I CAN'T DO THAT DAVE.
CRB ONLY MARTIALS PRETTY LAME.
But in all seriousness I haven't built a Barbarian without at least using the Advanced Player's Guide. All the stuff I normally recommend it outside the core book.
Hopefully someone else can come along to recommend some good stuff...but my recollection about core only barbarians was that they we're...underwhelming.
Might I ask, why CRB only?
Hey all, one of our GM's is bringing it all back to CRB for a LvL 20 night and we have to play the opposite of our usual roles, so I'm going from legendary Bard to Barbarian.
I'd love input on a lvl 20 Barbarian build using only CRB and 500,000 go worth of equipment (not including wands+pots)
Excited to see what you all cook up
CRB-only barbarian 20? How about:
20-Point Buy: 28 (36 raging) Str, 16 Dex, 22 (30 raging) Con, 10 Int, 19 Wis, 5 Cha
AC: 32 (30 raging), 37 (35 raging) using buckler, 18 (16 raging) touch
DR 7/-
Speed 50 ft (yes, a dwarf in full plate with a 50 ft move; :D)
(Mighty) Rage 48 rounds/day
Rage Powers: Clear Mind, Guarded Stance (+4 dodge bonus to AC vs. melee attacks), Increased Damage Reduction (x2), Intimidating Glare, Mighty Swing (use rage cycling to start new rage when used), No Escape, Renewed Vigor, Superstition, Terrifying Howl
Skills: Acrobatics 20 (+23), Intimidate 20 (+28, +32 raging), Perception 20 (+27), Stealth 15 (+15), Survival 5 (+12)
Feats: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Bleeding Critical (or another critical effect feat), Critical Focus, Fleet (x2), Improved Critical (Waraxe), Improved Initiative, Intimidating Prowess, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
Equipment: +5 mithral full plate (35,500 gp), +4 arrow deflection mithral buckler (37,155 gp), adamantine dwarven thrower (63,312 gp), +5 holy cold iron dwarven waraxe* (100,360 gp), ring of protection +5 (50,000 gp), amulet of natural armor +4 (32,000 gp), belt of physical might (Str, Con) +6 (90,000 gp), boots of striding and springing (5,500 gp), cloak of resistance +5 (25,000 gp), glove of storing (10,000 gp; stores dwarven thrower), handy haversack (2,000 gp), headband of inspired wisdom +6 (36,000 gp), ioun stone (dusty rose prism; +1 insight bonus to AC) (5,000 gp), ioun stone (deep red sphere; +2 enhancement bonus to Dex) (8,000 gp)
You can use the waraxe two-handed for more Str/Power Attack damage (at -1 attack bonus) or one-handed for extra AC. Switching grips is a free action. Likewise, you can switch the waraxe to the buckler hand as a free action, retrieve the dwarven thrower from the glove of storing as a free action, and make a ranged attack; when the dwarven thrower returns, it's another free action to store it in the glove, and a free action to switch the waraxe to the non-buckler hand.
Also, wait until after a party member casts haste before starting to rage (to prevent running into issues with Superstition).
*- assuming a "typical" set of encounters, where evil foes are common; try to get some silversheen, as well as potions; alternately, you could have a +5 holy mithral dwarven waraxe (102,030 gp) and no handy haversack
Just a suggestion. This isn't min-maxed or anything.
Set stats however your group does them emphasizing STR>CON>DEX>WIS>CHA>INT. Make him/her a half-orc to get darkvision and bonus to Intimidate skill and take +2 STR.
You will have 10 rage powers, 10 feats, and 5 stat bumps. Use stat bumps to max out your STR. At the very least buy a belt of physical might with +6 STR and +6 CON (90k). Also look into getting +5 insight bonus to STR via manual of gainful exercise (137.5k). If you start with an 18 STR at level 1 (after racial bonus), you get +5 from leveling, +6 from belt, +5 from manual, and +8 from mighty rage for a total STR of 42. You could potentially stock up on potions of enlarge person, although I'm not sure it's worth the tradeoffs.
Save yourself a feat and just plan on grabbing a +5 keen (and something else) falchion for crits that threaten on a 15-20. Feats to consider getting: power attack at level 1, improved initiative, intimidating prowess (to add STR to intimidate skill), iron will, critical focus at level 9 (to set up stunning critical later), blind-fight, step up (to prevent casters from 5-foot stepping to avoid your AOO), toughness (for 20 hp), stunning critical at 17, and something else at 19 (maybe bolster ranged attack efforts with thrown weapons?). If you didn't care for stunning critical you could save yourself 2 feats and replace them. I stayed away from weapon focus (and improved weapon focus) since you likely don't need the additional bonus to attack.
