Barbarians at the gate (barbarian build thread)

[Bigdaddyjug]

How did you get 3 feats at level 5?

[666bender]

Bigdaddyjug wrote:

How did you get 3 feats at level 5?

The fighter archetype give him endurance and diehard

And normal level 5

[Argus The Slayer]

Damocles: your two fighter levels means no Greeater Beat Totem at level 11: you won't qualify until 12th.

[Martial, Martial, Martial!]

Argus The Slayer wrote:

Damocles: your two fighter levels means no Greeater Beat Totem at level 11: you won't qualify until 12th.

2 Fighter levels are at 5th and 20th.

[AndIMustMask]

i see damocles and wiggz have thrown down two tankbarians themselves, i think i'll add mine to the pile as well--not as flexible as the previous two, but gets the ever-so useful staples of superstitious and pounce+CaGM, as well as the spell sunder/strength surge combo:

Human Level 1 Unbreakable (Fighter) / 19 invulnerable rager + urban barbarian (barbarian)

attributes (20pb):
STR: 17 (7pts. +2 racial)
DEX: 14 (5pts.)
CON: 14 (5pts.)
INT: 14 (5pts.)
WIS: 10
CHA: 8 (-2pts.)

traits:
(combat) Threatening Defender (1 less attack penalty when using combat expertise)
(religion) Indomitable Faith (+1 will saves)

feats:
1: Endurance, Diehard, Combat Reflexes, Power Attack
2:
3: Combat Expertise, Superstition
4: +1 into str
5: Extra rage power (witch hunter), Lesser Beast Totem
6:
7: Extra rage power (Spell Sunder), Beast Totem
8: +1 into str
9: Stalwart, Reckless Abandon
10:
11: Improved Stalwart, Greater Beast Totem
12: +1 into str
13: Extra Rage power (Come and Get Me), Guarded Life
14:
15: Extra Rage power (Auspicious Mark*), Greater Guarded Life
16: +1 into str
17: Extra Rage power (Flesh Wound), Strength Surge*
18:
19: Extra Rage power (Improved DR/-), Improved DR/-
20: +1 into str
*- trade these as you see fit.

fighter level at 1st and then never again--though looking at unflinching i could see you swapping it for a barb level at 20th (like the other two builds).

skills:
no advice on skills personally, but perception is a priority, as is at least one point in climb, swim, and survival. the rest you do as you see fit.

.

@gobo horde: the fiend totem line is also great on barbarians willing to invest in shatter defenses (mainly intimidate builds, works best in an evil campaign so there's actually good people to use it on, though theres lots of neutrals to get with it anyway, so worth considering even then), because autoshaken + ragesmash against flat-footed enemies is outrageously good, especially with a +3 furious courageous cruel [weapon of choice] to take the most advantage of it.

[Havoq]

I'd make this the centerpiece of my rage-cycling build...as I approached level 10.

Having said that – one thing that I do is to look at levels 1, 4, 8 and ask the question: With ONLY these feats, how will this character play at each of these levels? It’s easy to build a 12th level guy – one that rocks at level 12 – but is hamstrung at points along the way. You really run the risk of burning out on a guy early if you don’t.

----------------------------
Cord of Stubborn Resolve
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
Slot belt; Price 15,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION
When fastened about the waist, this stout length of rope grants a +2 enhancement bonus to Constitution along with prodigious stamina. Treat the enhancement bonus to Constitution as a temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the belt is worn.

Any effect which would cause the wearer to become fatigued deals an additional 1d6 points of nonlethal damage instead. Any effect that would cause exhaustion likewise causes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and leaves the wearer fatigued instead of exhausted.

[Bigdaddyjug]

Since posting this thread, I have decided I want to play a natural attacking barbarian. I know it's not optimal, but it doesn't really matter. I will still be good enough to contribute to PFS scenarios. I had originally decided on a tengu barbarian, because they can get two claw attacks and a bite attack from level 1. Then I could take Lesser Fiend Totem at level 2 for a gore attack and 4 primary natural attacks from then on out.

However, I'm having a problem getting the stats to work for me. I was hoping for 18 Str (outside of rage), but with the tengu's +2 Dex/Wis and -2 Con, I may have to settle for 16 if I want 14 Con at level 1. I'm looking at something like this pre-racial:

Str: 16
Dex: 12
Con: 16
Int: 12
Wis: 10
Cha: 7

After racials that would give me:

Str: 16/20
Dex: 14
Con: 14/18
Int: 12
Wis: 12
Cha: 7

That's +6 to hit at level 1 and each of my 3 attacks doing 1d3+7 (Power Attack) damage. That means if all 3 attacks land, I do minimum 24 damage.

Also, not taking the Beast Totem series opens up slots for me to take Lesser Elemental and Elemental Rage. This will add 1d6 to each attack and an additional 1d6 to my first attack with each weapon each time I rage.

Overall I'm looking at something like:

Level 1: Power Attack
Level 2: Superstition
Level 3: Extra Rage Power > Lesser Fiend Totem
Level 4: Lesser Elemental Rage
Level 5: Extra Rage Power > Witch Hunter
Level 6: Reckless Abandon
Level 7: Combat Reflexes
Level 8: Disruptive
Level 9: Extra Rage Power > Elemental Rage
Level 10: Fiend Totem
Level 11: Spell Sunder
Level 12: Come and Get Me

And the other cool thing is, Tengu have the +1/3 effective level for Superstition favored class bonus available to them.

The only thing I am having a problem deciding on is traits for this character.

[Argus The Slayer]

Half-Orc would work a lot better for you, since you can put the +2 into STR. The Half-Orc alternative racial trait "Toothy" gives you a 1d4 primary bite attack.

Your build didn't include your lesser fiend totem at level 2 for your 4th attack.

[Grizzly the Archer]

Traits for bigdaddyjug barbarian: optimistic gambler, reactionary (or similar).

Optimistic gambler will give you a +1d4 rounds on all Morale bonuses, which include your rage and superstition bonuses.

[Bigdaddyjug]

@Argus: I moved it down to level 3. If I go half-orc I would need to take lesser beast totem to get claws, then I couldn't take lesser fiend totem.

@Grizzly: I'm not sure that optimistic gambler is PFS legal. Most campaign traits outside of the Shattered Star ones aren't.

[Abdénago]

It seems to me that the logical modification to make to the tank barbarian builds here for Society play is:

Dwarven Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager/Urban) 11/Fighter (Unbreakable) 1

Racial Traits: Perhaps Xenophobic for the extra +1 vs. mind effecting

Traits: Threatening Defender, Glory of Old (+1 vs. spells, SLA, and poison)

STR 15
DEX 14
CON 17
INT 13
WIS 14
CHA 5

B1: Combat Expertise
B2: (Superstition)
B3: Steel Soul
B4: +STR, (Lesser Beast Totem)
F1: Diehard, Endurance, Stalwart
B5
B6: Power Attack, (Beast Totem)
B7: +CON
B8: ERP: Reckless Abandon, (Increased Damage Reduction)
B9
B10: Improved Stalwart, (Increased Damage Reduction)
B11: +STR

Saves will be 13/5/5, but 21/14/14 vs. spells and SLAs, which, if my math is right, is 2 points higher at that point than the standard 20 level build. This also sacrifices Deadly Aim and Combat Reflexes for the extra point of DR early--I don't know if that's necessarily optimal, but it's fun to have DR15/-- while raging at level 12.

A halfway compromise would be to make a half-orc with the Sacred Tattoo racial trait and Fate's Favoured trait to get across the board flat +2 luck bonuses to saves while being able to use the human FCB. But those FCBs won't match the dwarf approach until level 16.