Looking For Barbarian Build

[TechnOkami]

Specifically, I'm looking for one that'll basically make me a viking. The campaign I'm about to enter starts at lvl 3 and though the GM is more prone to core info, he's willing to let us at anything else as long as we clear it with him.

Go!

[Hirax]

This is a build I'm tinkering with using a wood elf dragonborn (RotD). I'd highly recommend the saint template (BoED) for it if you can get it approved. The gist is this guy hates people that use magic against others. At level 9 you'll be able to attack with a melee weapon from pretty much anywhere on the battlefield without getting near your opponent. Full post here (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=11867.0). Note that because of a dragonborn racial ability, it is important for you to wield a piercing weapon for this build, a spear would be my choice due to its 20' range increment.

Ranger2*/Barbarian1**/Fighter1/warblade1(ToB)/Bloodstorm blade4(ToB)/fighter+1/Witch slayer5(ToM)

*elf substitution at first level, 8 skill points per level, balance as class skill (important, since bloodstorm blade requires 8 balance ranks), drop to d6 HD (RotW). Favored enemy: arcanists (CM) would be my first choice. Other ranger variants worth considering include dropping wild empathy for speak to plants/animal 3/day (CC), and gaining trapfinding instead of track (DS). The CS web enhancement that gets you the tumble skill might also be desirable. You get plenty of skill ranks in your first 2 levels, so put them to work in skills that will become cross-class at level 3 when you take barbarian at level 3.

**whirling frenzy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy )+pounce (CC) variants.

Feats and notable abilities:

Flaw: Point blank shot (pre req for bloodstorm blade)
Flaw: power attack
1: Improved initiative (you always want to go before enemy casters when possible)
1 (ranger): track (or trapfinding, or chaos shuffle)
2 (ranger): rapid shot (if rapid shot is ruled to not work with this build's modus operendi, take a fighter level here instead, however after deliberation I believe it does work)
3: Extra rage (CWar)
4 (fighter1): imp. bull rush
6: Shock trooper (CWar)
6 (bloodstorm blade 1): throw anything (chaos shuffle if you don't plan on entering master thrower or using a weapon that can't normally be thrown)
7 (bloodstorm blade 2): thunderous throw, treat ranged attacks as melee attacks, all weapons you wield gain returning property
8 (bloodstorm blade 3): blind-fight (pre req for pierce magical concealment)
9 (bloodstorm blade 4): lightning ricochet, returning weapons dart back to you in the same round, allowing you to make a full attack with a single ranged weapon. At level 9 you'll be able to make 5 attacks with a spear at range, at level 11 this will go up to 6 attacks per round.
9: mage slayer (CArc, pre req for pierce magical concealment)
10 (fighter2): Martial stance (leaping dragon, so if you ever can't fly, you still have great jumping ability to deal with terrain issues)
12: Pierce magical concealment (CArc, foils blink, blur, mirror image, etc.)
12 (witch slayer): mettle (basically evasion for fort and will saves, grab a ring of evasion too. A second level in master thrower would also get you evasion)
15: ability focus: temporary disjunction
15 (witch slayer): temporary disjunction (swift action, single enemy within 30' needs to make DC 20+cha mod will save or lose magic, as if in a AMF for 1 round, ability can be used every 5 rounds)

