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INVIGORATE
School illusion [figment]; Level bard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Component V
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)This spell banishes feelings of weariness. For the duration, the subject takes no penalties from the fatigued or exhausted conditions. The effect of invigorate is merely an illusion, however, not a substitute for actual rest or respite. When the spell ends, the subject takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage, along with the return of the original condition(s). A creature can be under the effects of only one invigorate spell at a time; if it is cast a second time on that creature, the first effect immediately ends.
How would the italicized portions of this spell interact with the Barbarian's Rage class feature?
The first line may imply that, while the penalties of fatigue or exhausted are ignored, the actual conditions still remain (though that distinction may or may not even exist depending on your reading of the rules). If that is true, Rules-as-Worded would seem to block a non-Raging Barbarian who came under a fatigue effect from entering Rage while under Invigorate, though he would not actually take any penalties from the fatigue.
However, the wording of the second line, "return of the original conditions", implies that the spell does truly temporarily negate or suppress the conditions.
What would you fine folks say is the interaction between Rage and Invigorate, according to RAW? I'm hoping someone can bring something else from the rules to light to clarify. Go-go Rules Lawyers!
Bump.
Any thoughts? No definitive RAW answer?
I'd say the "no penalties" part covers the fact that Barbarians can't rage while fatigued.
So yeah, I'd say they could rage, while fatigued, under this spell.
I'm with Bigrig. This could be an amusing way to rage-cycle.
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I'd classify that when barbarians are fatigued, they can't rage as a "penalty", therefore saying that Invigorate will let them do so.
Since the spell's description reads "the subject takes no penalties from the fatigued or exhausted conditions," I would understand that to mean that the Barb is still fatigued, he just doesn't take the normal penalties for having said condition.
Consensus so far seems to favor the interpretation that the recipient of an Invigorate spell still actually has the fatigued condition.
Surprisingly, no one seems to have asserted that the condition itself is removed, only whether the removal of its penalties allows rage.
Thanks for the input everyone. I think if it were up to my adjudication, I'd go with the more conservative interpretation - that is, a fatigued barbarian under Invigorate wouldn't be able to enter rage.
I suppose it can make sense in a way fluff-wise, too. Rage might be conceived as a state requiring both primal mental fury and bodily fitness (as Rage is inherently physically taxing). The Invigorate spell might give a barbarian enough will and mind-over-matter to go forward as though he didn't have -2 DEX and STR, but if prompted to rage, his fatigued body simply cannot respond appropriately.
The spell explicitly refers to "return of the original condition". Something can't return unless it was gone. It does not refer to "return of the original penalties".
I'd say the condition is gone.
BTW, if that were not true, i.e. you have the condition but not STR/DEX penalties, then if you were hit with some other Fatigue-inducing effect (like a Spell), the Fatigue would instantly escalate to Exhaustion. I don't think that's the case. That's relevant when you consider the other effects of Fatigue/Exhaustion: you move at half speed (Exhaustion only), and cannot run or charge. None of those are 'Penalties' in the strict sense some people are suggesting applies here. I don't think that reading is legit, and those 'penalties' of Fatigue/Exhaustion should also be removed by the spell (along with the 'penalty' of not being able to enter Rage).
By the reading that the condition is gone, the new Fatigue-inducing effect would indeed induce Fatigue, but not instantly escalate to Exhaustion. If the new effect is still in place when the spell wears off, THEN both Fatigue inducing effects would interact and escalate to Exhaustion.
I believe the 'condition as a whole, not just narrowly defined penalties, is suppressed' is the conservative reading here, otherwise is discounting an entire sentence of the text in favor of a narrow reading of one other one. If we read it in good faith, we shouldn't discount an entire sentence, even if the text isn't perfect, we should try to find a reading whereby everything in the text can be understood to exist for a reason.
Balance-wise, I don't think this is too much: consider that Scarred Rager Barbarian Archetype can "Rage Cycle" from 2nd level, with no dips or special builds, just built right into the full class Archetype. "Rage Cycling" brings with it inherent trade-offs and costs that don't just make it a 1-sided power up in all aspects: you're also giving up a good chunk of Rage's benefit by necessarily NOT Raging either on or off your turn. (Some might suggest burning 2x Rage Rounds to re-enter Rage 2x Round, in addition to dropping it in-between, but that clearly falls within the RAW allowance for GMs to limit Free Actions)
One balance aspect of the condition itself being suspended that I hadn't seen here: if the Condition itself is gone (temporarily) then it's Duration is effectively suspended. That isn't explicitly spelled out, but only seems logical: if the Condition does not actively exist any sense, then how does the Duration linked to that Condition also exist (i.e. continue to count down)? So when Invigorate ends, the normal Duration of the Fatigue/etc should kick back in where it left off. That really should be spelled out better, but that's my take on it.
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Looking at the fatigued condition:
A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. Doing anything that would normally cause fatigue causes the fatigued character to become exhausted. After 8 hours of complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued.
I would emphasize that since both invigorate and fatigued mention penalties that this may be the part of the ability that invigorate fixes, in other words, "If you are fatigued and have invigorate cast upon you, can you run or charge?"
Recall, "the subject takes no penalties from the fatigued or exhausted conditions."
If this is the case than someone is still fatigued, cannot run or charge but doesn't take the -2 Str/Dex penalty from being fatigued.
I have to disagree with Qandary regarding rage cycling, it is a very strong ability and Scarred Ragers cannot "rage cycle" but rather can Rage for 1 round, be fatigued the next round and rage again the following round, meaning they pay a hefty price for their limited version of rage cycling. Rage cycle is very strong and being able to do so for the price of 50 gp seems a bit off.