I had a friend submit an custom archtype he would like to add to a Barbarian. I am unsure how balanced this archtype is and whether I should allow it. I'll copy/paste the doc he sent to me.
Cold Rager
Some warriors are born to wield a sword in their hands. Instead of flying into a rage, these men fall into a sort of trance, their minds calculating their opponents actions several seconds before they occur. Instead of beating their enemies to pulp, they coldly cut them down from the direction they least expect.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Cold Ragers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and light and medium armor, but not shields.
Rage (combat trance)
A barbarian can call upon inner reserves of strength and ferocity, granting her additional combat prowess. Starting at 1st level, a barbarian can rage for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + her Constitution modifier. At each level after 1st, she can rage for 2 additional rounds. Temporary increases to Constitution, such as those gained from rage and spells like bear's endurance, do not increase the total number of rounds that a barbarian can rage per day. A barbarian can enter rage as a free action. The total number of rounds of rage per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive.
While raging, the Cold Rager gets a +2 focus bonus to strength, AC, and combat maneuvers. While in rage, a Cold Rager cannot use any Charisma, Dexterity, or Intelligence based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride and any combat maneuvers) or any ability that requires patience or concentration.
A barbarian can end her rage as a free action and is fatigued after rage for a number of rounds equal to 2 times the number of rounds spent in the rage. A barbarian cannot enter a new rage while fatigued or exhausted but can otherwise enter rage multiple times during a single encounter or combat. If a barbarian falls unconscious, her rage immediately ends, placing her in peril of death.
Trap Sense (economic movement)
At 3rd level, a cold rager can make a 5 foot step in the middle of a full-round attack action. This ability increased by 5 feet every three barbarian levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level). A cold ranger can move and attack in any combination. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal, but she can still make an acrobatics check to avoid provoking them
Greater rage
Rage Bonuses increase to +3
Mighty rage
Rage bonuses increase to +4
Rage powers
Use basic powers, but with DM permission to tailor them to arch class
I'm not sure how game changing this Economic Movement class feature is and if it balances out to the reduction of rage bonuses. Can I get any thoughts? Should I have posted this to the Advice board instead?
Some thoughts:
1. I would be leery of allowing custom bonus types like "focus bonus" unless you don't mind ridiculous amounts of stacking as other bonus sources come into play.
2. Any character can make a 5-foot step during a full-attack. Economic movement does nothing until 6th level.
3. 5-foot steps do not usually provoke attacks of opportunity. If this is intended to allow movement-that-provokes during attacks, I would avoid the use of the term "5-foot step".
Interesting idea so far.
I would word that economic movement ability differently:
Whenever a Cold Rager makes an attack, she might move 5 feet in any direction as a free action, as long as the Cold Rager remains within reach of its target. If the Cold Rager can make additional attacks, she may perform them after that movement. A Cold Rager can only perform this movement once per round. At level 6th and every 3 levels thereafter, a Cold Rager gets another use per round of this ability.
I personally like the skill, it's only game changing if you are using a reach weapon to mow through mooks and reach a caster, but then again, that's not really OP. I would make the progression larger though: 3, 8, 13, 18. Four iteratives, four movements.
neat thematic thing would be to make the bonus circumstance and make the Cold rager not effected my morale bonuses.
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Under Rage, you state Temporary increases to Constitution, such as those gained from rage...but further on, you do not include Constitution bonuses as an affect of rage: While raging, the Cold Rager gets a +2 focus bonus to strength, AC, and combat maneuvers. You should clarify that.
It does bother me a bit that this archetype replaces a -2 AC penalty with a +2 AC bonus and that AC bonus increases as he advances in levels.
As blahpers mentioned above, I would be hesitant to create other penalty/bonus types. Just go with it as a morale bonus (same as standard rage).
I would disallow Intimidate as that skill does require a certain amount of thinking and interaction with the target.
It is a minor point, but I don't see why the shield proficiency would need to be removed.