at that one, but the lack of swording bonus of any kind means that it's likely inferior to the other options. I'd generally tend towards having my offense be my defense. The mountain rage ability from the goliath barbarian substitution level (RoS, 150) seems pretty good though.

[Gigas Breaker]

Goliaths can have Mountainous Rage and become large.

[StreamOfTheSky]

How about Resilient Rage(DR330:+4 dex, con +2 will +1DR/- improves with greater and mighty) and Battle Ecstasy(DR337:same as resilient but doesn't improve gives horse animal companion as ranger)?

I'm not familiar with those... Resilient Rage sounds good for someone using dex for attack and damage (with Shadow Blade, Hit and Run Fighter, etc...) and...bad for anyone else.

Battle Ecstacy...just sounds really bad. Maybe around when you get the horse it's better than Resilient, but then it gets worse. Unless you're dipping, in which case your animal becomes useless and you'd have been better off with Wild Cohort.


Goliaths can have Mountainous Rage and become large.

Well, to be more specific, they get 10 ft reach and take a -1 to hit and AC. All the other benefits of large size, including base weapon damage and combat maneuver bonus, they already had. It is REALLY COOL, and I loved using it. In the long run, though, a Human Barbarian with Strongarm Bracers and Enlarge Person does it better and w/o level adjustment.

[Ruethgar]

But with goliath can't you also qualify for large-only feats in rage? I seem to recall some combo that utilized that.

[StreamOfTheSky]

But with goliath can't you also qualify for large-only feats in rage? I seem to recall some combo that utilized that.

The benefit of Goliath is qualifying for large-only feats out of Rage / Enlarge Person / other temporary enlargements the DM might call bs on.

Powerful Build.

The enlarging rage does nothing to help on that front. That's why I wanted to clarify. "Grow large!" sounds incredible, but for a Goliath with Mountain Rage...it's actually not nearly as great as it sounds at first. You're already halfway towards large with tons of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. Getting the other half of the benefits...and all of the drawbacks... is still an improvement, but not that impressive.

[Ruethgar]

I was wanting to play a muckdweller(LA+0 lizardman that is not a mini-dragon), so it was a toss up between the extra attack and the dex bonus really. Melee barbarian fits thematically though perhaps not optimally.

Resilient also gets rid of fast movement which shuts down a lot of ACF options. I could still grab wolf totem if I wanted to try my hand at tripping, but the lack of str hurts and the size makes it neigh impossible.

Whirling frenzy city brawler spirit lion would get the most hits and eat up that dex bonus and free weapon finesse fast at a -4/-4/-4/-6(forgot bite) attack, throw in martial chaos monk which doesn't have those pesky flurry limitations for an extra 1d4-1 attacks(at a further -2)and 2 fighter feats. High tumble skill trick and hit-and-run fighter.

There was just something about having 26 dex at level 1 that sounded awesome, though I suppose practically frenzy is better unless I want to just go full turtle.

Edit: 26 dex also gets my racial, free action blind attack +2 DC(18) which would be nice and it also lasts longer than frenzy.

That blind actually is making me rethink this, Resilient City Brawler still gets 3 attacks at -2/-2/-4, doesn't get pounce though which is a heavy feat investment if you don't get it from barbarian levels.

[CockroachTeaParty]

What about the PHB II variant? I forget what it's called, but it struck me as generally less useful than normal rage. When your hp drop below a certain threshold, you get a bunch of rage-like benefits, but you pretty much have to be a straight-classed barbarian, since the hp threshold is based off of your barbarian level.

[Big Fau]

What about the PHB II variant? I forget what it's called, but it struck me as generally less useful than normal rage. When your hp drop below a certain threshold, you get a bunch of rage-like benefits, but you pretty much have to be a straight-classed barbarian, since the hp threshold is based off of your barbarian level.

Even then, a 20th level Barbarian has to fall below 200 HP in order to even start raging. Temporary HP, Con increases, and other effects that modify HP make that ability even harder to use.

It's generally considered a bad idea that saw print.

[Ruethgar]

The PHBII variant is horrible unless you add in 3rd party, and even then you have to consume feats and other resources to just make it viable IMO.

It functions at a little over half of your average base health(fully unoptimized which is horrible), so Draconic Aura:Vigor could be nice to just keep you near there. But that is again, just trying to compensate for not being able to rage when you want and you are acting as a d6 character instead of a d12. If you want a constant rage, take a level of shapeshift druid, functionally similar and you can work at your full health potential.