Over the years, I've found that while it's easy to make very effective characters, those characters tend to be rather bland. My favorite (and to my friends, most memorable) characters, are those that are somewhat flawed, but still manage to work.
Usually these flaws come from suboptimal choices, like the time I made a Halfling Fighter who eventually became the most lethal archer anyone had ever seen, despite my entire gaming group saying that I was going to suck because of my 'nerfed' damage.
Sometimes, however, these experiments don't work so well, like my current problem.
The GM for my group went on a rant once about how Elven barbarians both don't "make sense", and "couldn't work". So when his new campaign started, I showed up with Rand, son of Raff (actually a bloodrager).
Rand has a less than stellar 14 Strength (18 when raging), but a higher Dexterity. I took Weapon Finesse and wield an elven curve-blade. At first, it didn't go too badly- sure I only had 6 rounds of rage, but at level 1, we didn't fight that many encounters. I had decent to hit, AC, initiative, and reflex, and when raging did decent damage.
Then more players joined the game, like a Dwarf Barbarian with 15+ rounds of rage, who does something like double Rand's damage, and has an archetype that lets him use heavy armor.
With the addition of more players, the GM's enemies started to get tougher, and we were expected to slog through more encounters each day. And somehow, Rand has become less relevant as a result.
I really like the character, and I have a backstory the GM claims to enjoy, but I'm starting to feel like a second stringer.
I'm not sure there's anything I can really do that doesn't involve multiclassing- and that would kill my hopes of getting useful bloodrager powers any time soon, but I'm open to suggestions.
I'd really like to salvage my character somehow, rather than ditch him in favor of a more typical melee brute, or some other class.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
I think we need to see the numbers for your PC or else it is just guessing. But unless you have more than dex 18 going finesse is silly on a bloodrager with str 14(18).
But with out the numbers i can say. Get power attack, weapon focus, arcane strike, reckless rage and the usual suspects. And you can do ok even if there is a dwarf in the gang.
It is possible to make a perfectly good elven bloodrager but with out the numbers it is hard to tell if yours are one of them,
One thing such an Elf Bloodrager might be/become good at would be an archer or switch hitter. There is a bow enchantment, adaptive, that lets your bow do strength damage according to your actual strength. So you could use the same bow at all times.
But as you already have played an archer in the past I'm not sure that's what you want. And not all bloodlines are good for it.
Which bloodline do you have, what level are you and can you change feats or anything else?
You could base your pc on intimidate, giving him power attack, conrnugon smash and hurtful for bonus attacks.
Do you have arcane strike? It adds damage to all attacks for swift actions.
Hard to suggest much without knowing your build.
The Savage Technologist and Urban Barbarian both can get a dex boost from their rage.
From there, you can just go ranged. That's simple enough.
Or take the more challenging path. Dervish Dance is ok. Fencing Grace is doable. Slashing Grace usually only works with a Swashbuckler dip. An Agile weapon might be best, and could be the easiest or hardest route depending on your GM.
The strongest might be natural attacks with an agile amulet of mighty fists. You can still pounce like that, after all.
Edit: totally missed that you were really a bloodrager. No clue how to fix that. Archery with an adaptive bow might be as good as you can get.
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Thread title is misleading.
Kill the dorf.
'nuff said.
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Yeah...the problem with your build isn't that you're an Elf, it's that you tried a Weapon Finesse build on a Str boosting (as opposed to Dex boosting) Class.
Elf Barbarians work fine, but you either need to focus on Str just like other Barbarians or take an Archetype that boosts Dex (which, sadly, there aren't any of for Bloodrager at the moment).
So...your basic concept (Dex-based Elf Barbarian) totally works, but not as a Bloodrager in the way you've built it. So either rebuild, or scrap the character. Your choice.
Yeah...the problem with your build isn't that you're an Elf, it's that you tried a Weapon Finesse build on a Str boosting (as opposed to Dex boosting) Class.
Elf Barbarians work fine, but you either need to focus on Str just like other Barbarians or take an Archetype that boosts Dex (which, sadly, there aren't any of for Bloodrager at the moment).
So...your basic concept (Dex-based Elf Barbarian) totally works, but not as a Bloodrager in the way you've built it. So either rebuild, or scrap the character. Your choice.
