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Well, that gave me a few things to consider. I'm working on my own kind of Barbarian: a noble fencer who was booted from his school for "anger issues." I imagine his rage to be that of a scorned highblood, with barbed insults and merciless, agressive lunges.
But mechanics aside, you've got me pondering his mindset. Thanks for that.
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My favourite barbarian character was a spoiled Princess with a terrible temper. She used a rapier, and eventually got a mythril dress. :P
Yay for Rapier barbarians! Care to share some build details? I've been playing around with this most excellent background generator and the last three characters it gave me were a NE elf barbarian from a non-elven town in Irrissen, a NG elf barbarian elf-raised from a forest in Druma, and a NG human barbarian (5'2', 130lb.) from a metropolis in Cheliax.
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Yay for Rapier barbarians! Care to share some build details?
I had two ideas. One was Weapon Finesse and Ameteur Swashbuckler for the Parry deed, at which point I would begin the process of getting Fencing Grace and maybe some feats from the Dodge line. With Guarded Stance and a buckler, you can be surprisingly tanky. The other idea is a strength based rapier build. It's damage would be more consistant and less feat heavy, but it doesn't quite pull off that "stealing the Swashbuckler's thunder" appeal.
And if you can't bully the Swashbuckler, then what's the point?
Edit: that linked post really makes me wish I could edit things after an hour....
Tip #4, "Choose Your Weapon," made me laugh because it fits my character to a T.
Remember the enthusiastic savage technologist bloodrager Val I mentioned in your 50 Shades of Rage: Flavoring The Barbarian's Signature Power thread? She charges into battle with a gunpowder pistol in one hand and an enchanted adamantine saber in the other. She forged the saber herself, and hired a wizard to enchant it. She also carries two pistols, one was a gift from a friend, and the other she assembled out of junk pistols scavenged from enemies after the first was stolen (she recovered it later). She cannot quickly unjam a misfired pistol, so she likes a spare.
Sword and gun style lacks the power of a two-handed greataxe and the speed of matched shortswords, but Val is very much split between two cultures: her barbarian heritage as the last surviving member of the Mountain Crow tribe, and the civilized technology and magic taught by her adoptive father. She embraces the confusion, switching between weapons at will for flexible combat tactics. And she likes looking like a buccaneer.
My rapier wielding Barbarian was an Urban Barbarian, both for more appropriate skills to represent city born royalty, as well as to allow a Dex focus more easily. Weapon Finesse, and a +Dex to damage feat kept her pretty effective (although that requires either pre-errata Fencing Grace, an Agile weapon, or third party options like Deadly Agility).
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My rapier wielding Barbarian was an Urban Barbarian, both for more appropriate skills to represent city born royalty, as well as to allow a Dex focus more easily. Weapon Finesse, and a +Dex to damage feat kept her pretty effective (although that requires either pre-errata Fencing Grace, an Agile weapon, or third party options like Deadly Agility).
I just took a look at the current Fencing Grace and it seems decent enough. What did the old one have going for it?
It was missing the "You do not gain this benefit while fighting with two weapons or using flurry of blows, or anytime another hand is otherwise occupied." sentence.
Actually, there is no "pre errata" or "post errata" fencing grace because the feat was never errata'd. They printed a feat with the same name and similar effect in another book, but the original version is still there without any FAQ or errata regarding it. As it is, we effectively have two different feats with the same name.
Note: For PFS, there is a Campaign Clarifications that adds the sentence to the original version.
Another concept for Barbarian is a zealot of a certain religion who smites the heretics with supreme anger. ALL ANGRY! ALL THE TIME!
The errata ruined my Cayden Cailean Sacred Fist Warpriest. The change is clearly there to prevent Precise Strike damage abuse, but it can still be abused with the Agile enchantment.
I wish Paizo would remove "You do not gain this benefit while fighting with two weapons or using flurry of blows, or anytime another hand is otherwise occupied." from Slashing Grace, Starry Grace and Fencing Grace and just attach it to the Precise Strike deed.
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Cohan the Librarian Barbarian
Armored Hulk (Str18 Dex12 Con14 Int13 Wis12 Cha7)
Half-Elf, with +2 to all untrained skills as racial
Bruising Intellect (Int to Intimidate)
Pick a second trait that gives him linguistics as a class skill
Lvl 1: Power Attack
Lvl 3: Breadth of Experience (+2 all knowledge and profession, may make untrained)
Lvl 5: Fast Learner (+1 skill and HP per level)
Lvl 7: Improvisation (+2 all untrained skill)
Lvl 9: Greater Improvisation (another +2)
Lvl 11: Divine Obedience Irori (+4 all knowledge skills)
By lvl11 your barbarian has all knowledge skills at +12. Cover him in pathfinder guides for another +2. If it is PFS, join the scarab sages for extra knowledge skills. If not, become an evangelist for another +4 to all untrained skills. That'd push all your profession skills up to +9.
He's a big, strong, very unpleasant barbarian librarian. He's never been educated, but he is obsessed with knowledge in all its forms. A self taught scholar. Plus with Int14 and linguistics as a class skill, he'll know a ton of languages.
With 6 skill points a level, put them into intimidate, linguistics, survival, perception, climb and swim. Even with AC penalty you'll be pretty good at most of them.
Also laugh when the party needs a barrister and the barbarian goes "Hold on, I remember reading about this. I'll do it." He then pulls out a bloodstained book and goes "Don't worry the blood isn't mine."
For extra points, make his armor be looted from all of the different places he has been to. A piece metal collection of dozens of different cultures and societies.
In a PbP, we all played elves as proper English gentlemen. Don't know why. Mine was a barbarian with an elven curve blade. I took the +1 foot of speed favored class bonus and the rage powers that lead up to Raging Leaper or whatever that "virtual Spring Attack" rage power was called that WAS a legal combo with Vital Strike. Power Attack, Pushing Assault, and Precise Strike were his first 3 feats (there was a sorcerer/cavalier/wannabe eldritch knight in the party with Precise Strike too). It was also a variant elf that gave Stealth as a class skill, so my guy had Acrobatics, Perception, and Stealth maxed out, and dipped into Climb, Intimidate, Survival, and Swim.