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Invulnerable Rager, Crane Style, Stalwart (and improved), Dragon Totem, Improved Damage Reduction, 3+ acrobatics ranks.
Invulnerable Rager: 10/- at 20th level
Stalwart (combined with crane style): -2 to attack, +4 to DR (stacks with barbarian DR), this doubles to +8 DR with improved stalwart
Improved Damage Reduction: Rage power, adds +1 to DR while raging, max 3 times.
Dragon Totem: Second part of this adds +2 to DR for each dragon totem power possessed (total of +6).
Total DR: 27/- when fighting defensively.
This ends up requiring the following rage powers (8): Dragon Totem, Dragon Totem Resilience, Dragon Totem Wings, Improved Damage Reduction (x3), Animal Fury, Intimidating Glare
Along with the following feats (7): Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Endurance, Die Hard, Crane Style, Stalwart, Improved Stalwart
Alternate approach: You can reduce the feat load a bit if you use combat expertise instead of crane style (2 feat savings), and up the DR by 2, but your to-hit penalty will be notably higher (-6 instead of -2 at 20th level).
Since most sources of DR don't stack (the above items are explicit exceptions), I don't believe any race will help the DR side of such a character, though they might help the non-DR portion (i.e. boost offensive ability)
Special Note: I'm not sure if the Dragon Totem Resilience rage power is actually meant to increase DR or just increase your effective DR for the purposes of calculating the energy resistance you receive, but the way it is phrased increases your DR.
Another (much simpler) approach is to be an Armor Master fighter and take adamantine armor. At level 19 this is 15/- DR while wearing adamantine full-plate, up to another 10/- with improved stalwart and combat expertise for 25/-.
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Invulnerable Rager is the obvious class for this. Starting at 8th level, you can take the Increased Damage Reduction rage power up to 3 times.
There's also some armor types that give DR, but I don't remember all the details on that one.
Edit: Ninja'd by a much more thorough response.
I coincidentally looked into the "DR Build" idea just a couple of days ago, so I may have had a bit of an advantage :P
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Maybe it's because I only play lower level games (Pathfinder Society), but I just can't imagine this being a great build. Yes, a little DR is always helpful, but how many of these things don't kick in before level 8 or higher? So what are you going to do at low levels? And just look at how much offense you have to give up to invest so many feats and rage powers into boosting the DR.
I would think that if your goal is to be an "HP tank", just make an Invulnerable Rager with Con as your highest stat, instead of the normal Str. Then, focus on offensive feats and rage powers with only a little defense, rather than throwing everything into defense.
But I'm also a firm believer that the best defense is a good offense.
Here's a different build that does maximize DR/-, but focuses on being nigh unkillable at high levels due to 10+ DR, having 20+ AC, and using crane style to deflect powerful melee blows. Even if you do hit her, she's packing so much HP the forget to care.
As for early levels, you're dealing a consistent 1d6+7 when raging, while still retaining a good amount of AC. You can skip dodge and go straight for Unarmed Strike / Crane Style to speed the build up a touch, or just Crane Riposte at level 11.
KAYLA THE URBAN BARBARIAN 14
HUMAN
STR 10
DEX 17 +2 +1 (+4 RAGE)
CON 14 +1 +1 (+2 RAGE)
INT 8
WIS 12
CHA 12
HP 172 +14 WHILE RAGING
AC 19 (+2 RAGE, +4 FIGHTING DEFENSIVELY)
DR 9/- (+3 WHILE RAGING)
SAVES 12/9/5 (+1/+2/+0 RAGE) +4 VS ENCHANTMENT WHILE RAGING
CMB 14
CMD 30 (+2 WHILE RAGING, +4 WHILE FIGHTING DEFENSIVELY)
ATTACKS
SCIMITAR 1D6+5 (20/15/10) (+2 DMG, +2 TO HIT WHILE RAGING)
FEATS
1 WEAPON FINESSE
1 WEAPON FOCUS (SCIMITAR)
3 DERVISH DANCE
5 DODGE
7 IMPROVED UNARMED STRIKE
9 CRANE STYLE
11 CRANE RIPOSTE
13 EXTRA RAGEPOWER
RAGE POWERS
2 ANIMALS FURY
4 INTIMIDATING GLARE
6 DRAGON TOTEM
8 DRAGON TOTEM RESILIENCE
10 DRAGON TOTEM WINGS
12 DR +1/-
13 DR +1/-
14 DR +1/-
ARMOR
DARK LEAF STUDDED LEATHER
This is with no special items, except the armor. As you can see, the damage is lacking, and the saves are not that great. Taking the Superstitious rage power at level 12 would bump these up by +5/+5/+5 while raging. As for damage taking improved Critical instead of the Extra Rage Power would greatly help your DPR.
