Barbarian Am Smash - A guide to the Barbarian


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Silver Crusade

^That was my thought as well.


Duskblade wrote:

Sadly, extracts and mutagens do not function in the same way as potions or Ale, and here is the explanation why:

typically speaking, a player must spend a move action to retrieve a potion, and then must spend another move action to drink it. However, Extracts and Mutagens specifically bypass this limitation and only require a 'standard action' to retrieve AND drink.

Therefore, things like Accelerated Drinker and Drunken Brute don't help.

:(

Oh, and for added benefits of my 'weapon trick', go ahead and take Ghost Rager as well. Basically, if you combine Ghost Rager with your huge Superstition bonus combined with the benefits of a Courageous weapon, you basically become immune to touch attacks as well.

Some more food for thought:

Getting the eldritch heritage feat for orc bloodline gives you touch of rage, which can stack your damage even higher than desperate battler a # of times per dat, but requires 3 feats to pull off(Skill Focus Survival, Elritch Heritage, Quicken SLA)


I really like this guide.

It makes me want to play a barbarian.

Also, and this is more of a flavour discussion than actually optimization related, but I've never considered Jecht or Kamina as barbarians, but... In a way it makes sense though...

More flavour stuff: I'm trying to make a barbarian character as a backup in case my wizard dies, but I have ran into a bit of a problem. I visualize THE barbarian as someone who does not wear armour.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yzWCeqRvhSg/T_5ztfKuIqI/AAAAAAAASLc/yUqVcfxLjwQ/s 1600/hxh_ryodan10.jpg

But the problem is it seems likely that even an invulnerable rager will need some form of armor. ME NO LIKE.


First of all, awesome guide. Second, I think you are missing a Barbarian build that puts the Half-Orc race into blue territory: Natural Attacker. By taking the Toothy Alt Race Trait they get a Primary Bite attack. Disregard the d4 damage, when you combine that with the Lesser Beast Totem Rage Power, you get THREE natural attacks at level 2, which is 2 levels before the druid does.

With a strength of 18 and Power Attack, hitting with all three strikes, that is max damage of 40 with and an average of 32. A Normal Barbarian swinging with a Greatsword with the same stats has max damage of 24 with an average of 18. Now, this assumes you hit with all three attacks, but if you miss one or two you are still doing damage versus the normal barbarian that misses once and then the turn is over.

Use a reach weapon and when they get close enough, go to town. Throw in Improved Natural Attack feat for the claws and at level 10 the claws are doing 2d6 each. Pounce is where this build really shines. Wearing an Amulet of Natural Attacks gives all three attacks bonuses and if you come up against something with DR switch to a weapon with that property just like a monk would and you still get your Bite attack as a secondary.

Most importantly, this build is just darn fun to play.


knittch wrote:

First of all, awesome guide. Second, I think you are missing a Barbarian build that puts the Half-Orc race into blue territory: Natural Attacker. By taking the Toothy Alt Race Trait they get a Primary Bite attack. Disregard the d4 damage, when you combine that with the Lesser Beast Totem Rage Power, you get THREE natural attacks at level 2, which is 2 levels before the druid does.

Anyone can do this, not just half-orc.

Take the Adopted Trait and you can have a "Tusked" this is a trait from OoG. Gives the same 1d4 bite for a trait.


That's given that your GM allows you to use traits and doesn't mind a human somehow gaining large teeth from being "adopted". The main problem with the Tusked trait and the Razortusked feat is they are secondary attacks, not primary. Toothy is a primary attack which when coupled with the Claw attacks gives you one mean Barbarian until level 12. At that point, you change tactics.

Pounce in with your Greatsword, which at level 12 means 3 attacks plus a 4th from the Bite, then leave yourself open to attack with CAGM. The single attacks with the Greatsword are better than the single attacks with the Claws, but up through level 11, when your main goal is to get in as many attacks as you can, Claws/Bite is where it is at. And if you leave yourself open to Disarm, you still have three attacks vs two.

