Is Smasher Worth it (barbarian rage power)

[w01fe01]

I see this ability, and all i can think is the times id enjoy using it...but even i must admit, its obviously of some limited use.

so id love to hear peoples opinions,a nd if possible, success stories of using this ability.

[Grizzly the Archer]

I recommend it on the main chance your a sunder type barbarian. Otherwise, not as much use.

Depending on how your DM rules the wording, spell sunder can't sunder a wall of force or some select spells/or SLA. Wall of force has a 30 hardness. Even if you have an adamantine weapon some say it doesn't reduce it to 10 hardness, others say it does. Smasher ignores all that and lets a barbarian through pure damage, not an ability dispel or reduction but pure force cut through it.

I have used smasher for hacking my way through a wall to go around a door, quite a few times. You can sunder their weapons/shields without worrying about the hardness of it. You will still need to have a higher enhancemement bonus than them to even do so, but still worth it.

As for when, take it later. Early use might have a few benefits but not enough to warrant early access to it. Save it for later levels. Pick up spell sunder rage power to work in some conjunction with this for those rare occasions. Plus spell sunder is an amazing rage power. One of the best you can get, if not the best.

[Diego Rossi]

Grizzly, Adamantine don't reduce a item hardness.
It allow you to bypass the hardness of items with less than 20 hardness.

PRD wrote:

Adamantine: Mined from rocks that fell from the heavens, this ultrahard metal adds to the quality of a weapon or suit of armor. Weapons fashioned from adamantine have a natural ability to bypass hardness when sundering weapons or attacking objects, ignoring hardness less than 20 (see Additional Rules)

It allow you to ignore any hardness up to 19. When you get to a item with an hardness of 20 or more you apply the full hardness.

And the thing about needing a equal or higher enhancement bonus to sunder a weapon or armor was a 3.X remnant that was removed from the CRB several versions ago.

[Mortag1981]

I was highly considering it for the Sunder fighter I'm building (Figured taking a few levels of Barbarian would be cool). However, the more I think about it, the more I think just going with an Adamantine weapon is the way to go. Until you can rage cycle, Smasher just seems underwhelming. Of course, once you adamantine weapons, you really shouldn't need more than one hit anyway.