Two questions about the Frenzied Berserker

[Silas North]

I did a search on this, and found some information thanks to ToN. But, I am curious as to just how exactly things would add up. I suck at math you see.

1) Does the Enhanced Power Attack from FBs get any of its bonus whatsoever with Favored Power Attack? If not, how exactly would its damage be applied while using Power Attack against a favored enemy or Improved Power Attack for that matter?

2) I'm sorry if I seem pushy in this regard, as I imagine there might have been several pms regarding this already, but I am curious as to whether Second Wind will be removed as a prerequesite for FB, as was considered at one point.

[Root]

1) Yes, it does. In fact, quite a fun and popular build is a Ranger/FB. I had an Orc one on another server. You get an FB that sacrifices some AC and raw power, but in return gets a mass of utility and utterly obliterates it's favoured enemies.

IIRC, the correct formula is, say you were a level 5 FB (For Enhanced Power Attack) / 10 Ranger packing 22 Str (from Bulls Str or Frenzy) with Favoured Enemy: Elf and Favoured Power Attack: Elf, using a mundane Greatsword to attack said elf whilst having Improved Power Attack active.

You'd do:

2d6 base + ( 3x triple due to FPA with 2h ( 10 power attack damage ) + 9 damage from Str + 3 Damage from Favoured Enemy

= 2d6 + 42, 49 on average, at level 15, against three types of favoured enemy.

And that's with a mundane weapon! Not even Hel does that much damage.

If you want to obliterate your favoured enemies, and still pack a tonne of utility in Stealth, animal companions, spells, bow power (yeah, I recommend the bow path since you'll likely be wanting to use a 2h Weapon to get the damage you want in melee), tracking, spotting, Ranger/FB is the way to go. It'd also be very viable here, I think. A final-build FB 10/Ranger 10 could pick up favoured enemies in Orc, Lizardman and Undead, and be pretty much set for about 75% of the dungeons and areas I know of (Sewers, Viridale Orcs, Necropolis, Aquor Lizardmen, Mossclaw Orcs, most of Argyle, the new island area) and a few PvP encounters with vampires and orcs. A level 15 Ranger could pick up humans as well, and be pretty much set.

I reccomend either 15 Ranger / 5 FB, a clear 10/10 split, or 5 FB / 10 Ranger / 5 other.

15/5 gets you another favoured enemy (I'd say Human, for Veritas, bandits, White Elk, etc), more spells, a better animal companion (a bear, badger or boar tanks nicely), Improved Rapid Shot, Camouflage (run whilst sneaking! Better chance of getting into a crowd of your Favoured's before they see you), and more skill points for Hiding, Survival, Spot, etc. This path ramps up your utility even further, making you useful in more situations, and is the path I went. Spells of note are Freedom of Movement, Invisibility Purge, and Polymorph Self.

10/10 gives you Deathless Frenzy, Inspire Frenzy, Supreme Power Attack, Greater Frenzy. This way pretty much ramps up your damage against your Favoured Enemies to around +60 due to increased Strength when in Frenzy and Supreme Improved Favoured Double Mocha Latte Power Attack, along with the bonuses of having a Death Ward, which is always nice.

10/5/5 gives you any kind of other stuff you want from other classes.

You aren't invincible, mind. You ARE feat-starved due to having to blow a feat for every one of your favoured enemies to Power Attack along with needing to pick up Great Cleave for FB. Your AC will likely be low due to being a Ranger with a 2h Weapon, so you will have to act like a rogue in combat and sometimes hang back with your bow against non-favoured enemies (which you should be alright with). If you're in Light armour, resting isn't a problem, and you can probably maintain Cats Grace on yourself quite happily, so that helps out with AC, and when your stealth begins to get good you can start combat in the center of a crowd of your Favoured enemies, Supreme Cleaving them to ribbons.

Still, buff up your sneaking skills and you'll be awesome. Having played one myself, I can tell you that the look on peoples' digital faces when not a halfling with daggers, but a Grey Orc with a claymore bursts from the bushes behind them and decapitates them not with sneak attacks, but with frenzied power attacks, is priceless.



2) Dunno. I really hope so, but apparently there's nobody doing the developing right now.

[Kaizen]

I reccomend either 15 Ranger / 5 FB, a clear 10/10 split, or 5 FB / 10 Ranger / 5 other.

