Deathless Initiate + Heroic Defiance + Come and Get Me Barbarian with -16 AC


Advice


Hello!

This is a build I’ve been thinking about recently that I’d like suggestions and advice about. It is, in fact, rather suicidal.

So far, for this build, I am considering a Belt of Physical Perfection (probably a +4 one, considering the level), and pair of Boots Of Speed (So that she can Pounce the enemy for 5 attacks, 3 of them at the full attack bonus, thanks to Wild Fighting).

The battle plan is to charge the enemy, and then activate Come and Get Me, getting an attack of opportunity every time someone beats at her. She has a lot of hp, and good saves from Superstition (I think Half-Orcs can select the Human Favored Class bonus, is that right?) but with almost no AC whatsoever. Between Rage, Reckless Abandon, Wild Fighting, Pounce and Come and Get Me, that’s -16 AC.

Assuming +4 Belt Of Physical Perfection, she has 219 hp while raging (from 28 Con and Toughness), can take a full-round action while she has more than -28 hp, and if she does die, she’ll delay the death condition for one round with Heroic Defiance , getting in one last full attack on the enemy.

Half-Orc Barbarian 12 [Wild Rager], Fighter 1 [Unbreakable] [20 Point Build]
STR 19 [16+2 racial, +1 12th level increase] DEX 16 [15+1 8th level increase] CON 16 [15+1 4th level increase] INT 8 WIS 12 CHA 7
Feats, Rage Powers:
1 Power Attack
2 Endurance
2 Diehard
3 Raging Vitality, Superstition
5 Combat Reflexes, Reckless Abandon
7 Deathless Initiate, Beast Totem, Lesser
9 Heroic Defiance, Beast Totem
11 Extra Rage Power: Eater Of Magic, Beast Totem, Greater
13 Toughness, Come and Get Me

So, here’s a few questions:

1: Should she wield a Falchion, for the great crit damage, or a weapon with reach to make it easier to take those opportunity attacks?

2: Is there another good feat or Rage Power to take at 13th level? Toughness is mostly a placeholder until I find something better, although the more hp between my character and her demise, the better.

3: Is Wild Rager a good idea? Even without it, she gets -12 AC, but maybe Invulnerable Barbarian might be a better choice to negate the extra damage from Come and Get Me?

Those are the ones I could think of, but I am thankful for all suggestions. If you think I have overlooked something vital, please go ahead and tell me.

Sczarni

I recommend consulting with your GM and friends first. Primary reason is that you might wanna know what they are playing and if you have a wizard who is remembering Haste often, you might not need boots of speed for example.

Regarding 3) I know that Will Rager is extremely unfriendly toward other players. I wouldn't try it.


Wild Rager is a HORRIBLE idea for anything other than a dip. The DC climbs at twice the speed most other DCs do (+1 per level, not per 2 levels!); when you're confused you lose all your rage powers -- your biggest set of class features -- completely; and yeah...you can end up attacking allies. Or doing nothing.

Invulnerable Rager is a much better idea. Combine it with the Flesh Wound rage power to really tough out some of the damage. Flesh Wound will halve the damage of an attack and make it nonlethal; IR gives you doubled damage reduction against nonlethal damage. Flesh Wound only works once per rage, so you will want to rage cycle -- enter a new one each round by gaining immunity to fatigue.

Might even be worth looking at Improved Stalwart feat and defensive fighting w/ Crane Style or using Combat Expertise for more DR. Especially if you're dipping Unbreakable Fighter anyway.

And for any Come and Get Me build, I strongly recommend Dazing Assault. Since you get your counterattacks in before they do their attack, and Dazing Assault means each time you have a chance of robbing the foe of his entire turn.

1.) I suggest either Falchion with Step Up feat to stay on people, or a reach weapon. The former is probably better.

2.) Come and Get Me is the last good rage power. None of the other level 12+ ones are even worth taking, though there are quite a few good ones in the level 10 range (Flesh Wound, Eater of Magic, Greater Beast Totem for pounce...), so you could stay barbarian a while just to mop them up.

Shadow Lodge

APersonAmI wrote:
...and if she does die, she’ll delay the death condition for one round with Heroic Defiance....

Half-orcs don't die.


Some more things:

Half-Orc can get Endurance via a variant racial feature.
"Shaman's Apprentice: Only the most stalwart survive the years of harsh treatment that an apprenticeship to an orc shaman entails. Half-orcs with this trait gain Endurance as a bonus feat. This racial trait replaces the intimidating trait." [Source: ARG]
Might make Unbreakable Fighter less tempting.

Also, as of the new half-blood rulings in the FAQ, you can take Human favored class bonuses. So by all means take the Human one for Superstition to increase it faster.

And I once tried to make a Deathless Initiate build myself, until someone talked me out of it with this cheap 3000 gp item. Save the feat. Spend the money. it even applies to all forms of the staggered condition, and 5 rounds per day should be plenty. (Do know that once you have pounce, you can full attack with that via a partial charge even when staggered, though).

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