http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/barbarian/rage-powers/paizo--- rage-powers/good-for-what-ails-you-ex
So one of my players was playing a barbarian in a campaign I've been running for three years. I know 3.5 pretty well but sometimes she calls me out on Pathfinder differences, but I haven't been wrong much yet.
Last game her character got hit with a confusion spell by an enemy sorceror, and then rolled to attack the nearest target, in this case the party's wizard. Next round as she went to do so she said that she got another save since she had the Good For What Ails You rage power, but I thought that since she didn't have an action to take to drink she couldnt get another save. Needless to say she killed the wizard outright and this was very unpopular so I decided to come here to ask what the actual ruling was.
Does the ability work since it specifically lists conditions like confusion and paralysis that it works on, or you still need to be able to take the action to take the drink (a standard action) in order to use this power? Seems kinda useless one way, but kinda broke the other.
This kind of thing shows up a bit. There's a spell (I forget which) that allows you to cure paralysis from yourself... except it can't be cast while paralysed.
It's a pretty bad rage power in most cases.
She would have needed to roll 'act normally' and use that action to drink.
What about paralysis then, then it wouldn't work at all?
I'd say the latter is correct.
RAW, you must be able to take a drink in order to receive the extra saving throw, since those are the conditions needed to fulfill for the extra saving throw to be granted.
While this also works for poisons and the like (which is pretty neat), she must also remember that being Confused doesn't completely subtract from your ability to do actions on your own, but mostly does. So, at the beginning of the round, she would roll for confusion, and when the percentiles allow her to act normally, she may take the drink and reroll as normal.
So no, you were correct in your stance.
@ Umbral Reaver: I believe that's a Remove Paralysis spell, but I'm probably wrong.
I was sure there was a self-only one somewhere. Maybe I imagined it.
I would treat it as an extra save for the listed conditions with some extra flavor text (drinking). She doesn't know what's wrong but something is... take a drink! (which I guess is a move action)
On a related note, can this rage power actually be used to gain a second saving throw against fatigue or exhaustion? According to the text, Good For What Ails You must be used "while raging", yet both the fatigued and exhausted conditions prevent the barbarian in question from raging in the first place.
Last game her character got hit with a confusion spell by an enemy sorceror, and then rolled to attack the nearest target, in this case the party's wizard. Next round as she went to do so she said that she got another save since she had the Good For What Ails You rage power, but I thought that since she didn't have an action to take to drink she couldn't get another save.
You ruled exactly right. Under confusion she's going to need to roll the "act normally" to be able to do anything voluntarily. Items don't just appear into character's hands when it is convenient for them. She's gotta get out the booze, then drink it.
I was sure there was a self-only one somewhere. Maybe I imagined it.
But it has a specific caveat that you can cast it even when paralyzed so maybe that's not what you were thinking of?
Though the wizard is long dead, thought I would chime in seeing that this post on "Good for What Ails You" comes up near the top in a forum search.
The Power as written supersedes the condition. Just like damage resistance or spell resistance, the rule supersedes the effect. Normally a character who is panicked can take no action other than fleeing, however the Power intends that the Barbarian under the influence of Rage be give another saving throw regardless of the restrictions incurred by being Panic or Confused. There is nothing in the rule that says she can't drink if the condition wouldn't allow her to do so. This is the same with the Fatigued condition that has been imposed on the Barbarian through a failed saving throw, though it would cost the expenditure of rage to do so. Simply put, NOTHING gets in the way of the Barbarian and her alcohol. The rage Powers are just that: Powers. Growing horns, doing acid damage, being able to punch a ghost are part of the class features, not to mention always being able to take a swig.