Level appropriate magical items will easily bump your AC to 30+, improve DPR and saves, and generally make you more awesome..
It does.
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It does.
The only thing it stacks with (to my knowledge) is the DR of an Armor Master Fighter.
DR, as a general rule, never stacks. The armor master fighter's DR has an explicit exception for the DR granted by adamantine armor.
The Stalwart and Improved Stalwart feats explicitly stack with DR from class abilities (such as a barbarian's DR), but not other sources (such as adamantine DR).
The "Improved Damage Reduction" and "Dragon Totem Resilience" rage powers do not grant new DR, they increase the existing DR instead.
The above examples represent the sum total of DR-stacking-examples that I am currently aware of.
KAYLA THE URBAN BARBARIAN 14
HUMAN
...Build...
And here's a picture of her too =P
You could snag IUS or Dodge early to move your feat progression upHuman - Finesse
1 - Dodge/IUS
3 - Dervish Dance
5 - IUS/Dodge
7 - Crane Style
9 - Crane Wing
11 - Crane Riposte
I think the deathless initiate half orc build is the most survivable at all levels. From 1-3 because of HPs... beyond that because of sick DR and the ability to fight on at negatives.
I didn't conceive of this build, it was posted in another thread, but I played with it since the original had a couple feats in there that just seemed to go too far to the side of survival (raging vitality when you already have die hard and half orc)
Sadly, in my campaigns we typically get a bonus feat at level 1, so you'll need to trim one feat off this somewhere and shuffle the rest down. Endurance is free for half orcs who take that alternate racial trait.
1 Barbarian1: Power Attack, Endurance, Die Hard (Auto stabilize but staggard)
2 Unarmed Fighter1: Improved Unarmed Strike, Crane Style (Fight Defensively at -2 penalty)
3 Barbarian2: Ferocious Tenacity (H Orc version), Guarded Life (spend 1rage for -con mod dmg if under 0, 1DR here)
4 Barbarian3
5 Barbarian4: Stalwart, Reckless Assault (Fight def add 2*dodge as DR instead, 6DR total here)
6 Barbarian5
7 Barbarian6: Deathless Initiate, Greater Guarded Life (Not staggered when dying, +2 to hit/dmg, 7DR here)
8 Barbarian7
9 Barbarian8: Tenacious Survivor, Superstition (Soul lingers for con mod rounds, 8DR here)
10 Barbarian9
11 Barbarian10: Improved Stalwart, Witch Hunter (Fight def add 2*dodge as DR instead (10cap), 13DR here)
12 Barbarian11
13 Barbarian12: Combat Reflexes, Come and Get Me (14DR here)
14 Barbarian13
15 Barbarian14: Raging Brutality, Spell Sunder (1.5*con mod to damage for 1r, costs 3 rage, 15DR here)
I'd get rid of Tenacious Survivor and move all the feats down one (except Stalwart) to accommodate a regular campaign rule set.
Dot.
KAYLA THE URBAN BARBARIAN 14
HUMAN
...Build...And here's a picture of her too =P
You could snag IUS or Dodge early to move your feat progression up
Human - Finesse
1 - Dodge/IUS
3 - Dervish Dance
5 - IUS/Dodge
7 - Crane Style
9 - Crane Wing
11 - Crane Riposte
Yeah, I meant to write Crane Wing, but instead wrote Riposte. A mistake I realized to late to edit.
Leadership to get a savage skald cohort......will give an additional 5dr stackable with Barbs!