PDA

View Full Version : Goliath Barbarian Advice



mickeymacattack
2010-10-28, 07:06 PM
Hi all, I wanted some advice on a character I am trying to rework. Here are the basics.

Race - Goliath

STR - 16 + 4(Racial)
DEX - 14 - 2(Racial)
CON - 18 + 2(Racial)
INT - 8
WIS - 8
CHA - 8

I have considered boosting his will a bit purely for flavor sake but feel that I need the higher physical stats due to my LA+1.

All OFFICIAL books are fair game although the DM is using Forgotten Realms setting and as such wants to keep it as close to that as possible (for instance Oriental Adventures equipment doesn't really fit much)

I know barbarians are powerhouses and almost all of the builds I have seen focus on dishing out large amounts of damage very quickly (your average glass cannon). However I was wondering the best way to focus more on doing good damage consistently each round. Basically whats the best way to go about dishing out the damage without having to do a charge+leap attack+whatever.

One of the reasons I took Goliath (aside from the back-story I created XD) was because of the powerful build ability which aside from letting me use weapons one size larger gives plenty of other nifty abilities.

As of right now I was planning on going with a barb 3/fighter 2/stoneblessed 3/deepwarden 2/XXX 10? (specifically took this for the CON to AC)

The problem is I don't really want to play a glass cannon, and I cant really come up with a good way to increase my damage myself (I know there are all sorts of spells, enlarge person, etc)

Does anyone have any advice on how to do such?

Also any other suggestions are appreciated, I am not completely new to D&D but I am far from being well versed.

Thanks in advance.

Flickerdart
2010-10-28, 07:29 PM
Mountain Rage variant makes you Large, meaning that you get improved reach and higher damage dice. Grab a spiked chain, start tripping, profit.

WinWin
2010-10-28, 07:42 PM
Knockback + Combat Reflexes + Dungeoncrasher.

Decent melee damage. Self buffs are hard to manage without spellcasting. You can use some items, but depending on the game this may not be an option.


Flight + Dungeoncrashing knockbacks into the ground could be a lot of fun. It will also keep the target within reach of your iterative attacks. Combining Knockdown with Knockback is a hefty feat investment, but can be a devastating melee option against a significant number op opponents. Combined with the Warhulk PrC this can lead to massive sweeps.

The best option for consistant damage for melee is Strength and BAB. Followed closely by multiples of attacks. More options become available at high level.

Kosjsjach
2010-10-28, 07:47 PM
Extra Rage is a nice feat to grab (thanks to Mountain Rage), and Goliath Barbarians make excellent Leap Attackers thanks to their racial ability. You could also go a charger route, and 2 levels of Fighter can nab you a bonus feat (Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Powerful Charge) and the Dungeon Crasher ability from Dungeonscape.

Even a non-raging Goliath counts as Large for opposed checks like Bull Rush and Trip, and the Wolf Totem barbarian variant from Unearthed Arcana can trade uncanny dodge (which, with your Dex hit, isn't very good for a Goliath anyway) for Improved Trip. If you don't want to spend a feat on a spiked chain, get a ranseur and spiked gauntlet.

Or do all of the above and be a Leap Attacking Shock Trooper Dungeon Crasher Tripmonkey. :smallbiggrin:

[Edit] here's a sample build (ECL 7):
1: Barbarian 1, Power Attack, mountain rage 1/day, fast movement
2: Fighter 1, Improved Bull Rush
3: Fighter 2, Knockback, ACF: dungeon crasher I
4: Barbarian 2, ACF: Improved Trip
5: Fighter 3
6: Fighter 4, Shock Trooper, Leap Attack

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 01:06 AM
I am already doing mountain rage + lion spirit totem variant.

The problem I am having is that I am trying to not go the "glass cannon" route, in other words something other then just a charging barbarian.

Originally what I was planning on doing was basically leap attack+knockback+rampaging bull rush as ideally I should be one shotting whoever I hit first with my leap attack+pounce then getting a cleave off using PA and knocking them prone with knockback+rampaging bull rush.

I would much rather make a character that charges once to get into the fray and then mops up with a combination of basic attacks + cleave or something of the sort, doesn't even have to be basic attacks just something other then charging over and over again.

So again my question is whats the best way to boost my overall damage? I was just planning on finding ways to boost my weapon size, powerful build+heavy weapon is what I have so far as nothing else seems to stack aside from spells which I don't have access to. I looked into monkey grip and even any equipment I could find such as like bracers of battle (i think is what they are called) but apparently they don't stack with powerful build either.

