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Sacrieur
2015-03-16, 10:11 AM
Berserker

http://i.imgur.com/YcOlUdr.jpg (http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=46966761)

While many seek to become warriors through training, berserkers rely on their most basic and primal instincts. They are masters of battle, with ferocious tactics that focus on overpowering and overwhelming an enemy with brute force. As fierce warriors who lust for battle and its thrill, they are ruthless, uncaring, and savage: cutting or bludgeoning down their foes in a brutal frenzy. Only the most driven people may become berserkers, sacrificing rationality to become a living weapon of death and destruction.

Hit Die: d12


Requirements

To qualify to become a berserker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Ability: Con 15.
Alignment: Any nonlawful.
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Feats: Endurance


Class Skills

The berserker's class skills are: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier




Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Special
Maneuvers


1
+1
+1
+0
+0
Diehard, Fury +4, 1/day
1


2
+2
+1
+1
+1
Fast Healing
2


3
+3
+2
+1
+1
Fury +6, 2/day
3


4
+4
+2
+1
+1
Deathless Fury
4


5
+5
+3
+2
+2
Fury +8, 3/day
5


6
+6
+3
+2
+2
Intimidating Fury, Tireless
6


7
+7
+4
+2
+2
Fury +10, 4/day
7


8
+8
+4
+3
+3
Supreme Fortitude
8


9
+9
+5
+3
+3
Fury +12, 5/day
9


10
+10
+5
+3
+3
Indomitable
10




Fury (Ex)

A berserker can enter fury during combat. While in fury, she gains a +4 bonus to Strength and, if she makes a full attack action, gains a single extra attack each round at her highest bonus. Thereafter, she gains an additional +2 bonus to Strength for every two berserker levels she acquires. However, she also takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class and takes 2 points of nonlethal damage per round. Fury lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the berserker’s Constitution modifier. To end fury before its duration expires, the berserker may attempt a DC 20 Will save once per round as a free action. Success ends fury immediately; failure means it continues. The effects of fury stack with those from any rage ability the berserker may have.

At 1st level, the berserker can enter fury once per day. Thereafter, she gains one additional use per day of this ability for every two berserker levels she acquires. The character can enter fury as a swift action. In addition, if she takes lethal damage from an attack, spell, trap, or any other source, she automatically enters fury at the start of her next action, as long as she still has at least one daily usage of the ability left. To avoid entering fury in response to a provoking effect, the berserker must make a successful Will save (DC points of damage taken since her last action) at the start of her next turn.

While in fury, the berserker cannot use any Charisma, Dexterity, or Intelligence based skills (except for Acrobatics or Intimidate) or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can she cast spells, drink potions, activate magic items, or read scrolls. She can use any feat she has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, or metamagic feats.

During fury, the berserker must attack those she perceives as foes to the best of her ability. Should she run out of enemies before fury expires, her rampage continues. She must then attack the nearest creature (determined randomly if creatures are equidistant) and fight that creature as though they were a hostile foe.

When fury ends, the berserker is fatigued for the duration of the encounter. If the berserker is still under the effect of a rage ability, the fatigued condition does not apply until the rage ends—at which point the berserker is exhausted and not merely fatigued.


Maneuvers

Every level, a berserker gains one new maneuver known from the Primal Fury or Broken Blade disciplines. The berserker must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. The character adds her full berserker levels to any initiator level to determine her total initiator level and her highest-level maneuvers known. A berserker's initiator modifier is Wisdom.

At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, the berserker may exchange a known maneuver for a different maneuver that she qualifies for.


Maneuvers Readied

A berserker need not ready her maneuvers; however, all of her maneuvers are considered expended at the beginning of each encounter.

For a berserker to recover expended maneuvers, she must feel alive and invigorated from combat. Every time she receives lethal damage or reduces an enemy to fewer than zero hit points, she may recover one of her expended maneuvers. She must actually take damage to recover a maneuver: if her total hit points are not reduced, she does not recover a maneuver (damage reduction or conversion to nonlethal damage do not count towards lethal damage received). In addition, entering fury recovers all expended maneuvers.


Diehard

At 1st level, a berserker gains Diehard (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/feats.html#diehard) as a bonus feat.


Fast Healing (Ex)

Beginning at 2nd level, a berserker gains Fast Healing equal to 1/2 her berserker class level.


Deathless Fury (Ex)

Beginning at 4th level, as long as a berserker's fury continues, she is not treated as disabled at 0 hit points, nor is she treated at dying at negative hit points. This effect only lasts until fury ends.


Intimidating Fury (Ex)

Beginning at 6th level, while in fury and at the end of each turn, a berserker rolls an intimidate check to demoralize all foes within 20 feet of her as a free action.


