The energy resistance rage power doesn't absorb anything. It just grants energy resistance.
The energy absorption rage power works once per rage, per the text:
Benefit: While raging, the barbarian can absorb energy from a single attack of her chosen energy type once per rage. She does not make a saving throw against the effect but takes no damage from it, instead gaining 1 temporary hit point per 3 points of damage the attack would have inflicted. These temporary hit points last until the end of the barbarian’s rage.
Did this answer your question, or did I misunderstand?
Energy Resistance rage power, not Absorption. Also, unBarb, while you quoted the cBarb power (the unBarb Energy Absorption power is nerfed to once/day).
"The barbarian gains resistance to one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) equal to 1/2 her barbarian level (minimum 1). At 8th level, she gains limited immunity to the same type of energy, as protection from energy. She can absorb 2 points of damage per level, and she applies her energy resistance first. The energy type is chosen when this rage power is selected, and it can't be changed. This rage power can be selected more than once; each time, it applies to a different energy type."
I honestly have no idea how it's supposed to work. Once per rage goes against the very core concept of unBarb. Could be once per day, could be once per round...
The absorption part is a reference to protection from energy.
Basically it works just like if you had protection from energy and resist energy cast on yourself.
You get hit with 20 fire damage. Energy resistance kicks in, let's say you're level 10, you have ER 5 fire. This reduces the damage to 15. Energy absorption from Protection from Energy kicks in, and has a total pool of damage it can absorb, the size of that pool is equal to twice your barbarian level, which is 20 pts. So, you absorb that 15 points of damage into your pool, taking 0 damage. You have 5 points of absorption left for this rage.
The energy resistance rage power doesn't absorb anything. It just grants energy resistance.
The energy absorption rage power works once per rage, per the text:
Benefit: While raging, the barbarian can absorb energy from a single attack of her chosen energy type once per rage. She does not make a saving throw against the effect but takes no damage from it, instead gaining 1 temporary hit point per 3 points of damage the attack would have inflicted. These temporary hit points last until the end of the barbarian’s rage.Did this answer your question, or did I misunderstand?Unfortunately not as the unchained energy resistance power states
Energy Resistance (Ex): The barbarian gains resistance to one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) equal to 1/2 her barbarian level (minimum 1). At 8th level, she gains limited immunity to the same type of energy, as protection from energy. She can absorb 2 points of damage per level, and she applies her energy resistance first. The energy type is chosen when this rage power is selected, and it can’t be changed. This rage power can be selected more than once; each time, it applies to a different energy type.
Ah, sorry, I didn't parse "Unchanged" as "Unchained".
It is as Claxon explained.
Except that it's not stated if and when the pool is refreshed. Indeed, by very strict RAW, it never gets refreshed, once your "2 points of damage per level" are used up, you don't get any absorption until next level, where it's another two points.
Removing once per rage abilities (and thus rage cycling) was an explicitly stated goal for the design of unBarb.
Except that it's not stated if and when the pool is refreshed. Indeed, by very strict RAW, it never gets refreshed, once your "2 points of damage per level" are used up, you don't get any absorption until next level, where it's another two points.
And nobody is going to play it like that because it's really, really dumb.
Removing once per rage abilities (and thus rage cycling) was an explicitly stated goal for the design of unBarb.
Edit: Fair enough, but they messed up here. Maybe they meant once per day like most other limited-use abilities?
It's true the rate at which the pool refreshed is unclear. But if it's once per day then it's pretty terrible.
Well... Thinking about it since you get both energy resistance and protection from energy in one ability it's alright.
And nobody is going to play it like that because it's really, really dumb.
For the record, whenever I say "very strict RAW", I'm implying that no sane GM would rule it that way.
Maybe they meant once per day like most other limited-use abilities?
Sadly, I do think that's most likely, they did just that for the Energy Absorption rage power, after all.