HYPERBOREA / Berserker Rage

**Posted by Vetus Miles** 12/10/2023 7:51 am

Question here.

Recently the party berserker raged in a fight where everyone was low on hp. Then unluckily rolled a 1 out of. 8 for 3 rounds. All the bad guys and party were down but 1 fighter and the berserker at this point.

The berserker took down the fighter in the 1st round of 3.
The interpretation of the ruling by the DM was that the fighter was still alive though at 0 to slightly negative hp. So the berserker was to keep hacking at the body for 2 more rounds until -10 death.

I interpreted the rules which use the words “vanquish” and “death” to mean when everyone within 30 feet are on the ground whether unconscious, dying, or dead.

We decided I should post and ask the question. As we felt it could go either way.

How would you guys interpret the rules from the book?

**Posted by Blackadder23** 12/10/2023 11:06 am

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)

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 12/10/2023 11:11 am

.However, on a 1-in-8 chance,
the berserker continues attacking any living
creature within 30 feet—including allies—for
1d6 rounds, before all good sense is regained.

I think you can interpret living as you want.

Maybe that's at 0 or -3 or so.

Now, I have berserkers beat enemies to a bloody pulp but not necessarily folks attacked during the 1:8 "keep berserking" phase of things.

By that time is approaching most PCs are trying to vacate the area, but sometimes they don't.

**Posted by Vetus Miles** 12/10/2023 9:28 pm

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.

**Posted by rhialto** 12/11/2023 6:34 am

In this case I'd probably dice for which downed combatant the berserker continued to attack, rather than assuming it was against the fighter, just to provide some impartiality to the rage.

But, the berserker rage has always seemed a bit odd to me: 7/8ths of the time they continue attacking *enemies* (alive or dead) for a # of rounds equal to CN, but 1/8th of the time they *continue* for 1d6 rounds after *enemies* are vanquished. So does this mean, for example, that a berserker of 15 CN could continue attacking for 15 + 1d6 rounds 1/8th of the time, with the 1d6 rounds being against any living creature? Or would they be exhausted for those 1d6 rounds (occurring as they do after the 15 rounds), and so not in an "uncontrolled" rage? Apart from its D&D legacy, is there historical precedent for berserkers to continue attacking any and all beings (friend or foe)?

**Posted by Blackadder23** 12/11/2023 8:59 am

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."

**Posted by rhialto** 12/11/2023 5:59 pm

Maybe a better term would have been "literary inspiration". Thanks for the citation.

I don't intend to house-rule anything, but was curious. I'm also wondering how AD&D 1e represented berserkers, and think (?) OD&D just gave them (variously) +2 HD/# of attacks, or +2 to hit (depending on Chainmail or Alternative combat system), and fighting until killed or they had killed their foes.