Yeah, this was my first thought too. The lack of bonus to primary stats is not a problem, since the bonus to secondary stats means they can save points there for important stuff. No, the problem is the penalty. But he con penalty just makes it play like a point buy that is 5 points less, so it is not that horrible. So instead of
STR: 18 DEX: 14 CON: 14 Mental stats: 10You get this
STR: 16 DEX: 14 (12) CON 14 (16) INT: 10 (8) WIS: 10 CHA: 10
You can dump CHA a bit, but you get the general point. At most, it is 1 hit and maybe 2 damage less than a similar human barbarian (Assuming that you do not do extreme min maxing). So the difference in power should not be that great.
Anyway, I am more bothered by the 'doesn't make sense'. Your GM doesn't know the setting then. The elves of the Mwangi empire are referred to as 'Wild Elves', and they are in fact descendants of those who refused to leave with the other elves during Starfall (much like the drow, only without the nuclear waste and mad gods found in the underdark... but still, that should tell you about how much they fit the prissy elf stereotype, when they end up in the plot of Armageddon, and they think 'No, we are cool. We can handle this'). So it would make total sense for them to be barbarians.
This also ignores the obvious problem of Forlorn elves- maybe an elf couple got orc'd, and the local barbarian tribe took a young orphan elf in as their own.
Rand, son of Raff (25 point-buy)
Bloodrager 3 (Draconic)
Str 14 (5)
Dex 19 (13; +2 racial)
Con 12 (5; -2 racial)
Int 10 (+2; +2 racial)
Wis 9 (+1)
Cha 14 (5)
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Extra Rage
Equipment of Note:
mwk curve blade, elven
potions
assorted gear + cash (1800 gp of coins, art objects, gems)
EDIT: my original idea was simply to dump everything into Dexterity, and hope Rage would keep my damage relevant. I didn't even want to take Extra Rage, but longer adventuring days have made that somewhat necessary for now. Retraining is something the GM has said he might allow, but I really didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I'm probably too stubborn for my own good. :(
Draconic bloodline (silver). I could take power attack, I just leveled to 3 and we haven't played yet. Again though, with the long dungeons we've been having to deal with, I'm not sure 9 rounds of rage is enough.
You could also get this to work if you were playing an urban barbarian, and you grabbed an agile elven curved blade.
Since you are making dex your main stat, a bonus to strength does little to you. But urban barbarians lose the +2 str +2 con, and instead can put a +2 in any physical stat. So putting that into dex would improve your hit, and with an agile weapon, it would do damage too.
Slightly less damage than a normal str barbarian (since agile only does x1 str instead of allowing x1.5)...but you are already having problems, and this is allowing you to do something other than catch up.
Actually, I think it is possible to get a dex barbarian to do more damage than a str barbarian (Assuming the str barbarian didn't pick the same option; then it is about equal). The Horn of the Criosphinx feat lets you get x2 str damage on 2 handed weapon charges, which means that you should get x2 dex since you use it instead, and this comes from a feat rather than how you hold your weapon. With pounce at level 10, you can get that extra damage on your whole full attack.
EDIT- wait...you don't have power attack? Almost the ENTIRE reason why the elven curved blade is better than just grabbing a rapier?.... yeah, rage round is less important that power attack for you, since you have abysmal damage. Also, power attack doesn't run out in under a minute, so it is even more important than rage for you on your current build (hell, since you get your bonus to hit from DEX, it adds the exact same amount of damage as rage- GET POWER ATTACK)
... Good stuff...
Anyway, I am more bothered by the 'doesn't make sense'. Your GM doesn't know the setting then.
...
You know it is ok for a GM to make his own setting or remake stuff so it fits his need?
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Unfortunately, draconic isn't really doing anything for you. You gain claws that you can't use thanks to both hands using your ECB. See if you can change your bloodline to elemental. It's can be the same thematically as draconic, but the bloodline power is actually useful to you if you are using two handed weapons.
EDIT: Aberrant would also be excellent for you. ECB's threat range means you will have several crits to trigger staggered, and if you combine long limbs with combat reflexes you will have several AoOs for reach tactics.
