Help with Barbarian/Fighter/Frenzied Berseker build

[Nasst]

Hello playground! I'm going to start a campaign with my friends and this time it's my turn to be the BSF (Big Stupid Fighter =P). Here are the specifics of this campaign:

*We play in Eberron.
*We start at lvl 3.
*The material we can use is ill-defined by the DM, but we can't use anything from other campaign settings.
*Only the basic races of eberron (Human, Elf, Semielf, Semiorc, Warforged, Changeling, Shifter, Kalashtar, Gnome, Halfling and Dwarf).
*These are my rolls: 16 14 13 12 11 7

Here's my build so far:

Ira (Human Barbarian 2/Duskblade 2/Fighter 6/Frenzied Berseker 10)

Starting ability scores:
Strenght 16 (Augmented levels 4/8/12/16)
Dexterity 13 (Augmented level 20)
Constitution 14
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 7
Carisma 11

1: Barbarian (1) (Extra Rage (1-3)/Intimidating rage (4-20), Reckless Rage (1-4)/Destructive Rage (5-20))
2: Fighter (1) (Power Attack)
3: Fighter (2) (Cleave, Extra Rage (3-5)/Improved Bull Rush(6-20))
4: Duskblade (1)
5: Fighter (3)
6: Fighter (4) (Leap attack, Shock Trooper)
7: Frenzied Berseker (1)
8: Frenzied Berseker (2)
9: Frenzied Berseker (3) (Extra Rage (9-11)/Endurance (12-20))
10: Frenzied Berseker (4)
11: Frenzied Berseker (5)
12: Frenzied Berseker (6) (Steadfast Determination)
13: Frenzied Berseker (7)
14: Frenzied Berseker (8)
15: Frenzied Berseker (9) (Extra Rage)
16: Frenzied Berseker (10)
17: Fighter (5)
18: Fighter (6) (Weapon Focus (Greatclub), Three Mountains)
19: Duskblade (2)
20: Barbarian (2)

"Feat A (1-3)/Feat B (4-20)" Means "I have feat A from levels 1 to 3, I retrain it to feat B at level 4 and keep feat B all the way to level 20".

Feats used:
Extra Rage (CW)
Intimidating Rage (CW)
Destructive Rage (CW)
Three Mountains (CW)
Shock Trooper (CW)
Power Attack (PHB)
Cleave (PHB)
Improved Bull Rush (PHB)
Weapon Focus (PHB)
Endurance (PHB)
Steadfast Determination (PHB II)
Leap Attack (CAd)
Reckless Rage (RoS)

Alternate Class Features:
Lion Totem (CC)

Magic items:
Cloak of Resistance +5
Crystal Mask of Mindarmor
Amulet of Health +6




My party will use a wand of grease to stop me from killing them. The idea of the build is to do a charger beast that will do lots of damage while keeping his saves high. The Paladin of slaughter levels are added purely for flavor reasons (it's a mildly-evil party) and for the smite good 1/day.

I need help with magic items and weapons (I can't use a Valorous sword :smallfrown:)

Suggestions?

PS: Sorry for my sucky english. xD


EDIT:

Dropped Paladin of slaughter for duskblade, because of the saves and swift expeditious retreat.

The whole idea behind the build is to use the combo shock trooper (with the maneuver "hedless charge") and leap attack to do insane damage. Some examples:

lvl 7:

charging, raging and frenzied, 3 attacks at +16/+16/+11
damage: 2d6 + 12 (strenght) + 28 (power attack) = 47 averange

lvl 12

charging, raging and frenzied, 4 attacks at +22/+22/+17/+12
damage: 2d6 + 13 (strenght) + 60 (power attack) = 80 averange

lvl 16

charging, raging and frenzied, 5 attacks at +29/+29/+24/+19/+14
damage: 2d6 + 18 (strenght) + 96 (power attack) = 121 averange

And that's without any magical object at all.

Of course, her AC will be reeaaally low, but it doesn't matters too much, because of the "Deathless Frenzy" class feature, my party will be able to heal me before my frenzy ends.

At the same time, Ira manages to have good fort and will saves.

At level 12 with 51.000 gp in magical gear, she has +23 to fort saves and +19 to will saves, while not raging. When raging, she has +25 to fort saves and +23 to will saves.

[Escheton]

2 lvls of fighter gets you dungeoncrasher...
1 lvl of warblade or crusader nets you Minotaurs Charge.

thats some combat maneuver dmg boost right there.

[Morph Bark]

2 lvls of fighter gets you dungeoncrasher...
1 lvl of warblade or crusader nets you Minotaurs Charge.

thats some combat maneuver dmg boost right there.

Oh yes, yes. I played a Barbarian/Warblade/Frenzied Berserker in my last campaign and BOY was he fun once I had everything figured out. He also had two levels of Bloodstorm Blade I occassionally used to make his Legacy weapon spear more useful, and another player had to figure something out for healing me at a range should I frenzy and go below -10 hp.

The campaign ended with him going toe-to-toe with an aspect of Asmodeus that had his magical powers inhibited... he got 150 damage every round, including vile and whatever else, but it was enough to keep him at bay. Real good campaign ending for him.

Since you won't need Bloodstorm Blade, it will be easier for you to make the build. I had to throw in a level of Feat Rogue alone to get all the necessary feats for both PrCs, plus he was a Half-Ogre instead of human, so you got one feat more and one less needed for PrCs.

If there is a weapon with a large crit range that is two-handed, I fully recommend it, especially if you take that one Tiger Claw stance that increases damage output every time you crit.


