I really think it should be something like you can use Frenzy x times per long rest without suffering exhaustion, but any use after that number of times gives one level of exhaustion. Perhaps x could be half your number of rages rounded down and a set number of times at level 20 (say 5) or half your constitution modifier (minimum 1).
Or, it could have a constitution saving throw or ability check with a cumulative increase each time you use it. Start on easy DC (10) so you get an almost automatic success, then move to medium (15), and then to hard (20), very hard (25), and finally nearly impossible (30). On a really lucky day the barbarian might get to use it each time he/she rages. On a really unlucky day, he/she might fail the first time, and (if you go the ability check route) it only gets harder after that because of the exhaustion.
I think the idea that that feature doesn't get better as you level/isn't tied to constitution is the real tragedy. Even with the saving throw/ability check route, you're still more likely to succeed as you grow in levels (bc of higher proficiency bonus/constitution)
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
That's the most common barbarian I've seen, but I liked the Zerker for my own playstyle when I got to play one back in 2015. He did kill himself in combat tho' so.. Play all the barbarians! Their expiration dates shouldn't be too far out. LoL
My barbarian was the only survivor after the dm had an enemy cast lightning bolt through 3 lvl 2 chars, instantly true-killing them. My barbarian has a +modifier to his int and peaced right the **** out. Another char also has a +modifier to his int and stuck around to threaten the guy who had just proven he was more than a match for us and was instantly killed the next round. I got shit xp because he did some dm bullshit to bring the others back despite fully claiming that what happened was exactly what should have happened and not an extremely inappropriate encounter for a bunch of lvl 2s.
i was extemly upset when i discovered that as Berserker i couldn't use two-weapon fighting with frenzy. i mean, cmon. Two axe naked berseker is a classic. and you do less attack than a fighter in end-game.
so, i'm ok with exhaustion, but i would like to use my secondary weapon during it for an extra attack that can bring my lvl 11 barbarian to 4 attack (like a dual weapon fighter) with all the penality you want.
LVL2 characters would never see the likes of and instant kill magic user....they would be beneath his effort. Your Barb should have been given healthy XP simply for understanding that a run away was the best option.
I am playing a Totem Bear right now....damage resistance is AMAZING!! RAWR!
The damage resistance during rage is too good to pass up, which is why I chose Totem over Zerker barb. Playing a Bear Totem Barb that just hit lvl 4 this past week with my recent group.
I literally wrestled a dragon out of a cavern lake that was avoiding us and trying to pick my party off. I chugged a potion of hill giant str and had a party member cast enlarge person on me, dove into the water, grappled it, passed every strength check, and brought that ***** to the surface and kept her grappled every turn. One of the best moments I've had playing D&D so far.
My barbarian was the only survivor after the dm had an enemy cast lightning bolt through 3 lvl 2 chars, instantly true-killing them. My barbarian has a +modifier to his int and peaced right the **** out. Another char also has a +modifier to his int and stuck around to threaten the guy who had just proven he was more than a match for us and was instantly killed the next round. I got shit xp because he did some dm bullshit to bring the others back despite fully claiming that what happened was exactly what should have happened and not an extremely inappropriate encounter for a bunch of lvl 2s.
Why would you get any xp at all for running away?
My guess is either 1) he dropped a bunch of hints that you shouldn't be fighting this guy or 2) he designed the fight for you to lose and had already planned a deus ex machina way of letting everyone survive.
Scenario 2 is actually very useful for introducing the BBEG and is actually used quite well in Curse of Strahd.
As for "inappropriate encounters" sandbox adventures always run that risk, especially for players who ignore subtle (or sometimes horribly overt) hints. Even a published adventure can have such an encounter, like Princes of the Apocalypse. Not going to spoil it, but there's an encounter in the adventure that if you don't take the hint, you're going to die a very painful death.
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
My wife played one in my last campaign and loved it. Worst mistake I ever made was giving her a vorpal greatsword. It's only a matter of time when she has frenzy. Heads were flying everywhere. Made for fun sessions though, haha.
