Expert Class: Mad Berserker

[pawsplay]

Mad Berserker (Expert)
   The Mad Berserker is a force of death, dissolving so completely into the euphoria of slaugher that they scarcely resemble the person they are at other times. Mad Berserkers generally cannot stay in one place for very long, due to their propensity for sudden and deadly violence. However, in some cases, they are able to sell their talents as professional soldiers to less discriminating masters.
   Depending on your campaign, a Mad Berserker could be...
A wild-eyed pirate, searching for loot and captives, and slaking his monstrous thirst for blood where he can.
A wanderer seeking glorious death as a penance for an unspeakable shame in his past, taming his misery with strong drink and wild slaughter.
A man from a quiet village, who just wants to be left alone, and not fight, or have to flee town, or  be bothered by people who make him lose his temper, or be arrested.
A primal warrior, calling up the wisdom of the spirits and the wild to fuel his uncanny courage.
A grim mercenary, mixing business with pleasure.

Party Role: Combatant. Basically, you kill things. Sometimes they try to kill you. Either way, a lot of property damage tends to be involved.
 
Requirements: Intimidate 4+ ranks, Rage Basics feat, Glint of Madness feat
BAB high, Reflexes low, Fortitude high, Will low, Defense medium, Initiative high, Lifestyle low, Legend medium
Favored Attributes: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Athletics, Crafting, Blend, Intimidate, Notice, Resolve, Survival, Tactics.
Skill Points: 4 + Int modifier per level
Vitality: 12 + Con modifier per level
 
1 – Furious, blood drinker
2 – Still coming
3 – Red carpet treatment I
4 – Never heard of him, violent reputation I
5 – Natural preator
6 – Mindless howl of torment
7-  Red carpet treatment II, rough living
8 – Channeled rage, violent reputation II
9 – Natural predator
10 – Unnerving transformation
Core Ability
Blood drinker: When you kill or knock an opponent unconscious, you may spend action dice to heal without taking a Refresh action.

Class Abilities
Furious: You gain the Rage Mastery feat. Any time you take Wound damage, fail a save against an effect, or fail to rest a skill check in combat, you instantly and involuntarily enter the Berserk Stance. Also, while in Berserk stance, any melee attacks you make that would normally inflict subdual damage inflict lethal damage instead (this does not apply to Pummel and other actions that specify subdual damage only).
Still coming: At Level 2, you gain thick hide 3. You also gain 1 additional Wound per Class Level.
Red carpet treatment I: At Level 3, you gain the Cleave Basics feat.
Red carpet treatment II: At Level 7, you gain the Cleave Mastery feat.
Never heard of him: At Level 4, you gain a +5 on Lie checks.
Violent reputation I: At Level 4, you gain +1 on Intimidate checks and one rank of Heroic Renown. However, any NPC who recognizes you has their Disposition worsened by 5.
Violent reputation II: At Level 8, your bonus to Intimidate checks increase to +2 and you gain another rank of Heroic Renown. Any NPC who recognizes you now has their Disposition worsed by 10 instead of 5.
Natural predator: Level 5 and 9, the lower of your Strength and Wisdom increases by 1.
Mindless howl of torment: At Level 6, as a full round action, you can Threaten everyone within a 20 ft. cone. You make one skill check while all the targets resist separately.
Rough living: At Level 7, you gain a +2 bonus to Defense, as well as with saves prompted by the environment.
Channeled rage: At Level 8, you can assume Berserk Stance and another stance at the same time.
Unnerving transformation: At Level 10, when you hit an opponent with an unarmed or melee attack, the target also suffers 2 stress damage while you are in Berserk Stance. While Berserk, you also gain Stress Resistance equal to your Wisdom modifier (min 1) and DR equal to your Str modifier (min 1). However, while berserk, you also gain the lumbering quality (-2 Reflexes, flanked by any two adjacent opponents).

[Medwyn]

I'm not sure on this class, to me it seems to be off.

I'm not fond of handing out penalties to a class, without someway of reducing them as you level up.
Blood Drinker and Furious are a bit clunky as written.
You're Level 4 abililty Never Heard of him seems out of place, it just doesn't say mad killer to me, and also the class doesn't have Bluff as a class skill.

