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I thought about a barbarian a while ago. I just don't know if the math makes him a decent character idea.
One level of lame oracle grants him immunity to fatigue at level 9 (compared to level 17). This means, he can rage for a round, then quit raging, just to start raging next round.
This gives many advantages (there are many "once per rage" abilities).
But, the question I have is about his attack strategy. He wields the Aklys, Huge sized (so that it's wielded with two hands), gives it the impact, then drinks potions of Enlarge Person. Got a 6d6 base weapon damage.
Time for Vital Strike, 12d6 base, or, at higher levels and more Vital Strike feats, 24d6. Since Vital Strike is a single attack, we throw on Power Attack (for up to 18 more base damage) and Furious Focus (to negate the penalty for Power Attack). Rage Powers include Surprise Accuracy and Sharpened Accuracy (making this Vital Strike ignore most Cover and Concealment, and gain a bonus to the attack roll, up to +6).
So, we're looking at...basically, a bunch of damage possible. The next step is to maximize all possible damage using Furious Finish. This ends your rage, but that's fine. Remember that one level of Oracle? The immunity to fatigue? Start your rage right back up next turn.
And all this is only a standard action (plus your swift, if you use Surprise Accuracy). Still have your move action. Can still make this one attack from the back of a moving mount.
So, enough rambling. Basically, is this character powerful enough to keep up with other barbarians, or should I just scrap the idea?
The -4 for using a huge weapon while medium is... not great, though I don't see the problem with then making it a 6d6 weapon.
I know a lot of people will say vital strike is horrible, but if you build for it 144 damage isn't bad as a standard action.
I think, however you could get slightly more damage with a pouncing iterative attacker with the same setup (giant aklys et.al.)
prototype00
The Oracle's Curse is based on your Oracle level, not total character level so the immunity to fatigue is out right away.
Oracle's Curse actually does scale off of non-oracle levels.
"An oracle’s curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle."
With a one level dip into Oracle, and the rest of the levels Barbarian, I get immunity to fatigue at level 9 (1 + 8/2 = 5, the needed level for immunity to fatigue).
EDIT: Like, quadruple ninja'd.
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Aklys is also a light weapon and cannot have the impact property which brings the 6D6 damage down to 4D6 or 8D6 with Vital Strike.
For offsetting the to hit penalties from using an oversized weapon, you could look at the Titan Mauler archetype, but that replaces fast movement which would slow your movement down to 20.
Aklys is also a light weapon and cannot have the impact property which brings the 6D6 damage down to 4D6 or 8D6 with Vital Strike.
For offsetting the to hit penalties from using an oversized weapon, you could look at the Titan Mauler archetype, but that replaces fast movement which would slow your movement down to 20.
Less of an issue if he does intend to use it while mounted.
I would also suggest Titan Mauler, although even with that he's still looking at a -2 penalty at 9th level.
If you really wanted to go this route, you could pick Battle as your Oracle Mystery. With one more level of Oracle you could cast Enlarge person on yourself before you rage. Could also pick up Moment of Greatness, which allows you to double your morale bonus on one roll. Especially nice when coupled with Superstition.
You'd also get a Revelation, with the option to pick up more with Feats. They won't advance, but some of them are still useful:
Maneuver Mastery (+1 Trip, which you can do at range with the Aklys)
Weapon Mastery (Weapon Focus, to help with the penalty)
War Sight (roll twice for initiative and take the better result)
You could also look into Rage Prophet. Upside: you can cast in combat (although you can really do that anyway if you just pick up Moment of Clarity as a Rage Power). Downside: you lose a lot of progression on class features, notably Massive Weapons.
Aklys is also a light weapon and cannot have the impact property which brings the 6D6 damage down to 4D6 or 8D6 with Vital Strike.
Good point on Impact. If he took two levels of Oracle and chose Metal, he could cast Lead Blades.
I have the sudden image of a hulking, half-mad brute constantly mumbling to himself about patterns, plots, and futures, while dragging an impossibly huge weapon behind him. The wild look in his eyes changes only a fraction when he rages, yet his disheveled mane of hair would glow with pale, wild light, trashing against the wind and gravity during his rage rounds.
The huge weapon, likely labelled something like "Truth" or "Knowledge", is too heavy most of the time to use, leaves a ragged trail where ever it goes, and causes massive death and destruction whenever it is finally brought to bear.
Sometimes, just sometimes, the mad man will say something that is an accurate prediction of the future, or he speaks the Universal Truth, something that alters the illusion everyone else is living in (the visual for casting spells), though his usual ramblings fails to make sense to anyone, including him.
Gator, you're a champ. I might actually even use that idea :)
And crap to the impact idea. But yeah, Lead Blades was the first thought I had (back in the day, I thought impact stacked with Lead Blades). So, it'll still work, I guess.