Berserker barbarian is one of those subclasses theorycrafters love to hate, but actually works better in practice than you'd think. You mostly go berserk when it really counts, and often it's not long till your next rest at that point. This is compounded by the fact that most GMs don't go as long between long rests as the DMG suggests.
However if you really feel it's too weak, I'd give a CON save with an increasing DC to avoid the exhaustion after zerking. Start it as DC 15 and increase the DC by 5 for each success.
Berserker barbarian is one of those subclasses theorycrafters love to hate, but actually works better in practice than you'd think. You mostly go berserk when it really counts, and often it's not long till your next rest at that point. This is compounded by the fact that most GMs don't go as long between long rests as the DMG suggests.
However if you really feel it's too weak, I'd give a CON save with an increasing DC to avoid the exhaustion after zerking. Start it as DC 15 and increase the DC by 5 for each success.
This. Out of all of the Barbarians I've either DM'd for, or played with, Berserkers are the ones that really put the smack down on most enemies. The only one that even comes close in my eyes is the Bear for sheer tankiness, but I've had a lot of success with Berserkers.
Are you guys suggesting that berzerkers deal more damage than fighters in general? I have crunched some numbers, and zerkers seem VERY underwhelming compared to fighters and all their extra attacks.
I'd say Fighter and Barbarian damage output is pretty similar until lvl 11 (keep the rage damage increase in mind), but a fighter can't compare to the sheer damage-soaking abilities of the Barbarian. Also a barbarian can often reckless attack (advantage) all day long, which pretty much converts directly into extra damage. It also synergises very well with great weapon master. A zerker-barb will deal more damage than even a 3 attack fighter in the fight that really counts, where you go berserk.
Yeah, in practice, the big melee hitters almost always come from Barbarians in the games I've played. Being able to land more consistently by going Reckless basically means they were actually landing their hits, while Fighters elsewhere were not always so fortunate. They generally also tend to just last longer at later levels and...not die, so they got that going for them.
i was extemly upset when i discovered that as Berserker i couldn't use two-weapon fighting with frenzy. i mean, cmon. Two axe naked berseker is a classic. and you do less attack than a fighter in end-game.
so, i'm ok with exhaustion, but i would like to use my secondary weapon during it for an extra attack that can bring my lvl 11 barbarian to 4 attack (like a dual weapon fighter) with all the penality you want.
for this i'll go for a Totem Warrior i guess.
Wait, what?
...you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one...
If I understand correctly, you can dual wield with Frenzy, but the bonus attack only allows you to hit with one weapon? Is this a RAW vs RAI issue? Why would dual wielders be penalized here vs that big, slow great sword I'm using?
Seems like you would limit bonus attack to a single strike from single-handed weapon, or allow for dual-wielding and two-handed weapons. Allowing two-handed, but not dual-wield strikes looks unbalanced...
The issue with dual wielding is that to attack with your off hand is a bonus action, which is exactly what going frenzy does as well. AKA Its basically just dual wielding a stronger weapon than you otherwise would be able to use. There is no reason to ever not use a two hander or sword and board as a berserker since using two weapons is just redundant and reduces the damage you could ever use.
Hi folks! I believe I have a potential solution for the Frenzy feature!
I’ve split up my essay into 5 subsections:
CONSIDERATION
SOLUTION
RATIONALE
MATH
CONCLUSION (TL;DR)
Please let me know if this addresses the core issues that many of you are citing (or if a solution is--at all--wanted by the community) and if you have any suggestions to amend it.
Thank you!
CONSIDERATION:
From this forum, I’ve seen that the central issue is that sacrificing your bonus action for Extra Attack at the cost of exhaustion is too high a cost. This limits one’s ability to dual wield, limits the Great Weapon Master feat, and essentially limits one’s overall effectiveness immediately after combat for a moderate boost in damage. For being the subclass that is supposed to be all about that high risk/ high reward, it certainly feels like there is a high risk and not a lot of reward.
I believe that the other abilities of the Berserker are in pretty balanced in comparison to the other classes/ subclass; however, adjusting the Frenzy ability may be necessary in order to ensure competitiveness at the table.