Tireless (Ex)

At 6th level, a berserker no longer becomes fatigued after fury, and is immune to fatigue or exhaustion while in fury. If she is already fatigued or exhausted before entering fury, the condition is suspended during fury. If this condition persists longer than fury, it resumes once fury has ended.


Supreme Fortitude (Ex)

At 8th level, a berserker adds her Constitution modifier twice instead of once for the purpose of determining her maximum hit points. This effect extends to temporary hit points earned from Constitution score bonuses like those granted by rage. Additionally, she may add her Constitution modifier to her Will save as well as her Wisdom modifier.


Indomitable (Ex)

At 10th level, while in fury a berserker gains regeneration equal to her berserker class level plus her Constitution modifier, temporarily replacing her fast healing ability. This ability functions identically to the Tarrasque (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/tarrasque.html)'s regeneration ability, except where noted here.

If at any point she would have died without this ability, then when her fury ends, she immediately dies; this effect cannot be prevented in any way. Additionally, if she ever dies while not in fury, she immediately enters fury and this ability is activated (assuming she has any daily uses of fury remaining). When her fury ends, she immediately dies; this effect cannot be prevented in any way.

Sacrieur
2015-03-19, 11:33 AM
New Feats

Powerful Leaper

Your great strength allows you to jump farther than normal.

Prerequisite: Str 13.

Benefit: You may add your Strength modifier to any Acrobatics check you make to jump or to avoid damage from falling.


Supreme Cleave

You cleave through opponents effortlessly.

Prerequisite: Great Cleave (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/feats.html#great-cleave), Base Attack Bonus +6.

Benefit: You may use Cleave as part of a normal attack during a full attack action instead of as a standard action. This change does not extend to Great Cleave.


Supreme Power Attack

You swing weapons with tremendous force.

Prerequisite: Str 17, Power Attack (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/feats.html#power-attack), Base Attack Bonus +6.

Benefit: When using the Power Attack feat, you may treat the weapon you're wielding as one size category larger for the purposes of determining damage.


---

This class was designed as a Pathfinder replacement for the popular Frenzied Berserker. It's an attempt to fix several issues with the class. Before I begin, a huge special thanks to the guys at WotC who created the CW and the class to begin with, serving as a base for my small bit of work here. Another big thanks to the guys at Dreamscarred Press who spent their time making the Path of War, adding martial stuff to PF.

The problems with the original class can be summed up:

1) The FB will fly into frenzy just for stubbing his toe and immediately attack the next party member they see.

Clearly a problem because even if you get shot by a bolt your DC is 10 + d8. Well screw that, am I right? You would think that a battle-hardened fighter would barely notice they were struck by a bolt that deals a measly d8 damage. Likewise if they just had a boulder thrown on top of them, they might be pretty damn pissed. So I decided to drop the 10 extra points. The DC is equal to the damage taken.


2) No Acrobatics while in frenzy, so keeping your balance is impossible.

Not sure what creature doesn't rely on their instincts to keep their balance. Seems like they wanted to deny access to skills like Sleight of Hand or Ride, but it just doesn't follow that Acrobatics should be thrown down into the bucket too.


3) No class versatility.

This is a general problem with all melee hack 'n' slash fighters. They can hit stuff, real good, but sometimes not so real good. Usually not so real good. Barbarian smash not very fun after big number of barbarian smash no work. Maybe try different smash? But barbarian don't know different barbarian smash. Uh oh.

Martial classes fixed that problem. Now fighters can do all sorts of fun things in battle! So why Broken Blade as well as Primal Fury? Well, Primal Fury makes sense because it's err... Primal Fury. Broken blade because it's more versatile than Primal Fury (if I actually tallied the number of maneuvers that were just a charge, I'm sure I'd have covered 50% of them), so it adds some flexibility to the class, even when not wielding a weapon. The concept here is that a berserker fights so instinctively that these maneuvers are just her subconscious adapting how to fight in combat.


4) Ride was a class skill for some reason.

Couldn't even be used in frenzy. It's probably the most worthless, mind-boggling addition to the class. If you're on a mount it's going to be the first thing to die when you frenzy. Replaced it with the far more useful Perception because she relies on her senses more than her brain and to increase class versatility.


5) Supreme Cleave

Oh, you can take a five foot step between cleaves. In PF you can already do this so it's completely pointless to leave it in.

I replaced this with Supreme Fortitude, which actually does something useful: healing. Rather than require your squishy pals to keep repairing the immense amount of damage you inflict on yourself, you can now recover from battle more swiftly or even during battles. It also improves the Endurance feat bonus.


