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Hi everyone. I need some help fast!
I kinda new to Pathfinder and I got to make a lv 2 Invulnerable Rager Barbarian for a Adventure campaign starting in like 12 hrs. (And no I never played/build a Barbarian before
I need help coming up with stats spread, feats and traits...etc to lv 10+
Some details/ideals on my character,
Invulnerable Rager Barbarian
25 point build
Race: Human
2 handed Weapon (Greatsword)
Feats at lv 1 are Endurance and Diehard (For a hard to kill Barbarian, and to compensate for no spell healing in battle.)
Rage Powers at lv 2, could be Superstition
Should I go with a default Power Attack, Cleave, Renewed Vigor and Increased Damage Reduction? Aka Damage dealer with a lot of DR.
Or should I go with Intimidating feat, Intimidating Glare and Terrifying Howl
PLEASE HELP!
Don't really have any barbarian experience myself, but this is how I see it:
Go with maximum damage. Take Power Attack ASAP (i.e. level 1). Go for Greater Beast Totem so you get Pounce at level 10. With this, you can full-attack nearly any round, making using any actions on Intimidating a total waste of time.
If I would play a 25-point barbarian, my personal build would look something like this:
Stats:
STR 18 (16 + 2 race) - all increases here
DEX 14
CON 16
INT 12
WIS 10
CHA 8
Rage Powers: 2- Superstition, 4- Lesser Beast Totem, 6-Beast Totem, 8- Witch Hunter, 10- Greater Beast Totem, 12- Come and Get me
Feats: Definitely get Power Attack ASAP. I'd take it at level 1, but you can probably make do with level 3. With rage and a 2handed weapon you'll probably one-hit most things at the first few levels anyway. I'm not a big fan of Cleave, but it seems somewhat popular, so I may be underestimating it. The only feat besides Power Attack which I would get in any case is Raging Vitality so being knocked below 0 HP won't outright kill you at the higher levels.
Other than that, get Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus, maybe Improved Critical and one or more Extra Rage Power feats as needed. If you can get your Hands on Mithral Full Plate, Heavy Armor Proficiency would be a good idea.
Oh, and by the way if you want an optimized character, the Falchion is a better weapon than the Greatsword in the long run.
Hope that helps.
Furious Focus is extremely important for anyone using two-handed weapons. It gets rid of the -atk from the first attack when using Power Attack.
Raging vitality gives you are few more hit points, and allows you to rage while unconscious, it might be useable in place of endurance and diehard.
Superstition isn't that good at level 2, its the same bonus, and doesn't stack with, your will bonus from raging, and your fort save and ref save at that point will be very high. Later on Superstition is a pretty big deal.
Grabbing Lesser Beast Totem at 2 isn't a bad idea, when you have so little to-hit bonus (at low levels) and things have so few hit points, 2 attacks at 1d6+4 might be better then one attack at 2d6+6. The greatsword will still be worthwhile to keep around though, cause you dont have many rounds of rage yet.
Furious Focus is good, but it's only a +1 bonus until level 5, and only a +2 bonus till level 9, so no rush in taking it.
Besides switching the lvl 2 and lvl 4 powers, Blave's order on rage powers is what I took on my barb. You need Combat Reflex's for Come and Get Me to be worth it. Otherwise grabbing more rage power through feats isn't a bad plan, Roused Anger, Moment of Clarity, Reckless Abandon, and Increased Damage Reduction are all pretty cool.
Furious Focus is extremely important for anyone using two-handed weapons. It gets rid of the -atk from the first attack when using Power Attack.
Furious Focus is a nice feat, that's true. However, note that for the first 4 levels, Weapon Focus is simply better (+1 to your first Power Attack vs +1 to ALL your attacks) and between level 6 and 8 both feats are almost equal (+2 to the first atack vs +1 to all attacks).