Is this really all the barbarian amounts to is a charger?

Ecalsneerg
2010-10-29, 02:19 AM
I am already doing mountain rage + lion spirit totem variant.

The problem I am having is that I am trying to not go the "glass cannon" route, in other words something other then just a charging barbarian.

Originally what I was planning on doing was basically leap attack+knockback+rampaging bull rush as ideally I should be one shotting whoever I hit first with my leap attack+pounce then getting a cleave off using PA and knocking them prone with knockback+rampaging bull rush.

I would much rather make a character that charges once to get into the fray and then mops up with a combination of basic attacks + cleave or something of the sort, doesn't even have to be basic attacks just something other then charging over and over again.

So again my question is whats the best way to boost my overall damage? I was just planning on finding ways to boost my weapon size, powerful build+heavy weapon is what I have so far as nothing else seems to stack aside from spells which I don't have access to. I looked into monkey grip and even any equipment I could find such as like bracers of battle (i think is what they are called) but apparently they don't stack with powerful build either.

Is this really all the barbarian amounts to is a charger?

Well, you could also pump Dex, take a Spiked Chain, and Combat Reflexes, then go to town. There's a feat that lets you stop people in their tracks when they provoke in the Expanded Psions Handbook (does this mean it's a Psionic feat? No, Psychic Warriors want [Fighter] feats too :P), which means you can also battlefield control.

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 02:50 AM
The problem I am having is that I am trying to not go the "glass cannon" route, in other words something other then just a charging barbarian.

I thought 'glass canon' was a term used to describe a character that can dish out large amounts of damage but cannot take it themselves. High damage but low survivability.

A barbarian in my experience, especially one with a decent con, will have major survivability, so your build doesn't fit the glass canon name.

Maybe you are confusing this with a differnt term? I know this is sort of off topic and nit picky, I'm more just working out if I've been using the term glass canon wrong.

Zen Master
2010-10-29, 04:17 AM
I built a barbarian/psiwarrior, with the powerful charge feats from Eberron - and expansion, and a deep crystal blade. He did remarkably well on damage.

Really remarkably well. I did have to run around a lot - you know 'I charge that guy. Boom!' ... 'Ok, now I charge that guy. Boom!'

Runestar
2010-10-29, 07:32 AM
PHB2 has steadfast determination, which lets you use con on will saves instead of wis. Apart from being able to dump wis guilt free, this also means rage works double duty (since your con boost adds +2 will saves on top of the bonus to will saves).

This does require burning 2 feats though (since it has endurance as a pre-req), but would go a long way towards saving you from auto-failing every will-save effect.

Greenish
2010-10-29, 09:19 AM
Mountain Rage variant makes you Large, meaning that you get improved reach and higher damage dice. Grab a spiked chain, start tripping, profit.Does Mountain Rage increase your weapon's size?

sombrastewart
2010-10-29, 09:25 AM
No. Goliaths can already use a weapon one size category larger, the Mountain Rage just actually makes them bigger so they take up more space, which for a barbarian can be really handy.

I've done some of these builds, too. My favorite used a falchion and improved critical for power attacking critical goodness, but another that worked well was to toss in some cleric for self buffing and healing.

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 11:19 AM
I may be using the term incorrectly but when your a barbarian with mountain rage with -3 to AC (rage 2 + mountain rage 1 = 3) in addition to -1 on charges is a -4. I know technically there are feats you could take to pump your damage even more at the expense of AC (shock trooper, mad foam rager) but -4 AC is a big hit as far as I'm concerned. But then again I am not as experienced as I am guessing most people here are so educated me if I am wrong.

I actually was already planning on doing steadfast determination as I have to take the pre-req endurance for one of the PrCs I am going.

Maybe I am just over thinking it but as it stands right now once I get my heavy weapon, I am using a Goliath great hammer by the way (strictly for flavor) as my DM ruled it was ok for a Goliath to use without EWP. My damage will be 4d6 base, is this considered good base damage?

Coidzor
2010-10-29, 12:52 PM
Base damage isn't generally the important thing anyway, the crucial thing being strength and power attack and charging related damage bonuses. 4d6 base damage is more than most things you'll encounter and any potential fellow party members who aren't focused on increasing their effective weapon size.

