Frenzy

**Frenzy**

**Use:** Cannot be
used unskilled.

**Sample specializations:** None

*Frenzy* is a
special ability that allows a character to work himself into a deadly, berserk
rage.

When
frenzied, the character becomes little more than a killing machine. They will
attack all enemy characters or creatures without hesitation and if there are no
enemies nearby, they may attack anyone close by, even their own comrades and
allies. Frenzied characters may not make ranged attacks, all combat must be
conducted with either melee weapons or barehanded. Frenzied characters may not
use interaction skills such as *maneuver,*
trick, test *or* taunt
*though* intimidation *is*
allowed. Frenzied characters cannot perform an active defense against any kind
of attack, they may only passively defend. Shields however may be used during
combat. The difficulty of entering frenzy is based on the character’s wound
level. The more injured a character is, the easier it is for him to *frenzy.* A
character already involved in a combat situation receives a +5 bonus to his
skill total. A frenzied character has his *Dexterity,*
Strength *and* Toughness
*temporarily increased while frenzied.*
The amount of the increase is based on the success level of the skill check. On
a *Minimal* or
*Average* success,
the increase is +1; *Good* success
+2; success +3; *Spectacular* success
+4. This is not a bonus, it is an actual increase in the attribute and will
affect any game values based off of an attribute (such as the base damage value
of melee weapons and the amount of shock damage a character can take before
being knocked unconscious.) While frenzied, characters are immune to *fatigue* results
and ignore any action penalties from wound damage (see Chapter Four for details
on *fatigue* and
damage penalties.)

A
frenzied character that has no enemies to attack may lash out at anyone who is
nearby, even if they are on his side. To keep himself from attacking an ally,
the frenzied character must make a *willpower*
*check against a difficulty of 12. If*
the character fails, he will attack the nearest person with the same ferocity he
used on his enemies. If the frenzied character succeeds, he doesn’t attack
anyone that round. Another *willpower*
*check is required the next round and in*
subsequent rounds until the character has someone to attack or the frenzy comes
to an end. A Frenzylasts
for no more than 12 rounds, though a character can attempt to come out of it sooner.
The difficulty for ending frenzy is based on the character’s wound level, though
in this case the more injured the character is the harder it is to come out of
it.

**FRENZY CHART**

Wound
level                                        Entering difficulty   Ending difficulty

None
                                                               22                          13

Shock
and/or KO conditions only                    18                          15

Wound                                                             15                          18

Heavy
wound                                                   13                          22

Mortal
wound                                                   12                          25

If
the character is attempting to end a frenzy while there are no enemies around,
he does not have to make a *willpower*
*check in that round to avoid attacking*
the nearest target. If a character attempts to end *frenzy* and fails
by ten or more points, he can no longer attempt to end the *frenzy* and it
must run its full course. Allies of the frenzied character can attempt to bring
him out of his rage by making *persuasion*
*attempts against the same difficulty*
number for the character bringing himself out of the *frenzy.* These
must be people the character knows and trusts, not just people who were
fighting on the same side with him. If there are no enemies present, the
frenzied character may attack the people trying to bring him out of it! After a
character comes out of frenzy, he immediately suffers a *fatigue* result
that lasts for thirty minutes, though this shock damage may be healed normally
with the *first aid* skill.