Barbarian Bolero

[VRMH]

The Ebony Bolero, from Agents of Evil, is a rather stylish and interesting piece of equipment. It has several powers, among which:

Ebony Bolero wrote:

the wearer can force a creature with the rage class ability to enter a raging state for at least 1 round (though the target can remain in this state longer if it chooses).

Seriously? Your party's Barbarian can choose to continue raging? Forever? Isn't that a bit overpowered?

[I'm Hiding In Your Closet]

The wording isn't perfect, but that's obviously not the intent.

I do think 'use some common sense and ethics' should be an unspoken clause throughout this game that would solve a lot of the 'cheese' people come up with, either inadvertently or willfully.

[Claxon]

It seems to me the effect would last at most up to a minute. But a minute of free raging isn't bad. And of course it could be done 5 times per day.

Really, the most conservative interpretation is that it lasts for 1 round of free rage, and then could continue raging spending rounds as normal.

[I'm Hiding In Your Closet]

"The most conservative interpretation" would in fact be that that first round isn't free, either - you're forcing them to expend their abilities.

[Daw]

Got to disagree with the Jester on this last bit. While nothing in the wording even says that there is any mitigation of costs/negative side effects, there is no wording saying that a tapped out rager can't still have his switch flipped for that one round, it does at least suggest that the first round is "free" of your "rounds per day" costs.

[Claxon]

Thats what I was thinking Daw. Even a barbarian with all their rounds of rage used would be forced to rage for 1 round, also if they were fatigued from raging previously.

So this item definitely breaks some normal barriers.

I think it has to grant at least 1 round of rage for free.

[Daw]

So, in theory, a rager flipping his own switch at a cost of a standard action every other round, could "infinite rage" on every alternate round, doing a wierd get-around on fatigue penalties on their "rage rounds". I will let the Action Economists work out how this balances out, but, as a GM, I would Rule Zero at least a chance of total incapacitation if this tactic was used, and would want to apply some sort of concentration check to continue to activate the toy while fatigued.

[Claxon]

The item only has 5 charges per day, so it would only give 5 activations of the ability Daw.

[Daw]

Missed that bit, Thanks Claxon.

5 free rounds rounds of Rage is nice, but hardly game-breaking.
I would think the smart rager would entrust the ring to an ally less reliant on action economy, so, in a very optimized game, a familiar or cohort.

[Andy Brown]

I'd also interpret it as forcing somebody to use a round of their rage ability (if available), not giving them a free round.
As far as I can tell, all the spells and class abilities that give a free use of rage actually say so.

[Ventnor]

It sounds like it's essentially a slightly worse version of the extra rage feat.