Remember that you can always get additional attacks from AoOs or Haste, so having a bonus to all attacks can actually be better than negating the penalty on the first atack. Furious Focus also doesn't work if you (for whatever reasons) don't use Power Attack. And the first attack might be negated by concealment, no matter how good the attack bonus is.I wouldn't get Furious Focus before level 5, and you can even easily delay it to 9 or later.
I'd only take it if I have a feat to spare. Which might or might not be the case. I don't like characters without magic so I never really thought about Barbarian builds much.
@Andy Ferguson: Funny, I never realized that Superstition doesn't stack with the Will bonus of Rage. But you are of course right. In this case, I'd probably delay it to level 4, too.
Furious Focus is extremely important for anyone using two-handed weapons. It gets rid of the -atk from the first attack when using Power Attack.Furious Focus is a nice feat, that's true. However, note that for the first 4 levels, Weapon Focus is simply better (+1 to your first Power Attack vs +1 to ALL your attacks) and between level 6 and 8 both feats are almost equal (+2 to the first atack vs +1 to all attacks).
Remember that you can always get additional attacks from AoOs or Haste, so having a bonus to all attacks can actually be better than negating the penalty on the first atack. Furious Focus also doesn't work if you (for whatever reasons) don't use Power Attack. And the first attack might be negated by concealment, no matter how good the attack bonus is.I wouldn't get Furious Focus before level 5, and you can even easily delay it to 9 or later.
I'd only take it if I have a feat to spare. Which might or might not be the case. I don't like characters without magic so I never really thought about Barbarian builds much.
@Andy Ferguson: Funny, I never realized that Superstition doesn't stack with the Will bonus of Rage. But you are of course right. In this case, I'd probably delay it to level 4, too.
Don't trust a thing he says. He's bluffing. "To Blave"
Sorry, couldn't help myself. Really, what the others are saying is spot on. Many of the rage powers and feats really start to get good between level 4 and 6. Stick with the bread and butter for now (Power Attack, etc.)
Don't trust a thing he says. He's bluffing. "To Blave"
What the...? oO
^^
Are we in your mind yet, freaking you out?
Also about the weapon, while a greatsword isn't bad, it's middle of the road. There are some nice 2 handed weapons with a x3 or x4 threat range, and there is the falchion which has a 18-20 crit range. I use an earthbreaker (2d6 20/x3) on my dwarven barbarian, and lemme tell you do 90+ on a critical is sweet. Though there are a lot of magical greatswords, so being middle of the road doesn't suck.
Are we in your mind yet, freaking you out?
Also about the weapon, while a greatsword isn't bad, it's middle of the road. There are some nice 2 handed weapons with a x3 or x4 threat range, and there is the falchion which has a 18-20 crit range. I use an earthbreaker (2d6 20/x3) on my dwarven barbarian, and lemme tell you do 90+ on a critical is sweet. Though there are a lot of magical greatswords, so being middle of the road doesn't suck.
Eh, 10% chance of 90 points of damage or 30% chance of 60? I think I'd rather have them more often. Especially with hit thresholds.
For a class with little "must have" feats, I'd go with the falchion. Grab Improved Critical at 9, Critical Focus at 11 and Staggering Critical at 13. It works on every critical hit for at least one round and being staggered will greatly reduce the damage output of your enemy. If you are lucky, you might even crit and stagger him on your first come and get my attack, thus interrupting his full-attack.
Sounds useful if you ask me.
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Are we in your mind yet, freaking you out?
SO MUCH INFORMATION!!!! *Pass out
Endurance and Diehard
Firstly, is Endurance and Diehard at lv 1 a really bad choice? (I am taking them, due to Superstition later. If I don't get unconscious, I would have to worry about losing my rage right?)
Also I wanted to make a "You can't kill me" Barbarian. Or at least my character believes so.)Raging vitality
Ok, I know this is a 2 feats vs 1 feat argument, and I do like the +2 to con. But is Raging vitality really better then the Endurance and Diehard combo? You still become unconscious and therefore out of the fight right?