From level 1 through 9, use a Reach Weapon that you drop when they get in close, then Cuisinart the opposition into tiny bits. Levels 10 and 11 are all about Pouncing in with Claws & Bite. Half-Orc with Toothy Alt should be blue.


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Ok...so I have been combing through the Ultimate Equipment guide and updating my item plans for my PFS characters. Low and behold I come across a nice little magic item that solves the biggest weakness of Barbarian vs Wizard. What is this problem you might say....not going first. Any hardcore wizard is going to have a great likelihood of going before you. Now a superstitious barbarian may be pretty self assured that they can survive a spell while raging but any barbarian is going to be hosed if they are not. This was the main reason that wizards still won out in the AM BARBARIAN beat down thread of TLDR.

So without further ado I give you....the Headband of Havoc. For the ridiculous cost of 8000gp you can begin raging as an immediate action. That's right....IMMEDIATE! Wizard gets the drop on you? No problem, up comes rage and now you got your super spiffy +ridiculous to all saves, just in time to tell the wizard to shove off and die.

Now the limitations: 1/day and that rage round out of turn costs a whopping 2 rage rounds.

So now AM BARBARIAN is basically immune to casters unless attacked by them twice in the same day.


Referring to the Guarded Life, Die Hard, Ferocious Tenacity build posted earlier...

Reading back through this, and some other threads regarding Die Hard and Guarded Life, I'm not seeing how a barbarian reduced below 0 HP continues fighting most of the time. Even with the ability to ignore 2x your level in nonlethal damage, if you're down around 2 or 3 HP, it's likely that the nonlethal damage you take will equal or exceed your current HP, which drops you unconscious, breaking the idea of pressing on.

Am I missing something? Is there a way around the rule that nonlethal > current HP = unconscious? Or is this just set up to give you an extra round or two? Die Hard doesn't get around it, and it even looks like it may be WORSE to be taking nonlethal damage in some cases, from an offensive standpoint, since you could keep fighting while at negative HP without nonlethal, but if you get any nonlethal damage that goes through, you go unconscious.


So guys.

I finally got Ultimate Equipment for realzies.

It's making me have to look at Desperate Battler. And Headband of Havoc. And Courageous weapons. I'm thinking +2 Furious Courageous is going to become the new +3 Furious.

I will have to give this thing an update sometime in the near future.

yeti1069 wrote:

Referring to the Guarded Life, Die Hard, Ferocious Tenacity build posted earlier...

Reading back through this, and some other threads regarding Die Hard and Guarded Life, I'm not seeing how a barbarian reduced below 0 HP continues fighting most of the time. Even with the ability to ignore 2x your level in nonlethal damage, if you're down around 2 or 3 HP, it's likely that the nonlethal damage you take will equal or exceed your current HP, which drops you unconscious, breaking the idea of pressing on.

Am I missing something? Is there a way around the rule that nonlethal > current HP = unconscious? Or is this just set up to give you an extra round or two? Die Hard doesn't get around it, and it even looks like it may be WORSE to be taking nonlethal damage in some cases, from an offensive standpoint, since you could keep fighting while at negative HP without nonlethal, but if you get any nonlethal damage that goes through, you go unconscious.

You're not missing anything. Nonlethal doesn't get negated by Diehard and it being higher than your normal HP makes you unconscious. The only reason I can think of to use Guarded Life is as a buffer to keep you from coming down with SDS when you've been reduced to below 0.

Which Diehard already does, so I got nothin'.


Is the no-shirt clause one with no exceptions? Because ladybarians might have trouble when going into town because of that.


I figured you would be interested in adding this into your guide (I've posted this item elsewhere, but figured it would be perfect for AM SMASH barbarian). Let me know what he thinks...

