In this guide, I will be talking about specific archetypes, ways that designers should improve them, and how to best play one.
#1 The urban barbarian
Class features
Skills: More social skills, less rural skills. Meh.
Crowd control
This is... not such a good ability, and not really worth replacing fast movement for. It can be useful in a social campaign, but aside from that... Fast movement is worth two fleets, while crowd controls combat use is weaker than dodge. Still, if you are going to tank, this might help a tiny bit. The developers really need to buff this, maybe a bonus that scales?
Controlled rage
Let's compare it to rage
pros
+you can apply it to DEX for ranged builds and for extra AC
+you do not get a penalty to AC, making your AC higher than a standard barbarian.
+ you can still use DEX CHA and INT based skills ( RAGING disable device> disable device)
con
-no bonus to will saves
- Only 1/2 the numerical benefit if you apply it to STR and CON
Too improve this, I suggest the developers give it two more points to spend, this would still leave the Barbarian with less pure numerical benefit, but it would be a bit more balanced.
Builds:
( I'll rate them from * to ****, * is the worst, **** is the best)
#1 the archer barbarian.
Pros:
+ archery is the best fighting style.
+ Urban rage can give you bonuses to DEX to improve your accuracy
+ At high levels, with rage cycling you can switch to a CON bonus if you need to tank
+ You will outlast most enemies in a ranged firefight
Cons:
- Other classes are better archers. To counteract this, I suggest dipping all over the place- fighter for bonus feats, zen archer monk for bonus feats ( if your DM allows it) and possibly only taking 1-4 levels in Urban barbarian for better results)
- If you choose to gain STR while you rage, you need multiple bows.
You are less stat- reliant, you only
need STR for damage, CON for Hp and rounds of rage, and your DEX can be a little lower, so you have a few points left over- put them into a mental score and get Ready!
#2. The controller barbarian
this barbarian is based around two things: Movement and versatility. I suggest that you dip a level in Brawler for martial flexibility, and use it to go to town on your enemies. You want a high CHA for spirit totem ( this hits multiple enemies and whittles away at their health, though you might want to take Beast totem instead) and a CON for rounds of rage and HP, as well as a bonus to your Fort save, a moderate STR, WIS and DEX, with INT being a 10 at least. You are MAD, but you are good. Your strategy is simple: In combat you use a high-crit range reach weapon to deal good damage and to Maximise AOOs, and Dazzling display for a ranged debuff. You want spirit totem to do damage to adjacent enemies, and with a net you can entangle a single enemy, and with your high speed you can follow enemies around. You are the ultimate look killer. At high levels you can get a whip ( a dip level in Bard is surprisingly OK, weapon proficiency, a few spells for when you are not raging, and bardic performance which you can activate before using rage for a bit more "OOMPH" as well as lots of class skills) the whip mastery feats, and combat reflexes ( which you actually should already have). This lets you be MEGA-TRON with whirlwind attack. The level in Bard nets you a lot of class skills and skill points, so you have more out of combat use too.
Feats per level
1: Combat reflexes
3: Weapon focus: Whip
5: Dazzling display
7: Whip mastery
9: Imp. Whip mastery
12: Whirlwind attack
14: TWF ( for MOAR whipping, your DEX should be high enough)
16: IMP. TWF
18: toughness/IMP.init/Dodge
20: Mobility/hammer the Gap/ greater TWF
So... At 14th level you become a TWF warrior, but earlier on you are simply battlefield control. You do not need to invest in a long line of feats, and with a bonus to DEX you get extra attacks and AC. You can also UMD in the middle of a fight, or you can disable a device while raging, or you can hit someone with a piece of string. Everybody wins!