The principle advantage of mountain rage is the reach, with the additional spaces taken up by your character being either a blessing or a curse depending upon circumstances.

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 12:55 PM
I may be using the term incorrectly but when your a barbarian with mountain rage with -3 to AC (rage 2 + mountain rage 1 = 3) in addition to -1 on charges is a -4. I know technically there are feats you could take to pump your damage even more at the expense of AC (shock trooper, mad foam rager) but -4 AC is a big hit as far as I'm concerned. But then again I am not as experienced as I am guessing most people here are so educated me if I am wrong.

I actually was already planning on doing steadfast determination as I have to take the pre-req endurance for one of the PrCs I am going.

Maybe I am just over thinking it but as it stands right now once I get my heavy weapon, I am using a Goliath great hammer by the way (strictly for flavor) as my DM ruled it was ok for a Goliath to use without EWP. My damage will be 4d6 base, is this considered good base damage?

I play alot of barbarians, and trust me, with a decent con score and your bonus hp through raging you are not even going to notice a drop of 4 to your AC. Your AC is now pretty much your hit points.

I'm currently playing a level 13 barbarian who, through various feats and moves, regularly drops his AC from 20 to 12. I get hit by everything, and I mean everything, and I have survived every fight our group has been in, and most of them with at least a third of my hit poiints still remaining.

You will just need to be comfotable with the idea that while you are getting hit by everything, you should be hitting everything back, and much much harder. This way, the enemies all die before your life gets threatened.

As for your base damage of 4d6, if I recall correctly you are a level one character with 20 str? This increases to 24 str when you rage, giving you a base damage of 4d6 + 12, before adding in any feats that may increase it. Your average damage per hit will be (4x3.5) plus 12, giving you around 26 damage a hit.

Seriously, almost anything you will be encountering on a level one or two adventure will not be able to survive that (I can't think of anything that would, but never say never). And with a con of 20 increasing to 24 when you rage you have a ton of hit points too.

Your character is not vulnerable, trust me on this :smallsmile:

Keld Denar
2010-10-29, 12:58 PM
HP are the new AC, my friend!

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 01:22 PM
I play alot of barbarians, and trust me, with a decent con score and your bonus hp through raging you are not even going to notice a drop of 4 to your AC. Your AC is now pretty much your hit points.

So in this case do you think I should forgo trying to take a dip into deepwarden for the CON to AC?


As for your base damage of 4d6, if I recall correctly you are a level one character with 20 str? This increases to 24 str when you rage, giving you a base damage of 4d6 + 12, before adding in any feats that may increase it. Your average damage per hit will be (4x3.5) plus 12, giving you around 26 damage a hit.

I should correct this, we are starting at level 3 (so for me it would be level 2 with my LA+1)

I wont actually have the money for a heavy weapon for a while unless our DM is VERY generous with gold (it costs what like 8k for a 1d8 or higher weapon to be made heavy?)

The other question I have been trying to mull over in my head is what to do with the rest of my levels, I was originally going to go with FB as I wanted to build him around power attack but after trying to get around the whole "killing everything including your friends" it was better to not cause a headache for everyone.

I was kind of interested in the primeval PrC but I don't like the idea of losing my weapon when in my animal form.

Going straight barbarian just doesnt seem that interesting to me, if we were using the pathfinder classes I might think differently as I really love what they did with the barbarian there XD

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 01:30 PM
So in this case do you think I should forgo trying to take a dip into deepwarden for the CON to AC?

In my experience, AC is not something a Barbarian should dedicate any time to buffing. If you really worry about it, spend money on buying scrolls of barkskin or something like it for your party caster to cast on you before battles. But really, AC is just not something a Barbarian needs to care about.

Your average of 26 damage a hit will stand you in good stead for quite some time, so don't worry about it being a 3rd level party you are in, you will be doing just fine.

FB is a total pain, so avoid it, but make sure you do pick up Power Attack, it's a barbarians best friend. Also there are some interesting feats you can take that make your power attacking better if thats the style you were looking for.

The character I currently play is a Barbairan 1 Fighter 12. I'm sure there are people out there who will call this stupid because fighters get alot of flak, but you are right about there not beeing much point to staying in barbarian, and a feat every second level allows you to become a melee combat monster. You can pick up reckless rage, which gives you a bonus to str and con when raged to somewhat make up for missing out on the improved rages later on.