Lesser Beast Totem, 6-Beast Totem, 10- Greater Beast Totem
The Beast Totem tree seems really good later on and I did consider taking it, BUT since I am going for Superstitious at say lv 4, is it not better that I take Rage power that keeps me alive longer? Like Renewed Vigor and Increased Damage Reduction?
The fear I have is that I will be "wasting" Rage powers if I go the Beast Totem route. "Wasting" as in there are better options, not that the Beast Totem tree is bad.
For example, Beast Totem gives a natural AC boost, but that could be achieved using items at the same levels. Lesser Beast Totem does nothing to benefit a 2hdw Bar and while Greater Beast Totem is good, will my character even be alive by then?
Also on an extra note, I am thinking of taking Reckless Abandon. So I am not sure if I should focus on increasing my AC much...
Furious Focus is extremely important for anyone using two-handed weapons. It gets rid of the -atk from the first attack when using Power Attack.
Weapon Focus is simply better
Ok here is where I am facing a dilemma. I am not sure what weapons I will pick up during the adventure. I am starting with a greatsword, but what if say a magical greataxe appear later on? Won't Furious Focus better if the weapon of choice may be different as the Adventure moves along?
making using any actions on Intimidating a total waste of time
I was thinking of Intimidating, due to me noticing that some Rage Powers like Intimidating Glare and more importantly the Terrifying Howl and Dazzling Display combo seems to make a Barbarian a great debuffer.
Here is what I "currently" have in mind:
Stats:
STR 18 (16 + 2 race) - all increases here
DEX 14
CON 16
INT 8
WIS 12
CHA 10
NOTE: Stats are NOT optimized, they reflect what the character ideal is. A little not so bright, but have some willpower and does not look a lump of poo.
Rage Powers: 2- Renewed Vigor, 4- Superstition, 6- Strength Surge, Lv7 (Via Feat)- Reckless Abandon (or at lv 6), 8- Increased Damage Reduction, 10- Increased Damage Reduction, 12- Come and Get me
Feats: 1- Endurance, H- Diehard, 3- Power attack, 5- Toughness(over raging vitality) 7- Cleave Or Extra Rage Power, 9- Improved Critical, 11- Critical Focus, 13- Staggering Critical
On the feats I am thinking of just making myself as tough -hp wise and then only go the Improved Critical route at later levels, when my weapon of choice is more "fix".
here is my stat suggestion
Stats:
STR 18 (16 + 2 race) - all increases here
DEX 14
CON 16
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 7
you can look however the hell you want, regardless of charisma.
you can just as easily fluff away that low charisma as the fact you are an abrasive warmonger and a bloodthirsty masochist.
the problem with judging appearance based on a stat is that different cultures have different standards. and i don't beleive charisma affects appearance at all (or that i should) because different cultures have different standards. and making a single stat govern appearance would be a generalization based upon a single standard.
some women like a more rugged man, like a low charisma barbarian for example, because they have a curiosity about what the savage can perform in the bedroom.
no matter what your charisma, the lifestyle of a barbarian (or most warriors for that matter) does not lend itself to your desired softer features. and few people want to talk to a 'savage'. they might hire the savage to protect thier home. but they are sure as heck not going to hire a fop for the guard role.
i see tying charisma to appearance as a way to cop out of the roleplay.
Don't trust a thing he says. He's bluffing. "To Blave"What the...? oO
^^
It's from the Princess Bride, but maybe you knew that and I can't understand ^^ and oO.
Secane, I hope you got it worked out. Don't worry so much about it. Barring actually dying, what order you take those feats in isn't going to matter all that much by 5th level or so. Although, I'd still stick with raging vitality. Either way, as long as you survive 1st level, you don't really need to pin it all down tonight. Good Luck.
@Secane: I was at work and couldn't post so this probably comes too late. I'll write it down anyway in case you can still change a few things or simply for future reference.
Note: I won't discuss our roleplaying. You know better than I what you want to play. I'm talking strictly "optmization" here.