I think the solution can be found in other classes, mainly the Warlock’s Hexblade’s level 3 ability. The Hexblade’s level 3 ability, “Hexblade’s Curse,” reads:
Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place a baleful curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits:
You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.
Any attack roll you make against the cursed target is a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
If the cursed target dies, you regain hit points equal to your warlock level + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).
You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
Now, this ability is fantastic for a bladed warlock, especially with the flexibility of recharging after any type of rest. Furthermore, the class’ ability to cast magic only adds to the versatility and damage potential of the class.
SOLUTION:
My solution for the Berserker is similar to the Hexblade’s level 3 ability in that it too possess a number of additional features . I’ve edited the Frenzy mechanic to permit more flexibility in combat. I remove the bonus action attack, allowing players to use off-hand weapons or to take full advantage of the Great Weapon Master feat that affects bonus actions. Instead, I’ve replaced that bonus action attack with the following features:
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you gain the following features:
Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
For each of your attacks, you may double your rage damage modifier (while raging, you rage modifier at level 3 is +2, in a Frenzied state your damage modifier increases to +4).
You are immune to the Prone condition and to the effects of Difficult Terrain.
When your rage ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion.
RATIONALE:
Dropping the bonus action attack permits players more flexibility in combat, permitting their characters to dual wield, quaff potions, interact with the environment, etc. Removing this additional damage while leaving the Exhaustion requires some pretty nice things, and I think the aforementioned enhancements to Frenzy do just that.
Increase to Critical Range: This ability is nothing new, we see it in the Warlock’s Hexblade and in Champion Fighters. The difference is that, by granting it to the Berserker, it means that it is not necessary for the subclass to multiclass.
Doubling Rage Damage Modifier: This ability may see a bit broken, especially when a player could land 3-4 attacks in a round; but that’s the point, isn’t it? The idea here is that, as a Berserker, you are a wild warrior, capable of unleashing extreme amounts of damage at a time. Much like how the Way of the Open Hand Monk’s abilities boost its baseline “Flurry of Blows” feature, the Barbarian should have a class that boosts its baseline Rage mechanic in more fleshed out and easily translatable way. This fixed increase to damage is slightly above par with the Hexblade’s “bonus to damage rolls equal to their proficiency bonus,” being +4 at level 3 (+2 for Hexblades), +6 at level 9 (+4 for Hexblades), and +8 at level 16 (+6 for Hexblades), effectively keeping this non-spell casting class on par with a caster like Warlocks in terms of damage potential (if including spells). This is especially true because, as one levels, proficiency bonuses increase much more rapidly than the Rage Damage table. While the Rage Damage bonus becomes stronger in the long run, with exhaustion being a feature of the ability, it certainly needs to be as strong as it is in order to feel powerful.
Prone and Difficult Terrain Immunity: In order to make the Berserker feel different from the Hexblade, I’ve replaced the Hit Point regeneration with a substantial mobility and conditional boost. This fits with what I think as to what a Berserker is: a deadly warrior who can shrug off physical effects, hard-to-traverse terrain, and being knocked down. This ability permits the Berserker to charge headlong into the fray in a terrifying bloodlust, regardless the circumstances, terrain, or the odds of survival.
Exhaustion: May of these features seem very powerful: increased critical range, the double rage damage, and immunity to two major conditions; all of this is balanced with the inclusion of Exhaustion. If you need to pump out some extra damage in a difficult boss fight or traverse over an icy tundra to your target, this class is for you; however, that isn’t to say that there shouldn’t be some repercussions along the way.
MATH:
Here’s some math.
I’ll be calculating the damage capabilities of these changes in a single round of combat at different levels ( level 3, 5, 9, and 16, respectively, being that these are the levels in which players gain their subclass, extra attack, and prescripted increases in the Rage Damage modifier). These calculations do not consider opportunity attacks, reactions, or—in the case of the Great Weapon Master feat––bonus action attacks that are dependent on triggers (such as a critical hit or reducing an enemy to 0 hit points).