6) Improved Power Attack

Why buff dealing more damage? She isn't already doing that? I get the point behind more stats, but if the player wants MOAR damage now they can make that choice by executing a maneuver. So I thought to myself, "how would I feel if I saw some madman with superhuman strength next to me that's tearing everything apart?" The answer: scared ****less. Intimidate was always something that could be useful for barbarians, but it's largely up for debate whether or not it was actually a good path to take, what with all the extra stuff you have to go through to get it. Might as well tack it onto fury for some fun flair and so the player really feels like a super badass. Consider it a double replacement, as it also serves as the "party help" that Inspire Frenzy was supposed to provide.


7) Supreme Power Attack, Tireless Frenzy

Who cares if you're not tired after you're doing with frenzy? Everything that can be killed by mortal means is dead at this point. And Supreme Power Attack still isn't better than PF's Power Attack.

Instead of improving the numbers to hit and damage, and in the spirit of PF's capstone class features, I decided that it should have two very helpful things that fix the weaker aspects of the class. She gets a bonus to her Will save as well as becoming an invincible weapon of destruction. Also, she sets herself apart from any other class by doubling the number of hitpoints her Con mod gives her. Finally, it's ensured that killing a berserker will result in total and epic destruction.

While this limits the overall attack power in the class, I've compensated to make up for this by changing a few of the FB's class features into feats below.

In summary, it's been turned into a worthwhile class that will truly make the player feel like a walking badass--living on the edge of risk-taking and adrenaline fueled thrill seeking--never knowing whether or not they may result in the party's death.
Fury: A berserker discovers that deep down, she has a monster lurking within her. It rattles for release and manifests as a powerful will to destroy and kill everything around her. Whether spawned from demon lineage, a troubled past, or a fierce desire to fight, all berserkers have difficulty controlling themselves. From the depths of their most primal instincts manifests a powerful force locked away by more serene minds.

Fast Healing: The berserker's body is put through incredible amounts of punishment. The repeated use of fury causes it to adapt in a remarkable way, becoming far more resilient and capable of rapid healing.

Deathless Fury: The instinct of self preservation pushes the berserker bend the limits of what a person would be capable.

Intimidating Fury: Berserkers emit an intimidating aura; eventually their aura becomes so powerful that merely her presence on the battlefield causes her enemies to be filled with fear and apprehension.

Supreme Fortitude: More punishment has resulted in a fundamental alteration of her own body. She gains the ability to absorb incredible amounts of punishment. Additionally her embodied mind benefits from this change and structurally changes to become more resistant to stress or control.

Indomitable: Finally, the berserker undergoes a final transformation. The stress, sacrifice, and evolution achieved thus far accumulates into a body that shares characteristics similar to a Tarrasque.




v1.6b
04/10/2016

Fixed minor number error on chart.
Added tireless ability.

v1.5b
11/7/2015

Removed unnecessary prerequisites.
Fast Healing now replaces Greater Fortitude.
Fury: Regeneration amount buffed.

v1.4b
9/2/2015

Saves: Ref and Will saves had four levels of "+1". This has been appropriately fixed.
Fury: "(DC points of damage taken since her last action)" changed to "(DC points of damage taken since her last turn)".

v1.3b
6/5/2015

Supreme Fortitude: "a berserker adds twice her Constitution modifier to her maximum hit points for each hit die she has instead of once" changed to "a berserker adds her Constitution modifier twice instead of once to her maximum hit points for each hit die she has."

v1.2b
5/29/2015

Powerful Leaper: Removed from class, now a feat.
Replaced prerequisite of Power Attack with Great Fortitude.
Added 15 Con as a prerequisite.
Fury: Can be used multiple times an encounter. Strength bonus scales with class progression.

v1.1b
5/28/2015

Added Powerful Leaper.
Supreme Fortitude: Renamed to Greater Fortitude.
Added Supreme Fortitude as new ability at level 8. Will and hitpoint bonus from Indomitable.
Indomitable: Removed Will and hitpoint bonus. Now adds Regeneration.

v1.0b
5/20/2015

Diehard: Diehard replaced Intimidating Prowess a bonus feat. Prerequisite of Diehard changed to Endurance.
Fury: Exiting Fury early returned to a DC of 20.
Indomitable: Completely altered. Con mod instead of 1/2 Fort to Will. Class is now invincible while in fury.

v0.91b
5/17/2015

Intimidating Presence: Added Intimidating Prowess a bonus feat.
Fury: Exiting Fury early now has a DC of 15.

v0.90b
3/21/2015

Supreme Fortitude: Ability completely changed. Con mod to natural or magical healing, 1.5x Con mod on Endurance checks.

v0.81b
3/20/2015

Fury: Only lethal damage can make a berserker unwillingly go into fury.

v0.8b
3/19/2015

Supreme Fortitude: Healing no longer affects nonlethal damage caused by starvation or thirst.