Combat strategy
1. Get angry and airborne. Note that you should be activating your boots of haste as a free action, getting you a 60' speed, thus allowing you to ascend 30' in a round. To execute a dive, you need to descend at least 10,' so if you opponent is more than 20' tall, this means you won't be able to do a first round dive. Don't worry though, you can still do a regular charge while in the air, and those still do plenty of damage.
2. Use a swift action to activate thunderous throw. Swift actions are going to be very precious for you.
3. You pounce while you rage, so all this groovy moving around you're doing? You get to make a full attack after you've charged/dived into whatever position you think is the most advantageous to hurl your lightning spears at enemies.
4. Aim for anything that can cast spells first, fly second, or do ranged attacks third.
5. If there's a particularly menacing spellcaster of some sort, you can use your swift action to activate your disjunction ability on them. If it succeeds, then charge them the old fashioned way, without throwing anything. This is where the javelin becomes bad, the longspear becomes good, and the spear becomes a happy medium. Well, happy for everyone except your new pin cushion.
6. If your first 5 attacks in step 5 didn't kill the target, use your 6th attack to bull rush them (you can do it freely as part of a charge). If you took dungeoncrasher somewhere this is an opportunity for more damage. If you didn't, then you've hopefully at least put them in a position where they'll provoke an attack of opportunity on their next action. Remember also that your mageslayer feat makes someone autofail their concentration check when casting defensively.

[Optimator]

Deities and Demigods has a Berserker class. Don't remember if it's any good but I'm pretty sure it's Norse themed, at least.

[Person_Man]

Perhaps you should consider my Frozen Dwarf Hulk Smash!!! build.

Barbarian 1/Full BAB class 3/Fist of the Forest 1/Deepwarden 2/Frostrager 3

Fist of the Forest: Con to AC when unarmored. Increased unarmed damage. Ranger Skills and other minor bonuses, including a Ferocity effect that adds an attack and stacks with Rage. And the PrC can be entered early, as soon as ECL 5. Complete Champion.

Deepwarden (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=4) 2: Replace Dex bonus with Con bonus to AC. Requires that you be a Dwarf of some kind. Races of Stone.

Frostrager (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040911a&page=3): Increased AC and unarmed damage when in Rage. Healed by Cold damage. Frostburn.

For the 3 unused levels, I prefer Paladin of Freedom if you have high Charisma, or Warblade if you don't. You could also consider 4 levels of Totemist, Incarnate, or Binder instead. Or just plain Fighter if you want to keep it simple. After ECL 10ish you can finish out Frostrager and Fist of the Forest for other useful abilities, or head into some other PrC.

At ECL 10, you get:

Pounce (using the Complete Champion Barbarian Lion Totem variant).
Con to AC twice.
Healed by Cold damage.
Decent unarmed damage.
Whatever you want from your 3 unused levels.
Various other minor perks (like your Rage bonuses).

Have your best arcane caster friend take Energy Substitution (Cold) and dump Cold Fireballs or whatnot into the middle of the battlefield. Buy some magic bracers or similar items to improve your AC even further - it'd be easy to get to 30-40ish by mid levels.

And using a Monk's Belt, Superior Unarmed Strike, and Improved Natural Attack, along with your unarmed damage increases from class levels, you can get some very respectable DPS as well.

[acelegna]

Berserk PrC (Deities & Demigods) has an improved version of rage, DR and a hybrid version of Wild Shape. The bad part is 3/4 BAB (cleric)

Frenzied Berserker PrC (Complete Warrior) PURE POWER!! Improved version of rage, better cleave, power attack, etc....The bad: cannot voluntarily stop and might attack allies.

[TechnOkami]

Perhaps you should consider my Frozen Dwarf Hulk Smash!!! build.

Barbarian 1/Full BAB class 3/Fist of the Forest 1/Deepwarden 2/Frostrager 3

Fist of the Forest: Con to AC when unarmored. Increased unarmed damage. Ranger Skills and other minor bonuses, including a Ferocity effect that adds an attack and stacks with Rage. And the PrC can be entered early, as soon as ECL 5. Complete Champion.

Deepwarden (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=4) 2: Replace Dex bonus with Con bonus to AC. Requires that you be a Dwarf of some kind. Races of Stone.

Frostrager (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040911a&page=3): Increased AC and unarmed damage when in Rage. Healed by Cold damage. Frostburn.

For the 3 unused levels, I prefer Paladin of Freedom if you have high Charisma, or Warblade if you don't. You could also consider 4 levels of Totemist, Incarnate, or Binder instead. Or just plain Fighter if you want to keep it simple. After ECL 10ish you can finish out Frostrager and Fist of the Forest for other useful abilities, or head into some other PrC.