Great Weapons without Great Weapon Master Feat:
Assuming Great Axe (1d12, averaging 6 dmg)
At level 3 (subclass selected, Rage dmg went from +2 to +4): 6 (1d12) + 4 (upgraded rage damage) = 10 dmg
Clearly, the damage output of the Berserker is not held back by these upgrades; rather, it seems to be rather competitive from throughout the leveling process.
Dual Wielding (without Feat)
Assuming Warhammer in mainhand (1d8, averaging 4) and scimitar in offhand (1d6, averaging 3)
At level 3 (subclass selected, Rage dmg went from +2 to +4): 4 (1d8) + 4 + 3 (1d6) + 4 = 15 dmg
Clearly, with this new form of Frenzy, Dual Wielding without a feat outshines Great Weapon fighting without a feat in sheer numbers; however, if we include the Great Weapon Master feat, it outpaces the damage of both Dual Wielding variants, with or without the Dual Wielding feat. If one obtained a critical hit or dropped a target to 0 hit points while possessing the Great Weapon Master feat, the Great Weapon variant will outshine its dual wielding compatriot. This math has does not account for critical hits, but one merely needs to imagine a x2’s at the end of every die roll to imagine the silliness of damage potential.
CONCLUSION (TL;DR):
By mimicking existing class structures, we can effectively give the Berserker’s Frenzy ability the face lift that it needs, thrusting it into the limelight of damage output while still maintaining the integrity of its initial mechanic. This is done by keeping the Exhaustion feature, but supplementing Frenzy with the following features:
Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
For each of your attacks, you may double your rage damage modifier (while raging, you rage modifier at level 3 is +2, in a Frenzied state your damage modifier increases to +4).
You are immune to the Prone condition and to the effects of Difficult Terrain.
These features help strength the iconic image of a Berserker as an unstoppable warrior, charging into the heart of battle regardless of the environment or the odds.
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I am thinking of just dropping the exhaustion part of it, then is comes down to choosing between doing more damage or taking less damage.
She/Her College Student Player and Dungeon Master
I really think it should be something like you can use Frenzy x times per long rest without suffering exhaustion, but any use after that number of times gives one level of exhaustion. Perhaps x could be half your number of rages rounded down and a set number of times at level 20 (say 5) or half your constitution modifier (minimum 1).
Or, it could have a constitution saving throw or ability check with a cumulative increase each time you use it. Start on easy DC (10) so you get an almost automatic success, then move to medium (15), and then to hard (20), very hard (25), and finally nearly impossible (30). On a really lucky day the barbarian might get to use it each time he/she rages. On a really unlucky day, he/she might fail the first time, and (if you go the ability check route) it only gets harder after that because of the exhaustion.
I think the idea that that feature doesn't get better as you level/isn't tied to constitution is the real tragedy. Even with the saving throw/ability check route, you're still more likely to succeed as you grow in levels (bc of higher proficiency bonus/constitution)
Click Here to Download my Lancer Class w/ Dragoon and Legionnaire Archetypes via DM's Guild - Pay What You Want
Click Here to Download the Mind Flayer: Thoon Hulk converted from 4e via DM's Guild
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
That's the most common barbarian I've seen, but I liked the Zerker for my own playstyle when I got to play one back in 2015. He did kill himself in combat tho' so.. Play all the barbarians! Their expiration dates shouldn't be too far out. LoL
My barbarian was the only survivor after the dm had an enemy cast lightning bolt through 3 lvl 2 chars, instantly true-killing them. My barbarian has a +modifier to his int and peaced right the **** out. Another char also has a +modifier to his int and stuck around to threaten the guy who had just proven he was more than a match for us and was instantly killed the next round. I got shit xp because he did some dm bullshit to bring the others back despite fully claiming that what happened was exactly what should have happened and not an extremely inappropriate encounter for a bunch of lvl 2s.
i was extemly upset when i discovered that as Berserker i couldn't use two-weapon fighting with frenzy. i mean, cmon. Two axe naked berseker is a classic. and you do less attack than a fighter in end-game.
so, i'm ok with exhaustion, but i would like to use my secondary weapon during it for an extra attack that can bring my lvl 11 barbarian to 4 attack (like a dual weapon fighter) with all the penality you want.
for this i'll go for a Totem Warrior i guess.
