As it stands, the barbarian's elemental rage ability is severely underpowered. This ability is as follows:
Elemental Rage (Su): All of the barbarian’s attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of energy damage for 1 round. The energy type must be acid, cold, electricity, or fire. This energy damage does not stack with energy damage dealt by special weapon abilities if it is of the same type. A barbarian must be at least 12th level before selecting this power. (8 rage points)
At twelfth level, characters are entering into the parts of the game where many, many creatures have a form of energy resistance. As this ability does a maximum of 6 points of damage, even a paltry energy resistance 5 negates its usefulness most of the time. Furthermore, the cost of the power is far too high for its effects, given that +1d6 damage is not particularly impressive at high levels.
Some argue that a creature with an energy vulnerability makes this power useful. This is partially true. However, given that the barbarian using this ability is going to get a maximum of +9 damage per attack against something with an elemental vulnerability (and it is likely that he'll have only two attacks that will hit), it is still very weak.
Overall, this power has several problems.
1. High rage point cost.
2. Low damage potential.
3. Short duration.
4. High-level requirements.
There are thus several solutions to this problem.
1. Lower the rage point cost.
2. Increase the damage potential.
3. Increase the duration.
4. Make the power available earlier.
However, like with many things, I believe that a single approach to fixing the problem is a poor one. It would be like giving martial characters additional damage so that they could keep up with save-or-die spells--while the extra damage is nice, it doesn't address the other problems between martial characters and spellcasters.
Here is my solution:
1. Reduce the rage point cost to four rage points. This will keep it from being so prohibitive to the barbarians who wish to use this power.
2. Alter the way the power works so that half the barbarian's damage from his attacks are converted to energy damage. This allows the power to automatically scale with level, and it gives the barbarian the ability to bypass damage reduction. (This was Squirreloid's suggestion, so all credit goes to him.)
3. Increase the duration to being 1 round, +1 round/three levels. It's fairly lame to force a player to spend eight rage points--even four, with the reduced cost--every round to maintain the ability.
4. Allow the power to be taken in the 6-8 level range. It stinks to have to wait until after level ten to get a cool ability. It's better to give players access to weaker abilities and then to have those abilities scale, I think, than it is to force them to wait until the point when a lot of campaigns stop.
These changes would allow the elemental rage power to be functional for the barbarian throughout his career.
Thoughts?
2. Alter the way the power works so that half the barbarian's damage from his attacks are converted to energy damage. This allows the power to automatically scale with level, and it gives the barbarian the ability to bypass damage reduction. (This was Squirreloid's suggestion, so all credit goes to him.)
The problem I see with this is that I don't think it will help bypass damage reduction most of the time.
Given something with DR 5/- and a barbarian rolling 15 damage per attack, then it currently would deal 10 damage to the enemy after damage reduction. If it was half energy it still would deal 10 damage after damage reduction because 5 of the physical damage would still be negated.
It would be helpful in situations where you deal less than double the damage reduction ( like less than 20 damage vs. DR 10/- ) which it could make it be better than normal damage by 10 points.*
If it were going this route, then I think it might reasonable to make all the damage be the energy type.
* Edit: this does not take into account the situation with creatures that are completely immune to weapon damage (like many swarms have) or similar abilities or terrain effects.
I said it before and I'll say it again. Good job.
I don't have the time to do this with my profesional life and education at the moment.
These are all good points. Just a thought though. If you make the ability make all the damage an energy type then it might be worth 5-6 points.
P.S. Oh I might have been mistaken as I keep on thinking this is 3.5 damage capabilities of a melee type. Man they are gimped.