Hello all,
I'm having significant trouble settling on my barbarians rage powers. Any other build advice is welcome as well.
Something to know about the campaign:
-Pirate themed, so plenty of hot boat on boat action.
-Magic items are rare, so minimal magic loot.
-The campaign will get to level 12 or 13, at most.
-20 point buy, PCs can have only one 7 and one 8 attribute score. I'm stuck as a Half-Orc.
-This campaign just shifted to PF from 4e. I am slightly unfamiliar with some of the new bits that PF added to 3.5, like combat maneuver details.
-Variable party attendance: The game goes on, regardless of who's there. If a player isn't there, then neither is the PC. So, somedays we'll have a dedicated healer + off-healers, and on others, it'll me, a fighter, and a wizard.
My guy:
Half-Orc Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager), 6th level
Str 20, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 7
Magic gear given: +1 Furious greataxe, +1 mitral breastplate
So, I'm kinda undecided on what rage powers to take, and am asking you fellows more familiar with the system.
What I'm thinking:
1. Knockback: Nothing like taking an enemy out of a fight like launching them overboard.
2. Reckless Abandon: +2 to hit for -2 AC. Sure, my AC sucks while raging anyways. If I choose this, I may swap my Dex & Con.
3. Renewed Vigor: Emergency heal button.
Other options:
1. Superstition/WH/Spell Sunder: Nifty trick, but I'd loathe to lose Knockback, so I'd have to swap a feat or wait until later for Spell Sunder.
2. Knockdown: Meh 'cause it's only 1/rage.
3. Strength Surge: Helps out big with combat maneuvers 1/rage. If taken, I'd reconsider Knockdown.
4. Lesser Elemental Rage: This power sucks, but the next one in the tree is okay, especially if there's little opportunity for a better magic axe than I've got.
Thank you for reading, and thank you even more to those responding with advice.
Everyone here loves the Beat Totem line. It'll get mentions for sure. Superstition is solid solid solid! It's a great 2nd lv Rage power to take since it'll always be useful to you and you will basically always be raging in combat. Increased DR for Rage Powers in comin up at 8th, so remember that. Renewed Vigor is nice, but I'd save it for a little later and then through Regenerative Vigor on top of that bad boy!
Superstitious is a strong choice as are the follow ups, ghost rager and eater of magic are also very strong choices. Beast totem chain is nice, reckless abandon is actually pretty good with power attack.
Renewed vigour opens up the chain of ability score damage healing and negative level removal which could be very handy in a low magic game.
Knockback is normally a pretty poor power but on a boat it becomes awesome, could i recommend looking towards chaining imp bull rush and sunder from power attack insted though. You can use them with strength surge to really cramp peoples style and they synergises well with you high str while raging insted of being 1/rage, sunder in low magic games is going to handy cause looting an extra 5 masterwork shortswords probably doesn't really matter.
I'd also use a falchion over a greataxe as well but meh.
I would lower dex a bit and raise Con. Including the +1 at level 4 and racial bonus (both to strength), I'd do...
Str 19, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 7
But I prefer more balanced stats. Could nuke int down a bit to raise strength 1 more point, but it's going to increase in just 2 levels to 20 anyway.
Superstitious is an all-or-nothing venture. You have to resist spells from allies regardless of if it's only giving you like a +3 save bonus or a +8, so either min-max the hell out of it or don't touch it. Since the method of maxing it out requires being human, I'd say ignore it. Shame, I really do love Ghost Rager. Side note, RAW it's a morale bonus to saves, so it won't stack with your Rage save bonus, which is a ridiculously inexcusable oversight, IMO.
Knockback: Combat maneuvers are very hard to land in PF, and as the melee guy you often want to keep someone stuck to you. I wouldn't get it. Renewed Vigor: I get that you may be desperate for healing, but that power is seriously terrible. Reckless Abandon: This one's solid! Don't use it when you don't need it or getting swarmed, otherwise, enjoy.
Not sure what else to suggest for Rage Powers. Beast Totem gets good at level 10, maybe start on that. Guarded Life is ok if you're worried about dying.
Just be aware, that Beast totem line´s pounce works with natural weapons (claws and bite) only, not with manufactured weapons; as clarified by james jacobs in another thread. I´m too lazy to search for it right now. :)
RAW you can. Thankfully how JJ thinks things should be is not necessarily how they actually are.
Thanks again for everyone with advice.
I went with Knockback, Reckless Abandon, and Good for What Ails You. Knockback is hard to fire off, but I was able to do it once our cleric Bull's Strength and Enlarged me (though it's arguable that I could've just smashed whatever into pulp instead).
Reckless Abandon is fantastic. If I know the enemy's attack rolls are going to be in the 30s anyway, I might as well get that extra to-hit bonus.
GFWAY hasn't come into play yet, but I'm sure that something down the line is going to hit me with one of those conditions. And I'll be ready.
Just be aware, that Beast totem line´s pounce works with natural weapons (claws and bite) only, not with manufactured weapons; as clarified by james jacobs in another thread. I´m too lazy to search for it right now. :)
More recently however, the FAQ has ruled otherwise!
"Pounce: If have this ability (page 302), can I make iterative attacks with weapons as part of my full attack?
Any melee attack sequence you can perform as a full attack is allowed as part of the charge-pounce-full attack. For example, a barbarian with the greater beast totem rage power gains the pounce universal monster ability and could make iterative attacks with manufactured melee weapons as part of her charge-pounce-full attack.
—Sean K Reynolds, yesterday"
Hurray for sanity and melee having nice things!