Hi I am building a barbarian for a game starting this week end. It will be an invulnerable rager. I am looking for advice to help me cover its weaknesses (you will see the big one).
We rolled for Stats using a dice pool style
Str: 17
Dex:10 Ouch
Con:16
Int: 11
Wis: 16
Chr: 10
He is a Dwarf and that is locked in for the game. I took the rich parents trait so that he is starting out with a quick draw shield and a breast plate. He is wielding a Dwarven waraxe MW, both for flavor and the one handed/ two handed utility. I went with PA for the feat. Any advice on the build as he levels up or things that you think I should change now would be helpful. Also if anybody knows of a good barbarian guide like Treantmonk’s guilds.
I saw SCREW covering weaknesses... Flaunt that bad boy. Get as many hit points as you can get on your dwarf and have him wade into combat completely bare-assed naked.
It's the old, "Yah, you can hit me, but you gotta get into my weapons range first!" approach.
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I say drop the shield, get a bigger weapon. You're an invulnerable barbarian, you're going to get hit and your DR is going to help mitigate that. I'm having so much fun with mine right now. I'll post up his build a little later. And with that 16 wis, I'd say your biggest weakness is covered already.
I think you should take raging vitality as you level up. It is in the advanced players guide. gives you even more constitution when raging and lets you stay in rage while in negatives so you do not die. Definitely take perception and survival for skills as you will be good at them espically perception.
Create pit is one big weakness as you have a bad reflex save.
I say drop the shield, get a bigger weapon. You're an invulnerable barbarian, you're going to get hit and your DR is going to help mitigate that. I'm having so much fun with mine right now. I'll post up his build a little later. And with that 16 wis, I'd say your biggest weakness is covered already.
The whole point of the quick draw shield is that I can quickly get rid of it. I want it more for ambushes and closing the distance , then go two handed rage on those who earn my wrath.
I think you should take raging vitality as you level up. It is in the advanced players guide. gives you even more constitution when raging and lets you stay in rage while in negatives so you do not die. Definitely take perception and survival for skills as you will be good at them espically perception.
Create pit is one big weakness as you have a bad reflex save.
Thanks, raging vitality is def on my list of feats to take. I am think I am gonna have to worry about a lot of friendly create pits, we have 2 summoners in the group.
Welcome To Brotherhood Of Squishy Smashers. Advice For You.
1) Embrace Your Lack Of AC. Don't Invest Heavily In It. Get Armor With Fortification Help With Crits But Let HP And DR Do Work.
2) Need More Dex For More AoO. Come And Get Me Best Power At Mid Lvl (12). Get It And Be Mighty.
3) No Fear The Squishy Casters. Get Superstition And Other Powers. Be Immune To Spell Stuff And Smash Wimpy Spells With Mighty Weapon (Spell sunder power is awesome).
Can you switch Wisdom and Dexterity? You will want a much higher dexterity for Come and Get Me, as was mentioned.
Steel Soul is also a pretty solid feat, stats onto dwarves normal spell resistance.
Raging Vitality is a must have, you will reach a point where taking enough damage while raging that you fall unconscious will kill you(with the loss of temp hitpoints).
Rich Parents stops mattering after a few levels, most other traits don't. If you can, switch traits for something that you will care about later on.
Can you switch Wisdom and Dexterity? You will want a much higher dexterity for Come and Get Me, as was mentioned.
Steel Soul is also a pretty solid feat, stats onto dwarves normal spell resistance.
Raging Vitality is a must have, you will reach a point where taking enough damage while raging that you fall unconscious will kill you(with the loss of temp hitpoints).
Rich Parents stops mattering after a few levels, most other traits don't. If you can, switch traits for something that you will care about later on.
I can not switch any of the stats, we used a dice pool for rolling stats and dex came up low. I know that in the long run, rich parents will not do much for me, but we only get 25 starting gold otherwise and I need something to give me at least a little ac to start out.
Not dying at level 1 will be more helpful than taking another trait I guess. It may be more worthwhile to grab a heavy shield, two handing your axe will give you 2 more points of damage. If you're taking rich parents splurge on some potions of cure light wounds.
Not dying at level 1 will be more helpful than taking another trait I guess. It may be more worthwhile to grab a heavy shield, two handing your axe will give you 2 more points of damage. If you're taking rich parents splurge on some potions of cure light wounds.
With raging and PA, its a little more than 2, and our group has a tendancy to leave things with one last hit point, so that damage counts. I have several CLW potions in a potion belt (one of our few cary overs from 3.5)
Since you are going invulnerable rager:
Pick up the roused anger rage power and Bolstered Resilience feat as soon as possible. With roused anger making you immune to fatigue, you can use your feat to repeatedly double your DR. Relatively inexpensive potions of invigorate and lesser restoration help to mitigate the drawbacks of roused anger.
Anybody else with any input?
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I'd like to draw your attention to the Armored Hulk archetype. It's true that you'd lose Invulnerable Rager, but you'd gain access to Heavy Armor, and the ability to move faster in Heavy Armor eventually. If you're going to have a +0 DEX modifier anyway, you might as well be wearing scary-looking spiked full plate.