So a little rearrangement and how does this look?

1 – Blood Drinker. Furious
2 – Still coming...
3 – Red carpet treatment I
4 – Heroic Repuation, violent reputation
5 – Natural preator
6 – Rough Living
7-  ...Now hear me Roar!, Red carpet treatment II
8 – Channeled rage, Heroic Repuation
9 – Natural predator
10 – Unnerving transformation

Core Ability
Blood drinker: When you kill or knock an opponent unconscious, you may spend an Action Dice to take a Refresh action as a free action.

Class Abilities
Furious: You gain the Rage Mastery feat. Also, while in Berserk stance, any melee attacks can be converted to lethal damage at no penalty.
Still coming...: At Level 2, you gain thick hide 3. You also gain 1 additional Wound per Class Level.
Red carpet treatment I: At Level 3, you gain the Cleave Basics feat.
Red carpet treatment II: At Level 7, you gain the Cleave Mastery feat.
Violent Reputation: At Level 4, NPCs gain a synergy bonus from your Intimidate Skill to all recognisation Checks. Further, whenever an NPCs makes a Recognition check to reconise you they gain the Shaken Condition
Heoric Reputation: At Level 4 and 8 you gain one rank of Heroic Renown.
Natural predator: Level 5 and 9, the lower of your Strength and Wisdom increases by 1.
Rough living: At Level 6, you gain a +2 bonus to Defense, as well as with saves prompted by the environment.
...Now Hear me Roar!: At Level 7, as a full round action, you can Threaten everyone within a 20 ft. cone. You make one skill check while all the targets resist separately.
Channeled rage: At Level 8, you may assume a second stance while in Berserk Stance.
Unnerving transformation: At Level 10, while in Bersetk Stance, you also gain Stress Resistance equal to your Wisdom modifier (min 1) and DR equal to your Str modifier (min 1). Further, when you hit an opponent with an unarmed or melee attack, the target also suffers 2 stress damage.

[pawsplay]

I'm not sure on this class, to me it seems to be off.

I'm not fond of handing out penalties to a class, without someway of reducing them as you level up.

The only penalties they are really stuck with are a) lethal damage while Berserk, b) one of two possible stances may be filled with Berserk Stance, and c) lumbering while Berserk. If a player would like their berserker to exhibit a little more control, grabbing Rage Supremacy would allow them to make skill checks while berserk and drop the stance on their turn if desired. They can also literally tire themselves out trying to control their fury... which I happen to think is fun.

Blood Drinker and Furious are a bit clunky as written.

Maybe. I broke Blood Drinker out like I did to be more literal, because technically, a Refresh action requires you to go a round without being hurt (your next initiative), so in addition to making it a free action, you would need to specify it happens instantaneously.

You're Level 4 abililty Never Heard of him seems out of place, it just doesn't say mad killer to me, and also the class doesn't have Bluff as a class skill.

The idea is that a wandering madman has to lie a lot. In fact, it's a common trope that murderous killing machines sort of blend into the background until something sets them off. The lack of a Bluff skill is an error; I originally had the ability relating to Disguise before I realized Disguise doesn't actually do what I thought it did. When I reshuffled the skill list while accomodating Blend, I left Crafting in and Bluff out.

There are things about the way you restructured the class that are appealing, but in my conception, I like the idea of the various abilities coming with some cost. Nothing that would cripple the character, but things that reinforce the idea of someone so violent it is both a superpower, and something that divides them from lawful society.

[Jake]

Skills: Athletics, Crafting, Blend, Intimidate, Notice, Resolve, Survival, Tactics.

Crafting?

Still coming: At Level 2, you gain thick hide 3. You also gain 1 additional Wound per Class Level.

That’s a core ability, not something for level 2.

Violent reputation I: At Level 4, you gain +1 on Intimidate checks and one rank of Heroic Renown. However, any NPC who recognizes you has their Disposition worsened by 5.
Violent reputation II: At Level 8, your bonus to Intimidate checks increase to +2 and you gain another rank of Heroic Renown. Any NPC who recognizes you now has their Disposition worsed by 10 instead of 5.

