The interpretation by the DM is of course correct... for his game.

I have a somewhat soft heart, so I would probably apply the second interpretation myself.
 

Last edited by Blackadder23 (12/10/2023 11:06 am)

Blackadder23 wrote:

The interpretation by the DM is of course correct... for his game.

I have a somewhat soft heart, so I would probably apply the second interpretation myself.
 

Me too. But we were interested what others think.

For the record, since everyone was unconscious, the berserker blamed it on the monsters we were fighting. Even though the PC died from an axe to the face and the monsters have teeth and claws.

I don't know about "historical", but here is an excerpt from Saxo Grammaticus telling the story of a crazed berserker who killed six of his own men before the battle even started!

"These men asked Halfdan to attack Hardbeen and his champions man by man; and he not only promised to fight, but assured himself the victory with most confident words. When Hardbeen heard this, a demoniacal frenzy suddenly took him; he furiously bit and devoured the edges of his shield; he kept gulping down fiery coals; he snatched live embers in his mouth and let them pass down into his entrails; he rushed through the perils of crackling fires; and at last, when he had raved through every sort of madness, he turned his sword with raging hand against the hearts of six of his champions. It is doubtful whether this madness came from thirst for battle or natural ferocity. Then with the remaining band of his champions he attacked Halfdan, who crushed him with a hammer of wondrous size, so that he lost both victory and life; paying the penalty both to Halfdan, whom he had challenged, and to the kings whose offspring he had violently ravished."