*casts wall of text*
1. If your Barbarian concept is "You can't kill me!", you should have said said so. You only asked for general barbarian advice, which usually boils down to the "Me smash! You dead!" concept. ;)
That being said, for your concept (if you still want to follow it) the feats and rage powers you chose are good. Note however, that a barbarian will NEVER be resilient enough to make it truely work. Your DR can somewhat negate the lack of AC, but many things like elemental damage and magic will still hurt you. The Barbarian is among the best damage dealer in the game and simply kills his foe before he suffers (too) much damage himself.
2. Not sure what you mean when you say you take Diehard due to Superstition. Superstiton doesn't make you immune to healing, it just forces you to save against healing effects which means half healing most of the time. And there's always still a chance that you fail the save anyway.
3. Diehard vs Raging Vitality: If you are at a decent level (about 8+) and drop below 0 HP while raging, you most likely die unless you have either one of the feats. If you have any of those feats, your rage persists (unless you run out of rounds, of course), giving your party time to heal you.
Diehard has the advantage of keeping you conscious, so you could drink a potion. However, since you are staggered, that will most likely take 2 rounds (one to get the potion, and one to drink) and provoke an AoO which might kill you before any healing is done. Not to mention that staying conscious and moving will still make you a target for your enemy, who might just finish you off before you can do anything at all. Also, it's a two feat investment (and really, Endurance won't be of any use 95% of the time).
Raging Vitality will also keep you alive, but unconscious. As I just said, this most likely means your enemy won't see you as a thread anymore and leave you alone. Its CON bonus also makes it harder to drop you below 0 HP. This feat will always have some benefit whenever you are raging (i.e. pretty much every combat), so I'd take it over Diehard anytime even it wasn't for the wasted Endurance feat.
4. Beast Totem tree vs other rage powers: Again, Superstitious won't prevent you from being healed. And personally, I'd list Beast Totem's AC bonu as a "keeps me alive" power. Yes, Lesser Beast Totem is nothing to write home about (still more useful than endurance :P ), but the other two are totally worth it. Greater BT should allow you to drop most enemies in 2 rounds. And dead enemies won't hurt you. Promise.
Beast Totem grants you a bonus to your natural armor, NOT an enhancement bonus. As such, it stacks with pretty much everything including Amulets of Natural armor.
Oh, and if you take Reckless Abandon, you can actually use Beast Totem's AC bonus to completely negate RA's AC penalty while still getting the attack bonus. And if you are fighting things that you can hit without RA, you even have a nice boost to your AC from BT.
5. If you specialize in a single weapon and your GM won't allow you to get a good weapon of that kind, you should REALLY talk to him. Yot giving you your weapon of choice would be like giving the Archer only magic Crossbows or only handing out scrolls of the Wizard's opposed schools. GMs shouldn't do that.
Oh, and if you find a decent weapon of a different kind, you might want to hold on to it anyway so you have a little diversity for overcoming DR or exploiting weaknesses. Having a Weapon Focus doesn't mean you can't use any other weapons.
6. Intimidate: Did I mention that dead enemies won't hurt you and thus don't need to be debuffed...? ;) Seriously though, max your Intimidate score so you have something to do on the rare occations when you can't attack effectively (enemy out of range or something) but DON'T waste feats or rage powers on it. 99% of the time, you'll have better things to do, trust me.
7. Your build looks ok. It's playable, it just doesn't really use the barbarian's true powers. Can't really say much about the individual feats and rage powers without repeating myself. So I'll just stop here.
And sorry for the lengthy post.
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Thanks for the reply Blave.
First some info. This relates to answer 5.
The Adventure is the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path.
So with that said, my DM will most likely stick with the given items and I just won't possibly know what I will be getting!
More importantly I am not sure which weapon to place Feats into! (I use a greatsword now... but EVERYONE seems to say Falchion...)
So which Weapon do I focus on? and what are the feats needed?
After playing the first round on the game, I will mostly likely not take the Superstition Rage power, due to the fact that our healer is also a serious buffer and he needs to be able to cast spells on me!
