| Ivanika |
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Hi!
This is my first post here - I'm a pretty inexperienced Pathfinder player although I have spent a significant amount of time perusing the game's abilities, feats, etc, and reading guides and many of the threads on this board.
I am making a character for a new campaign (starting at level 8) - I am not looking to make an OPTIMIZED character, but an effective one because this campaign is rumored to be rather deadly.
We already have a two-handed fighter in the party, but I am interested in playing a more defensively oriented Barbarian going the Invulnerable Rager/Stalwart route. Urban Barbarian fits both the character (who is from a large city) and the build.
I am dipping into Unarmed Fighter for a few things: Improved Unarmed Combat (which I like thematically for this character), and Crane Style. I will use Crane Style in place of Combat Expertise (+4 AC for -2 to hit, will turn into 4/- and 8/- DR with the Stalwart feats).
I also thematically like the Boreal Bloodline (via Eldritch Heritage), giving this city-slicker barbarian a savage Northman tinge. And while the abilities are not great, the level 9 ability of the blood line, especially, looks fun and seems to fit the character (20% concealment, 1d6+level-2 damage on being hit, 1/2 damage from fire while shield is up, plus constantly ignoring concealment from fog/weather/etc effects (normal or magical) seems somewhat useful). However, it comes at the cost of THREE feats, and seems to rather significantly cut into the character's offensive punch (which could be improved significantly with, say, improved and greater sunder, or combat reflexes and going for Come and Get Me in the early teens.
This is the build I have put together so far:
Human
Racial Traits: Replace Bonus Feat with Focused Study (I need to waste a feat on Skill Focus: Survival for the bloodline, may as well get two extra skill focuses for the same price)
May replace skill points with Heart of the Street (Heart of the Fields is much better - but does not work with the character's background)
1: Barbarian Endurance
2: Fighter Improved Unarmed Crane Style
3: Barbarian Diehard Focus: Survival Superstition
4: Fighter Power Attack
5: Barbarian Eldritch Heritage (Boreal)
6: Barbarian Lesser Beast Totem
7: Barbarian Stalwart
8: Barbarian Beast Totem
9: Barbarian Extra Rage Power: Ghost Rager
10: Barbarian Reckless Abandon
11: Barbarian Improved Stalwart
12: Barbarian Greater Beast Totem
13: Improved Eldritch Heritage
14: Flesh Wound
15: Extra Rage Power: Auspicious Mark
I am curious about advice on whether or not the Boreal Bloodline is a complete waste of space, or about how to improve my offensive punch while keeping the bloodline.
Edit: I just want to add that this is a 30 point buy campaign. The MAD factor of requiring 15 charisma is certainly a negative, but there are plenty of attribute points to go around still.