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Page 10.
With regard to the power "Animal Fury" --
It doesn't say if this is an additional attack. If it isn't an additional attack, then I feel like it needs more of a boost to make the ability worthwhile -- 1d6 plus strength seems kind of weak compared to a magical two-handed sword. If it is an additional attack, it should be subject to the rules on secondary attacks and shouldn't necessarily be "at the attacker's highest attack bonus".
It's possible the feature was put there from more of a "utility" standpoint. Stuck without your weapon? Bite attack! Get disarmed? Bite attack! Pinned and immobile, but still within biting range? ... You get the idea.
It's noted that the bite can be used while grappled, and gives an additional bonus to checks to get ungrappled. Noted in the grapple section, you are at a -4 penalty if you don't have two free hands when you attempt a grapple (if you have a weapon equipped, for instance). Using the bite, therefore, nets you a total of +6 _compared to using your sword_ in a grapple situation.
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Alpha 2, page 10
Rage Powers: As a barbarian gains experience, she learns to harness her rage in new ways.
[...]
Unless otherwise noted, these abilities are free actions that must be performed on your turn.
It seems that Animal Fury is a free action. This is confirmed by "If the bite attack hits, any grapple checks made against the target this round are at a +2 bonus."
Alpha 2, page 62
Once you are grappling an opponent, a successful check allows you to continue grappling the foe, and also allows you to perform one of the following actions.
[...]
Damage: You can inflict damage to your target equal to your unarmed damage. This damage can be either lethal or nonlethal.
If Animal Fury is to grant a +2 bonus to grapple checks against the target , the bite must occur _before_ the check and must be a free action.
I read it more as latching onto your foe with your teeth, like some kinda crazy apeman.
I read it more as latching onto your foe with your teeth, like some kinda crazy apeman.
Or Mike Tyson.
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I would like to see Animal Fury usable only in a grapple, mostly because I can't see a humanoid without a racial bite attack executing a bite in normal combat.
But during a grapple not only does Animal Fury give you another attack, it is a good(d6+STR)attack, better unarmed strike damage anyway.
Also it should be classefied as a Swift action instead of a Free action, since you couldn't(shouldn't be able to) use it against multipule foes or multipule times in round.
A human being can bite for significant damage. Just ask anyone with a kinky significant other.
Jokes aside, I'm rather serious. With the "elevated passions" a raging barbarian could be said to posses (I'm for once not putting a sexual meaning into this) I could see human jaws causing considerable damage. 8lbs of pressure per square inch to break bone, and a human can get their jaws around another persons wrist, fingers, and even collarbone. If you use a crit hit system, I'd find a bit of wierdness if you got a severed head or broken leg result, but thats a bit besides the point.
My view: The bite attack is a reasonable expression of what a person "hopped up on rage" could do. Rage isn't getting mad, its opening up limiters most people never reach. Granny rolling the car off grandchild is rage, not how office joe feels after getting yelled at after beign late to work. Unless office joe is psychotic. But hey, aren't all barbarians? At least, the good ones?