Rand, son of Raff (25 point-buy)
Bloodrager 3 (Draconic)
Str 14 (5)
Dex 19 (13; +2 racial)
Con 12 (5; -2 racial)
Int 10 (+2; +2 racial)
Wis 9 (+1)
Cha 14 (5)Feats: Weapon Finesse, Extra Rage
Equipment of Note:
mwk curve blade, elven
potions
assorted gear + cash (1800 gp of coins, art objects, gems)EDIT: my original idea was simply to dump everything into Dexterity, and hope Rage would keep my damage relevant. I didn't even want to take Extra Rage, but longer adventuring days have made that somewhat necessary for now. Retraining is something the GM has said he might allow, but I really didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I'm probably too stubborn for my own good. :(
Ask your GM to allow you a rebuilt and re make him like a bloodrager/barbarian dont try to do the dex to hit trick. Just take str 16 and get dex 14+2 that will allow you to boost wis to 12 and you want than. Consider getting another bloodline since you dont use the claws. I like aberrant(good with high crit weapon and good dex) and destiny ones (if you go destined make sure to take the fates favored trait). And switch extra rage for power attack and finesse for focus. If possible take the primalist archtype and Exchange some of the stuff you get for rage powers.
Making a elf bloodrager is no problem but picking dex for your targetting stat is not the way to do it.
... Good stuff...
Anyway, I am more bothered by the 'doesn't make sense'. Your GM doesn't know the setting then.
...You know it is ok for a GM to make his own setting or remake stuff so it fits his need?
Fair enough, I am not even saying that the GM needs to use the Golarion setting. I am just saying that the GM is saying that his player's concept 'doesn't make sense' when there are clear enough examples of it within the setting attached to the system they are using. If nothing else, this provides examples that he can point to when the GM gets on his case for that.
And if it is a homebrewed setting? All the better. The table can just up and say 'some elves are crazy cannibals'. It gives an interesting twist when some are wild (particularly if it is some, since that makes every elf encounter a question of 'is he going to offer tea, or use my skull as a tea cup?'). The break from the classic norm is the entire reason why Paizo made the Mwangi elves 'wild' in the first place.
The only thing that prevents an elf barbarian is the GM deciding that all elves are Legolas.
Back to build concerns: the problem is not that he used dex for his targeting stat, but that he did not properly support the use of dex as his targeting stat. Static bonuses (like power attack) are essential for dex builds, and upping his str with rage only plays catch up with str users.
Anyway, Destined seems like a fantastic bloodline, since it gives luck bonuses to both AC and saves (enough so that you can probably skip superstition), and done well it can make you a match for the dwarf in tanky-ness. The later powers aren't quite as exciting...but that leaves room for a primal archetype to stuff some beast totem into the equation.
Looks like you are level 3 and have 9 rounds of rage without extra rage. 4+conmod (1) at level 1 and +2 per level after that. 4+1+2+2=9.
And you say the dwarf has 15+ rounds of rage? He could have 3 extra rounds for favorite class bonus, so he seems to have 18 or more in con. Seems plausible for a dwarf.
To your build: Draconic bloodline is cool but not strong for what you want to do. It might be ok for a switch hitter, using a bow 'till enemies are in range then switch to the claws. But generally those with A, Aberrant, Abyssal, Arcane, elemental (Air) seem to be better.
Options:
- Complete rebuild as Elf bloodrager with strength focus
- Feat rebuild with power attack and either weapon focus, arcane strike or reckless rage for melee
- Feat rebuild to Archer with precise shot + point blank shot
In all cases switching the bloodline might improve the pc but might trash your backstory so it could be a point to stick with it.
All the hysteria and hyperbole aside, yes, do take Power Attack instead of Extra Rage. You don't need it.
I don't see any need to rebuild anything (else) - Draconic bloodline is very nice for elemental damage further on. Also Claws are light weapons, so if you're every without your curve blade (diplomatic affair, disarmed, whatever), you instantly have almost a *better* option with your claws. It doesn't stack to high heaven, but it's a great supplement (especially if you ever get swallowed whole by something).
Power attack should even up your damage a bit. Just hold off raging a bit - don't burn it out on the first round of combat. Wait until positioning maximizing everything for you.
Also... you're 3rd level. You finally get spells *next* level, and a lot of things will start falling into place. Relax and enjoy the game!
The key problem is that you aren’t monopolising on the key benefits of wielding an Elven Curve Blade: 1.5x STR damage and crit range.
(Also if you ever come across a Demon Talon, take it! it's finessable, can use 1.5x damage and uses only one hand, so shields are an option!)
The problem with Weapon Finesse builds is that you only get to add 1x your DEX right? So how about we use STR? Problem is we are now investing in two weapon stats, and the payoff isn't that high: 14 STR we get a +1 for two handing, 18 we get +2, and 22 we get +3. Lets go for that +3!
