Pathfinder Barbarian

[tempestman]

I'm playing a barbarian in Pathfinder, using the Superstitious archetype (he hates spellcasters of almost all stripes). I've never played Pathfinder before (I have played 3.5 extensively however), so I'm not sure if my planned selection of feats and rage powers is up to snuff. If the order is off (or some feats or powers are just terrible), let me know so I can fix it. I want to be a good character, but I don't want to min-max too much.

I'm a human barbarian with the following feats and powers:

Feats:

1st Level: Improved Initiative, Power Attack
3rd Level: Weapon Focus
5th Level: Combat Reflexes
7th Level: Intimidating Prowess
9th Level: Leadership
11th Level: Dazzling Display
13th Level: Raging Vitality
15th Level: Skill Focus (Intimidate)
17th Level: Raging Deathblow
19th Level: Extra Rage


Rage Powers:

2nd Level: Superstitious
4th Level: Lesser Beast Totem
6th Level: Beast Totem
8th Level: Reckless Abandon
10th Level: Greater Beast Totem
12th Level: Mighty Swing
14th Level: Come and Get Me
16th Level: Witch Hunter
18th Level: Disruptive
20th Level: Inspire Frenzy


I want to stick primarily with Barbarian, but I could convinced to take a level or two in other classes. Beast Totem powers and Leadership feat aren't things I'm willing to change, and I'd like to keep the superstition rage power line, since I've reached level 2 and have to keep that power regardless.

EDIT: I can copy/paste the feat and power abilities that'd help.

[Blyte]

at a glance,

"come and get me" is the best rage power there is, and by no means should be taken later than the absolute earliest possible level which is, 12.

[grarrrg]

Now that I actually read the thing... HOW in the Hades does "Superstitious" archetype not have ANYTHING to do with hating on casters?
Initiative bonus? AC Bonus? Low-Light Vision??!

My advice? Scrap the Superstitious archetype.

Scarred Rager (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/barbarian/archetypes/paizo---barbarian-archetypes/scarred-rager) does an overall better job, with the ability to get extra saves against most all of the status effects. AND you get a bonus to Intimidate!

And taking Extra Rage at level 20? Plenty of other, better, options at that point.

And my vote is to switch from Human to Half-Orc and take a look at all of the Barbarian themed "Orc-only" feats.

[Blyte]

sunder spell is a decent caster hating rage power.. you get the knock the mojo right off of them.

[Person_Man]

Overall, I think that the Pathfinder Barbarian is an improvement over the 3.5 Barbarian, but it's still one of the weakest classes you could choose to play. In particular, while Tier 4 or lower classes like the Monk and Rogue have been dramatically improved by Archetypes, the Barbarian's options generally suck (though pretty much anything is better then Trap Sense - and while Come and Get Me is great, it's really not worth taking 12 levels of Barbarian to get it).

I would ask the DM if you can mix and match totem and archetype abilities and ignore pre-reqs. If you do so and mix in a few 3.5 alternate class features, it becomes a much more playable class.

[Blyte]

1st Level: Improved Initiative, Power Attack
3rd Level: Weapon Focus <<< I'd take something like cleave instead.
5th Level: Combat Reflexes
7th Level: Intimidating Prowess <<< I'd take lunge or vital strikes or another cleave feat
9th Level: Leadership <<< I'd take improved critical
11th Level: Dazzling Display <<< Improved vital strikes or another cleave feat
13th Level: Raging Vitality
15th Level: Skill Focus (Intimidate) <<< I guess it's clear I wouldn't play an intimidating barb by now.
17th Level: Raging Deathblow <<< would try to fit this in sooner, great power
19th Level: Extra Rage <<< definately not

[Blyte]

while Come and Get Me is great, it's really not worth taking 12 levels of Barbarian to get it).

I disagree, I would take a 12 barb/8fighter in a fight with a 20fighter.

that being said, however, I wouldn't be thrilled to suffer through the first 11 levels of barb.