Others will, I'm sure, say different, but there are no prestige classes that have really caught my eye as being better for barbarians than just becoming a fighter. I just love being able to rage while having power attack, cleave, weapon focus, weapon spec, melee weapon mastery, mad foam rager, combat reflexes, hold the line, roblars gambit, close quarter fighting etc.

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 02:08 PM
I know I don't technically HAVE to go into a PrC I just view a PrC as more of a way to add flavor to your character then anything, personally I think there are very few that actually give you benefits you couldn't get by just sticking with the core classes. And most of these benefits come from class specific abilities, which is why they help flesh out your character.

I know I could do a lot mechanics wise if I went with a bunch of fighter levels but it doesn't add much flavor to my character, but maybe that's just me, I just always viewed the fighter as "the class everyone takes to get free feats".

I guess I am just looking for a balance between capabilities and flavor so I can actually feel like my character is more then just some guy with a big hammer that hits things.

Maybe I will just ask my DM if I can use the barbarian from pathfinder instead =/

Argh, my head hurts.

kestrel404
2010-10-29, 02:12 PM
Go Dragonborn (Template from Races of the Dragon). You lose virtually nothing (+2 racial bonus to sense motive, Acclimated and Mountain movement all go away, and you take an extra -2 to dex). In exchange you get +2 con and your choice of: A breath weapon, wings or darkvision+blindsight+misc. immunities.

You still count as a Goliath for taking ACFs, feats, etc. Dragonborn explicitly exempts Powerful Build from racial features it takes away, and the stuff you gain is much more valuable. Plus, you get the dragonblooded subtype which opens up a bunch of useful feat options.

Here's an example of what I did with this for an NPC:
Breath Weapon Dragonborn Goliath
Barbarian 2/Psychic Warrior 3/Iron Mind 5/Frenzied Berserker 10
As a 3rd level feat, I took the Tempest Breath feat from Draconomicon, which adds a wind-speed to your breath weapon based on your size. Then you use the Mountain Rage + Expansion (psy warrior power) to grow to Gargantuan size and cause Hurricane winds every 1d4+1 rounds. While wielding a pandemonic silver (http://www.imarvintpa.com/dndlive/Glossarys.php?ID=333) weapon.

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 02:16 PM
Haha oh god.

Is there a list of all the templates available?

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 03:13 PM
I know I could do a lot mechanics wise if I went with a bunch of fighter levels but it doesn't add much flavor to my character, but maybe that's just me, I just always viewed the fighter as "the class everyone takes to get free feats".

I disagree, I like fighter precisly because I feel it allows me to add flavour to my characters.

Want to be a net and trident weilding myrmadon gladiator from an ancient Rome type setting, who can throw his net and full attack with trident in the same round? Want to be a professional soldier, well versed in the art of shield wall and formation fighting who can boost his AC massivly when fighting with comrades? Want to be an anti mage combat brute capable of cutting straight through magical protections and concealments?

I've made, through differnt feat combinations, about 12 or 13 completely different feeling fighters, all with a distinct character concept which is kept to faithfully. Seriously, there are plenty of different melee flavours you can create by using the whole range of fighter feats, not just sticking to the ones everyone uses.

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 04:00 PM
Well then let me give you a little background on the character I am trying to make, maybe that will give a better understanding of what I am trying to do.

Without risking writing an entire story on the boards here I will keep it simple, I tried to follow pretty closely with Goliath racial backgrounds and culture when I made my character. Basically big competitive mountain dwellers, who while aren't warlike certainly don't have a problem dishing out the hurt when push comes to shove.

My character basically ends up killing one of his tribe during a battle after losing himself in a rage (this is basically where I was going with FB, although it still works with plain old rage) afterwards he ends up banishing himself from the tribe because he feels guilty and doesn't want to risk it happening again. So what I was basically trying to do with the character is evolve from that, build on the whole rage concept and have him build upon that instead of seeing it as a curse. I would really like to build on the rage ability but it just takes forever as a barbarian to do so since you don't actually start getting improvements to it until what level 10? and then after that its like another 7 levels before it improves again.

I feel like I might not be explaining this very well, sorry if its confusing :frown:

jiriku
2010-10-29, 04:12 PM
If you want more damage, but don't like the way Shock Trooper dumps your AC, take a look at Combat Brute (Complete Warrior). It improves your power attack, gives you bonuses against people after you bullrush them (which you'll do all the time thanks to Knockback), and the Sundering Cleave is handy against certain types of opponents.