Rage powers to consider taking: intimidating glare at 2 (to induce shaken condition as move action), powerful blow at 4 (for +6 to damage once per round), strength surge at 6 (to improve CMB/CMD), clear mind at level 8 (to reroll bad Will saves), increased damage reduction at 10, 12, and 14 (for total damage reduction of 8/-), superstition at 16 (for +7 to your saves), unexpected strike at 18, and surprise accuracy at 20 (for +6 to hit on your last iterative attack each round). Don't forget that at 20 you can rage cycle every round without becoming fatigued, so all of your once per rage powers function once per round.
This is just a basic half-orc barbarian who attacks 4 times a round fishing for crits with their falchion and smashing face. It can intimidate an opponent to debuff them in combat or interrogate them out of combat. Power attacking with a +5 falchion gives +36/+31/+26/+27 (+27 on last iterative thanks to surprise accuracy) for 2d4+39 + any elemental effects you have on your weapon, and once per round you add an additional +6 to damage.
A non-standard CRB-only barbarian 20:
20-Point Buy: 26 (34 raging) Str, 22 Dex, 20 (28 raging) Con, 10 Int, 18 Wis, 8 Cha
AC: 32 (30 raging), 22 (20 raging) touch
DR 8/-
Speed 40 ft
(Mighty) Rage 47 rounds/day
Rage Powers: Clear Mind, Fearless Rage, Increased Damage Reduction (x3), Mighty Swing, Quick Reflexes, Renewed Vigor, Surprise Accuracy, Unexpected Strike
Skills: Acrobatics 10 (+18), Craft (Bows) 10 (+13), Intimidate 10 (+12), Knowledge (Nature) 5 (+8), Perception 20 (+29), Stealth 20 (+25), Survival 5 (+12)
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Shot on the Run, Staggering Critical, Stand Still
Equipment: +5 mithral breastplate (29,200 gp), +1 distance seeking composite (+5 Str) longbow (18,900 gp), +4 keen holy elven curve blade (98,380 gp), ring of protection +5 (50,000 gp), amulet of natural armor +4 (32,000 gp), belt of physical perfection +6 (144,000 gp), boots of speed (12,000 gp), cloak of resistance +5 (25,000 gp), efficient quiver (1,800 gp), greater bracers of archery (25,000 gp), ioun stone (dusty rose prism; +1 insight bonus to AC) (5,000 gp), 22,720 gp for various arrows (bane or slaying, special materials, etc.) and other gear
Moderately good archer, using attacks at range to weaken foes (if they can't be killed outright) before raging and attacking in melee. Somewhat optimized for making attacks of opportunity and disrupting enemies' movement and/or ability to make full attacks.
Now for something... different:
20-Point Buy: 26 (34 raging), 17 Dex, 20 (28 raging) Con, 13 Int, 18 Wis, 11 Cha
AC (+11 armor +3 Dex +5 deflection +5 natural armor +1 insight +1 size): 36 (34 raging), 37 to 41 (35 to 39 raging) defending, 20 (18 raging) touch
DR 5/-
Speed 30 ft (40 ft raging)
(Mighty) Rage 47 rounds/day
Rage Powers: Animal Fury, Clear Mind, Intimidating Glare, Mighty Swing, Renewed Vigor, Scent, Strength Surge (+20 to one Str check or combat maneuver), Swift Foot (x2), Terrifying Howl
Skills: Acrobatics 20 (+25), Handle Animal 10 (+16), Intimidate 20 (+26), Knowledge (Nature) 5 (+9), Perception 20 (+29), Survival 5 (+12), Use Magic Device 20 (+23)
Feats: Combat Expertise, Critical Focus, Double Slice, Greater Trip, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Two-Weapon Fighting
Equipment: +5 mithral breastplate (29,200 gp), +5 keen/+5 defending gnome hooked hammer (144,620 gp), ring of protection +5 (50,000 gp), amulet of natural armor +5 (50,000 gp), belt of physical might (Str, Con) +6 (90,000 gp), boots of speed (12,000 gp), circlet of persuasion (4,500 gp), cloak of resistance +5 (25,000 gp), glove of storing (10,000 gp; holds hooked hammer), headband of inspired wisdom +6 (36,000 gp), ioun stones (dusty rose prism [+1 insight bonus to AC], deep red sphere [+2 Dex], pink and blue sphere [+2 Cha]) (21,000 gp), manual of gainful exercise +1 (27,500 gp)
A wand of greater magic fang (CL 8) and a wand of heroism (CL 6) will also be very useful. For ranged attacks, the barbarian can use a bow and rely on a wand of greater magic weapon (CL 8) to make the arrows magic or just go with a selection of attack wands (wand of acid arrow (no SR), wand of scorching ray, wand of searing light, etc.), depending on how much the GM allows you to spend on wands.
Also, it looks like I was forgetting to include all of the AC bonuses for the first two barbarians. Corrected ACs below.
AC (+14 armor +3 Dex +5 deflection +4 natural armor +1 insight +5 shield): 37 (35 raging), 42 (40 raging) using buckler, 19 (17 raging) touch
AC (+11 armor +5 Dex +5 deflection +1 dodge +4 natural armor +1 insight): 37 (35 raging), 22 (20 raging) touch