EDIT: Also, are you gonna use the Whirling Frenzy Barbarian or the Complete Champion Lion Totem Barbarian? Pounce is nuts with all this.

[Escheton]

There is an exotic weapon.
Sword, elven courtblade 150 gp 1d10 18–20/×2 — 6 lb. Piercing or slashing
With 1 lvl of warblade you can even retrain that exotic weapon prof on a day to day basis.
There is also a +1 weaponenhancement that does that the other way around. It allows you to apply all weaponspecific feats to it.
So if you start off with the courtblade prof, you can later switch to harpoon prof and a +1 aptitude courtblade.

And might I recommend warforged? They can't become fatigued...

[Wings of Peace]

If your DM is in a giving mood ask for a Halbard of Vaulting. It is from the Arms and Equipment guide and will give you a +32 to jump checks, +2 to hit, and double damage if you fall from a certain height. Combine with with the stance Leaping Dragon and the feat Battle Jump and you've just tripled your damage output.

On the race side of things, Warforged for fatigued is good, I personally if allowed would go the Half-Orc route and take Headlong Rush (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030301a) for yet another X2 to your damage multiplier. Dragonborn Half-Orcs are the most ideal IMO since the Con bonus will help you far more than the additional lost dexterity.

M-Bark mentioned Bloodstorm Blade, if there's room take this since now that you're throwing your weapon you can (with a lenient reading) get an easy extra attack by taking the feat Rapid Shot.

It's ridiculously cheap but if you take the feat Magical Training and dip three level in Arcane Duelist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20030224a) you can be sure you will almost always hit your target. Those bonus fighter feats can go towards netting the prequisite entry feats.

[Morph Bark]

There is an exotic weapon.
Sword, elven courtblade 150 gp 1d10 18–20/×2 — 6 lb. Piercing or slashing
With 1 lvl of warblade you can even retrain that exotic weapon prof on a day to day basis.
There is also a +1 weaponenhancement that does that the other way around. It allows you to apply all weaponspecific feats to it.
So if you start off with the courtblade prof, you can later switch to harpoon prof and a +1 aptitude courtblade.

And might I recommend warforged? They can't become fatigued...

Ooh, even better yeah.

Warforged isn't necessary since the fatigue only lasts until the end of the encounter, and if 3 + Con mod rounds isn't enough to finish it, then you should've done better.

[Escheton]

It would mostly be for powering though to the next room of mobs.
Not for protracted combats.
And some combats are over fast areas where one fights small groups while a few rounds run away other groups are sniping you.

[Nasst]

Warforged isn't necessary since the fatigue only lasts until the end of the encounter, and if 3 + Con mod rounds isn't enough to finish it, then you should've done better.

Yup, agreed on this one =)

By the moment Ira uses a Greatsword until level 18 when it changes to a greatclub so she can use the feat three mountains. If I hit a foe twice the same round it must make a fortitude saving roll (DC 10 + 1/2 character level + strenght modifier)... At that level she has a strenght of 40 while frenzied and raging so the DC will be 34 =P.

I didn't read To9 a lot so I don't know what's so great about dipping warblade... Can someone enlighten me?

[AtwasAwamps]

What are the duskblade levels for?

[Nasst]

What are the duskblade levels for?

For the saves and swift expeditious retreat. I'm sure there are better options but I know none right now.

[Keld Denar]

Do note that the Crystal Mask of Mindarmor only increases your Will save vs [Mind Affecting] spells. It does nothing toward helping you save vs involuntary frenzy when you take damage.

Don't want you flippin out and hurtin your friends.

[Nasst]

Do note that the Crystal Mask of Mindarmor only increases your Will save vs [Mind Affecting] spells. It does nothing toward helping you save vs involuntary frenzy when you take damage.

Don't want you flippin out and hurtin your friends.

No, that's the mask of mindarmor, the crystal mask of mindarmor gives an insight bonus to all will saving throws, take a look: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Crystal_Mask

[Keld Denar]

Huh, I was going by the one in the MIC. Are they different? I assume that is the one from XPH? If the MIC one is a reprint, then the "most recent source" rule makes it errata. I know Torc of Power Preservation was updated and changed from the XPH to the MIC. You might want to check on that.

[Postmodernist]

You might be interested in this thread. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109775) Its warforged specific, but the ideas will help. I have to ask: why Duskblade in your build? You won't be casting when you rage. Sure, true strike and such are nice, but I'm not sure they couldn't be replaced by something better. ToB if you're allowed access would probably be best, though I'm only rudimentarily familiar with it.

[Escheton]

If you replace those duskblade lvls with warblade you can have a constant stance that adds 1d6 dmg for -2 ac. If you add crusader you can heal yourself for 2 with each attack.
And those are just lvl 1 stances. They get better at higher lvls. And due too the initiatorlvl gained from non-initiator lvls(half) you can get higher lvl maneuvers if you dip the classes later on in your adventuringcareer.

[Nasst]

If you replace those duskblade lvls with warblade you can have a constant stance that adds 1d6 dmg for -2 ac. If you add crusader you can heal yourself for 2 with each attack.
And those are just lvl 1 stances. They get better at higher lvls. And due too the initiatorlvl gained from non-initiator lvls(half) you can get higher lvl maneuvers if you dip the classes later on in your adventuringcareer.

Here (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=357.0) says that you can't dip for high-level stances.


An easily missed clause within Tome of Battle is that the stance granted at level 1 of each of the base classes has to be a 1st level stance (a restriction that does not apply to other maneuver choices). This means dipping for higher level stances generally requires an investment of at least 2 levels.

Is that true? Is there any consensus about that?