Your goliath strikes me as a prime candidate for the Runescarred Berserker prestige class (Unapproachable East). It's basically a barbarian who ritually scars himself with magical tribal runes that grant him spiritual power (a.k.a. self-buffs).

Definitely consider a 4-level or 8-level fighter dip to pick up Dungeoncrasher. Knockback Goliath barbarians were MADE for Dungeoncrasher. Your damage will be brutal.

For inspiration, read about Flaming Homer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4108954&postcount=22), the King of Pong (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5897646), and the Foe-Wielding Grappler (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5810773).

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 04:25 PM
Your goliath strikes me as a prime candidate for the Runescarred Berserker prestige class (Unapproachable East). It's basically a barbarian who ritually scars himself with magical tribal runes that grant him spiritual power (a.k.a. self-buffs).

I was actually really considering this, I just dont know how to try and make it work since it requires you to be from rashemen (I think thats how it is spelled) and be part of a berserker lodge.

My DM already has said he wants to keep things in Forgotten Realms settings, does rashemen qualify for that?

And how exactly do the runes work? Do you basically have to spend gold and exp each time you use up one of the runes or do they recharge after a day or what?

Also isnt dungeoncrasher very situational? In otherwords if we are fighting outside without any walls/buildings is it useless or can you basically ram someone into anything trees/rocks/people?

Raendyn
2010-10-29, 05:08 PM
1 lvl cleric gives you 2 domains. some domain powers ( or their devotion trade off's) are too good for a mellier to skip that...
( travel=freedom of movement, fate=dice re-rolls, patience[fr only]=you delay spell effects[oh i failed that dominate will save, but i am still attacking this guy,oups he is dead oups now noone commands me!]and many more others)

1 lvl wizard gives you nerveskitter,flash & awe ,shield + few other good stuff. also, a fighter feat (UA variant)and trade familiar for abrupt jaunt.

i know loosing 2bab hurts but both those lvls , turn the tide on your favor. domain powers are just worth it. and abrupt jaunt is an immidiate action = for spells to evade, or teleport near enemy caster to AOO & interupt his spellcasting!

check it out.

jiriku
2010-10-29, 05:15 PM
I was actually really considering this, I just dont know how to try and make it work since it requires you to be from rashemen (I think thats how it is spelled) and be part of a berserker lodge.

My DM already has said he wants to keep things in Forgotten Realms settings, does rashemen qualify for that?

And how exactly do the runes work? Do you basically have to spend gold and exp each time you use up one of the runes or do they recharge after a day or what?

Also isnt dungeoncrasher very situational? In otherwords if we are fighting outside without any walls/buildings is it useless or can you basically ram someone into anything trees/rocks/people?

Rashemen is in the Forgotten Realms, so you're covered there. I don't recall the mechanics exactly. Essentially, you cast from a very limited spell list, using your runescarred body as a spellbook. Except that you're not casting, but tapping into your spirit totem, or something.

You can use Dungeoncrasher to ram someone into trees and rocks, or even the ground if you're above them (if the party wizard buffs you with fly, for example). You can also ram them into walls conjured by your allies. My personal favorites would be wall of thorns, wall of gears, and wall of ice, as all of these deal additional damage when you pass through them. Plus, the bad guys are so comically screwed when you do this that it's good for laughs all around the table.

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 05:18 PM
With regard to the lodge and area requirements, check with your DM to see if they will even bother enforcing them. I know my Dm doesn't, because they are really quite pointless if you can explain in your character story why they would be suited for a particular prestige class.

Taking the skill trick extreme leap and the feats leap of the heavens and leap attack are quite Goliathy things to do. The whole running and jumping from cliff face to cliff face is a very Goliath thing to do.

As for increasing your rage, take the feat reckless rage, it increases the str and con bonus for your current rage, with an added -2 to AC, but we have already explained why that doesnt matter at all.

Then I'd suggest taking other rage based feats to show how your Goliath is mastering his anger and putting it to use. Mad foam rager is a great one, allowing you to, once per rage, ignore the effects of an attack (melee, ranged or magic, ANY attack) untill the end of your next turn. A great of this in action is if you get tripped, you invoke mad foam, get a full attack on the dude standing next to you, and then fall down next to what is most likely now their corpse.

Other feats such as raging luck or destructive rage also add flavour to being a rage master. You'd have to look through them to see if any are right for you.

