D&D Barbarian - Exhaustion is an issue
QUICK SUMMARY: Just make Frenzy cost two rages, and ignore all exhaustion.
The berserker type of Barbarian gets the crazy frenzy (extra attack) during a rage if he wants, but then suffers a level of exhaustion after each frenzy-rage. The Dungeon Dudes said that's the worst subclass of Barbarian... but another new subclass (ice / polar?) gives best options.
So what's fair? We don't play enough to have a ton of subclasses to deal with (newer subclasses are always cheesier anyway, the buy our new books to get powered up cheese problem)... but we need to make sure the characters are balanced so one character isn't doing 90% of the work. What effect does this have on the way the game is played?
- players will want to avoid a 2nd and especially a 3rd fight during a single day like crazy
- then they might as well blow ALL their abilities and spells on one fight, then hide. Is that fun?
- That would cause the DM to need to either
- a. have one big giant scary battle
- b. don't let them hide, even though they want to... contention
- c. only have weaker battles after the first battle <--- seems like best option so far
Effects of 5e exhaustion via https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Conditions#toc_15
Notes to the side are via me.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Disadvantage on ability checks ((seems fine)) |
| 2 | Speed halved ((so that's why they gave the barbarian +10 movement)) |
| 3 | Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws ((very bad)) |
| 4 | Hit point maximum halved ((very very bad, nobody would frenzy then, right?)) |
| 5 | Speed reduced to 0 ((you are toast, they are letting you know you overdid it)) |
| 6 | Death |
Note, D&D2024 version of exhaustion is tweaked:
While you have the Exhaustion condition, you experience the following effects.
Exhaustion Levels. This condition is cumulative. Each time you receive it, you gain 1 Exhaustion level. You die if your Exhaustion level is 6.
D20 Tests Affected. When you make a D20 Test, the roll is reduced by 2 times your Exhaustion level.
Speed Reduced. Your Speed is reduced by a number of feet equal to 5 times your Exhaustion level.
Removing Exhaustion Levels. Finishing a Long Rest removes 1 of your Exhaustion levels. When your Exhaustion level reaches 0, the condition ends.
OPTION 1 What does this make me want to do for our own game (homebrew version us)?
- Maybe... just say nothing happens till exhaustion level 3, then you get hit by all the bad stuff. And let's allow recovering of it to be way better. Let's try
- half speed
- disadv attack and other d20
- LONG rest gets rid of ALL EXHAUSTION
- SHORT rest gets rid of one level of exhaustion
- GOODBERRIES get rid of one level of exhaustion
OPTION 2 - OK, winner for me is two levels of rage for one frenzy
- Using Frenzy costs an additional Rage, so instead of spending 1 daily Rage usage the player can spend a total of 2 to also activate Frenzy. This makes Frenzy an occasional buff which yields rewards now but strains the player’s limited resources. ((no exhaustion to deal with))
- Allow the Berserker to recover from one level of Exhaustion whenever they take a Short Rest. This deters the Berserker from using Frenzy in every encounter, but also curiously makes them immune to the need for food and water. Wizards of the Coast didn’t seem to mind that weird rules hiccup when they introduced Deft Explorer (Tireless) for the Ranger, so there’s some precedent in the official rules.
- Limit Frenzy to once per Short Rest. Nice an simple. This keeps Frenzy as an occasional buff rather than a constant improvement to Rage, but it’s accessible often enough that players won’t stress over using it.
- Remove the usage limitation entirely. Yes, Frenzy is a 50% damage boost for the Barbarian, but it’s still just an additional weapon attack. Many other barbarian subclasses have similar damage boosts (Zealot’s Divine Fury, Storm Herald’s Storm Aura, Battlerager’s spiked armor attack), and have no limitations beyond the Bonus Action to activate them.
Add a Constitution saving throw at the end of a Frenzy with a DC of 10 + the number of rounds. On a failure, the Berserker suffers one level of Exhaustion. This adds a risk-reward mechanic to each Frenzy, and it encourages the Berserker to end fights quickly or potentially end their Rage early. However, as the Barbarian’s save bonus increases the risk diminishes, so at low levels Frenzy may be very risky, while at high levels it may be little risk at all.
RAGE rules - Consider
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren't wearing heavy armor:• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll. This bonus increases as you level.• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.If you are able to cast spells, you can't cast them or concentrate on them while raging.Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.Once you have raged the maximum number of times for your barbarian level, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again. You may rage 2 times at 1st level, 3 at 3rd, 4 at 6th, 5 at 12th, and 6 at 17th.
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