PS, Enlarge Person can be made permanent, too.
I just worry about the practicality of that. Wish I could figure something out, so I don't have to burn two actions with the buffing.
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Though you can not have Impact on the Huge Aklys, you can work around it. Not with Lead Blades, since it is a Bludgeoning Weapon.
Belt of Thunderous Charging - When you charge, your melee weapons and natural weapons deal damage as if they were one size category larger than they actually are.
Raging Barbarian on the charge, with Vital strike/Furious Finish
Huge Aklys - 3d6
Enlarge Person - 4d6
Belt of Thunderous Charging - 6d6
Vital Strike - 2x 6d6
Furious Finish - 36 + 36
COLOSSAL DAMAGE
72 Damage before modifiers. If set right, this can be done at Level 6. Improved/Greater has not been applied to this.
Make it so.
Rage was mostly for Furious Finish, to max all damage dice. And I could start doing that every round at level 9.
And even then, he'd be a very decent barbarian up until level 9. He just really starts to shine then.
At barbarian level 12, he could combo Pushing Assault with Come and Get Me. If you try and hit him, he interrupts with an attack of opportunity to smack you, and push you out of your attacking range. Combat Reflexes, and you're gonna have a hard time staying in melee range, and staying healthy, when you try and attack him.
Besides, Invulnerable Rager, at that level, he's got DR 6/-. That's 12/- against nonlethal. That works very well with Level 10's Rage Power of Flesh Wound.
Superstition, with Human's Favored Class for Barbarian, you get a nice boost to saves against anything magical or supernatural.
I dunno. I just like Barbarians for this build.
Oh! I forgot something. When I first made this guy, it was a Tiefling (I thought some obscure rule let him wield a weapon even larger). But he did have a prehensile tail. That, plus the Drunken Brute archetype, and every turn, I can draw a potion (swift), drink it (move), and get my one attack (standard), all while moving around on the battlefield (riding a mount). That works pretty awesomely.
Give him Brew Potion or whatever.
I didn't think you could rage with use Vital Strike with a charge. And Lead Blades doesn't only affect slashing weapons.
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Still have some kinks to work out, but he's got amazing options. Throwing the Aklys? Forgot you could even do that. Just...don't know how it would work out being Huge, and all.
Tiefling (Kyton-Spawn) (Prehensile Tail)
NG
12 Barbarian (Invulnverable Rager/Drunken Brute)
4 Oracle (Seer) (Metal, Lame)
4 Fighter (Two-Handed Fighter)
Level Progression:
6 Barbarian, 2 Oracle, 6 Barbarian, 4 Fighter, 2 Oracle
STR 15 +5 Level
DEX 14
CON 14 +2 Racial
INT 12
WIS 7 -2 Racial
CHA 14 +2 Racial
Ending Stats (Plus item enhancements)
STR 20 +5 (26 +8)
DEX 14 +2 (20 +5)
CON 16 +3 (22 +6)
INT 12 +1
WIS 5 -3
CHA 16 +3
TRAITS
- Magical Knack (Oracle)
-
FEATS
1 Fiendish Heritage
3 Power Attack
5 Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Aklys)
7 Vital Strike
9 Furious Finish
11 Pushing Assault
13 Improved Vital Strike
14*Combat Reflexes
15*Furious Focus
15 Leadership
17*
17 Greater Vital Strike
19 Dazing Assault
RAGE POWERS (29 rounds/day) (Greater Rage: +6 STR/CON, +3 Will Saves, -2 AC)
2 Moment of Clarity
4 Quick Reflexes
6 Reckless Abandon
8 Internal Fortitude
10 Flesh Wound
12 Come and Get Me
REVELATIONS
1 Natural Divination
3 Gift of Prophecy
SPELLS (CL 6, Casts as Lv4)
0 At Will
- Read Magic
- Detect Magic
- Guidance
- Virtue
- Light
- Create Water
1 6/day
-
- Protection from Evil
- Summon Monster 1
* Cure Light Wounds
* Lead Blades
2 3/day
-
* Cure Moderate Wounds
* Detect Thoughts
SKILLS
Ride +20+3+5
Sense Motive +20+3-3
Spellcraft +14+3+1
Linguistics +18+0+1
Perception +20+3-3
EDITED TO ADD BASIC EQUIPMENT:
+5 Impervious Huge Adamantine Aklys
+5 Mithril Full Plate
Ring of Protection +5
Necklace of Natural Armor +5
Belt of Physical Perfection +6
Juggernaut's Pauldrons
Handy Haversack
- Potion of Lead Blades
- Potion of Infernal Healing
- Potion of Cure Serious Wounds
- Alcohol
Maybe an intelligent item with high wisdom, called good luck charm, or something. Maybe it would be the ring of protection. It could cast "Guidance" every turn, or True Strike 3/day. Something like that.