
lemeres |
1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. 1 person marked this as a favorite. |

Yes, it is possible to do this. According to the FAQ about Spell-Like Abilities, Casting, and Prerequisites, you would qualify for the arcane strike feat.
Also, since using arcane strike is not spell casting, use of skills, or takes particularly long to do (based on an interpretation of 'needing concentration'), then you can use it during your rage.
In fact, I think the use of arcane strike is even more appropriate during rage, since you are letting the natural magical energies inside you just burst out as a destructive wave in your weapon as you physically smash your opponents. That seems like just about the only way a raging barbarian should use magical energy.

Level 1 Commoner |
So would that be a viable build?
I stood away from Dexterity because of the last FAQ regarding the number of free actions per round, which means everything beyond dex 14 could be wasted in terms of AoOs. And that can be achieved with the right magic item.
I didn't choose the Beast Totem (although I acknowledge its strength) out of roleplay reasons. The Fiend or Chaos totems would have been very fitting for a Tiefling (especially one with the abyssal bloodline) but they are so weak that I didn't want to waste 30% of the characters special toys for almost no gain.
The attributes can be rearranged if necessary but I don't like the HULK SMASH!!!!!! stereotype for martial classes.
20 Points buy
Demonspawn Tiefling Invulnerable Rager
Str 16 (<<< 4 Levelups)
Dex 10
Con 14 (<<< 1 Levelup at 4)
Int 12
Wis 12
Cha 15
Traits: Scholar of the Great Beyond [Knowledge (planes)], Dangerously curious (<<< since I have to pay a hefty feat and stat tax for this character, I can at least make the most out of it)
Feats
1: Power Attack
3: Arcane Strike
5: Raging Vitality
7: Skill Focus: Knowledge (planes)
9: Eldritch Heritage (Abyssal Bloodline)
11: Improved Eldritch Heritage
13: Combat Reflexes
15: Iron Will
17: Additional Rage Power (Increased Damage Resistance)
19: Additional Rage Power (Increased Damage Resistance)
Rage powers
2: Superstition
4: Witch Hunter
6: Spell Sunder
8: Reckless Abandon
10: Eater of Magic
12: Come and get me
14: Strength Surge
16: Increased Damage Resistance
18: Increased Damage Resistance
20: Increased Damage Resistance
Disclaimer: I know that a Half-Orc Barbarian with the Orc Bloodline Heritage would be stronger and the Feats would be easier to arrange, since Eldritch Heritage would be dropped. I created the Tiefling as a Gedankenexperiment.

Claxon |

I would lower that Cha and buff your Con or Strength.
Also Come and Get Me is worthless unless you have a decent Dex to take advantage of it (in terms of AoO). Also, with that low of a Dex you're going to have a terribly low AC. Barbarians already don't have a great AC, and many Barbarian abilities lower it.
I realize you don't like the stereotypical type of the class, but personally it just seems silly to make a barbarian who stink at doing things barbarians should be good at.
You should prioritize Strength>Con>Dex then everything else. With a 20 point buy I would probably do 16 14 14 and the rest at 10 if you're really against dumping. You can purchase a headband to pick up the eldritch heritage powers.

Lord_Malkov |

I would lower that Cha and buff your Con or Strength.
He needs the Charisma for Eldritch Heritage... which i assume is the point of the build
This concept actually brings up a point for me about another feat that I have meant to ask...
Does the feat Sorcerous Strike (or any other like it) actually use allotted daily uses of a bloodline power?
Here's the feat
Sorcerous Strike
Benefit: When you gain this feat, you choose one bloodline power that you can use to affect a single opponent. If you make a successful unarmed strike against an opponent, in addition to dealing your unarmed strike damage, you can spend a swift action to deliver the effects of the chosen bloodline power to that opponent. Doing so provokes no attacks of opportunity.
There is nothing that suggests that you can, for example "activate a bloodline power as a free action".... it simply says "deliver the effects". To my reading, this sounds like you can apply the effects without expending daily uses. If this is true, then its something I really need to look into.

Claxon |

Claxon wrote:I would lower that Cha and buff your Con or Strength.He needs the Charisma for Eldritch Heritage... which i assume is the point of the build
You should prioritize Strength>Con>Dex then everything else. With a 20 point buy I would probably do 16 14 14 and the rest at 10 if you're really against dumping. You can purchase a headband to pick up the eldritch heritage powers.