It's not that expensive for a 25 point buy, except you're an Elf. But our Elf has something other classes don't get:
RAGE!
So here is our stat block;
STR: 16 DEX: 18 CON: 12 INT: 12 WIS: 8 CHA: 12
You might notice you have lost another point of WIS from your previous build: If you're gonna dump something, dump it to the max; you suffer a -1 whether it's a 9 or an 8, so take the 8.
That does hurt our Will save though - our worst save, so lets take the Carefully Hidden Trait to even out that save, Rage will carry it the rest of the way.
Now on to Archetypes: We want the Savage Technologist, it gives us the most bang for our buck. What’s that? Don’t like Guns?
Take it anyway! Adaptive Longbows are just as scary in your hands when you are Raging. Pick up the Defensive Strategist Trait so you don't miss Uncanny Dodge too much.
So now when Raging we are 22 DEX and 20 STR, take Raging Vitality to also raise your CON to 14 for a bit more bulkiness. You should have one two good saves (Reflex and Fortitude) and an acceptable one (Will) at this point. Your AC should actually go UP when you Rage.
Get a Belt of Giant Strength and Upgrade to a Belt of Physical Perfection when you can. Or take your +1s at 4 and 8 to STR
Pick up Power Attack and Reckless Rage to take advantage of using two hands to use your weapon. Also Combat Reflexes will go far, especially with Unexpected Strike.
Sadly you can't take Gore Fiend to replenish your Limited Rage Rounds.
Instead Recovered Rage is useful, but retrain it to Raging Deathblow when you get the chance. Take the Beast Totem Line for Pounce. You want to make as many attacks a turn as you can with improved crit range. Make that Curve Blade Keen.
That’s where I'm at after a half hour of spit balling, anyone have anything to add?
The key problem is that you aren’t monopolising on the key benefits of wielding an Elven Curve Blade: 1.5x STR damage and crit range.
(Also if you ever come across a Demon Talon, take it! it's finessable, can use 1.5x damage and uses only one hand, so shields are an option!)
The problem with Weapon Finesse builds is that you only get to add 1x your DEX right? So how about we use STR? Problem is we are now investing in two weapon stats, and the payoff isn't that high: 14 STR we get a +1 for two handing, 18 we get +2, and 22 we get +3. Lets go for that +3!
It's not that expensive for a 25 point buy, except you're an Elf. But our Elf has something other classes don't get:RAGE!
So here is our stat block;
STR: 16 DEX: 18 CON: 12 INT: 12 WIS: 8 CHA: 12You might notice you have lost another point of WIS from your previous build: If you're gonna dump something, dump it to the max; you suffer a -1 whether it's a 9 or an 8, so take the 8.
That does hurt our Will save though - our worst save, so lets take the Carefully Hidden Trait to even out that save, Rage will carry it the rest of the way.
Now on to Archetypes: We want the Savage Technologist, it gives us the most bang for our buck. What’s that? Don’t like Guns?
Take it anyway! Adaptive Longbows are just as scary in your hands when you are Raging. Pick up the Defensive Strategist Trait so you don't miss Uncanny Dodge too much.
So now when Raging we are 22 DEX and 20 STR, take Raging Vitality to also raise your CON to 14 for a bit more bulkiness. You should have one two good saves (Reflex and Fortitude) and an acceptable one (Will) at this point. Your AC should actually go UP when you Rage.
Get a Belt of Giant Strength and Upgrade to a Belt of Physical Perfection when you can. Or take your +1s at 4 and 8 to STR
Pick up Power Attack and Reckless Rage to take advantage of using two hands to use your weapon. Also Combat Reflexes will go far, especially with Unexpected Strike.
Sadly you can't take Gore Fiend to replenish your...
Dude, you need to read the little letters as well.
He is a bloodrager.
I don't think I saw any answer to the question about retraining...
Because, me, if I wanted to keep the concept of an elf barbarian (I know you went with a bloodrager, etc, I'm just saying, based upon your statement that you like unusual ideas, and you like the idea of an elf barbarian, etc), I would've played to the elf's strengths. Primarily, dex.
I would've gone with an urban barbarian archetype, pumped up the dex, took slashing grace, two-weapon, and never looked back. Then, take the beast totem line for your eventual pounce, and enjoy running around as a walking blender.
That's just me, though.
Oh, and the Berserker of the Society trait helps negate some of the con penalty's lack of rage rounds.