At ECL 10, you get:

Pounce (using the Complete Champion Barbarian Lion Totem variant).
Con to AC twice.
Healed by Cold damage.
Decent unarmed damage.
Whatever you want from your 3 unused levels.
Various other minor perks (like your Rage bonuses).

Have your best arcane caster friend take Energy Substitution (Cold) and dump Cold Fireballs or whatnot into the middle of the battlefield. Buy some magic bracers or similar items to improve your AC even further - it'd be easy to get to 30-40ish by mid levels.

And using a Monk's Belt, Superior Unarmed Strike, and Improved Natural Attack, along with your unarmed damage increases from class levels, you can get some very respectable DPS as well.


This... :xykon:

Although, I'm not a big fan of playing a dwarf... :smallannoyed:

Are there any other builds similar in nature while not necessarily being a dwarf?

[Hirax]

Just ask your DM to waive the deepwarden pre req that you be a dwarf. Many of the racial requirements for prestige classes in RoS are pretty stupid.

[TechnOkami]

Possible... question: what's the easiest ways to get into warshaper? Is there a feat that could give you a transfo- nvm, I just answered my own question.

[Greenish]

Changeling is probably the easiest way, though whether it's racial actually allows one to use the PrC's class features is in some doubt.

[Taelas]

Dwarves make great vikings, though.

[TechnOkami]

Actually, my crazy idea so far is thus:

-Phaethon Race
-werebear template
-barbarian
-frostrager
-warshaper
-swordsage monk variant a la Phaethon Monk loophole

-any feats to make this more ridiculous (I'm not looking for optimization, just awesome).

[Greenish]

-Phaethon RaceWhere's that from?

-swordsage monk variant a la Phaethon Monk loopholeDo you mean Unarmed Swordsage?

[TechnOkami]

Where's that from?
Do you mean Unarmed Swordsage?

Phaethon is a race in the Races of Ansalon book, basically think elves with a bronze-hue skin, red hair, and oh, did I mention they have wings made of fire? They're generally awesome (maybe not stat wise, but roleplaying them is just gold).

And yes, I mean the Unarmed Swordsage variant, when used with the Phaethon Monk variant... well... :smallbiggrin: things are gonna get interesting!

[PretzelKing]

im sure this has been answered in other threads, but whats the ruling on Con to AC stacking from both prestige classes? is there anything that specifically states that both bonuses stack? are they considered un-typed bonuses?

[Urpriest]

im sure this has been answered in other threads, but whats the ruling on Con to AC stacking from both prestige classes? is there anything that specifically states that both bonuses stack? are they considered un-typed bonuses?

Any bonus without a listed type is untyped by definition. As to whether they stack, there is a rule that two bonuses with the same source will not stack. While some argue that the source is Con, a more common interpretation is that the name of the source is the name of the class feature that gives it. So Fist of the Forest and Deepwarden would stack, but Fist of the Forest and Monk would not (since both have the AC bonus class feature).

[Dusk Eclipse]

Any bonus without a listed type is untyped by definition. As to whether they stack, there is a rule that two bonuses with the same source will not stack. While some argue that the source is Con, a more common interpretation is that the name of the source is the name of the class feature that gives it. So Fist of the Forest and Deepwarden would stack, but Fist of the Forest and Monk would not (since both have the AC bonus class feature).

I though in this particular case it was cause one (I want to sat deepwarden; but I' am not sure) replaces Dex to AC with Con while the other was more like the monk.

[Greenish]

I though in this particular case it was cause one (I want to sat deepwarden; but I' am not sure) replaces Dex to AC with Con while the other was more like the monk.Deepwarden replaces Dex to AC with Con to AC, Fist of the Forest adds Con to AC in addition to Dex, and that doesn't have terribly much to do with anything.