I'd like to draw your attention to the Armored Hulk archetype. It's true that you'd lose Invulnerable Rager, but you'd gain access to Heavy Armor, and the ability to move faster in Heavy Armor eventually. If you're going to have a +0 DEX modifier anyway, you might as well be wearing scary-looking spiked full plate.
Maybe, I do not want to sacrifice offensive ability to try to keep pumping AC. My take on Barbain is "hit things hard, make them bleed before you do. HA HA you no hit hard enough to make me bleed, much."
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I'd like to draw your attention to the Armored Hulk archetype. It's true that you'd lose Invulnerable Rager, but you'd gain access to Heavy Armor, and the ability to move faster in Heavy Armor eventually. If you're going to have a +0 DEX modifier anyway, you might as well be wearing scary-looking spiked full plate.Maybe, I do not want to sacrifice offensive ability to try to keep pumping AC. My take on Barbain is "hit things hard, make them bleed before you do. HA HA you no hit hard enough to make me bleed, much."
Well in that case, the Invulnerable Rager is also only defensive powers. If you're saying you want to avoid DEX, and also not focus on defense at all, you may have a very short-lived character.
The advantage of the Armored Hulk is actually speed in Heavy Armor. Faster in armor, as well as less chance to be crit, which means you don't need to worry so much about being hit.
GET BIG WEAPON. USE BIG WEAPON TO SMASH THINGS. FEATS AM BE POWER ATTACK AND RAGY VITALITEE. THEY AM KEEP YOU SAFE.
AM ALL BARBARIAN AM NEEDING AT TEENY LEVEL.
GET SPELL SUNDER WHEN CAN. IT AM BEST.
AM BARBARIAN THOUGHTS ON SUBJECT.
AM BARBARIAN, what are your thoughts on heavy armor?
Yes am barbarian, what better, not get hit, or laugh when hit bounce off.
AM BARBARIAN, what are your thoughts on heavy armor?Yes am barbarian, what better, not get hit, or laugh when hit bounce off.
IF MOUNTY BARBARIAN, HEAVY ARMOR PROFICIENCY AM WORTH FEET. YOU AM NOT NEEDING FAST MOVEMENT ANYHOO. IF OTHER KIND BARBARIAN, IT AM WORTH IT ONLY IF ADDITIONAL AC AM STOPPING YOUR VITALPOINTS FROM GETTING STABBYD TO DEATH. DR OF DR/BARIAN AM USUALLY ENOUGH TO STOP GETTING STABBYD TO DEATH. AM GOOD ON HEAVY ARMOR BARBARIAN THO.
BARBARIAN PERSONALLY NOT USE HEAVY ARMOR, BUT CAN SEE WHY OTHER NON-CRAPPY BARBARIANS USE.
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Very articulate of you AM BARBARIAN.
I've played an invulnerable barbarian in my group's kingmaker game since the beginning. He pretty much cleared one of the book's first dungeons himself at level two because the small creatures couldn't bypass his DR of 1. They hit him all the time, just couldn't hurt him. It was awesome. And it's fun telling the DM you're going to take less damage than he said you took.
As for feats and rage powers and what not to take, raging vitality is A MUST. It's saved my hide so many times. You quickly reach a level where if you fall unconscious while raging YOU WILL DIE from the sudden lose of temporary HP. It also gives you an extra hit point per level while raging, which is handy. You already grabbed PA, which is a no brainer. The beast totem rage powers are pretty nice, natural claw attacks, natural armor and pounce at level 10. Not sure if that's the way you want to go, but it's not a bad idea. Reckless abandon is nice to off set the penalty to hit for PA (you'll essentially take the penalty to your AC rather than your to hit). Not sure how far this game is planning on going, but if you survive to 12th (well, 13th), take Raging Brutality. There's my two coppers on feats and rage powers that haven't been covered too much.
Also, take the dwarf favored class bonsus for barbarian. An extra round of rage per level adds up.
Very articulate of you AM BARBARIAN.
I've played an invulnerable barbarian in my group's kingmaker game since the beginning. He pretty much cleared one of the book's first dungeons himself at level two because the small creatures couldn't bypass his DR of 1. They hit him all the time, just couldn't hurt him. It was awesome. And it's fun telling the DM you're going to take less damage than he said you took.
As for feats and rage powers and what not to take, raging vitality is A MUST. It's saved my hide so many times. You quickly reach a level where if you fall unconscious while raging YOU WILL DIE from the sudden lose of temporary HP. It also gives you an extra hit point per level while raging, which is handy. You already grabbed PA, which is a no brainer. The beast totem rage powers are pretty nice, natural claw attacks, natural armor and pounce at level 10. Not sure if that's the way you want to go, but it's not a bad idea. Reckless abandon is nice to off set the penalty to hit for PA (you'll essentially take the penalty to your AC rather than your to hit). Not sure how far this game is planning on going, but if you survive to 12th (well, 13th), take Raging Brutality. There's my two coppers on feats and rage powers that haven't been covered too much.
Also, take the dwarf favored class bonsus for barbarian. An extra round of rage per level adds up.
Thanks weasel, you confirmed my choices, I was thinking that I wanted the beast totem powers and reckless abandon. And raging vitality is my next feat, EVERYBODY has recommended it.