Just because it wasn't already mentioned anywhere: Get Courageous and Furious on your weapon as well as the aforementioned Agile.
Would the bloodrager get the option for the elven barbarian favored class? It is not normally seen as great but can be quite handy when you want a chasm leaped over or someone to reach that third story balcony.
Yeah, I'm sorry about the thread's title, it was misleading. Though similar, Barbarians have better support than Bloodragers. I probably should have been a straight Barbarian in retrospect, but...it's a little late now.
Another bloodline would have been better...the GM takes a dim view of the stranger Sorcerer bloodlines (you should hear his rant about the Orc Bloodline, lol), and he'd already decreed Arcane was 'too good' for the Bloodrager. I really couldn't argue, it is a cut above some of the other choices.
I decided Draconic would be a more conservative choice as a source for Rand's powers, but I probably should have pushed for Elemental...honestly, I somehow missed how cool Destined was. C'est lavie.
Now while I do appreciate all the advice given, and some of it was very good (I'll definitely give Power Attack a shot), I noticed quite a lot of comments like "just get an Agile weapon", etc.. It's going to be awhile before I can afford some of those options.
(As an aside, Diminuendo, you suggested a Demon Talon? Outside of being 20k, that grants a claw attack. Did you mean the Demonsorrow Curve Blade? While a great choice, it's going to be a long time before I can get my hands on a 90k magic item).
This is a home game, not PFS, and while I can purchase magic items, I likely won't be able to afford an Agile weapon until level 5 at least. I've noticed random magic item drops in the game can fall outside of the WBL curve, but so far, nobody has found "that item that's perfect for my character", lol.
Matter of fact, the final encounter of the last dungeon we went into only had one magic item for loot...horseshoes of the zephyr. Nobody has a mount, lol.
It is true that I start actually being a bloodrager next level (2 1st level spells. Yay.), so I'll definitely keep on plugging. It's not that Rand is a bad character, it's more that he's definitely being outshone by his companions. I don't need to be the all-star, but during the last battle, I was paralyzed for 3 rounds due to fear and my terrible Will save, and then, due to bad dice luck, I didn't even hit with a single attack, and I could see some of the other players were annoyed with me.
So I'll keep on playing for another level or two, and if it doesn't improve, I'll throw in the towel and either ask for a rebuild, or just start over with a more traditional character.
And roll my eyes a lot when the GM says things like "elves suck for anything other than casters", lol.
Thanks again, guys.
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Would the bloodrager get the option for the elven barbarian favored class? It is not normally seen as great but can be quite handy when you want a chasm leaped over or someone to reach that third story balcony.
Sort of. Bloodragers have thier own FCBs and can not use the bonus of the parent classes. That said, the elf FCB for the bloodrager is same as the barbarian FCB.
"Bloodrager: Add 1 foot to the bloodrager's base speed. In combat, this only has an effect for every five increases in base speed. This bonus stacks with the bloodrager's fast movement class feature, and applies under the same conditions and that feature."
Oh, missed the comment about Berserker of the Society. I considered that, but apparently, by RAW, bloodragers can't benefit from that trait.
"Bloodrage counts as the barbarian's rage class feature for the purpose of feat prerequisites, feat abilities, magic item abilities, and spell effects."
Yeah, I'm sorry about the thread's title, it was misleading. Though similar, Barbarians have better support than Bloodragers. I probably should have been a straight Barbarian in retrospect, but...it's a little late now.
Another bloodline would have been better...the GM takes a dim view of the stranger Sorcerer bloodlines (you should hear his rant about the Orc Bloodline, lol), and he'd already decreed Arcane was 'too good' for the Bloodrager. I really couldn't argue, it is a cut above some of the other choices.
I decided Draconic would be a more conservative choice as a source for Rand's powers, but I probably should have pushed for Elemental...honestly, I somehow missed how cool Destined was. C'est lavie.
Now while I do appreciate all the advice given, and some of it was very good (I'll definitely give Power Attack a shot), I noticed quite a lot of comments like "just get an Agile weapon", etc.. It's going to be awhile before I can afford some of those options.
(As an aside, Diminuendo, you suggested a Demon Talon? Outside of being 20k, that grants a claw attack. Did you mean the Demonsorrow Curve Blade? While a great choice, it's going to be a long time before I can get my hands on a 90k magic item).
This is a home game, not PFS, and while I can purchase magic items, I likely won't be able to afford an Agile weapon until level 5 at least. I've noticed random magic item drops in the game can fall outside of the WBL curve, but so far, nobody has found "that item that's perfect for my character", lol.
