Barbarian Weapon specialization:
Weapon Specialization Level 7
Your rage helps you hit harder. You deal an additional 2 damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you have expert proficiency. This damage increases to 3 if you’re a master, and 4 if you’re legendary. You gain your instinct’s specialization ability.Greater Weapon Specialization Level 15
The weapons you’ve mastered become truly fearsome in your hands. Your damage from weapon specialization increases to 4 with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you’re an expert, 6 if you’re a master, and 8 if you’re legendary. You gain a greater benefit from your instinct’s specialization ability.
The base feats Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization above state that the damage increases as you get higher proficiency in your weapons.
The Specialization Ability feats in the various instincts do not mention this - so if you have an instinct with a specialization ability, then there is no extra damage boost as you gain higher proficiency in the weapon, and you instead get the flat damage boost mentioned in the instinct's specialization ability? So the increased damage mentioned in the feats above is only for others multiclassing into Barbarian or similar?Or is the damage mentioned in the Specialization Ability boosted further when you gain the higher proficiencies? (I'm assuming that it is not.)
Demoralize:
The Demoralize action under Intimidate states
Regardless of your result, the target is temporarily immune to your attempts to Demoralize it for 10 minutes.
How does this cooldown work for various other feats that demoralize enemies?
Terrifying Howl saysRegardless of the results of your checks, each creature is then temporarily immune to Terrifying Howl for 1 minute.
I assume that this cooldown is separate from the cooldown for Demoralize? So I can use Demoralize on an enemy that currently is temporarily immune to Terrifying Howl and vice versa?
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Weapon Specialization is a class feature that several classes get (maybe even all of them eventually). The damage boost that it gives is untyped, so it will stack with the untyped damage from Rage.
The 'Specialization Ability' from the Instinct doesn't interact with Weapon Specialization - despite the unfortunate name collision. So Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization will add their varying amount of untyped damage separately from the Barbarian Instinct's varying amount of untyped damage from Rage.
TL;DR, you get both damage boosts. Barbarian hits like a truck.
As for the various cooldowns on abilities: If the ability is a modification of Demoralize - giving it a different effect, or if it references the cooldown already part of Demoralize, then it is the same cooldown. Using one ability will start the cooldown and you can't use any of the other abilities until that time is up.
If the ability is not a modification of Demoralize and doesn't reference that cooldown, then it has its own cooldown - even if it also uses an Intimidate skill check. You can't use that ability again, but you could use Demoralize or a modification of it.
Edit: In the specific case of Terrifying Howl, it is a modification of Demoralize. It says to make a Demoralize check, but change it so that it affects each enemy within 30 feet rather than just one of them. So it uses the same cooldown as Demoralize does.
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The base feats Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization above state that the damage increases as you get higher proficiency in your weapons.
To avoid confusion we call these class features. Using the terms feats will confuse people.
The Specialization Ability feats in the various instincts do not mention this - so if you have an instinct with a specialization ability, then there is no extra damage boost as you gain higher proficiency in the weapon, and you instead get the flat damage boost mentioned in the instinct's specialization ability? So the increased damage mentioned in the feats above is only for others multiclassing into Barbarian or similar?
Or is the damage mentioned in the Specialization Ability boosted further when you gain the higher proficiencies? (I'm assuming that it is not.)
Every class has a similar feature.
At high level a barbarian will be doing damage on a strike made up of
weapon dice (+plus extra from the striking rune)
strength bonus
rage damage which is increased by their instinct
specialization damage depending on their proficiency
damage from runes on their weapon
status bonuses to damage perhaps from a bard's inspire courage
circumstance bonuses to damage perhaps from things like Forceful weapon or
Furious Finish
It can be a lot. Really only the Rage damage is a barbarian thing.
Demoralize:
The Demoralize action under Intimidate statesRegardless of your result, the target is temporarily immune to your attempts to Demoralize it for 10 minutes.How does this cooldown work for various other feats that demoralize enemies?
Terrifying Howl saysRegardless of the results of your checks, each creature is then temporarily immune to Terrifying Howl for 1 minute.I assume that this cooldown is separate from the cooldown for Demoralize? So I can use Demoralize on an enemy that currently is temporarily immune to Terrifying Howl and vice versa?
For things like this it really depends on the wording of each ability. How ever Terrifying Howl says that it uses the Demoralise action. Terrifying Howl doesn't explicitly overwrite the cool down to Demoralise, it is applying a new one for Terrifying howl. So as far as I can tell both cool downs are applicable. Some GMs will see it differently becuase they might read something into the intention of the rule. Either way it doesn't really matter as 1 minute is long enough for it to be the entire fight.
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Ok, to lay out the terrifying howl immunity vs demoralize immunity.
1. When you Demoralize something, they become immune to Demoralize from you, specifically.
2. Terrifying Howl uses Demoralize and still triggers the normal immunity to your Demoralize.
3. Terrifying Howl also provides a separate immunity to Terrifying Howl, that doesn't care about the source. Meaning that in addition to being immune to Demoralize from you, the targets are also immune to Terrifying Howl from anyone.
Ah - thanks, now I get it.
The damage mentioned in the feats "XX [Instinct Ability]" and "Specialization Ability" enhances the base +2 damage from Rage, not the damage from "Weapon Specialization" or "Greater Weapon Specialization". Rule reading failure. ;) Hits like a truck in deed. :)
Thanks for the clarification on Demoralize. So this means that Battle Cry (which Demoralizes as a free action when I determine initiative, and Demoralizes as a reaction when I critically hit) also uses the same cooldown towards me for Demoralize.
And if I'm the only character in the party that Demoralizes, then the 1 minute cooldown for Terrifying Howl won't matter, as the same enemies will have a 10 minute cooldown for Demoralize towards me anyway.