Molvënn
Source Pathfinder #34: Blood for Blood pg. 68
Aura strong necromancy and transmutation CL 15th
Slot none; Price 63,312 gp; Weight 5 lbs.
Description
This heavy warhammer is capped with steel spikes on both ends of its massive head, and a leather thong prevents it from falling from the wielder’s hand. Molvënn is a +3 warhammer that deals both piercing and bludgeoning damage. Yet although it is already a formidable weapon, its true potential is only realized in the hands of a barbarian.

Wielded by a barbarian, Molvënn becomes a +5 thundering warhammer. The barbarian gains an additional 1 hit point per barbarian level when raging and can add twice her Strength modifier (instead of half again her Strength modifier) to damage rolls while wielding Molvënn two-handed. Additionally, while Molvënn’s wielder is raging, she cannot be disarmed, nor can Molvënn be sundered.
Construction
Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, blindness/deafness, rage; Price 31,812 gp

(and yes, this really is an actual weapon)


Opinions on the Mad Dog please :)


I'd like you to mention the courageous weapon ability.

With a +2 courageous furious weapon when you rage the weapon is a +4 and that adds 2 to all your morale bonuses. Rage bonus to str and Con increase by 2, as does your superstition bonus. It makes the lowly bless spell grant you +3 to hit or you could get +3 from aid along with some more hit points.

Courageous is only a +1 ability.


Hamatula Hide armour makes the first 2 Fiend Totem feats very good. You might not have pounce but every melee hit against you gets 3d8+12 damage returned. That's 25 free damage every time you get hit.


Really nice guide!
However, I think that I can actually get a decent AC on my invulnerable urban human barbarian.
Not using reckless abandon, controlled rage doesn't lower AC, plus I take beast totem and if I am adjacent to 2 enemies (very likely) I get another point of AC. Ghost Rager also helps against touch attacks and CMD.
Add equipment: +1 Mithral Breastplate of [Light/Moderate/Heavy] Fortification (armor expert trait to lower ACP to 0), starting DEX 16, amulet of natural armor, ring of protection.

Starting at level 5, my raging AC is 20, -2 if enlarged, +1 if adjacent to multiple foes.
At level 9 (when I take beast totem and I'll likely have a +1 ring, a +1 amulet and light fortification), my AC will be:
10 (base) +3 (dex) +7 (armor) +1 (ring) +1 (amulet) +3 (beast totem) = 25, -2 if enlarged, +1 if adjacent to multiple foes.
Should be enough to stop most iterative attacks and perhaps some main attack.
Ghost rager helps my touch AC: 10 (base) +3 (dex) +1 (ring) +7 (ghost rager) = 21, -2 if enlarged, +1 if adjacent to multiple foes.
And my CMD: 10 (base) +9 (BAB) +8 (str) +3 (dex) +1 (ring) +7 (ghost rager) = 38, +1 if enlarged, +1 if adjacent to multiple foes.


Also, I wouldn't rate intimidating prowess as red... I'd give it at least an orange if cornugon smash is green, since in my view the former is an enabler for the latter.
With a 7 starting CHA and no racial bonus as a human, it can be difficult to intimidate larger foes, their average hit dice is 1.5*CR (see monster creation rules for reference http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/monsterCreation.html) and their wisdom frequently being in the positive.
In addition, subsequent intimidations incur a cumulative -5 penalty on the check.

Let's take our enlarged barbarian against a large fire giant (CR 10).
15 HD and 14 WIS, so a DC 27 intimidate check.
At 10th level, our Barbarian will have 10 ranks, +3 class bonus, -2 CHA, +3 circlet of persuasion = +14.
Strength would be 17 base, +2 racial, +2 advancement, +4 belt, +4 rage, +2 enlarge person = 31 (+10).
Intimidating prowess is the difference between succeeding on a 13 or succeeding on a 3. And after the first check, you'd have to roll a 18 or an 8 respectively.