Lord_Malkov |

Lord_Malkov wrote:Claxon wrote:I would lower that Cha and buff your Con or Strength.He needs the Charisma for Eldritch Heritage... which i assume is the point of the buildQuote:You should prioritize Strength>Con>Dex then everything else. With a 20 point buy I would probably do 16 14 14 and the rest at 10 if you're really against dumping. You can purchase a headband to pick up the eldritch heritage powers.
fair enough... any thoughts on my other question?

Level 1 Commoner |
The D20SRD.org said that the combatant "can take advantage of her lapse in defense to attack her for free". I'm am not sure what the RAI interpretation should be. Just a sloppy writing for Free Action (as I read it before) or is it really free? Before the new Free Action ruling it was unimportant, but now I'm curious. :-)
The posted build was made under the assumption that you can't have more than 3 AoOs per round anymore (which means that everything beyond dex 14 would be wasted). If that's not the case I'd rebuild him accordingly. Thanks for your input so far. But I'm very stubborn in the regard that you shouldn't overly focus on just one stat at character creation. The difference between Str 16 and 18 is almost offset at level 3 when he takes Arcane Strike. But I'm open for more criticism. :-)

Majuba |

There is nothing that suggests that you can, for example "activate a bloodline power as a free action".... it simply says "deliver the effects". To my reading, this sounds like you can apply the effects without expending daily uses. If this is true, then its something I really need to look into.
I don't read anything in the Sorcerous Strike feat that indicates you get unlimited uses of your bloodline ability. You're using it as a swift action, not a free action. That seems clear, to me.
To the original topic, sadly yes it works. Such a terrible abuse of a feat meant to help even out arcanists in physical combat.

Level 1 Commoner |
To the original topic, sadly yes it works. Such a terrible abuse of a feat meant to help even out arcanists in physical combat.
Na, it's not so bad I'd say. Unless you play an Elven Archer Fighter with Arcane Strike. That could be pretty devastating.
I started this thread because my players start to understand the system and I'm building more "advanced" characters to test the boundaries of the Pathfinder ruleset and to get an impression what I can expect from their side sooner or later. This Tiefling Rager is just one of many. And since I doubt the compatibility of Rage and Arcane Strike it's not even a good one. But an Oni Fighter with Arcane Strike looks much better and should alleviate some of the Fighter classes alleged problems.

Claxon |

Sorcerous Strike, despite not being written more clearly, I do not think is intended to give unlimited uses of bloodline abilities. It allows you to use them while making an unarmed strike and to do so as a free action where many are standard action to do so, such as Aberrant's Acidic Ray or Celstial's Heavenly Fire. It still uses up the normal uses of the power, and the feat also requires you to have improved unarmed strike and make a regular melee attack (against full AC) and can only be done once per round since it is done as a swift action.
In short, this feat is pretty terrible (even if it allowed for ulimited uses) for any sorcerer that is focusing on casting. About the only build it could be good for is those building Dragon Disciples for melee combatants with a minor in spell casting.
Unexpected Strike is a nice rage power, but its not as good as Reckless Abandon. Taking a penalty to AC is better (for a Barbarian with their d12 HD and big Con scores) than taking the penalty for Power Attack. Barbarians win by dealing more damage and allowing their DR to mitigate some of the damage they recieve to their immense HP pool. The ability to make an extra AoO isn't great especially when you're going to be using up most of your AoO with Come and Get Me.
Also, on the subject of AoO, they are not Free Actions. Attacks of Opportunity are non-actions. Also, the 3 free actions per round is merely a guideline. Your GM is free to allow as many as he thinks is appropriate. That FAQ was issued as one interpretation of what is considered reasonable. The real reason it was issued was to disallow a very specific build. The dual wielding dual barrel pistol gunslinger that allowed up to 14 shots worth of attacks per round because of using a ridiculous amount of free actions.
Also, yes the use of arcane strike reduces the difference in damage from having 16 strength instead of 18. But imagine instead you had 18 strength and Arcane Strike. Plus, the barbarian is meant to wield one big two handed weapon and power attack. You get bonuses to strength, you're even going abyssal bloodline to pickup another +6 bonus to strength. The beautiful part is the more you increase the strength the bigger that extra bonus to damage gets because you'll get 1.5 strength on your attacks.