Unchained Barb vs Chained Barb

[Triskavanski]

Whats the differences between the two?

All I can see is trapsense got upgraded.

[Geddy2112]

The main difference is the way the bonuses to strength and con are now just bonuses to hit/damage and temp HP. Damage this way is taken from temp HP first instead of the classic problem where barbarians could die by ending rage. It also prevents having to recalculate bonuses on the fly to strength and con. Many old barbarians had a seperate sheet for their stats while raging because the change was pretty drastic. It does result in the loss of bonuses to fort saves and strength skill checks(my table has ruled the bonus applies to strength based skill checks while raging for uBarb).

There is some cleanup of some of the rage powers-many function during the entire rage instead of a once per rage. Likewise, there are now stance powers, requiring you to go into a stance.

[Triskavanski]

So Unchained Barbs actually function pretty well with skalds then, since they could stack their bonuses together.


Is there a way for a Skald to use a barbarian rage at the same time as a rage song?

[Geddy2112]

Yes, Skald and bloodrager stack since they RAW still use the old rules. Also, if you have a rage ability you can use the skald's power to fuel your rage with your mods and not spend rage rounds. But if you were raging and raging song bonus will apply.

Personally, my table has ruled that bloodragers and skalds use unchained rage for raging song and bloodrage.

[Psyren]

There is a FAQ response (http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1gw#v5748eaic9t91) that covers overlapping rages:


Anger management: If I am in a rage, or an Unchained rage, or a bloodrage, or some similar form of rage, can I stack up as many benefits as possible?

No. When you either activate or are affected by a new form of rage (such as a barbarian’s rage, a skald’s raging song, a bloodrager’s bloodrage, and the rage spell), you can choose whether to keep your current rage or to accept the new rage instead, much like a creature affected by multiple polymorph effects. If you are in the throes of a rage that you could not automatically end on your own, such as a wild rager’s wild rage, you may not choose to replace it with a new rage effect. The exception to this rule is the skald’s master skald ability, which explicitly allows the skald’s raging song to stack with other rage effects.

In other words, none of them stack - if you're affected by Rage A and then another Rage B would apply to you (whether your own from a multiclass, raging song from a Skald party member, the Rage spell etc), you have to choose one from which to gain the effects. If the ability is not fueled by your own rage rounds (e.g. raging song from a party member) then it won't cost you anything, but it also means you can't use your rage powers or bloodline abilities with it, with the exception of the Master Skald capstone.

[Grod_The_Giant]

It also prevents having to recalculate bonuses on the fly to strength and con. Many old barbarians had a seperate sheet for their stats while raging because the change was pretty drastic.
A small numerical bonus to a handful of rolls is sufficiently drastic to demand a new sheet? :smallconfused:

[Geddy2112]

A small numerical bonus to a handful of rolls is sufficiently drastic to demand a new sheet? :smallconfused:
My gaming group is lazy and bad at math....

[Genth]

A small numerical bonus to a handful of rolls is sufficiently drastic to demand a new sheet? :smallconfused:

There's more than you think!

New HP total
New Attack and Damage rolls for each weapon you use
New Attack and Damage rolls for each different attack you use (power attack etc)
New skill modifiers (climb etc)
New ACs (sometimes several, since there are multiple Rage Powers which give you different AC bonuses, some of which interact in odd ways
New saves




Basically if you want everything laid out and don't want to have to math in the middle of combat, you tend to need more space than the average sheet. Personally I just put in the changes I use the most and math if I do something different.

[Haladir]

There's more than you think!

New HP total
New Attack and Damage rolls for each weapon you use
New Attack and Damage rolls for each different attack you use (power attack etc)
New skill modifiers (climb etc)
New ACs (sometimes several, since there are multiple Rage Powers which give you different AC bonuses, some of which interact in odd ways
New saves




Basically if you want everything laid out and don't want to have to math in the middle of combat, you tend to need more space than the average sheet. Personally I just put in the changes I use the most and math if I do something different.

I think it was Jason Buhlman who said the point of the Unchained Barbarian was to remedy the situation, "GRRRAAARRR! I RAGE! I....do...math..."