Berserk

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Berserk
Mnemonic [berserk]
Activating Verb CMAN
Category Warrior Guild
Type Attack
Roundtime ATTACK-1
Stamina Cost 20. There is an additional cost of 10 per round.
Offensive Gear Both hands
Attributes
Hostile
Initiator Stance Penalty
Shield Defensive Bonus
Target Stance Bonus
Available To Warriors
Rank Cost/acquired at
1 2  
2
3
4
5 6

Description

Attempt to go into a blind berserker rage.

Mechanics

Temporarily lose control of your combat actions and attack any target within range every five seconds. You gain a bonus of (Rank * 5) to your Attack Strength (AS). If you are stunned, webbed, or bound during the course of your berserk, you will attempt to break these hindrances. You may also attempt to start a berserk while in one of those states.

Additional Information

This information may be outdated.

Training for berserk

Factors that affect your ability to berserk are your ranks in the berserk skill, and Discipline (DIS) bonus.

To go berserk you need to get a successful roll with the positive factors being 4 × your ranks in berserk plus your Discipline stat bonus (or 0.5× your stat bonus if it is negative) and a d100 roll. The negative factors are wounds on your person. The minimum success rate is 1%.

The formula for achieving a successful berserk is:

Result = (Berserk Guild Ranks * 4) + (DIS Bonus) - (Wound Penalties) + d100

A result of over 100 results in going berserk, and the duration of the berserk (as well as the ability to break a stun) is a function of how much the result was greater than 100.

There are 5 ranks of training, like most other CMANs, when training using CMAN points. Each rank using CMAN points is roughly equivalent to 10 ranks in the guild, however, most warriors choose to train berserk through the guild exclusively since the ability at mastery is better and it does not use valuable CMAN points.

Multi Opponent Combat

Berserking will make use of MSTRIKEs instead of regular attacks if the warrior is sufficiently trained in MOC. If there are multiple creatures in the room, open MSTRIKE will be used. If there is only one target remaining, focused MSTRIKE will be used.

Berserk has a flat stamina cost per round of 10 regardless of skill rank. In addition, a 60 second MSTRIKE recovery period will apply after the termination of a berserk. If the warrior runs out of stamina while berserking, the berserk will not automatically end. Upon reaching zero stamina, the berserk will continue on with single attacks at no stamina cost until enough stamina has been regained to resume mstriking. While at zero stamina, the berserk can be automatically stopped via STOP BERSERK.

AS Bonus

A berserking warrior, using the Warrior Guild version of Berserk, gains a +1 AS bonus for every 2 (effective) Berserk ranks above 20, capped at +30 AS. As with all Warrior Guild skills, the warrior adds their level / 4 to their actual Berserk guild ranks, and the first rank does not count towards the total. Thus, a Berserk master will reach the maximum AS bonus at level 64. The bonus can be expressed as:

AS Bonus = max((Berserk Guild Ranks + [Level / 4] - 20) / 2, 30)

Assuming the CMAN version of Berserk follows a parallel formula, a warrior using that version might see an AS bonus of 5 at rank 3, 10 at rank 4, and 15 at rank 5. (This has not been tested.)

This bonus is capped at +30 Attack Strength. (This bonus used to be capped at +29, however with the PSM3 changes it was upped to +30.)

Terminating berserk

For practical purposes berserk runs until it is STOPped, or a status condition (stun, web or bind) is broken or there is no target available in the current or adjoining rooms. STOP berserk works when at zero stamina, or after the berserk has lasted 9 rounds.

Verbs and Berserking

Most verbs are disabled while a character is berserking, but a few verbs can be used to "communicate", including:

  • SCREAM
  • YELL (although you cannot YELL a message)
  • ROAR
  • HOWL
  • BERSERK

Guild training in berserk

Berserking can also be learned through the Warrior Guild. There are 4 types of tasks that will be assigned to one training in berserk: critter, ice tubs, saunas, and the dark chamber. With the exception of the dark chamber, you are equally likely to be assigned any of these tasks as you train in berserk. Assignments in the dark chamber do not begin until you've got some practice with berserk. Further training gives you the ability to break longer stuns or harder webs, as well as being able to stop berserks longer than 9 rounds. Additionally, the boost to AS increases as you gain more ranks in berserk.

Critter
"Head out to the wilds and go berserk on some critter you find challengin for your skill rank."
The Training Administrator told you to go out and practice Berserk against creatures.

Go out into the wilds and berserk in front of a creature. The creature cannot be any more than 10 levels lower than you to get a rep. You get a rep for each attack on a critter in your berserked state.

You are awarded 15 points for this task.
Ice tubs

In the ice tubs, you need to SPLASH around until you become numb. BERSERK, and each time you successfully do, you get a rep.

You are awarded 5 points for this task.
Saunas
"Find yourself one of those saunas, lock yerself inside and practice reachin' the berserk state.  Best way is to try goin' berserk on yourself."
The Training Administrator told you to go practice in the saunas.

Go to the saunas, KNEEL, and begin to MEDITATE. When you've subverted your natural feelings, BERSERK. Each time you successfully work yourself into a rage you get a rep.

You are awarded 5 points for this task.
Dark chamber
"Head to the Dark Chamber and start berserkin'.  The attendant there will zap you so you can practice breakin out of stuns."
The Training Administrator told you to practice breaking stuns in the Dark Chamber. 

Find the Guild's Dark Chamber. After KNEELing and BERSERKing, you will be stunned, webbed, or bound, and need to break these conditions for each rep.

You are awarded 8 points for this task.

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