I'm about to begin playing the Skulls and Shackles adventure path and I can't seem to decide what archetype to use for my brand new BARBARIAN.
I like the face-mashing approach of the invulnerable rager, but I also really like the urban barbarian.
UB wears lighter armor, no CON boost so no need for Raging Vitality or HP micro-management, while on the other hand the IR has more HP, wears medium armor and has DR.
Any help to make me decide will be appreciated :P I got quite clear what feats and rage powers to take, it's just the archetype that is bothering me. Don't know if the UB will be enough of a front liner for my group (a gunslinger, an inquisitor, a wizard and a druid).
thank you!
Urban Barbarian is best for dexterity based character builds, so archery. If you want to be a front line standard damage dealer go Invulnerable Rager and use two-handed power attack with either a greatsword or nodachi.
Sea reaver?
Sea Reaver (Archetype)
Not all barbarians hunt forests, plains, and mountains. Some are raiding terrors on the sea and coasts, pillaging those who hoard treasure and pursuing monsters of the deep. Some sea reavers are no more than hunters of the open sea, while others are raiders striking fear into coastal settlements within reach of the sea reavers' longships.Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A sea reaver is not proficient with medium armor.
Marine Terror (Ex): A sea reaver can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to four times her Constitution score. In addition, a sea reaver can move normally though squares of standing water or bog that is 1 foot deep. It does not cost her extra movement to traverse these terrains. Lastly, a sea reaver ignores the normal cover bonus to AC when attacking creatures that are partially immersed in water. This ability replaces fast movement.
Eyes of the Storm (Ex): At 2nd level, a sea reaver ignores any concealment provided by fog, rain, sleet, mist, wind, or other weather effects that is less than total concealment, and any penalties weather applies on Perception checks are halved. This ability replaces uncanny dodge.
Savage Sailor (Ex): At 3rd level, a sea reaver gains a +1 bonus on Acrobatics, Climb, Profession (sailor), Survival, and Swim checks made in aquatic terrain, including aboard a ship or along shorelines. These bonuses improve by +1 every three levels after 3rd. This ability replaces trap sense.
Sure-Footed (Ex): At 5th level, a sea reaver takes no penalties when moving across slick surfaces, whether natural or magical (e.g., grease, ice storm, and sleet storm). She is not at risk of falling, is not denied her Dexterity bonus when moving across such areas, and does not treat them as difficult terrain. This ability replaces improved uncanny dodge.
Rage Powers: The following rage powers complement the sea reaver archetype: bestial leaper, bestial swimmer, come and get me, hurling charge, raging leaper, raging swimmer, rolling dodge, and smasher.
Marine Terror and Eyes of the Storm will definitely be helpful in a sea-faring campaign. Savage Sailor provides nice bonuses to skill checks; if a human, combine it with the alternate racial trait Heart of the Fields (always a good choice for a barbarian, since "once per day they may ignore an effect that would cause them to become fatigued or exhausted;" Profession (Sailor) of course) to really boost the Profession (Sailor) checks (+1/2 character level, on top of the +1/3 barbarian levels from Savage Sailor; you'll likely have the best total bonus, even without a lot of skill ranks).
Urban barbarians do fine on the frontline if they have the dex to level out the ac hit. Makes more of a switch hitter that could be good in the AP you are in. You get a boost to fighting in crowds which, with the ship environment and combat reflexes to make use of dex, could be good. I think you would make a wonderful ship captain. And, to the point above take both and have the DR on top of it.
So if I stack both archetypes, basically I would replace rage with controled rage, still be able to wear Medium armor (proficiency from being an IR), lose fast movement and gain crowd control, Invulnerability and Extreme Endurance?
another question, could I still stack a Totem Warrior archetype to the mix as well to be able to get the beast totem RP chain?
thanks!
P.S: How would I calculate the DR, with total Barbarian levels, no matter what archetype they are?