Comments, criticism, and tuna fish all welcome!

LordErebus12
2015-03-19, 08:01 PM
I LOVE THIS! Great work!

On a side note, this is going to be suggested to my players to be used in playtest in our pathfinder game.

Sacrieur
2015-03-20, 03:46 AM
I LOVE THIS! Great work!

On a side note, this is going to be suggested to my players to be used in playtest in our pathfinder game.

There's still some room for fudging with some of the numbers, I'm not entirely confident with the numbers I threw at Supreme Fortitude and honestly that bit of it seems somewhat unsophisticated. There's just a lot of other things I couldn't have done with it. In any case, these are the principle concerns I have and what you may want to watch for:

- The nonlethal damage done by fury each round could feasibly be upgraded to 4 points. I've been considering this for some time, but I don't have much game data to draw on it to see how well it would work. It likely wouldn't change much, at all, since the berserker is going to have so many hitpoints that 3 + 5 (Con mod) would be 8 * 4 = 32 nonlethal damage from one session of fury that's just completely flat and doesn't scale. At 6th level, she'll already have 6*6 + 6*5 = 36 + 30 = 66 HP. With Supreme Fortitude this mechanic just seems pointless. It may seem annoying to some DMs to have the player keep asking how many hours it's been.

- Supreme Fortitude could heal too many hitpoints or not be as versatile as I want it to be. In my head, I'd like for it to be more versatile and less "MOAR POINTS". In an early conception it was actually fast-healing, but after I realized this would heal all of the nonlethal damage she was dealt from fury, I was like, "aw hell naw". The current inception is probably going to be the easiest to manage. Although I'm debating system that lets her use fast-healing a number of rounds per day equal to her berserker class level, healing a number of points equal to her con modifier.

EDIT: Supreme Fortitude is now Fast Healing. I made it work.

Sacrieur
2015-05-29, 12:30 PM
Wowow lots of changes since the class's first version. I dare say it's coming along nicely and is pretty close to being out of beta.

I'm bumping this because I could really use some criticism at this point. I included some new feats I thought were pretty cool and are lacking from the general system.

AzraelX
2015-06-02, 09:27 PM
Followed the link in your sig after you made that alignment thread, and glad I did. As someone who's played alongside a Frenzied Berserker, I can appreciate a good deal of these changes; not least of which is that it specifies only lethal damage can trigger fury, and the DC to prevent it is much more reasonable. The capstone ability is also a nice improvement.

Actually, if I'm running a 3.5 campaign where someone wants a FB, I'll probably modify it to more closely match this.

Red Rubber Band
2015-06-04, 08:52 PM
Just wanting to check that I've read Supreme Fortitude correctly.

At level 16 (10 in Berserker, 6 Barbarian) and with 20 CON, Supreme Fortitude gives you an extra 160hp.

Is that correct?

Ancalidormis
2015-06-04, 09:13 PM
do you mind if I borrow your mechanics for Maneuvers and recovery? its brilliant!

Sacrieur
2015-06-05, 02:27 AM
Just wanting to check that I've read Supreme Fortitude correctly.

At level 16 (10 in Berserker, 6 Barbarian) and with 20 CON, Supreme Fortitude gives you an extra 160hp.

Is that correct?

It would be an extra 80 HP from what you already had, since you were already applying your Con mod once. It would make it so the bonus from your Con modifier would be 160 HP, though, yes. You also receive this 2x benefit from temporary ability score adjustments like the ones received from the rage class ability or the Bear's Endurance spell. Unfortunately, the unchained barbarian does not receive this bonus (because it doesn't grant a temporary increase to your Constitution score).

Is the wording making you think otherwise? I have a biased perspective since I'm the one that wrote it, so I could be blind to different interpretations.

Edit: I talked it over with a friend and already edited to improve clarity. Is "a berserker adds her Constitution modifier twice instead of once for the purpose of determining hit points." better?

An alternate version is, "a berserker doubles her Constitution modifier for the purpose of determining hit points."



do you mind if I borrow your mechanics for Maneuvers and recovery? its brilliant!

Hey I'm glad you like it!

And nope I don't mind at all.

Something to keep in mind is that the recovery mechanic is very fast and designed to encourage aggressive play. To balance this, I gave the class fewer maneuvers. Also, the reason the class doesn't have stances is because I consider fury to be her stance. The design philosophy behind the class is the harder you try to kill me the harder I am to kill.