Intimidating prowess also benefits from a cruel weapon... after adding furious, I'd recommend cruel in fact, before adding more pluses.
First hit => shaken (cornugon smash)... second hit => sickened, and the enemy is automatically debuffed for -4 to attacks, saves, skills and -2 to damage (effectively increasing your DR by an additional 2/-). As an added bonus, if you down the enemy, you get some free temporary hp.
All at the cost of two feats, a skill and a -1 to hit/damage for a while because the weapon lacks a plus. No action is lost during combat, but your caster friends will love you.


if this is still being updated, some gear advice: a cracked pale green prism is a cheap way to add +1 to hit (competence, which you generally dont find) at 4000g. it's flawed big brother, while rather pricey at 28,000g adds this as a morale bonus, which then can get boosted by the courageous weapon enhancement. the perfect stone (30,000g) is back to a competence bonus, with it applying to attacks, saves, skill and ability checks.

any of them slotted into a wayfinder (500g) also adds the ability to ignore exhaustion or fatigue once per day, which is quite the boon. the tireless wayfinder (5000g) halves the fatigue/exhausted penalties to str and dex, as well as giving you a +2 bonus against effects that cause fatigue or exhaustion. it also lets you slot a stone just like a regular wayfinder.


Here's a feat I found out of the Half-Orc line.

And these are the options one has for utilizing the feat
Half-Orc FCB +1 round of rage per level
DR 1/2 Barbarian Level/-
Free Rage Rounds through Drinking

One person on a previous thread has already suggested taking a level in Unbreakable fighter for the two free feats, and I support the idea, but if someone were to pump their number of rages per day, increase the amount of DR/- they have, and then take Ferocious Tenacity, they would be a world and a half to move.

If the Half-Orc is the only one with the option of this build, I'd rate the race as blue, not green. Again, a suggestion.


I have a question on the guide: you mention the knockback fury effect working to push your enemies with the Beast totem claw secondary attack back onto the range of your reach weapon. How would this work with iterative attacks (i.e. when you reach BAB +6)? The rules for iterative attacks with manufactured weapons and natural attacks are fuzzy, and I can't seem to find a clarification on how these interact.


It looks like some of the blood rage powers in the advanced class guide could create a few really interesting synergies (especially since you can still take totem powers on top of them). What pops out for me is "Undead Blood, Lesser". An unsavable shaken application on successful charge seems really powerful if you have a "Shatter Defenses" Sneak Attacker in the party. Heck, could be worth a dip into Barbarian for such a character to get it.

Any thoughts beyond the necromancy I'm performing by posting this?


Alright, you announced your return in TL's thread, so I think this deserves a bump.

I also want to mention I think the unchained barbarian finally makes a two weapon barbarian or sword and board a reasonable idea, given that it's a flat attack and damage bonus per hit, rather than a strength bonus, and the inherent benefit to two-handing is lessened compared to traditional rage.


thegreenteagamer wrote:

Alright, you announced your return in TL's thread, so I think this deserves a bump.

I also want to mention I think the unchained barbarian finally makes a two weapon barbarian or sword and board a reasonable idea, given that it's a flat attack and damage bonus per hit, rather than a strength bonus, and the inherent benefit to two-handing is lessened compared to traditional rage.

I doubt it. TWF sucks up feats and requires a big investment in dex, which takes away points that can be otherwise allocated into str. The Unchained Barbarian, while slightly less focused on THF, still doesn't have enough to make TWF worth it.

Sword and boards seems like a better idea. You do get somewhat more ability to shrug off hits with the temporary hp.


With all the new dex to damage options, from slashing and fencing grace to a 2-level unchained rogue dip, dex to damage is not difficult to achieve, and definitely more viable with unchained than any barbarian besides urban (and doesn't require giving up fast movement).

Admittedly an urban barbarian is preferable due to his ability to pick up pounce and become a buzzsaw with two weapon rend and other fun stuff, though. As well, that high dex will contribute nicely to a CaGM barbarian.