Why can't I use medium armor if I stack all three archetypes? Urban Barbarian states "not proficient with medium armor" but the other two archetypes don't say anything at all, wouldn't those grant me the base barbarian class proficiencies?
thanks again!
As for stats, I was considering
STR 14(+2 human)= 16
DEX 15
CON 14
INT 10
WIS 11
CHA 10
we use a rather distinct stat system. 78 Points to distribute, from 1 to 13 costs 1/1, from 14 to 16 costs 2/1, 17 costs 3 and 18 costs 4.
Every 4 levels, a +1 to one stat. Every 6 levels, a +1 to all stats.
So the Dr from IR would count all the barbarian levels, no matter what archetype they are?
Why can't I use medium armor if I stack all three archetypes? Urban Barbarian states "not proficient with medium armor" but the other two archetypes don't say anything at all, wouldn't those grant me the base barbarian class proficiencies?Nope. The bolder part is what urban barbarian changes. The other archetypes don't have anything to,do with armor.
So the Dr from IR would count all the barbarian levels, no matter what archetype they are?Yes. They all level,up,together.
I understand. Any changes archetypes do apply to the whole class levels. Understood. I will dip 1 lvl in Oracle (lame curse, Metal Mystery - dance of blades), and oracles are proficient with medium armor. Will I be able to use it then?
any suggestion about stats? thanks again!
If you get an armor proficiency from another class you have it. A level of fighter would give you medium and heavy. Not sure what oracle would do,for you,for,you build. I have little advice for stats. Maybe drop,dex by one and increase Wis and Int by one each. But that is mere preference.
Edit: damn ipad key layout.
1 lvl of oracle (curse - lame) will make me immune to fatigue at Barb8/Oracle1.
"One of your legs is permanently wounded, reducing your base land speed by 10 feet if your base speed is 30 feet or more. If your base speed is less than 30 feet, your speed is reduced by 5 feet. Your speed is never reduced due to encumbrance.
At 5th level, you are immune to the fatigued condition (but not exhaustion)."
"An oracle’s curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle."
thanks for all the answers and advice.
If you get an armor proficiency from another class you have it. A level of fighter would give you medium and heavy. Not sure what oracle would do,for you,for,you build. I have little advice for stats. Maybe drop,dex by one and increase Wis and Int by one each. But that is mere preference.
Edit: damn ipad key layout.
1 lvl of oracle (curse - lame) will make me immune to fatigue at Barb8/Oracle1.
"One of your legs is permanently wounded, reducing your base land speed by 10 feet if your base speed is 30 feet or more. If your base speed is less than 30 feet, your speed is reduced by 5 feet. Your speed is never reduced due to encumbrance.
At 5th level, you are immune to the fatigued condition (but not exhaustion).""An oracle’s curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle."
thanks for all the answers and advice.
Don't do this at all, it's a waste of a level. Further, you don't really need to rage cycle till later when you get some powers that say only once per rage. Beyond that pick up this nifty little item.
You know, you seem rather set on what you want, and you have a good idea of how to go about it, but I have been feeling the urge to suggest this, if only to be contrary: Mad Dog
This archetype trades away your first three levels of rage (yes, harsh for a barbarian to wait until level 4 to rage, but you are a full BAB class with access to martial weapons and power attack at level 1; not too much of a loss), and admittedly it takes up a lot more. But in return, you get an animal companion. This is not the watered down version rangers get, no, you get full druid levels AND selection. That means you can pick any of the oddball creatures laying about.
A quick look at the selection of animal companions, and one choice sticks out as appropriate: Spinosaurus. This dinosaur (do I need to continue? I mean...DINOSAURS!) has a swim speed, three natural attacks, and 18 strength (yes, it is a bit strange that it would start off stronger than you are). It starts out medium and grows to large at level 7, with an additional +8 to its base strength. I have never played Skull and Shackles myself, but doesn't this appear to be a good deal over all?
You know, you seem rather set on what you want, and you have a good idea of how to go about it, but I have been feeling the urge to suggest this, if only to be contrary: Mad Dog
This archetype trades away your first three levels of rage (yes, harsh for a barbarian to wait until level 4 to rage, but you are a full BAB class with access to martial weapons and power attack at level 1; not too much of a loss), and admittedly it takes up a lot more. But in return, you get an animal companion. This is not the watered down version rangers get, no, you get full druid levels AND selection. That means you can pick any of the oddball creatures laying about.
A quick look at the selection of animal companions, and one choice sticks out as appropriate: Spinosaurus. This dinosaur (do I need to continue? I mean...DINOSAURS!) has a swim speed, three natural attacks, and 18 strength (yes, it is a bit strange that it would start off stronger than you are). It starts out medium and grows to large at level 7, with an additional +8 to its base strength. I have never played Skull and Shackles myself, but doesn't this appear to be a good deal over all?
Mad dog looks very interesting, specially when you can have a dinosaur, yes. But I don't know how life on a pirate ship will suit such a companion. Besides, I really like urban barbarian controled rage. Seen too many deaths by rage...
thanks for the idea anyway, hopefully will use it someday.
Don't do this at all, it's a waste of a level. Further, you don't really need to rage cycle till later when you get some powers that say only once per rage. Beyond that pick up this nifty little item.If you get an armor proficiency from another class you have it. A level of fighter would give you medium and heavy. Not sure what oracle would do,for you,for,you build. I have little advice for stats. Maybe drop,dex by one and increase Wis and Int by one each. But that is mere preference.
Edit: damn ipad key layout.
1 lvl of oracle (curse - lame) will make me immune to fatigue at Barb8/Oracle1.
"One of your legs is permanently wounded, reducing your base land speed by 10 feet if your base speed is 30 feet or more. If your base speed is less than 30 feet, your speed is reduced by 5 feet. Your speed is never reduced due to encumbrance.
At 5th level, you are immune to the fatigued condition (but not exhaustion).""An oracle’s curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle."
thanks for all the answers and advice.
Using spell sunder 1/round seems quite enough to me to justify the 1 lvl dip. And that's only one of the good rage powers. You would suggest waiting to lvl 17 to rage cycle, considering I might not have access to the magic item you linked?
thank you for posting.
Using spell sunder 1/round seems quite enough to me to justify the 1 lvl dip. And that's only one of the good rage powers. You would suggest waiting to lvl 17 to rage cycle, considering I might not have access to the magic item you linked?
thank you for posting.
I would not suggest waiting to level 17, but I also think dipping one level of oracle is an unnecessary waste of a level. Barbarians are my favorite class and I familiar with them. Yes, being able to spell sunder every turn is awesome, but it does not justify a 1 level dip when you can have the Cord of Stubborn Resolve. There is virtually no reason why can't have access to that item unless your DM wants to outright forbid it. Even still I might just suggest spending money on potions of Invigorate at 50gp each rather than a level dip if you can't get the cord of stubborn resolve. By the time you get to 8th level the cost of the potions is definitely insignificant and the cost of the belt is workable.
The only reason for the oracle level dip is to rage cycle, search on this forum for rage cycle and you will find all the inventive ways that people have found to do so. Oracle Lame curse was one method, but there are many other ways that wont cause you to lose HP or BAB and basically only get fatigue immunity. Besides which I believe you must also take a level in Rage Prophet to get the curse to scale with you character level, which it normally only scales off of Oracle level.
Using spell sunder 1/round seems quite enough to me to justify the 1 lvl dip. And that's only one of the good rage powers. You would suggest waiting to lvl 17 to rage cycle, considering I might not have access to the magic item you linked?
thank you for posting.
I would not suggest waiting to level 17, but I also think dipping one level of oracle is an unnecessary waste of a level. Barbarians are my favorite class and I familiar with them. Yes, being able to spell sunder every turn is awesome, but it does not justify a 1 level dip when you can have the Cord of Stubborn Resolve. There is virtually no reason why can't have access to that item unless your DM wants to outright forbid it. Even still I might just suggest spending money on potions of Invigorate at 50gp each rather than a level dip if you can't get the cord of stubborn resolve. By the time you get to 8th level the cost of the potions is definitely insignificant and the cost of the belt is workable.
The only reason for the oracle level dip is to rage cycle, search on this forum for rage cycle and you will find all the inventive ways that people have found to do so. Oracle Lame curse was one method, but there are many other ways that wont cause you to lose HP or BAB and basically only get fatigue immunity. Besides which I believe you must also take a level in Rage Prophet to get the curse to scale with you character level, which it normally only scales off of Oracle level.
I admit it's easier just to buy the belt or get the potions, but I have no clue if those will be available in the adventure path I will play, so I rather not risk it. And I prefer 1 lvl in Oracle than 3 in Horizon Walker.
By the way,
""An oracle’s curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle."
If you go Rage Prophet, all class levels give you 1:1 instead, but being oracle is enough.
thanks for the input!
I admit it's easier just to buy the belt or get the potions, but I have no clue if those will be available in the adventure path I will play, so I rather not risk it. And I prefer 1 lvl in Oracle than 3 in Horizon Walker.
By the way,
"An oracle’s curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle."
If you go Rage Prophet, all class levels give you 1:1 instead, but being oracle is enough.
thanks for the input!
Hmmm, I feel like this must have changed since the last time I looked at it. Or maybe I just read it wrong. Either way I'd hold off on the Oracle dip until 8th level when you automatically get the immunity to fatigue. You wont be hurting yourself any by waiting till the last moment. Further, you might find out for certain whether or not you can get access to the Cord of Stubborn Resolve or potions of Invigorate. That way you can avoid dipping unnecessarily.
Hmmm, I feel like this must have changed since the last time I looked at it. Or maybe I just read it wrong. Either way I'd hold off on the Oracle dip until 8th level when you automatically get the immunity to fatigue. You wont be hurting yourself any by waiting till the last moment. Further, you might find out for certain whether or not you can get access to the Cord of Stubborn Resolve or potions of Invigorate. That way you can avoid dipping unnecessarily.I admit it's easier just to buy the belt or get the potions, but I have no clue if those will be available in the adventure path I will play, so I rather not risk it. And I prefer 1 lvl in Oracle than 3 in Horizon Walker.
By the way,
"An oracle’s curse is based on her oracle level plus one for every two levels or Hit Dice other than oracle."
If you go Rage Prophet, all class levels give you 1:1 instead, but being oracle is enough.
thanks for the input!
But by dipping oracle as soon as lvl 3 (right after I get my first Rage power) at least I make some use of the spells I get... at lvl 9, they will be useless. I know it's gonna hurt my BAB and my HP but...
You can't rage and cast spells anyways, and you only have access to first level spells. And only 3 different, one of which will be cure light wounds or inflict light wounds. And you will only be able to cast 3 spells per day. Does your barbarian even have a positive charisma modifier? If not you can't even cast spells. And this is not a silly question since many people will sell charisma on a point buy system to buy up their other abilities.
The Oracle dip is all about fatigue immunity. A level of barbarian is far better than a level or Oracle for you, and if you can wait to find out if you have access to the items mentioned then it would be completely unnecessary.
As well, because of the limited number of spells you get, and the fact that you will have a caster level of only one you should pick up only buff/utility spells. No offensive spells.
Comprehend Languages, Detect Good/Evil/Law/Choas, Detect Undead, Endure Elements, Entropic Shield, Obscuring Mist, and Protection from Good/Evil/Law/Choas are all spells that have great effects and remain useful no matter what level you're at. They're all buffs that require no saves stay relevant independent of level. Personally I'd pick up entropic shield (20% miss chance against ranged attacks including magical rays) and Obscuring Mist (create fog 20 ft radius cloud around you that last for 1 minute).