I think the maneuver ones are interesting.
Strangely, barbarians are fantastic at maneuvers. To some extent, better than a fighter. They just need 1 ragepower/feat for rage power per maneuver, and it usually has some weird twist that makes it great (the 2 conditions of savage dirty trick). The investment is light, yet effective.
Combine that with the rage power that adds your barbarian level to the maneuver's bonus 1/rage (which gets much more interesting when you rage cycle), and you can mess enemies up.
Ever consider playing a Mounted Barbarian?
Either Barb4/CavX or Barb 4/Hunter X or Barb (Archetype with Mount) X. Mounted Barbarians play rather differently from your standard Beast Totem build.
Mounted Barbarians are INSANE and fun to play. My favorite build involves 4 Bard/Hunter X and the feat Amplified Rage combined with the normal Outflank, Packflanking, and Ferocious Mount.
Amplified Rage is honestly too good when its active for a Hunter. At level 8 you've got +4 Enhancement Bonus, +4 Morale Bonus, and then a stacking +4...that means you can have +12 Strength and +8 Con while your rage is burning without a single item. Oh, and your Animal Companion gains the bonuses too. Sure your rounds of rage are effectively cut in half, but that is what the Extra Rage feat is for.
Raging Leaper plus Beastial Leaper allows you to take a standard during your move action. Works well with vital strike.
Dragon Totem is really awesome besides the meaningless prerequisites. +6 DR, fairly high energy resistance, fly speed... so much good stuff. I had a pretty fun time going Invulnerable Rager + Beast Totem line + Improved Stalwart; I ended up having like 20 something DR at level 12 which I found to be hilarious.
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Ever consider playing a Mounted Barbarian?
Either Barb4/CavX or Barb 4/Hunter X or Barb (Archetype with Mount) X. Mounted Barbarians play rather differently from your standard Beast Totem build.
Eh, this isn't quite right. They can play differently, but they don't have to. It's entirely possible to build a mounted barbarian with the Beast Totem line of rage powers that just pounces on everything.
@OP: Have you considered a Grapple based Barbarian with the Raging Grappler rage power? If you're only planning on going up until 8th level, you don't have to worry quite so much about everyone and their mother having access to Freedom of Movement.
For straight combat, I'd consider a mounted Barb way better than a beast totem one, as RAGELANCEPOUNCE is still gold, and having a powerful companion with you only makes things better. It's not ideal for every situation (large mounts and all), but from a strictly combat perspective, I'd easily go mounted, especially half orc.
Spirit Totem works better on a Skald, but I have played a spirit totem barbarian and it always felt like a cheap way to try and squeeze just a little more damage.
Inspire Ferocity scales better than Inspire Courage and is an untyped bonus meaning it stacks with inspire courage. For the rare party filled with martial characters.
A Barbarian with the Dragon Totem and the Draconic Blood powers gets basically everything a Dragon Disciple gets. (Flight, claws, breath weapon)
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N. Jolly, you do realize that RAGELANCEPOUNCE relies on Greater Beast Totem to get pounce, right?
Mounted barbarians work better as Mounted Furies with Boon Companion than as a multiclass. More rage, more rage powers, better effects of rage powers. If you want to share teamwork feats, that's what a Horsemaster's Saddle is for. If you want an unconventional mount, that's what Beast Rider is for.
One option I've found is Mounted Fury X/Sohei 1. You can use a Pummeling Spirited Charge rather than a normal pounce. You can use Feral Combat Training (gore) and Boar's Charge rather than a lance. I think it works rather well. I made a potential build here. It uses bloodrager rather than barbarian, but they can easily be switched out and the principle is the same.
Druid 4/Barbarian X can get around Beast Totem entirely and just use a Lesser Fiend Totem/Lesser Abyssal Blood combination and Shaping Focus to pounce at level 8 for Bite/Claw/Claw/Claw/Claw/Gore/Rake/Rake
Yeah sorry, I was just thinking about it with Pummeling Charge instead of a lance, although you really don't NEED the secondary attacks. I guess I just really like the visual of charging on the back of a mount for one huge 'Let me see you grit those teeth' sized punch. Considering you can combine this with TWF, you can presumably get your first attack with 2x damage, and then all your other attacks all in one massive haymaker. It's pretty non optimal without a MoMS 2 dip, but dropping two levels for the ability to RAGEPUNCHPOUNCE seems like a way cooler visual. I think damage wise this will end up doing more, but the more important thing about it is that it comes online WAY earlier, making it really an understandable dip for most barbs.
It's a feat investment of TWF (and any improved you want to throw on), Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, and Spirited Charge along with 2 levels of MoMS, so you're delaying your rage and rage power progression, although the only things you're really delaying are access to the Super's line and such. It does open up Dragon's Style to add full strength to all of those attacks though which is a nice bump in damage as well. I'd suggest taking MoMS first, then becoming an ex monk to take Barb levels.
At this point the idea of an unarmed Barbarian is sounding like a lot of fun.
you are bored of seeing superstition/beast totem over and over?
Several rage powers seems so lackluster like Spirit totem or hurling. Others that seems interesting have superstitous as prerequisite or can not be taken in the levels I would play the barbarian (4 to 8). The ones that give natural attacks seems strong enough, but does not really go witht he fluff of the PC.
The only one I'm finding interesting is lesser celestial totem, but I Hve no idea If tehre will be a healer int he party
[b]Roll a Pack Rager/Primal Rager[/b[. You don't need Pounce, the only Rage Power you need is Reckless Abandon, pick good Teamwork feats like Wounded Paw Gambit and stuff.