(Wayne Imlach)

This replaces Bloodrage from the original rules, replacing it with an ability that gradually becomes more powerful as the Barbarian increases in rank.

As this ability more closely resembles the traditional interpretation of becoming a berserker, it is suggested that the original 'Berserk' rule be renamed to something more appropriate, such as 'Aggressive Combat Style', and this rule takes on the true 'Berserk' title.

To summon a Berserker Rage, a character must roll equal to or above their Intelligence on a d20. They may make this roll once per turn, or each time they receive a wound. They may add the damage they received from the wound to the roll.

The character may also receive a bonus to this roll at the GM's discretion, such as when a comrade falls in battle or a sworn enemy is revealed.

Once a character is berserk, they must always attack the nearest perceived enemy in melee combat. If no enemies remain, they will attack the nearest friendly character unless they snap out of their rage. To snap out of a berserker rage, at the beginning of the round, the character must roll equal to or under their Intelligence on a d20.

If no foes (friendly or otherwise) are perceived, the Barbarian must make the roll to calm down.

Every point of DEFENCE the Barbarian sacrifices gives a +1 bonus to ATTACK. The maximum bonus that can be gained at this 1:1 rate is equal to their Rank. The Barbarian may not reduce this value until they have snapped out of their rage (they may however increase it at the beginning of any round they are Berserking).

The chance of an opponent fleeing in terror at the sight of a Berserker is equal to (ATTACK Bonus - Opponent Rank) × 10%. Ranked professions may double their Rank to resist terror (a character of half the Rank of the berserker or more is therefore unaffected).

Berserkers add their berserk ATTACK bonus to their MAGICAL DEFENCE when resisting mind control spells or effects.

Berserkers also add their berserk ATTACK bonus to their Rank for the purposes of Morale Checks and Fright Attacks.

A berserking barbarian increases the damage inflicted by their weapon by 1 point. Armour bypass is unaffected.

A berserking barbarian remains conscious until their HP is reduced below zero by the value of their ATTACK bonus. So a Berserker with +8 to ATTACK would only fall when their HP is reduced to -8.

Note that if a barbarian is at -3 HP or less, and magical healing is not applied beforehand, they will die from their wounds as soon as they snap out of the berserker rage or lose consciousness.

If the players and GM are comfortable with the slightly increased calculation required, a barbarian in a Berserker Rage who has used as much DEFENCE as his Rank allows may still transfer any remaining points of DEFENCE to ATTACK at the rate of 3 to 1 by using the default ‘Aggressive Combat Style’. This can be used to maximise their chance of striking true, but at the cost of leaving themselves open to counter-attack. These additional points can be adjusted on a round-by-round basis, unlike the 1:1 points which cannot be reduced until the rage subsides.

This article first appeared in Casket of Fays Issue 4.