If you have high intimidate skill then intimidating rage coupled with the skill trick never outnumbered is always fun, when you rage you choose someone within 30ft of you and get to intimidate him and everyone within ten feet of him too.

A really good feat is instant rage, which allows you to rage as an imediate action. Great mechanically for when you get surprise grappled so you can rage and get your full strength bonus, but I feel it also shows your character is better able to control his rages, has more influence over them.

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 05:24 PM
1 lvl cleric gives you 2 domains. some domain powers ( or their devotion trade off's) are too good for a mellier to skip that...
( travel=freedom of movement, fate=dice re-rolls, patience[fr only]=you delay spell effects[oh i failed that dominate will save, but i am still attacking this guy,oups he is dead oups now noone commands me!]and many more others)

1 lvl wizard gives you nerveskitter,flash & awe ,shield + few other good stuff. also, a fighter feat (UA variant)and trade familiar for abrupt jaunt.

i know loosing 2bab hurts but both those lvls , turn the tide on your favor. domain powers are just worth it. and abrupt jaunt is an immidiate action = for spells to evade, or teleport near enemy caster to AOO & interupt his spellcasting!

check it out.

Trouble with this is that while in a rage, you cannot cast spells. Just like how you cannot activate magic items that need a command word, you cannot perform the verbal or somatic componants that spells require.

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 05:27 PM
I just read Runescarred berserker and that might be a bit hard to pull off as you are required to have a wisdom score of 10+spell level to learn a spell. So unless I could use items to boost my wisdom I dont really see that working as I assume it goes off your base wisdom?

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 05:35 PM
I dont think it's really all that worth it, unless you are desperate to play a runescar. But Items would work if I recall correctly, it shouldn't take it from your base wisdom.

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 05:38 PM
I think I actually like this though, I can get the ettercap lodge feat which grants me a bonus of +6 to CON instead of +4 when raging and then goes up to +8 with greater rage. I think I may actually go the dungeoncrasher route along with the rage feats you suggested, this might actually work a lot better then trying to go a PrC route.

So basically what I would be looking at for abilities are:

mountain rage
lion spirit totem (pounce)
dungeoncrasher variant

and feats:

ettercap lodge
power attack
instantaneous rage
cleave
mad foam rager
leap attack
knockback (or knockdown i forget which)

Thoughts?

Raendyn
2010-10-29, 05:50 PM
Trouble with this is that while in a rage, you cannot cast spells. Just like how you cannot activate magic items that need a command word, you cannot perform the verbal or somatic componants that spells require.
for wiz:
I had in mind a nerveskitter when some1 surprises you (in the errata it is stated you can use it while flat footed)& then you rage normally.Abrupt jaunt is a class special ability with no components,can be cast normally.Also a fighter bonus feat.
Also identify is a spell the barb can have & the wizards can prepare something more usefull,same goes for silent immage( no save until they touch it). i believe you can thing of many many more great lvl 1 spells,not only arcane!
As for cleric lvl:
Domain powers (at least those i suggested) need no somatic or verbal components.
Also both classes give you access to wands,scrolls etc...

And don't forget,saves!(+4will,+2fort)and,by having a 12 on int & wis (an 11 is enough though) you can get away from the " uber stupid fat and ugly meat wall with the great axe" title, most barbarians bare!

for prestige's... eye of gruums & tempest??? check it out is an alternative barb style!or just forget tempest & his dex req.

Shoot the retard :

If you are retarded enough:smallbiggrin: :take a lvl of rogue + craven, at the top of eye of grumm's(forgive me if i don't spell the name correctly),& take a ring of blink along with that...
Imagine,how many punches your DM will throw you when you say this thing!! After he is done killing you, you can add that with that wiz & clr lvls you took you can sneak attack ANYTHING!(there are 1st lvl spells that allow you to sneak constructs & undead. if he starts beating you again,tell him to use plants! & after that ,take a lvl of druid so you can sneak them too!!
ok...OK I said!I shut up!!

FR you said... if you go leap attack take also battle jump for UE, & a valorous weapon!

Dr.Epic
2010-10-29, 06:26 PM
Hi all, I wanted some advice on a character I am trying to rework. Here are the basics.

Race - Goliath

STR - 16 + 4(Racial)
DEX - 14 - 2(Racial)
CON - 18 + 2(Racial)
INT - 8
WIS - 8
CHA - 8

Wow. That's not mini/maxing.:smallamused:

Monkey grip so you can deal damage equal to a HUGE creature.