I am taking the Beast Totem tree. After talking to my fellow players it seems better for the party. (I am the only melee char, and more DPS seems better!)
As 3. Diehard vs Raging Vitality, I agree with you. After trying out Diehard, I am going to swap them for Raging Vitality and Toughness instead. (Still in character, but much better for the long term.
The only problem I have now, is the default Barbarian vs Invulnerable Rager question. Which is better to take? What are the pros and cons?
Thanks again for all your help!
Weapon Focus is kind of a trap feat(it doesn't scale up, +1 to hit is a big deal at level 2, less cool at level 12), and improved critical isn't available until level 9. Those are the two weapon dependent feats you might take, so just see if you end up with a cool magic weapon before level 9, if you do, grab improved critical, if you dont, skip it.
Superstition is a pretty good power, and wont affect buffs placed in the first round, if you go last. If people are hitting you with buffs after the first round it might not be wise. Just make sure some of those buffs help your saves, or you're going to get hit with a spell that will take you out of the fight.
Invulnerable Rager can be flanked and sneak-attacked but takes less damage from every weapon that hits him. I've not run Serpent's Skull (but I think it will be the next path we run) so I dont know how prevalent rogues and groups of people are, but Invulnerable Rager is pretty good. Invulnerable Rager also get's endure elements, which may help with some of the surviving the jungle stuff, just take hot climate option.
Ooh, I can actually help here. I just finished the 1st part of SS and I can say without giving away too much that superstition is going to be helpful. Like AF said, just let your healer buff you before you rage. Beast Totem is pretty sweet, but you're gonna need some will save help. You could go with Iron Will, but that's not gonna help against spells that require Fort or Ref saves, and it's not gonna scale. I'll also echo AF and say invulnerable rager is a good choice, too.
You'll probably get through the 1st 4 levels during Souls for Smuggler's Shiv, so plan accordingly. That's, what, two feats (three if human) and two rage powers? I guess you have some decisions to make, but it looks like you're on the right track.
The Adventure is the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path.
So with that said, my DM will most likely stick with the given items and I just won't possibly know what I will be getting!
More importantly I am not sure which weapon to place Feats into! (I use a greatsword now... but EVERYONE seems to say Falchion...)
So which Weapon do I focus on? and what are the feats needed?
Don't know anything about Serpent Skull and can't help you there. But you really should be able to either find your chosen weapon (your GM could easily change a greataxe you are supposed to find into another weapon) or be able to buy it. Also, talk to your party and see if anyone has some ranks in craft or plans to take crafting feats. And the reason why everyone recommends the falchion is the simple fact that the Falchion is the best two-handed martial weapon in the game.
As for which feats used to focus on a weapon type, you are pretty much restricted to Weapon Focus and Improved Critical. Note that I only said Weapon Focus is better than Furious Focus most of the time. I did NOT say WF is necessary to play a barbarian (it's not). So if you really think you can't decide for some time, simply don't take the feat. I would however recommend Improved Critical at level 9, especially if you use a falchion. It'll greatly improve your damage and allow you to use the critical feats effectively.
After playing the first round on the game, I will mostly likely not take the Superstition Rage power, due to the fact that our healer is also a serious buffer and he needs to be able to cast spells on me!
What kind of character is he and what spells is he going to use regularly? Most classes are best played with only one buff spell per encounter (two at most). As the others have said, it's easy to delay your first action so you rage after the buff.
Superstition will REALLY improve your saves and your survivability. It's a great Rage Power and shouldn't be dismissed lightly!I am taking the Beast Totem tree. After talking to my fellow players it seems better for the party. (I am the only melee char, and more DPS seems better!)
Good choice! :) It starts a bit slow but you won't regret getting Greater Beast Totem!
The only problem I have now, is the default Barbarian vs Invulnerable Rager question. Which is better to take? What are the pros and cons?
I'd go with the Invulnerable Rager. Losing uncanny dodge is not such a big deal. Most melee classes survive just fine without it. And they don't get your Damage Reduction.