LVL2 characters would never see the likes of and instant kill magic user....they would be beneath his effort. Your Barb should have been given healthy XP simply for understanding that a run away was the best option.
I am playing a Totem Bear right now....damage resistance is AMAZING!! RAWR!
Pain Heals, Chicks Dig Scars, Glory Lasts Forever!
The damage resistance during rage is too good to pass up, which is why I chose Totem over Zerker barb. Playing a Bear Totem Barb that just hit lvl 4 this past week with my recent group.
I literally wrestled a dragon out of a cavern lake that was avoiding us and trying to pick my party off. I chugged a potion of hill giant str and had a party member cast enlarge person on me, dove into the water, grappled it, passed every strength check, and brought that ***** to the surface and kept her grappled every turn. One of the best moments I've had playing D&D so far.
We hit LVL 4 very soon. I will be taking the Sentinel Feat and making everything around me Sit...Stay!
Then the normal folks can pound them to corpses.
Wrestle Dragon......stuff of Legend. Your clan will be most impressed.
Pain Heals, Chicks Dig Scars, Glory Lasts Forever!
Click Here to Download my Lancer Class w/ Dragoon and Legionnaire Archetypes via DM's Guild - Pay What You Want
Click Here to Download the Mind Flayer: Thoon Hulk converted from 4e via DM's Guild
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
I tweaked it a bit to allow a short rest to cure level 1 exhaustion, while any higher levels require a long rest.
My wife played one in my last campaign and loved it. Worst mistake I ever made was giving her a vorpal greatsword. It's only a matter of time when she has frenzy. Heads were flying everywhere. Made for fun sessions though, haha.
Berserker barbarian is one of those subclasses theorycrafters love to hate, but actually works better in practice than you'd think. You mostly go berserk when it really counts, and often it's not long till your next rest at that point. This is compounded by the fact that most GMs don't go as long between long rests as the DMG suggests.
However if you really feel it's too weak, I'd give a CON save with an increasing DC to avoid the exhaustion after zerking. Start it as DC 15 and increase the DC by 5 for each success.
DnDBeyond Tooltip Syntax
Are you guys suggesting that berzerkers deal more damage than fighters in general? I have crunched some numbers, and zerkers seem VERY underwhelming compared to fighters and all their extra attacks.
I'd say Fighter and Barbarian damage output is pretty similar until lvl 11 (keep the rage damage increase in mind), but a fighter can't compare to the sheer damage-soaking abilities of the Barbarian. Also a barbarian can often reckless attack (advantage) all day long, which pretty much converts directly into extra damage. It also synergises very well with great weapon master. A zerker-barb will deal more damage than even a 3 attack fighter in the fight that really counts, where you go berserk.
DnDBeyond Tooltip Syntax
Yeah, in practice, the big melee hitters almost always come from Barbarians in the games I've played. Being able to land more consistently by going Reckless basically means they were actually landing their hits, while Fighters elsewhere were not always so fortunate. They generally also tend to just last longer at later levels and...not die, so they got that going for them.
Do remember... you don't balance based on max damage... you do so on average (1/2 die + .5 + average mod 2.5)
Wait, what?
If I understand correctly, you can dual wield with Frenzy, but the bonus attack only allows you to hit with one weapon? Is this a RAW vs RAI issue? Why would dual wielders be penalized here vs that big, slow great sword I'm using?
Seems like you would limit bonus attack to a single strike from single-handed weapon, or allow for dual-wielding and two-handed weapons. Allowing two-handed, but not dual-wield strikes looks unbalanced...
The issue with dual wielding is that to attack with your off hand is a bonus action, which is exactly what going frenzy does as well. AKA Its basically just dual wielding a stronger weapon than you otherwise would be able to use. There is no reason to ever not use a two hander or sword and board as a berserker since using two weapons is just redundant and reduces the damage you could ever use.
Hi folks! I believe I have a potential solution for the Frenzy feature!