Just use the Assassin’s Unspoken Name ability.

Channeled rage: At Level 10, you can assume Berserk Stance and another stance at the same time.

That’s a game breaker if you pump it a bit.

[pawsplay]

Still coming: At Level 2, you gain thick hide 3. You also gain 1 additional Wound per Class Level.

That’s a core ability, not something for level 2.

Aesthetically, I kind of agree. On the one hand, it's difficult to imagine a member of this class wearing plate. On the other hand, it would be nice at 1st level. Maybe swap with Blood Drinker?

Violent reputation I: At Level 4, you gain +1 on Intimidate checks and one rank of Heroic Renown. However, any NPC who recognizes you has their Disposition worsened by 5.
Violent reputation II: At Level 8, your bonus to Intimidate checks increase to +2 and you gain another rank of Heroic Renown. Any NPC who recognizes you now has their Disposition worsed by 10 instead of 5.

Just use the Assassin’s Unspoken Name ability.

This is more like a "Spoken Name."

Channeled rage: At Level 10, you can assume Berserk Stance and another stance at the same time.

That’s a game breaker if you pump it a bit.

True. But I really want to stick with the completely monstrous transformation as the 10th level ability. I think it does fine at the level it's at, particularly after the somewhat soft Violent Reputation for a couple of levels.

[Jake]

Aesthetically, I kind of agree. On the one hand, it's difficult to imagine a member of this class wearing plate. On the other hand, it would be nice at 1st level. Maybe swap with Blood Drinker?

I'd pick one or the other, they're both core abilities.

This is more like a "Spoken Name."

Yeah, but it does the same ability except now there is a penalty involved.

True. But I really want to stick with the completely monstrous transformation as the 10th level ability. I think it does fine at the level it's at, particularly after the somewhat soft Violent Reputation for a couple of levels.

I'm just saying it's really powerful.

[pawsplay]

I'm just saying it's really powerful.

Well, let's look at that. Imagine you stack it with Martial Spirit stance from Sword Basics. You gain the same relative benefit as someone who has no stances and takes Sword Basics for the first time. In absolute terms, you are pushing higher numbers,  which makes it somewhat strong. However, to even take advantage of the ability requires you to spend a feat on something that grants a stance. Further, you won't be able to make any skill checks other than Intimidate unless you spend a feat on Rage Supremacy.

For an ability that comes late in the class, and requires independently acquiring both Rage Supremacy and a weapon Basics feat to gain its full benefits without incurring a serious cost, I think it's just about right. Consider if instead, the ability was simply Charging Basics as a bonus feat. By taking Charging Mastery and Charging Supremacy independently, could you not also acquire considerable powers on top of the Rage Stance?

[Jake]

For an ability that comes late in the class, and requires independently acquiring both Rage Supremacy and a weapon Basics feat to gain its full benefits without incurring a serious cost, I think it's just about right. Consider if instead, the ability was simply Charging Basics as a bonus feat. By taking Charging Mastery and Charging Supremacy independently, could you not also acquire considerable powers on top of the Rage Stance?

It's you thing paws, I'm just telling you it's a power house.

[pawsplay]

It's you thing paws, I'm just telling you it's a power house.

So you are unpersuaded, I take it. Can you think of a specific use of this ability that strikes you as overpowered?

[Jake]

So you are unpersuaded, I take it. Can you think of a specific use of this ability that strikes you as overpowered?

I've toyed with 2 EC using this idea (one being Bezerker Stance specific) and it's always seemed to be a game breaker for me. It's not any one thing, it's just how it has seemed to me since I first thought of it.

Okay, I'll give you one thing. Bow Basics, Whip Basics, and Sword Basics all give a combined bonus of 4 to hit and damage. Letting these stack with Zerk Stance (assuming you have more of the chain or an odd modifier) doubles that bonus. It just looks like a game breaker to me, maybe I'm wrong. Martial Artist's level 10 ability does something similar and it's not a gamebreaker.