Losing Trap Sense for some minor Elemental Resistence is a decent deal. Neither ability is likely to save your hide very often but in general suffering elemental damage (take fire resistence unless your AP is far to the north) will happen more often. In fact, if your party's rogue (or other form of scout) is doing his job, you should hardly trigger any traps at all.Come to think of it, Serpent Skull plays in the Jungle, doesn't it? The permanent Endure Elements effect of the Invulnerable Rager might actually save you from becoming fatigued due to the heat (thoughI don't know if jungle counts as hot condition) which would prevent you from raging.
Weapon Focus is kind of a trap feat(it doesn't scale up, +1 to hit is a big deal at level 2, less cool at level 12
I disagree here. Sure, a Barbarian shouldn'd need a +1 to attack to hit with his first attack at level 12, but what about his iterative attacks? With pounce, he will get of Full-Attacks VERY often, and for the third attack which is made at a -10 penalty, WF can be quite helpful. As such, it DOES (kinda) scale in level or at least retains its usefulness all the way up to level 20.
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Raging vitality gives you are few more hit points, and allows you to rage while unconscious, it might be useable in place of endurance and diehard.
IMO one is out of their minds to play a barb without RV. (I wouldn't say that you have to take it at 1st level, but I usually do.)
And consider a dwarf for barbarian because they're just so gosh damn good at it and fun to play -- you can have saves as high as a paladin (and so you don't have to waste rage powers on garbage like Superstition when Reckless Abandon is what you really want). Don't worry about DR either, because in a few measly levels you'll have more hitpoints than Gorum himself.
dwarf 25pt-buy
STR:16 (20 raging)
DEX:16
CON+17 (15 pre-racial; 23 raging w/Raging Vitality))
INT:10
WIS+14 (12 pre-racial; +4 will save raging)
CHA-05 (7 pre-racial)
Build: barbarian (drunk brute, brutal pugilist) / fighter (weapon master)
00 traits: Heirloom Weapon (large waraxe), Berserker of the Society
-- As a dwarf with waraxe proficiency, Heirloom is still a good trait for you. You'll be taking the trait bonus to attack. Purchase Masterwork Transformation NPC spellcasting in town.
01 barb1: Raging Vitality
-- Rule #1: don't die at 1st level. Or 2nd level or 3rd level.
02 barb2: Reckless Abandon
-- Rule #2: hit your opponent
03 figh1: Power Attack, Quickdraw
-- Rule #3; hit your opponent when he's not near you. Also re-ready two-handers after swigging potions or rotgut.
04 figh2: CON>18, Furious Focus
05 figh3: (Weapon Training +1), Steel Soul
06 figh4: Vital Strike
07 barb3: Weapon Focus:Waraxe or Lunge or Improved Initiative
08 barb4: STR>17, Quick Reflexes (Reckless Abandon becomes +2)
some mid-level equipment: +1/Furious large waraxe (2d8; 3d8 when Enlarged; 6d8 when Vital Striking while Enlarged), mithril breastplate of agile moves, Gloves of Dueling, cracked pale green prism Ioun stone, MW STR+5 composite longbow, Grappler's Mask, Belt of Physical Perfection +2, Haversack completely filled with 12-packs of Enlarge Person potions.
Result: you have crazy high STR, CON and DEX. You wear armor only one step off full plate (+9 base DEX/armor combo) but have check penalties like a rogue (zero check on climb/jump, and only -1 on anything else).
Tactics: you are the master of the move-and-one-shot-bomb attack with your massive waraxe (finding potions of Lead Blades is even better). Full attacks are nice, but there are way too many ways to screw you out of them -- so don't hyper-focus a build on getting them.
Combat: you carry a potion of Enlarge Person in one hand and your waraxe in the other; make Perception checks and are not surprised; drink potion (move via Drunken Brute) and then ready weapon (swift via Quickdraw); do not rage -- the neat thing about this trick is that your AC remains high on the enemy's first attack (then it drops precipitously on your next turn when you rage as Enlarge kicks in).
