I am building a new character: Mad Dog Barbarian and I want it to focus on Intimidate and Will Saves. Here are my thoughts as far as Feat/Rage Power progression. I am open to any suggestions.
Things to keep in mind: Character will be Human and have a Wolf companion.
1st Feat: Power Attack
Human Bonus: Weapon Focus-Greatsword
3rd Feat: Dazzling Display
4th Rage Power: Intimidating Glare
5th Feat: Iron Will
7th Feat: Extra Rage Power-Terrifying Howl
8th Rage Power: Superstition
9th Feat: Improved Iron Will
I plan on taking the Trait that allows me to use my INT modifier to Intimidate checks.
The main issue that I'd note is that you're going to be spending two rounds of battle on a shaken->panicked combo, which may not work as well as you might like. It's not really that hard to succeed at an intimidate check, but to chain it with Terrifying Howl you need it to last at least 2 rounds, which means you need to succeed by 5 or more. Intimidating Glare can inflict shaken on one adjacent target, but if that target was already intimidated for one round before then the check is made at a -5 penalty. Are you willing to spend two rounds of combat as a Barbarian on a fear tactic that will have only a pretty good chance of working?
Simply having the feat Intimidating Prowess would be a huge boost to your Intimidate skill. The Hero's Display Performance Feat with Performing Combatant essentially allow you to use Dazzling Display as a swift action after doing things like hitting on a charge or hitting with iterative attacks, but as a Barbarian it's pretty difficult to get all those feats in - especially when you're spending feats to pick up Rage Powers that you lost due to Mad Dog.
I would considering switching out Iron Will for Intimidating Prowess and maybe just starting with a little more wisdom - depending on where your starting stats are going to be - and take Superstition early. Since your intimidation combo appears at level 8, you might consider taking at least one level of Fighter at 9 and ditching Improved Iron Will, so that you free up two feats for working on your intimidation.
Something like:
1. Power Attack / Human: Weapon Focus
3. Dazzling Display
4. RP: Superstition
5. Intimidating Prowess
7. Extra RP: Intimidating Glare
8. RP: Terrifying Howl
9 (Gladiator Fighter). Performing Combatant / Fighter: Hero's Display / Gladiator: Performance Weapon Mastery
This way instead of needing to use Dazzling Display, you'll automatically fear-bomb enemies just by fighting, and you can pick your moment to use Terrifying Howl.
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There's always Cornugon Smash, too. Free Intimidate check after hitting a target with a Power Attack.
I am a Fan of C. Smash and Enforcer over Dazzling Display myself due to action economy.
But I think the OP wants to be a AoE style debuffer instead of single target free action on a successful hit.
What Badbird suggests is not bad at all and is viable. Being able to get D. Display down in action economy makes it better of a feat. I do like Badbird's suggestion if the OP is wanting that AoE fear theme. And highly suggest listening to him on this one.
I have never used any Performance type feats, nor even looked at them. Are they available in the "main" books, or would I need specific companion books or something?
Yes, I was looking at being more of a Fear bomb type so I am very interested in things that will allow me to do it quicker.
OK, so after a little checking it appears everything I need for the Gladiator/Performance stuff is in Ultimate Combat which is perfect.
I do have a question regarding the +2 bonus I would gain to my performance attempt. What is part of the performance? The Attack or Intimidate check? Do I gain +2 to my attack rolls or to my Intimidate check on all within 30 feet?
The way that Performing Combatant works is that when you trigger Hero's Display, you make a simple DC20 skill check with Perform (act, dance, or comedy). If you succeed at the check, Hero's Display works. This is where you get the +2 bonus to 'performance attempt'. Fortunately, by the time you get Hero's Display, making a DC20 check with all your bonuses should be basically guaranteed:
BAB, +2 bonus from Hero's Display, +3 bonus from Class Skill (Gladiator makes it a class skill), +2 bonus from Performance Weapon Mastery, +skill ranks, +/- CHA. By level 9 you've got a +16 on the 20DC check without even putting any skill ranks in or having any bonus from charisma. You can put a couple points into a perform skill to make sure you can't fail unless you roll a 1.
Ignore everything else about performance combat - when using Performing Combatant in a normal fight, that's all that matters.
Just make sure the feats you're looking at are legal for your table. Like PFS doesn't allow any performance feats IIRC
It appears I didn't list this was a PFS character. It is, and after checking Performance Feats etc are not, in fact, legal for play so that puts this off the table for me.
Sorry I wasn't clearer regarding the fact this is for a PFS character.
Ah. Well, Cornugon Smash is incredibly useful for single-target fear, but the only way to fear-bomb with it is to use Cleave or Whirlwind Attack with a reach weapon and/or Lunge and/or Enlarge Person. AoE attack Cornugon fear-bombing actually sounds pretty badass, but Cleave is limited to adjacent foes and Whirlwind Attack is too feat-intensive without changing your concept a fair deal - it's possible, but tough.
Now, if you get your wolf using Intimidating Prowess + Cornugon Smash along with you, then you might not need AoE fear to set-up Terrifying Howl.
Interesting, if I put an ability point increase into INT on my Wolf, I would imagine I could take Cornugon Smash on Morga. Thus making a feat chain on my Animal Companion of Power Attack, Intimidating Prowess, and Cornugon Smash.