Runestar
2010-10-29, 06:39 PM
Monkey grip does not stack with powerful build, since they are both keyed off your base size. I am not sure if it would stack with goliath rage (when you are large), but the problem would be having to switch weapons from large to huge.

What are your thoughts about a barb built around the spring attack feat tree (including rapid blitz)? Your damage output won't be as good, but I like the idea of the barb using its speed to dance around the battlefield.

BridgeCity
2010-10-29, 07:03 PM
I think I actually like this though, I can get the ettercap lodge feat which grants me a bonus of +6 to CON instead of +4 when raging and then goes up to +8 with greater rage. I think I may actually go the dungeoncrasher route along with the rage feats you suggested, this might actually work a lot better then trying to go a PrC route.

So basically what I would be looking at for abilities are:

mountain rage
lion spirit totem (pounce)
dungeoncrasher variant

and feats:

ettercap lodge
power attack
instantaneous rage
cleave
mad foam rager
leap attack
knockback (or knockdown i forget which)

Thoughts?

If that sounds like the sort of character that you want to play, go for it. It's one I'd try out. There will always be ways to get better damage or better other things, but I feel that character concept is more important than trying to completely optimize.

So yeah, if that fits the character you want, I say go for it. It looks pretty fun.

If you're staying as a barbarian and not a fighter though, I would suggest dropping cleave and taking extra rage instead. I'd take it as your first feat, as this makes you more effective more often, due to being able to rage three times a day instead of just once.

Grab some boots of springing and striding, and boost the crap out of your jump skill. This way when you are leaping for leap attack, try work out with your DM that you are jumping up and coming down at them, therefore being above them and getting your dungeon crusher/knockback slam-them-into-the-ground trick going . . . you know what, that sounds like a hell load of fun. I may even nick this character idea and try it myself in my next campaign, if thats cool with you.

Dr.Epic
2010-10-29, 07:20 PM
Wield a Goliath greathammer. 3d6 as large+crit mod of x4=win

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 07:22 PM
Wow. That's not mini/maxing.:smallamused:

Monkey grip so you can deal damage equal to a HUGE creature.

In this instance I would say the stats match the character, Goliaths are already overly physical and a barbarian is just that much more so. But yes unfortunately monkey grip does nothing for me, even if I didn't have powerful build in this instance I believe you can wield a two handed weapon one size larger anyway at a -2 penalty, from what I understand its really only useful if you plan on wielding like a bastard sword in one hand and a shield in the other.

As far as how many levels I plan to take, I was planning on taking at least 11 in barbarian and 6 in fighter, the rest are up in the air but I figure by the time I reach that level I will have a pretty clear cut path of what I will want to do with the rest.

Endarire
2010-10-29, 07:26 PM
You're in Faerun? Perfect!

Hood (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872838/Little_Red_Raiding_Hood_A_Tale_of_38_Guide_to_the_ 35_Dragoon)!

You'd probably need stat rearrangements- INT for skill points, WIS for Cleric spells and Psychic Warrior- but it fits the "I'm big and I wanna kill stuff through melee DPS" theme.

mickeymacattack
2010-10-29, 07:26 PM
Wield a Goliath greathammer. 3d6 as large+crit mod of x4=win

That's actually exactly what I am using :smallbiggrin:

Jastermereel
2010-10-30, 07:48 AM
One of my current players is using a Goliath Barbarian with Mountain Rage and, if her less than optimized experience is any sign, you won't need to really worry about the "glass" side of your "canon". Adrian "Marmot-Herder" Kalios (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=168749)' AC often drops below 10, but her hit points absorb the rest fairly well.

You've got a good Constitution score and by the time you're facing things that are a real threat to you, you can buy items that'll boost your longevity. She's getting a lot of mileage out of Blurring Armor and an Amulet of Tears. However, just remember to use them before you rage (or have a lenient DM) or else rage's ban on using command words will prevent you from making use of them.

mickeymacattack
2010-11-01, 12:48 PM
Just a quick question regarding the lion spirit totem, from the text it stats that pounce allows you to make a full attack after a charge. Does this mean you get your standard charge (move and attack) + a full attack or does it simply replace the single attack with a full attack?

Coidzor
2010-11-01, 12:55 PM
Generally it's treated as the latter around here, but I haven't read the text myself so I couldn't say for certain if the text does say that and it got errata'd or if it's a bit of phraseology.