Other misc. cruft:
* Don't waste your time with Intimidate if you're a low-CHA barbarian unless you're a half-orc and/or prepared to blow a feat on Intimidating Prowess, and have a feat-chain in mind that requires shaken enemies to function. Otherwise, it is seriously the biggest waste of skill points ever if there is anything else you even slightly want. (Intimidate is what cavaliers, paladins and rogues should be taking.) As a ground-pounder with big bomb weapon weapon attacks, you'd rather the enemy didn't get scared and run away from you (general rule: the only things that will be scared of you are those you can easily beat anyway).
* Do max out Acrobatics and Perception. Keep Knowledge Dungeoneering and Knowledge Nature decent unless someone else is seriously covering the roles. You need exactly 1pt in each of Swim and Climb. If you have lots of skill points, consider dumping the excess into Stealth if you're a high-DEX barbarian and then take point along with the rogue -- the faster you can throw down your potions of Enlarge the better.
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Falchion is the best two-handed martial weapon in the game
Is this due to its critical range? and how improve critical can extend it to 15-20?
Or is there some other combo I am not seeing here?What kind of character is he and what spells is he going to use regularly? Most classes are best played with only one buff spell per encounter (two at most). As the others have said, it's easy to delay your first action so you rage after the buff.
Superstition will REALLY improve your saves and your survivability. It's a great Rage Power and shouldn't be dismissed lightly!
He is playing 3.5's cloistered cleric with a lvl in Bard and going to be some kind of Super Singing Cleric with a certain 3.5 feat that let him stacks Cleric lvls with Bard's when in comes to Performance and some other stuff...
Told me that its better if I lay off Superstition.
ALSO, I am the ONLY melee character. There are only 3 of us and the 3rd player is a Wizard.... meaning I will be the one walking into any traps, monsters, etc. He wants to be able to heal me when I need it. :P
As for multi-classing, I thought about it and while I know it will be much better from a optimization point of view, I just want to go pure Barbarian, coz I love RPing him. :)
Will the cleric be using 3.5 spells (or 3.5 versions of certain spells) and 3.5 feats?
Falchion is the best two-handed martial weapon in the gameIs this due to its critical range? and how improve critical can extend it to 15-20?
Or is there some other combo I am not seeing here?
Yes, it's the higher Crit range.
Besically, since bonus damage (from strength, power attack, weapon enchantment and so on) is mutliplied on a crit, the higher crit range of the falchion allows it to outperform the other 2handed weapons.I asked for the details myself some time ago and got a nice explanaition from Charender. You can read it here: LINK
He is playing 3.5's cloistered cleric with a lvl in Bard and going to be some kind of Super Singing Cleric with a certain 3.5 feat that let him stacks Cleric lvls with Bard's when in comes to Performance and some other stuff...
Told me that its better if I lay off Superstition.
ALSO, I am the ONLY melee character. There are only 3 of us and the 3rd player is a Wizard.... meaning I will be the one walking into any traps, monsters, etc. He wants to be able to heal me when I need it. :P
Well, neither the buffing Bard Songs nor Channel Energy require a save. If he just casts his best buff on you in the first round, I'd say you are fine. Many buff spells can also be used before the combat starts, due to long duration. And if things are going REALLY bad, you can always just drop the rage so his spells can hit you.
Also, Superstition is not active outside Rage, so healing you after a trap (which are out of combat most of the time) won't be a problem.As for multi-classing, I thought about it and while I know it will be much better from a optimization point of view, I just want to go pure Barbarian, coz I love RPing him. :)
Actually, for Pathfinder you are most likely better off without any multiclassing. Well, at least that's true for "pure" Pathfinder, but your group seems to allow 3.5 stuff, and I have no idea if there's something that would benefit your character. Still, a single-class Pathfinder Barbarian is a pretty powerful character so you'll be fine :)
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Falchion is the best two-handed martial weapon in the gameIs this due to its critical range? and how improve critical can extend it to 15-20?