1pwny
2015-06-06, 01:12 PM
Soo.... you made a Berserker class and didn't use a picture of Berserker from Fate/Stay Night? Shame on you.

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/images/f/f1/BerserkerBC.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130428233725

AzraelX
2015-06-06, 02:08 PM
Soo.... you made a Berserker class and didn't use a picture of Berserker from Fat/Stay Night? Shame on you. :smallannoyed:
I guess he didn't want to taint the thread with the worst Fate series ever made. Too late now.

Also, that's the wrong gender for a class description using female pronouns.

Sacrieur
2015-06-06, 04:39 PM
Soo.... you made a Berserker class and didn't use a picture of Berserker from Fat/Stay Night? Shame on you. :smallannoyed:

snip

Well to start, I don't like that art style.

Second, I am being consistent with the source material and so a female character was easier for the bits I copied over.

I always donate to the artists whose work I use but I still have a restriction: they must have made the content freely available themselves first. While I can use any artwork under "Fair Use" rules so long as I don't use it for any commercial gain, I make it a point to respect the artist (Kotoba Noriaki in the OP's picture) and their own wishes about what to do with it.

I also felt this picture best illustrated a berserker without going all Hulk-on-steroids. Girls can be barbarians too. Without shirts.

1pwny
2015-06-06, 07:05 PM
I was joking, I don't actually care about whether or not you reference Fate. Very nice class, I like it. :smallsmile:

Sacrieur
2015-06-06, 10:25 PM
I was joking, I don't actually care about whether or not you reference Fate. Very nice class, I like it. :smallsmile:

Yeah, thanks :p

I would have turned Improved Power Attack into a feat but the Two-Handed Fighter archetype already has it and I don't know if I want to invalidate it by creating a middle feat. I mean it's given away at level 17th and it's really not all that great for a 17th level ability. I may still end up writing one that stacks with it, however.

Red Rubber Band
2015-06-09, 12:36 AM
It would be an extra 80 HP from what you already had, since you were already applying your Con mod once. It would make it so the bonus from your Con modifier would be 160 HP, though, yes. You also receive this 2x benefit from temporary ability score adjustments like the ones received from the rage class ability or the Bear's Endurance spell. Unfortunately, the unchained barbarian does not receive this bonus (because it doesn't grant a temporary increase to your Constitution score).

Is the wording making you think otherwise? I have a biased perspective since I'm the one that wrote it, so I could be blind to different interpretations.

Edit: I talked it over with a friend and already edited to improve clarity. Is "a berserker adds her Constitution modifier twice instead of once for the purpose of determining hit points." better?

An alternate version is, "a berserker doubles her Constitution modifier for the purpose of determining hit points."

I'm unsure, to be honest. I knew exactly what you meant, and what I was asking, but still somehow managed to possibly confuse someone who didn't :smalltongue:
I can see myself accidently adding 160 instead of 80hp once upgrading from Greater Fortitude. But if that day comes it will be my own derp.

It's more space and ink and reading, but maybe just reword it so that it overwrites/replaces Greater Fortitude.

Possibly add your note about doubling temporary HP gains in there. It may just have been the day, but I didn't even think of doubling temporary HP gains from CON increases.

Sacrieur
2015-06-09, 09:51 AM
I'm unsure, to be honest. I knew exactly what you meant, and what I was asking, but still somehow managed to possibly confuse someone who didn't :smalltongue:
I can see myself accidently adding 160 instead of 80hp once upgrading from Greater Fortitude. But if that day comes it will be my own derp.

It's more space and ink and reading, but maybe just reword it so that it overwrites/replaces Greater Fortitude.

I reworded it so that it's clear that it only applies to maximum hit points and doesn't apply to any Con bonus related to hit points.

Greater Fortitude lets you use fast healing, so I'm not sure why it would give you a temporary HP bonus. Per Paizo's rules, it even stacks with the Regeneration earned at 10th level.



Possibly add your note about doubling temporary HP gains in there. It may just have been the day, but I didn't even think of doubling temporary HP gains from CON increases.

Already done (:

Red Rubber Band
2015-06-09, 07:33 PM
I reworded it so that it's clear that it only applies to maximum hit points and doesn't apply to any Con bonus related to hit points.

Greater Fortitude lets you use fast healing, so I'm not sure why it would give you a temporary HP bonus. Per Paizo's rules, it even stacks with the Regeneration earned at 10th level.




Already done (:

Completely ignore that Greater Fortitude comment. I had a major lack of reading problem yesterday :smallredface: