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Barbarians are my go-to melee class; 4 + Int modifier in skill points (with a solid list of class skills), d12 HD, full BAB, a plethora of rage powers to mix and match in any combination you want, and great opportunities for background stories and personality flavor. Monks are pretty far up on my list as well; Monks are cool.
AC never becomes worthless. There are just as many save-or-lose effects and touch spells available at low levels as there are at high levels. Although I often find that having an AC of larger than 20 to 25 + your level is pretty much unnecessary. Also, +1, KMA.
I offered a taunt mechanic. You didn't say it had to be a good one. :) Antagonize does work quite well when you build to abuse it, though. ;)
An unbreachable armor class is pointless if you can't force the enemy to attack you over your softer, squishier party mates. And as far as I know, there is no taunt/aggro mechanic in Pathfinder (and there should never be). Antagonize?
Characters for example.
Don't underestimate Pushing Assault, with a reach weapon and Combat Reflexes you can keep striking enemies without allowing them to get close enough to strike back, even more so if you invest in ground breaker. But I'd avoid all of the above unless you are using a reach weapon; of which I would likewise recommend the bardiche. Contrary to pipedreamsam, I wouldn't bother with Lightning Reflexes. Deft Dodger, I'm totally behind, but you'll want a bit more out of your feats. Reflex save or lose effects are rare (and often defeatable via spell sunder), and with the barbarian's d12 HD and a good Con, you should be able to soak up the damage with little problem. I'd take either Toughness or Extra Rage Power magic eater or whatever it is called instead if you are worried about Reflex save damage.
With a reach weapon and intent to control the battlefield I would recommend Combat Reflexes if you had a Dex of 14+, preferably 16+, especially if you focus on an AoO build. Yuma is built as a battlefield control barbarian who abuses Combat Expertise and Pushing Assault with a reach weapon. Feel free to peruse for ideas. I would also recommend taking the urban rager archtype alongside invulnerable rager. Controlled rage is excellent to get extra AoO when you need them. Since you want a decent Cha for spells anyway, I would recommend the Intimidation focused rage powers mixed with Dazzling Display. Also, the multiclass with Oracle will definitely help with your Will save, since it is about equivalent to picking up Iron Will. The Indomitable Faith trait will shore it up a bit more since you have no modifier into Wis yet.
Doesn't Combat Expertise require an INT of 13+? Also, if you are taking reckless abandon and being an invulnerable rager then AC won't be top notch as it is, so I'd take that 14 and put it into Wis. Will save will be good to boost; nothing worse than having the party's barbarian dominated. Drop the trip and sunder feats. If you want to do them, just use a reach weapon to avoid the AoOs.
Nimble Moves was added to 5' step about on ground breaker terrain and set up Pushing Assault in any direction needed, or simply to 5' step back in ground breaker terrain to make opponents who want to reach melee need to take a move equivolent action and provoke AoO since they couldn't likewise step to follow. It or Intimidating Prowess would be the first to go, but I'd have to do some math to see if the +13 is going to regularly be good enough for use with Antagonize. I suppose STR could always drop a point or two to move CHA up to a 10 and it would lessen the reliance on Intimidating Prowess...
Second pass on the "battle-field control" barbarian for anyone interested in giving feedback. He's built for level 12 at a 20 point buy (basically PFS). He now has capped Diplomacy as well and Intimidate to maximize options with Antagonize and eat up his remaining skill points and has a decent modifier. That means thes CHA of 7 is really only hurting him when he wants to use Bluff. With no INT based skills and plenty of skill points to hit what is important for him the 8 works fine in INT. Iron Will was unfortunately lost to Antagonize, but he has a positive WIS and Indomitable Faith, and a superstition of +6, so he still has an acceptable +16 vs will saves when raging. Some gear was moved around and he traded in Skill Focus (Intimidate) for Intimidating Presence which only nets 5 instead of 6, but he can allocate his rage to STR to get 7 instead if he really needs the boost. Damage isn't great, but he is more about controlling the flow of movement on the battlefield with numerous tricks to support that talent and if he ever needs to too, he can STR rage, drop the shield, two-handed power attack with his furious keen bardiche and do his share of pain while still sporting a solid AC.
I believe that Yuma should have a speed of 30 ft. I may be mistaken but the +10ft for barabarian should still apply, I think. But he looks like one mean warrior :) Crowd Control from Urban Rager loses Fast Movement and full plate makes him slow. But his job his to stand still and make creatures in combat move around at his whim anyway.
Difficult terrain means no 5' steps without Nimble Moves. Add in a reach weapon to take AoOs on people moving into melee (perhaps via being Antagonize-d) and Pushing Assault/Combat Reflexes and you have a fun time. A friendly caster can drop a fog onto difficult terrain to hamper vision, also increasing movement costs. Oh yeah, ground breaker is purely about creating difficult terrain. Potentially knocking people prone is a nice side-effect, but shouldn't be the purpose for doing so. Knockdown would be better suited to such a task.
Dazzling Display and terrifying howl are good. Ground breaker with a reach weapon and Combat Reflexes work well with Antagonize, Nimble Moves, and/or Pushing Assault. With the above you can force opponenets to move around at your leisure with a decent modifier in Intimidate to either group them up and go nuts with AoE in the form of Great Cleave, or pick them off with AoOs thanks to Combat Reflexes, come and get me, a reach weapon, difficult terrain (ground breaker), and Pushing Assault. Prudent use of combat manuevers can help as well, though the feats to improve these aren't often neccessary with proper planning. Yuma is a "battlefield-/crowd- control" barbarian himself, albiet of of higher level (still a WIP but feel free to take a look).
(Because shields are for pansies and TWF Fighters) I resent that! Although I still am being built.
I built him with the standard 20 points of PFS. It was a tough call on Int. Since I was taking heart of the fields I didn't get skilled, but upon looking over the barbarian class skills list I found that there were only 2 I really cared about having capped (perception and intimidate). I refrained from going down to 7 since I happened to have 2 points left over and, having a social skill and perception, wanted a mobility skill (still might drain a point or to from something to rank up swim and/or climb once each). The MAD aspect of needing all 3 Str, Dex, and Con, as well as an okay Wis was forcing Int and Cha low as it was. Since my armor has a max Dex of +3 I may yet lower my base Dex to raise Cha a modifier and possibly Int back to a 10, but his functionality relies on combat reflexes granting more AoOs that he ould normally get attacks in the round so I don't want it too drop too low. Still a work in progress.
Rough level 12 projection of a battlefield control barbarian. Saving throws are great (all at a +19 or higher while raging). Didn't have room for a few feats wanted (furious focus and antagonize). Thinking of lowering cloak of resistance bonus for more cash-like AC to be a bit higher. Thoughts?
I had not even considered the fear effects. Good idea. I was hoping to lock people into corners or against wall with the effects listed above, creating walls and corners if need be via a friendly spellcaster or someone with a few cheap feather tokens (boats, trees, and anchors have never failed to impress me with their many uses). Hmm...at low levels tanglefoot bags to lock someone down after I've moved them where I want them could be useful too. My only problem was getting to the minimum level where the barebones of the powers/feats can come together and get the lockdowns to start working. I could get the feats I needed quicker by investing in fighter (no more than 3 levels, need that 17th in barbarian, though I think I have heart of the fields already on him), but that would set me back on DR from invulnurable rager and rage powers, which I need fewer of but are vital to the plan...plus come and get me is just awesome. With 3 levels of phalanx fighter I could use a bardiche in 1 hand and still have a shield for defense (I'd be proficient in tower shield, but that'd probably be over doing it), which could help make up AC ground from lunge. Deciding to multiclass is so much harder to decide on than the given it was in 3.X... I'll need to make a level by level build and chart him out to see how to put him together best. Non-casters are so complicated. With a wizard I just have to pick a spell, point, and click. Ironically the barbarian makes me have to think the hardest.
Bear in mind that Superstition doesn't always have to be related to a distrust of magic. It could also just be an inherent quality that makes you highly resilient against magical attack, but is uncontrollable and thus works against beneficial magic as well. Just the same as Spell Sunder doesn't have to be about hitting reality so hard that it breaks, it could also be knowing what makes magic tick inside and out and therefore knowing how to cut through it with a blade through use of expertise instead of awesome. Very true. Flavoring powers to taste is always possible. The barbarian I want to rehome did change the lesser fiend totem into channeling the spirit of the mountain ram. Any thoughts on the merits of a non-ragelancepounce, battle-field control barbarian?
Speaking of barbarians, I need to eventually find a new home for Yuma, since the PbP he was in died a long time ago. He was my attempt at a barbarian who was good at something other than smashing faces into a million pieces Gurren Lagann style. Something more...battle-field controlling, I guess you'd call it. I was going to give him fiend totem to gain ram horns (his tribe's totem spirit) and take the power where you damage the ground to make difficult terrain. Combined with pushing assault, combat reflexes, the feat that allows you to ignore difficult terrain, and a bardiche (maybe lunge as well), he was going to make difficult terrain, and continually push the opponenent back while causing a little bit (well...still raging) damage, forcing them to move rather than 5' stepping (due to terrain) to get back toward the group, provoking AoOs to get pushed back some more with combat reflexes. And of course he'd still have the gore incase enemies got inside of his reach. Barbarians are fun. And far more complicated (to me, at least) than wizards.
"Little Horn" Yuma Ahote, for your consideration. Reason for being in Sandpoint: As an outcast misfit from a wartorn Shoanti clan in the Cinderlands, after leaving home, Yuma is at a loss of where to turn. He spends time alone in the wilds, but that is dangerous for a lone soul, and he'll never regain his honor as a recluse. Large populations make the shy young warrior ill at ease, so he instead turns his attentions to a nearby, sleepy coastal town (Sandpoint), having heard that it contains a small population of "civilized" Shoanti, to try to figure out where he should start on his personal journey and also try to decide what he truly desires out of life. His profile contains a fuller background.
Yuma had been lost in thought for the better part of the day, far from his element. These 'civilized' people mesmerized him. Their culture, their clothing, their personalities was all so far removed from what he was used to back home on the rugged foothills of Varisia. And yet, there was something so familiar about them. Perhaps it was the way that Finik had kept such a grand and ostentatious trophy of their battle. The Shoanti try to honor their hunts by using every peice of an animal, and burning their dead, friend and foes alike, but many do keep teeth or claws as badges as well as a tools, and a few braggarts did find a certian joy in showing off. Or perhaps it was the relationships these people kept. At the same time they seemed to share friendly or family bonds, but were often far from serious with one another, teasing and jesting. These things occupied his mind as he followed the group. Appearently his quietude infringed upon the others. He looks up sheepishly at Finik and sees that there is food an drink about, wondering when it got in front of him. "I was just...thinking. [Little Horn blushes, realizing that he must have been lost ot the world for quiet a while.] So, you've a...mate? [The young barbarian inquires awkwardly, trying to piece together the fragments from what little he paid attention to earlier, not quite sure of the proper terminology for the other man's people if they were not offically wed.]"
This disapeared from my Focus list; redotting
Sorry to see you go, sir. I liked your character.
"We tend to use long, wooden-hafted weapons, they are quick and easy to create with limited materials [-he pats his leather armor inlaid with several horizontal wooden boards-] and we have little iron, and coupled with speed you can keep your opponents at a safe distance. honestly I've never much had the heart for battle. I know what I'm doing with a weapon because of the training all boys receive, but would prefer to be able to lay down my arms if I could. Unfortunately the wilderness can be a hard place to live in harmony wife, and the spirit of the ram honors battle prowess." Yuma feels the edge of Fisnis' sword with his thumb. It looked thick and heavy, but was sharp. He wondered what it would feel like to swing such blade. He pulled his own weapon and spun it a few times remembering how it felt to wield it with the intent to wound and kill the day before. The thought of what he was capable of when channeling the totem spirits sent shivers up his spine. "Do you...do you need to draw your blade often? You fight like you are practiced."
Awesome. I was afraid I wasn't going to get to keep playing Yuma.
Yuma nods as they wander the forest. He didn't often reminisce pleasantly about his recent past and today wouldn't be much different. "My people are trained from their youngest days to be warriors, and little more. Despite most peoples' views that this is a savage and wild life there are strict customs and rituals to observe. Though I guess I should say that not all of us agree with how things are done. Some of us do not distrust outlanders as much as others and practice diplomacy, though we are rare, and there are even a few of us that have learned to like 'civilized' arts and literature. I guess that not all tribes are the same; I hear that some Shoanti clans regularly deal with the Varisians and Chelish, but that is not my f- that is not the way of the Sklar-Quah. But what of yourself, you carry a massive blade? A weapon of all steel like that is not made lightly, it is intended for specific targets, yes?"
There's not been a post in the IC thread since Tuesday; I would've posted, but Yuma doesn't have much to add at the moment as a shy foreigner in a strange (to him) land. Are we still playing? I was enjoying the group.
Yuma quietly accepts his share. He was unsure about taking money for killing; it felt a bit like pillaging to him, but it wouldn't do anyone any good just sitting out there. He was eager to continue their mission before more people fell ill or died. "We should hurry on. [He suggests quietly.]"
Once shaking off his battle fatigue Little Horn stands and nods to Lokti. "I'll be fine; after a moon or two. [Yuma forces a smile to Finik who takes such pleasure in combat and the death of his enemies. With that axe of his he'd fit in back home.]" Yuma moves over to the fallen minotuar and stares at its mangled body, before dropping his head and uttering a prayer to the spirit of the ram, surpressing the pain from the attack he had taken. Once finished he turns back to the group. "This beast was a warrior. I think it should be honored with a proper burning." Horned and hooved animals were revered in Little Horn's culture, even when standing between a tribesman and life they should be treated with respect. He still has having a hard time believing that he participated in such bloodshed and tries not to look at the bugbear corpses.
Breathing heavily Yuma comes to his senses and assesses the carnage around him. He couldn't believe that he had contributed to such damage. Exhausted, he slumps to the ground, realizing that during his furious rage he had been wounded, but that it has been partially healed. Groggily trying to remember the details of the battle he turns to Razz. "Thank you."
AC 13, HP 9/17, Rage 4th round of 6 Yuma snarls in pain as the morningstar crashes into him. He has felt little in his life of comparable pain. Letting the anger take him he roars and strikes back with reckless abandon.
AoOs, in order, if needed:
AC 13, HP 17/17, Rage: 3rd round of 6
AoOs, in order, if needed:
GM:
Yuma uses a reach weapon, he needs to be 10' from his targets. He's been put adjacent to L8.
AoOs, in order, if needed (loves me some reach weapon)::
AC 13, HP 17/17 (Rage included)
AoOs, in order if needed; power attacking:
Thinking back to his boyhood training Yuma reaches deep within himself and channels the indomitable spirit of the ram. His muscles bulge and the world becomes a blur as his consciousness and reason drifts up and away and he becomes fully focused on battle. He seems to be watching from outside himself as he roars and his personality takes a dramatic and dangerous shift.