A falcion is the most damaging two-handed martial weapon IF you have extended threat-range (Keen, ImpCrit, etc) and IF you have gobs of numerical bonuses from high STR and Power Attack to multiply.
But it is not as damaging as some exotic weapons (e.g., fauchard, which grants more opp hits due to it being a polearm, or large waraxe or bastardsword, which are 2d8 weapons, or a falcata, which permits a high-AC tank fighter to win a one-handed battle of attrition versus a low-AC barbarian with a two-handed falcion).
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Well, neither the buffing Bard Songs nor Channel Energy require a save. If he just casts his best buff on you in the first round, I'd say you are fine. Many buff spells can also be used before the combat starts, due to long duration. And if things are going REALLY bad, you can always just drop the rage so his spells can hit you.
Also, Superstition is not active outside Rage, so healing you after a trap (which are out of combat most of the time) won't be a problem.
From what I am getting, I think he may want to buff me over like 1-3 rounds in-combat, Songs and spell buffs. Playing the Adventure Paths, I find a rare thing to buff before combat and I don't want to have to choose between delaying and possibly going after the enemies turn and getting a first strike in combat.
Also, as you can tell that I am going for a mid-range AC Barbarian, I don't want to face the problem of needing a heal and having to drop Rage to get it.
That said, I still kinda like the higher saves that Superstition gives.
I am still lv 2, so I still got 2 levels before I pick up my 2nd Rage power. Guess I will decide by then if I need it.
But it is not as damaging as some exotic weapons (e.g., fauchard, which grants more opp hits due to it being a polearm, or large waraxe or bastardsword, which are 2d8 weapons, or a falcata, which permits a high-AC tank fighter to win a one-handed battle of attrition versus a low-AC barbarian with a two-handed falcion).
@_@! That Bastard sword ideal looks really nice. I know that you can wield 1-handed large weapons as a 2-handed weapon. But if I choose to wield a large Bastard Sword, do I have to spend a feat to
get proficiency in it to wield it 2-handed? (without any drawbacks.)Also in the long run is it just as good as using a Falchion?
Please help me out in this! (Wan to wield big sword!) :P
@Secane
First of all Mike Schneider was talking about a large bastard sword and not a normal bastard sword.
Now to answer your question, in order to wield a large bastard sword you need exotic weapon prof. but still you can only weild it two handed and take -2 penalty for inappropriate weapon size.
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@Secane
First of all Mike Schneider was talking about a large bastard sword and not a normal bastard sword.
Now to answer your question, in order to wield a large bastard sword you need exotic weapon prof. but still you can only weild it two handed and take -2 penalty for inappropriate weapon size.
Every weapon has a size category. This designation indicates the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed.
A weapon's size category isn't the same as its size as an object. Instead, a weapon's size category is keyed to the size of the intended wielder. In general, a light weapon is an object two size categories smaller than the wielder, a one-handed weapon is an object one size category smaller than the wielder, and a two-handed weapon is an object of the same size category as the wielder.
Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature can't make optimum use of a weapon that isn't properly sized for it. A cumulative –2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. If the creature isn't proficient with the weapon, a –4 nonproficiency penalty also applies.
The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder's size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. For example, a Small creature would wield a Medium one-handed weapon as a two-handed weapon. If a weapon's designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can't wield the weapon at all.
If I have proficiency in Bastard Sword and could wield it 1-handed, won't that means a "large" Bastard Sword is a 2-handed weapon for me? And therefore I won't suffer the -2 penalty for using it 2-handed?
Or I am looking at this wrongly?
You are looking at it wrong, in order to wield a wrong sized weapon you must take a -2 penalty and you must make adjustments to how you wield it.
You are looking at it wrong, in order to wield a wrong sized weapon you must take a -2 penalty and you must make adjustments to how you wield it.Ah! I get it now. Not such a good ideal then.
Thanks for clearing it up.
The iconic barbarian does exactly that, well since i haven't really thought or played with inappropriate sized weapons i am not going to comment on that and leave that to someone else who has.