Matter of fact, the final encounter of the last dungeon we went into only had one magic item for loot...horseshoes of the zephyr. Nobody has a mount, lol.
It is true that I start actually being a bloodrager next level (2 1st level spells. Yay.), so I'll definitely keep on plugging. It's not that Rand is a bad character, it's more that he's definitely being outshone by his companions. I don't need to be the all-star, but during the last battle, I was paralyzed for 3 rounds due to...
If you keep at blood rager your str is gonna go up. Dont spend your stuff on getting dex to damage spend stuff on getting str up more. And if you cannot change your bloodline? Just get stuff that boost your to hit, like weapon focus, and damage like power attack and the dwarf will soon be your socially akward side kick.
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ask the DM if you can re-flavor the Dervish Dance feat to work with elven curve blade? i'd allow it in my game.
little nervous that the sentiment that elven barbarians don't "work" or "make sense" is more than just a reflection on the mechanics.
is your DM the "told you so" or the "let's try to fix this" type?
if you need additional ammo, there is a trait for elves in ARG that virtually grant's them the Endurance feat. so, the argument could be made that while most elven cultures wouldn't yield a barbarian, your particular strain of tough Desert Runner elves would.
Been playing the game for some time, and ever since d20 threw out race/class limitations, I occasionally run into this sentiment. Like the time I made a Dwarf Wizard and the DM couldn't wrap his head around it.
"But Dwarves resist magic!"
"Or maybe they just understand it better than other races?"
Heck, until Pathfinder changed up the core races, Elves were terrible Wizards, and yet, nobody seemed to notice or care. Heck, when I saw Pathfinder Half-Orcs didn't have a penalty to Charisma anymore, my immediate reaction was to make a Half-Orc Sorcerer- my GM for that game thought I was mad, but it actually worked fairly well, no matter how many times he shook his head that "half-orcs are dumb and ugly".
The D&D paradigm, adapted from Tolkien, about how the core races act and behave is deeply rooted in some people's minds, despite all evidence to the contrary, and if you're a guy like me, who loves to play against type, you get used to it.
Plus, every I've ever gamed with seems to have their favorite and most despised races, and woe betide if you make a character and find that out the hard way!
I knew a GM once who adored Halflings, but only if they were "hobbits" and played sneaky classes. They were offended by 3e/4e's portrayal of the race, and got seriously bent out of shape when someone (not me) decided to play a Halfling Druid who loved to maul people in bear form.
while most has been mentioned above, my 2 copper:
-i'd say consider retraining your bloodline (arcane/aberrant/destined/etc are all good) to actually get some use out of them. or consider a rebuild into a crossblooded BR (arcane-or-destined+draconic is pretty neat)
-or retraining your feats to any of power attack, arcane strike (+ blooded arcane strike, holy crap), weapon focus, etc. for some more combat punch.
-i would personally stay away from finesse (ECB has the OPTION for dexing, but doesnt REQUIRE it), if you choose to stay that course i'd say see if you can tweak your stats for more dex (taking from str) and grab the agile enchant ASAP for consolidated atk+damage, which will reduce your reliance on rage.
something like:
str 12 (2), dex 18 (10+2r), con 12 (5-2r), int 10 (-2+2r), wis 10, cha 14 (5)
with rage that'd put you at 16/18/16/10/10/14. put two level points into con and the remainder in dex as you go. grab a cord of stubborn resolve to reflexively rage (for the con bonus) on things that force a fort save.
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A GM who expects his players to play their characters only how he himself would play them is a narrow-minded individual. Narrow-mindedness does not lend itself well to being a good GM, usually...
far as i know, advanced class origins addressed the bloodrager DD thing.
There is a new feat in Paths of War called Deadly Agility which gives you DEX to Damage. It's a short cut from Dervish line and some say it's over powered, but I don't think so since it's not 1.5 times for two-handed weapons. It's better for two-weapon fighting, but your DEX bonus is already more than 1.5 times your STR anyway.
It's too bad you dumped WIS, though I don't blame you. There is a Barbarian archetype called Serene Barbarian that boosts DEX and WIS rather than STR and CON.
If you want to increase your DPR I think you're going to have to look for class dips with abilities that will add damage like Smite or Sneak damage while taking advantage of your high CHA. I'd consider either Paladin or Ninja.