I’ve split up my essay into 5 subsections:
CONSIDERATION
SOLUTION
RATIONALE
MATH
CONCLUSION (TL;DR)
Please let me know if this addresses the core issues that many of you are citing (or if a solution is--at all--wanted by the community) and if you have any suggestions to amend it.
Thank you!
CONSIDERATION:
From this forum, I’ve seen that the central issue is that sacrificing your bonus action for Extra Attack at the cost of exhaustion is too high a cost. This limits one’s ability to dual wield, limits the Great Weapon Master feat, and essentially limits one’s overall effectiveness immediately after combat for a moderate boost in damage. For being the subclass that is supposed to be all about that high risk/ high reward, it certainly feels like there is a high risk and not a lot of reward.
I believe that the other abilities of the Berserker are in pretty balanced in comparison to the other classes/ subclass; however, adjusting the Frenzy ability may be necessary in order to ensure competitiveness at the table.
I think the solution can be found in other classes, mainly the Warlock’s Hexblade’s level 3 ability. The Hexblade’s level 3 ability, “Hexblade’s Curse,” reads:
Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place a baleful curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits:
You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
Now, this ability is fantastic for a bladed warlock, especially with the flexibility of recharging after any type of rest. Furthermore, the class’ ability to cast magic only adds to the versatility and damage potential of the class.
SOLUTION:
My solution for the Berserker is similar to the Hexblade’s level 3 ability in that it too possess a number of additional features . I’ve edited the Frenzy mechanic to permit more flexibility in combat. I remove the bonus action attack, allowing players to use off-hand weapons or to take full advantage of the Great Weapon Master feat that affects bonus actions. Instead, I’ve replaced that bonus action attack with the following features:
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you gain the following features:
When your rage ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion.
RATIONALE:
Dropping the bonus action attack permits players more flexibility in combat, permitting their characters to dual wield, quaff potions, interact with the environment, etc. Removing this additional damage while leaving the Exhaustion requires some pretty nice things, and I think the aforementioned enhancements to Frenzy do just that.
MATH:
Here’s some math.
I’ll be calculating the damage capabilities of these changes in a single round of combat at different levels ( level 3, 5, 9, and 16, respectively, being that these are the levels in which players gain their subclass, extra attack, and prescripted increases in the Rage Damage modifier). These calculations do not consider opportunity attacks, reactions, or—in the case of the Great Weapon Master feat––bonus action attacks that are dependent on triggers (such as a critical hit or reducing an enemy to 0 hit points).
Great Weapons without Great Weapon Master Feat:
Assuming Great Axe (1d12, averaging 6 dmg)
Great Axe with Great Weapon Master Feat:
Assuming Great Axe (1d12 averaging 6+10 dmg)
Clearly, the damage output of the Berserker is not held back by these upgrades; rather, it seems to be rather competitive from throughout the leveling process.
Dual Wielding (without Feat)
Assuming Warhammer in mainhand (1d8, averaging 4) and scimitar in offhand (1d6, averaging 3)
Dual Wielding (with Feat)
Assuming Warhammer in mainhand (1d8, averaging 4) and Warhammer in offhand (1d8, averaging 4)
Clearly, with this new form of Frenzy, Dual Wielding without a feat outshines Great Weapon fighting without a feat in sheer numbers; however, if we include the Great Weapon Master feat, it outpaces the damage of both Dual Wielding variants, with or without the Dual Wielding feat. If one obtained a critical hit or dropped a target to 0 hit points while possessing the Great Weapon Master feat, the Great Weapon variant will outshine its dual wielding compatriot. This math has does not account for critical hits, but one merely needs to imagine a x2’s at the end of every die roll to imagine the silliness of damage potential.
CONCLUSION (TL;DR):
By mimicking existing class structures, we can effectively give the Berserker’s Frenzy ability the face lift that it needs, thrusting it into the limelight of damage output while still maintaining the integrity of its initial mechanic. This is done by keeping the Exhaustion feature, but supplementing Frenzy with the following features:
These features help strength the iconic image of a Berserker as an unstoppable warrior, charging into the heart of battle regardless of the environment or the odds.