James Jacobs wrote:
ThreeEyedSloth wrote:
Hey James, I have a question that's caused quite a bit of contention at my local game store.
Does the Urban Barbarian's Controlled Rage replace the regular rage ability? There's one little word in the text that throws a wrinkle in the whole thing.
"When an urban barbarian rages, instead of making a normal rage she may apply a +4 morale bonus to her Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution."
Emphasis mine. Some players feel that the Urban Barb is allowed both rages, but I feel that the usage of the word, "may", is used to denote that you are allowed a choice of which physical stat you'd like to apply the rage bonus to.
As in, the word "may" is granting permission in that one ability, not granting access to two different ones. I hope that makes sense.
It does indeed replace normal rage. An urban barbarian doesn't get to apply a bonus to both Str and Con. He instead gets only one +4 bonus, but has the advantage of being able to choose Dex if he wants or of being able to split the bonus up how he wants.
If you're an urban barbarian, you can't rage like the normal barbarian. Because Controlled Rage IS your rage. It doesn't make sense that you'd be able to do a normal (uncontrolled) rage when you're playing an archetype that is all about controlling the rage.
So I have a Problem with this one. Not so much in the way of mechanics, but in the way of concept. Why would a Barbarian lose their regular rage when under the urban barbarian archetype? The archetype says it is their primal nature and upbringing that give them their tenacity. So why do they lose their primal born power when the convert to an urban lifestyle. I know it needs to be balanced, but it doesn't really make sense to me.