I think Rand, son of Raff, should be egregiously offended that a DWARF barbarian is doling out more pain than he is. Rand's HONOR is at stake, and the honor of his tribe and ancestors. Rand needs to throw himself more and more recklessly into situations in a desperate (and, honestly, somewhat sad) attempt to re-prove the time-honored axiom that elves are racially superior to, well, everything and everyone.
In short, he needs to go Leroy Jenkins in a way that does NOT hose the party.
This addresses your concern about Rand becoming a second-stringer in an in-game, story way. Game mechanics solutions get away from your original character idea. If you roll luckily, Rand distinguishes himself as the hero he always knew he was. And if he goes down in a blaze of glory at least he burns out instead of fading away.
Draconic is ok probably for the backstory, but doesn't do a whole lot for you right now.
But bloodrager isn't really very interesting until higher levels (unlike barbarian who is interesting almost right away)
your class doesn't really bring it until later levels, and in that way is sort of an arcane rage prophet.
You will be something at 7th level, the dwarf barbarian couldn't even aspire to be.
you're designed to cast spells while raging, you don't even have spells yet.
you barely have bloodline powers.
you need to wait.
Waaaaaait for it, waaaait for it…..
You also have the possibility of going Dragon disciple….which is simply awesome in it's own right…
by 7th level DD you have +4 Str (on all the time), +2 con (on all the time), +2 nat armor (again on all the time)
can claw claw bite in human form, and can turn into a raging silver dragon with two breath weapon blasts (or one if not in dragon form). (which means you are doing this at 11th character level instead of 16th)
All this and cast spells while raging.
Your self buffs and options will come into play and shine… just not at 3rd level.
either way…your coolness comes at later levels.
I would simply spend more time as a switch hitter until your class abilities/options come online.
Out of curiosity... is Rand using a sword that is made of crystal? A sword that is not a sword?
With the Draconic Bloodline if he gets killed and resurrected maybe they will start calling him, "The Dragon Reborn".
Rand needs to see about spending that 1800 gold. Wands of Shield are cheap at 750 gold and a spring loaded wrist sheath is 10 gold. With one of those up his sleeve he can free action one hand his ECB, swift action draw his wand, standard action use the wand, free action drop the wand, free action two hand his ECB, and move with his move action. That is an efficient first round that should up your AC and preserve your rage rounds. Also, Power Attack is a must.
A wand of shield might be nice, but my AC isn't really the issue. In fact, I took the least amount of damage in the last session because it was in an ice cave, and I'm one of five barbarian/bloodragers in existence (apparently) who didn't trade away Uncanny Dodge.
Um, did I say something about my sword not being made of metal? I don't recall that, if I did, that's a typo, it's made of common variety steel. It was something of a discussion with the GM to have it made at all, as we were in an Dwarven town when I asked about purchasing a masterwork curve blade.
(If you've seen the 13th Warrior, the scene where Antonio Banderas gets his scimitar made is pretty much exactly how this played out- Dwarven smiths don't think much of elven weapon design).
Besides, I think I'm going to need that 1800 gp to purchase a weapon upgrade- somehow I doubt I'm just going to trip over a +1 Agile curve blade in a few levels...
Assuming I still need one by then. It might be easier to get a belt of strength +2. Then, when raging, I'll deal 1d10+10 (with power attack). The Dwarf deals 2d6+11 now (he lucked out and got a +1 weapon already), assuming he gets the same belt, that'll push him up to 2d6+13...bleah. LOL.
Obviously I'll never win the damage race, he's taken a much easier road with his character.
I think you will be better off with a +1 Keen ECB, not a +1 Agile ECB. At least in the short run. A 1d10+10 criting 33% of the time will out damage 2d6+11 critting 10% of the time, or 20% if he also gets keen.
30%, but still, your argument is entirely valid. It seems like he would edge out if he also grabbed keen, but it is still comparable.
You'd pull out ahead eventually, because spells
Dont go agile. If you wantto be a melee bloodrager str Will have to be your main stat. Even if it is behind atm taking weapon focus instead of finesse. Will put your Raging to hit where above where it is now. And damage is gonna be better . If you keep going for dex to hit and move to get it on Dam you May as well Pick some figther levels because you Will lose out on the main trick of the class. And Prove to the GM that elves barbarians( or bloodragers) are silly. Consider kren or furious on the weapon in stead.
And get Down on your køres and ask if you Can change bloodline e to somthing with features you want, like we taked about.