[SamBurke]

1st Level: Improved Initiative, Power Attack
3rd Level: Weapon Focus <<< I'd take something like cleave instead.
5th Level: Combat Reflexes
7th Level: Intimidating Prowess <<< I'd take lunge or vital strikes or another cleave feat
9th Level: Leadership <<< I'd take improved critical
11th Level: Dazzling Display <<< Improved vital strikes or another cleave feat
13th Level: Raging Vitality
15th Level: Skill Focus (Intimidate) <<< I guess it's clear I wouldn't play an intimidating barb by now.
17th Level: Raging Deathblow <<< would try to fit this in sooner, great power
19th Level: Extra Rage <<< definately not

WUT. You just said Improved Crit over... LEADERSHIP? The single best feat in the whole game, without doubt? Even with the minor nerfs from Pathfinder, that is still an amazingly awesome feat. Improved Critical is nice. Yes it is. BUT NOT AS MUCH AS LEADERSHIP.

Also, the OP specifically stated that he wanted Leadership and wouldn't give it up.

Beast power is really solid, the best totem there is.

Also, Titan Mauler comes to mind as one of the best archetypes ever. (Talk with your DM, some people say that by RAW you're massively restricted in weapons choices..... but seriously? TWFing Huge Greatswords is too awesome to restrict.)

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Overall, I think that the Pathfinder Barbarian is an improvement over the 3.5 Barbarian, but it's still one of the weakest classes you could choose to play. In particular, while Tier 4 or lower classes like the Monk and Rogue have been dramatically improved by Archetypes, the Barbarian's options generally suck (though pretty much anything is better then Trap Sense - and while Come and Get Me is great, it's really not worth taking 12 levels of Barbarian to get it).

I would ask the DM if you can mix and match totem and archetype abilities and ignore pre-reqs. If you do so and mix in a few 3.5 alternate class features, it becomes a much more playable class.Pounce at 10th might not be pounce at 1st, but it's still better than basically any class feature the other melees get. Also, invulnerable rager is handy.

[Person_Man]

Pounce at 10th might not be pounce at 1st, but it's still better than basically any class feature the other melees get.

In 3.X D&D Pounce and free movement are quite common (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358). Virtually every Tier 3 or higher class has easy access to it, as do the Barbarian (Lion Totem), Ranger (Lion's Charge spell, which you can put in a wand chamber), and Paladin (Knight's Move spell, Travel Devotion feat, and several Paladin-ish PrC). Last time I checked, a big selling point of Pathfinder was that it was backwards compatible with 3.0/3.5. So in that context, the Greater Beast Totem Rage Power (which has two mediocre pre-reqs, can't be taken until 10th level, and locks you out of other Totem Rage Powers) is a fairly cruddy way to get access to Pounce.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a lot of Pathfinder material and one of my best friends writes for them. But taking a common 3.X ability which is pretty much mandatory for melee builds and treating it like it's something special doesn't really improve the fun value or balance of the game in any way.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

In 3.X D&D Pounce and free movement are quite common (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358). Virtually every Tier 3 or higher class has easy access to it, as do the Barbarian (Lion Totem), Ranger (Lion's Charge spell, which you can put in a wand chamber), and Paladin (Knight's Move spell, Travel Devotion feat, and several Paladin-ish PrC). Last time I checked, a big selling point of Pathfinder was that it was backwards compatible with 3.0/3.5. So in that context, the Greater Beast Totem Rage Power (which has two mediocre pre-reqs, can't be taken until 10th level, and locks you out of other Totem Rage Powers) is a fairly cruddy way to get access to Pounce.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a lot of Pathfinder material and one of my best friends writes for them. But taking a common 3.X ability which is pretty much mandatory for melee builds and treating it like it's something special doesn't really improve the fun value or balance of the game in any way.Well, you're talking about 3.P, and in that context the Barbarian gets Pounce at level 1 without burning spell slots or TU attempts, so it's still good for at least one level. I was assuming Pathfinder-only, since in my experience (and to my great chagrin) that's what PF games tend to be. I agree that 3.5's numerous ways to get free movement is an advantage to that system, but we were talking about whether Barbarian was worth taking in Pathfinder, not the system's merits as a whole.

[Infernalbargain]

Also title says PF barbarian not 3.P barbarian. If I were you, I'd take extra rage power at 7th or 9th just so that you can get both Spell Sunder and Pounce on time. Spell Sunder is tier-raisingly good.

[Blyte]

since you are going with beast totem, forget what I said earlier about the vital strikes line. I suggest taking nimble moves and acrobatic steps instead, so you are able to charge over difficult terrain more effectively.

your leadership score probably won't be very high as a barbarian with likely a charisma dump stat, but if you have to have leadership than more power to you. I guess you want to have an axe caddy to tote around all those great axes?