Yuma twitches uncomfortably at the burning of the body that his party had slain. It could use weapons. It was intelligent. It probably had friends and family in with its people. And he had helped to kill it. The thought made him nearly as nauseous as the smell of the burning flesh. It made the barbarian feel even worse that he mourned the passing of an enemy rather than celebrated like most among his people. If possible he felt even more distant from the family he had left behind. Little Horn sleeps poorly that night, mulling over recent events and jotting down his feelings in poetic verse in his personal tome when he couldn't get any decent rest.
The following day Yuma stops short in their travels as he sees more beasts ahead. He attempts to pull off into the foliage before any potential enemy notices him.
"Danger ahead. More beast men. Bugbears, Ghadame called them. [He whispers to any group member that doesn't appear to notice.]" Horned creatures are revered in Little Horn's tribe, who worship the spirit of the ram, and as he sees the minotaur he tries to recall any stories he may have heard about the powerful looking brutes.
Yuma just stares at the...thing that attacked while he retrieves his javelin. He had often viewed death and gore on the steppe when warriors from his tribe returned from battle, but had never personally taken part. It was an unsettling feeling. "It used weapons. Like a warrior. Why would a single warrior willingly attack such a large group of armed combatants, even at night? Are these beasts a common menace here?" Little Horn turns to Lokti, looking concerned. "I haven't been trained in medicine and healing, but I've seen enough doctoring to help someone who is."
The barbarian nods, distant, in appreciation as the spell of protection is placed over him. He feels a comforting warmth, but the focus his senses are reserved on the enemy. After his toss, Yuma is incredulous for a moment as his javelin strikes home. He had never before in his life needed to attack another living thing with the intent to seriously wound or kill, and yet the action came some readily for him that it was almost instinctive and reflexive. Without spending any more time in hesitation Little Horn grips his poleaxe and rushes foward, attempting to remember his boyhood training, and releasing a savage howl more to steel himself then frighten a foe.
Yuma Ahote awakens quickly as the alarm is raised, and climbs to his feet, scrabbling for his nearby gear.
"I've no problem being on the first or last watch, but my eyes aren't sharp enough to see well during the darker hours of the night without a bright fire." Returning to the group successful Yuma eats his portion in relative silence. Seeing that Lokti found nothing on his foray he gladly shares some of his surplus with the grippli. While consuming his end of day meal Yuma finds a spot a bit away from the group, though still within sight, and leans up against a tree. He'll pull out a mostly empty book with a quill and inkwell and start scribbling away the poetry he is fond of.
"How exactly did you two earn such a negative reception in your own town? [The brothers seemed friendly enough, if far less reserved than the barbarian himself.] Which direction do we need to head? I'm not familiar with this area." Little horn waits for someone to take the lead, following when they do so.
"Is there is a stable in town where we can rent some mounts? I don't have nearly enough coin on me to purchase a horse, but since we are in a hurry to save the town perhaps the stablemaster will see how haste is important for everyone's well being and let us borrow a few. [Yuma suggests, understanding most people aren't as swift on foot as those of the steppe.]"
"You and I both, Lokti. [Little Horn agrees softly in Sylvan before looking at the half orc and responding in Taldane Common.] That would explain the foul taste. I did not expect a medicine woman to deal in concoctions not safe for consumption, even if she did not create them. And was not aware of another way to understand a brew's effects. I have no magical talents myself. I must admit [-he continued once out of earshot of the apothecary shop-] I don't think I must care for that woman. Do these people honestly charge for relief from deadly illness like the devil worshiping Chelish? She seemed to be holding a great amount of wealth for a healer."
After tasting a drop of each and feeling a small spark of magical energy, cluing his keen senses into their functions, Little Horn holds up the vials, seperated by color. "These three will magically knit shallow wounds. And this will shield one's body like armor. [Yuma wrinkles his nose with distaste.] I don't think this last one was intended to be swallowed, or whatever spirit speaker who brewed it didn't add something necessary. [He takes a big drink from his waterskin to wash the taste away.] Perhaps we should split these up amongst us before we head into the wilderness?"
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