Two quick questions about barbarian powers

[Douglas Muir 406]

1) First, the Knockdown power: "Once per rage, the barbarian can make a trip attack against one target in place of a melee attack. If successful, the target takes damage equal to the barbarian’s Strength modifier and is knocked prone. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity."

Is it just me, or is this pretty awesome? It doesn't give you the +2 of the Improved Trip feat, but OTOH you don't need Int 13 and Combat Expertise. And it's not a standard action, but in place of a melee attack -- meaning a higher level barb can throw away his weakest attack and replace it with this. AND it doesn't provoke an AoO, AND you even do a few points of damage. This seems really nice. Am I missing something?

Additional sub-question: say you take Animal Fury, which gives you a bite attack. Under the RAW, it looks like you could give up the bite, take the trip attack instead, and do the rest of your attacks as normal. Correct?

2) Increased Damage Resistance: "The barbarian's damage reduction increases by 1/—. This increase is always active while the barbarian is raging... A barbarian can select this rage power up to three times. Its effects stack."

Now, an Invulnerable Rager archetype gets DR of level/2. So at level 8 he could have DR 4/-. Take this power at every opportunity, and the rager's DR becomes 5/- while raging, increasing to 7/- at 10th level and 9/- at 12th. ("Arrows? They're shooting *arrows* at me? Hahaha, that's adorable.") Do I have this right?

thanks,

Doug M.

[Magicdealer]

1) It's still a trip attack, and if you give up a low ab attack, you'd still be using that low ab for your trip attack. Which reduces your chance to hit. Also, the once per rage thing is a pretty big limiter. Unlike combat expertise, you have to stop your rage and start it up again to do it twice in a combat.

[NotMousse]

Yeah, arrows are pretty cute till the jackwagon shooting them at you gets a handfull of attacks, does +15 or so damage with each one, and the whole volley counts as *one* attack for DR purposes...

No, I'm not bitter rogues got completely shafted, why do you ask?

[Magicdealer]

NotMousse wrote:

Yeah, arrows are pretty cute till the jackwagon shooting them at you gets a handfull of attacks, does +15 or so damage with each one, and the whole volley counts as *one* attack for DR purposes...

No, I'm not bitter rogues got completely shafted, why do you ask?

Wait, rogues got shafted?

[Douglas Muir 406]

NotMousse wrote:

and the whole volley counts as *one* attack for DR purposes...

Whoa. Cite for this? Because my impression was that DR worked against each arrow individually.

Doug M.

[Magicdealer]

I think he was referring to the feat from Ultimate Combat, Clustered Shots.

[NotMousse]

Rogues certainly got shafted in PFS play. At least if you at any point thought you'd be a tomb-robbing/dungeon-delving rogue. Doubly so if your GM likes to 'roleplay' searches so your monster perception (mid 20's) means jack and squat. Even outside of that role they're not going to do much damage except under ideal conditions, and even then you're asking a wiz/sorc to cast Imp. Invis. on you to be effective.

I hear there's something in the pathfinder field guide to help, but I've yet to look, and Ultimate Disappointment was well...