Shifter Barbarian - which shifting to take?

[Dr.Epic]

So I like the idea of a shifter barbarian in that I can use shifting to power my rage. Problem is I'm not sure which shifting bonus is best for a barb. Strength is nice in that I deal more damage. But con means I can go longer. I've looked at the other traits I get with shifting and none of them seem too good: claw attacks that deal 1d4 damage, swimming. They don't appeal to me and seem mostly useless. I guess I'm just wondering what you'd go with. I'm thinking of making one and going warshaper level 4.

As a sidenote, I've also thought of making a shifter barbarian with whirling frenzy and taking a shifting that grants +2 dex. I'd then go dervish, but I forget if you can apply a rage to a dervish dance.

Thoughts?

[Jopustopin]

I like longstride. A 1st level barbarian can get his speed to 70 at level 1 if he has the trait "Quick" and has taken the feat Longstride Elite.

Not only does having a speed of 70 give you ridiculous mobility in combat, it gives you a +16 bonus on jump checks (Leap attack anyone?). Shifters get +2 to jump checks. When you're raging you get +2 to jump checks (from increase in strength). So before we begin putting ranks into jump you have somewhere around +24 to jump.

After barbarian 1, I'd honestly multiclass into swordsage or warblade and focus on tiger claw to take advantage of that jump check.

[Dr.Epic]

I like longstride. A 1st level barbarian can get his speed to 70 at level 1 if he has the trait "Quick" and has taken the feat Longstride Elite.

Meh. Again, I'm not really concerned all that much with the other benefits as I think they're all pretty random and only come in handle once in a blue moon. That, and I'm not sure what the point of running fast is. My BLS is already 40.


Not only does having a speed of 70 give you ridiculous mobility in combat, it gives you a +16 bonus on jump checks (Leap attack anyone?). Shifters get +2 to jump checks. When you're raging you get +2 to jump checks (from increase in strength). So before we begin putting ranks into jump you have somewhere around +24 to jump.

Again, I'm not really concerned with the other benefits. I'm not really planning on making a character that can leap high. I'm focusing on one that can can go into an insanely strong or insanely long rage.


After barbarian 1, I'd honestly multiclass into swordsage or warblade and focus on tiger claw to take advantage of that jump check.

Haven't given much though as to what comes after level 1. I know by 4 I'm going warshaper though.

[NeoSeraphi]

Shifters have an amazing feat for barbarians called Shifter Savagery (http://dnd.savannahsoft.eu/feat-2609-shifter-savagery.html).

It's from Races of Eberron, and it lets you increase the size of your natural weapons by 2 and their threat range to 19-20/x2 while you're raging. So take those claws and make them 1d8s instead of 1d4s. (Basically, you're TWF with longswords with no penalty. Sounds like a good barbarian to me!)

[Amphetryon]

If you're going into Warshaper to get piles of attacks, use the beastclaw option; the base damage is unimpressive, but most of your damage should come from bonuses anyway.

If you're going into Warshaper to get really STRONG attacks, use the longtooth option; the base damage is higher, and pretty easy to turn into a massively strong bite attack.

If you're interested in a real challenge, try the gorebrute option; the restrictions on how many times you can attack with it and how it interacts with other attacks per round almost put it into "TRAP" territory, though the initial damage seems tempting.

[Keld Denar]

I'm in the Pro-Longtooth catagory. Longtooth Elite is pretty nifty, even if you only get it once per round. Plus, the nice thing about bite attacks is that they AREN'T with your hands. That leaves your hands open to do other things, like 2handed PA. You get 3:1 PA returns at low levels, since you PA for -2 to get +4 damage on your 2hander, and +2 damage on your bite. Doesn't stay at 3:1 when you get your second iterative, but still gets added on nicely as bonus damage.

[Tokuhara]

If you're interested in a real challenge, try the gorebrute option; the restrictions on how many times you can attack with it and how it interacts with other attacks per round almost put it into "TRAP" territory, though the initial damage seems tempting.

I could see this working well in a bullrush charger build.

You take Spirit Lion Barbarian to get pounce, then combine with Dungeoncrasher and a little used feat called Powerful Charge. When you bullrush with powerful charge, you do 1d8 damage. The greater version increases your applied size category by 1, making it 2d8. Combined with the Horn attack and the 8d6 of Dungeoncrasher, your looking at a reasonably scary charge

[Amphetryon]

I could see this working well in a bullrush charger build.

You take Spirit Lion Barbarian to get pounce, then combine with Dungeoncrasher and a little used feat called Powerful Charge. When you bullrush with powerful charge, you do 1d8 damage. The greater version increases your applied size category by 1, making it 2d8. Combined with the Horn attack and the 8d6 of Dungeoncrasher, your looking at a reasonably scary charge

Pounce doesn't matter, due to the wording of Gorebrute.

A gorebrute shifter can't combine a charge attack with his horns with any other attack, even if he has the ability to make more than one attack as part of a charge (such as from the pounce ability)

[Tokuhara]

Pounce doesn't matter, due to the wording of Gorebrute.

Then straight dungeoncrash. You're still doing rediculous damage