10Ranger/1 Fighter/5FB/4Shadow Dancer

FE Human/Elf/Whatever

You're really gimped on feats - Dodge, Mobility, Second Wind, Cleave, Great Cleave (your fighter feat), PA, IPA, FPA Elf, FPA Human - is all you get ...


but it's beautiful.

[Seheren]

There is also a route that is more for pure damage. Having Ranger/Fighter/Barbarian/FB. You will get more feats, but only have one Favored enemy, however, you end up doing a lot more damage. Rage and Frenzy do stack. So with those you can be a FB with 34 strength without too much trouble. If you were a spear wielder that is:

1-8 +56-63 x3 Depending on some variations possible.

[Root]

To stack Rage and Frenzy you need to spend two rounds activating both.

For a toon with low AC that depends on shock and awe tactics, not a great idea, IMO, especially considering what you lose in return for it. By the end of those two rounds spent activating both, you could have been cleaving through all your enemies and killed half already. What's worse, all your enemies have now targetted you, and you've bombed your AC with both those at the same time. Frenzying and Raging break stealth, iirc. So you've only really got time for one, if at all.

Instead of taking Barbarian, you might as well take Frenzied Berserker up to 8 to get Greater Frenzy, which gives you +10 Str instead of +6 and still activate in one turn. You'll be deathless to boot, and have two other levels free to spend on whatever you wish. Cleric and Shadowdancer if you're feeling mega-cheesy.

10 Ranger / 5 FB / 4 Fighter / 1 Whatever gets you fighter feats and Weapon Specialisation for another +2 damage, which is almost what you get from Rage anyway.

And you get the one cheese level for whatever dump thing you want. Barbarian, Cleric, etc, all give you stuff.

I still prefer the Ranger 15/5 FB, mindya. A character that can run at 30% IMS whilst stealthed, pop up in the middle of battle and Supreme Cleave through all it's favoured enemies, then run off behind it's allies and pummel the rest with it's Improved Rapid Shot (you become a suprisingly good archer with a solid Mighty bow and Cats Grace) is so much fun.

[Thief Of Navarre]

Yeah I didnt mean a ranger/fb would get little from this match up, I just meant its not as rediculous as it is in PnP.

A favoured power attack only gains the base power attack score (+3 for normal, +6 improved) instead of the modified frenzied berserker score (+6 normal, +12 improved).
As you can imagine with a two handed weapon, improved favoured enemy and favoured power attack you would be getting double your considerable power attack bonus on favoured enemies plus all that strength bonus from your frenzy ~ I've tricked more than a couple of DMs in the past with this seemingly niche character.

[Thief Of Navarre]

1)
If you want to obliterate your favoured enemies, and still pack a tonne of utility in Stealth, animal companions, spells, bow power (yeah, I recommend the bow path since you'll likely be wanting to use a 2h Weapon to get the damage you want in melee), tracking, spotting, Ranger/FB is the way to go. It'd also be very viable here, I think. A final-build FB 10/Ranger 10 could pick up favoured enemies in Orc, Lizardman and Undead, and be pretty much set for about 75% of the dungeons and areas I know of (Sewers, Viridale Orcs, Necropolis, Aquor Lizardmen, Mossclaw Orcs, most of Argyle, the new island area) and a few PvP encounters with vampires and orcs. A level 15 Ranger could pick up humans as well, and be pretty much set.

According to the players handbook undead and anything crit immune is not subject a rangers increased damage against favoured enemes ~ you still get the circumstancial skill bonuses against them but what use is that unless they are shadowdancer zombies?

[Kaeldorn]

Or vampires. In one of the manuals, there's also an optional rule to provide AC bonuses instead of damage bonuses against favored enemies that are crit immune.

Still, NWN2 doesn't handle favored enemies that are crit immune differently from the rest. The damage bonus still applies.

[Silas North]

So who is right? ToN or Root?

If I were to use Improved Power Attack and Favored Power Attack with a greatsword and five levels of F. Berserker, would I be slamming them with a bonus Power Attack damage of 36 or 60?

[Seheren]

You get +6 Damage 2handed from imp power attack with Favored power attack, you then get +1 bonus per 5 levels of ranger as well as +3 from imp favored enemy should you take it. Add that to the +20 enhanced IPA 2 handed as well as your 1.5x str modifier. Any other damage such as weapon enhancements or weapon spec. added as well. This is tested on the server to work(By me), and at least in the OC to work on undead.(By me)