I... don't actually have the unchained pdf yet.

So I cannot fairly judge the unchained barbarian outside of what information I was able to scrape from the other board, which basically reads 'Like barbarian, but easier to play, but significantly weaker in high end optimization.'

There's probably something to be said for a 2 level unchained rogue > Urban Barbarian build that murders everything with an ECB or similar, though.


Trinam wrote:
I... don't actually have the unchained pdf yet.

Here you go


kyrt-ryder wrote:
Trinam wrote:
I... don't actually have the unchained pdf yet.
Here you go

THEY SRD'D IT ALREADY>!?!?!??!?!!?!?!?!?!???

I do declare, Christmas came early!


Rise....Rise....Rise....muahahahaha

Ok.

Yes I did just resurrect this thread but the guide attached to it is still relevant and full of awesomeness (see end of guide for details).

So THE MAJOR issues of any invulnerable based barbarian who takes superstition is that you undoubtedly going to be drawn into duels with wizards. We spent a lot of time defending AM BARBARIAN's right to skewer wizards. Unfortunately those cheesy wizards like to study the art of foresight and thus will ALWAYS go first. So what's a meaty barbarian of awesomeness who has invested so much into being wizard proof going to do when they can't go first and thus cannot rage before being hit with the wizards high and mighty persistent save or suck an egg spell?

Get a headband of havoc you say?

Ahh if only it was that easy. You see, us invulnerable rager types gave up uncanny dodge. No uncanny dodge means you are flatfooted at start of combat; flat footed means you can't use an immediate action; no immediate action means no rage before your turn; no rage means you, as an awesome barbarian, are trying to figure out how to be a raging box turtle. Baleful polymorph is no fun my friends.

Fear not. I have an answer for you and it only requires a single level dip. There's a catch though, you have to be at minimum half ulfen and willing to deal with guarding persnickety spoiled Taldans all day.

If your cool with that, then grab 1 level in ULFEN GUARD and choose alert guardian as your dedication. Now you don't have to buy a headband and you can rage as an immediate action even if flat footed. Problem solved. You are now safe to hop on your flying bats and charge the gathering horde of wizards that will undoubtedly come forth to challenge a lowly barbarian with dreams of grandeur.

TLDR: Grab a dip in Ulfen Guard and grab alert guardian. It is by far the best dip an invulnerable rager can take, especially if you take superstition.


Thread necromancy strikes again! This time with a question from the class for Professor AM BARBARIAN. What are your opinions on the Earthbreaker vs the Lucerne Hammer? Or even vs the Greatsword and Greataxe?


The answer is a weapon you didn't name, the nodachi. 18-20 crit range, slightly smaller weapon damage than a greastsword.

Early on the greatsword is better, until you can grab keen or improved critical. Afterwards, the nodachi is probably the best weapon you can pick up.

x3 critical weapons are often overkill IMO, it's better to crit more often than for more damage.


Actually, I think I may have misread that section when I was reading WHY to get a Lucerne hammer. I thought it was talking about bludgeoning weapons, but he was suggesting a reach weapon that happened to be blunt.

I'm looking at a barbarian for a Mummy's Mask campaign, so I know my golf bag will need a bludgeoning weapon and a slashing one.


bishop083 wrote:

Actually, I think I may have misread that section when I was reading WHY to get a Lucerne hammer. I thought it was talking about bludgeoning weapons, but he was suggesting a reach weapon that happened to be blunt.

I'm looking at a barbarian for a Mummy's Mask campaign, so I know my golf bag will need a bludgeoning weapon and a slashing one.

That's not as true as you think it is.

Weapon type based DR really only appears at low levels, and only on a few creatures. It's far more common to be material based. While it doesn't hurt to have a bludgeoning weapon as a backup, I would say you don't need to be overly concerned about "having a golf bag".


Ah, but my concern right now IS at low level, since we are only just starting the AP.

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