Pathfinder Barbarian tactics check-up

[Particle_Man]

I am playing an elf barbarian and planning to work towards shadowdancer ASAP. I have decided that the rage ability is best used only for minor encounters. My rational is that fights against major encounters are more likely to bring the character to unconsciousness. When not raging, this would mean a chance of instant death but also a chance of simple unconsciousness, and if the monster is otherwise occupied, the likelihood that I would survive. But if raging, while I would last a few more rounds against the monster, and even have a chance of putting it down, if I were to go unconscious, my rage would instantly end, sending my already negative hit points plummeting, and making instant death much more likely. So if I use up rage rounds only on minor encounters, I at least speed the resolution of such encounters, allowing the party to conserve their resources for the major encounter. Does this rationale make sense? Oh, available texts are the Pathfinder Core Book and the Advanced Players Guide (and the DM will have Bestiaries). I was thinking of getting the feat Raging Vitality at level 9 (my con is only 13 at level 1) and the rage powers Guarded Life and Renewed Vigor at levels 2 and 4.

[grarrrg]

I am playing an elf barbarian and planning to work towards shadowdancer ASAP....I was thinking of getting the feat Raging Vitality at level 9 (my con is only 13 at level 1) and the rage powers Guarded Life and Renewed Vigor at levels 2 and 4.

First off, why Barbarian+Shadowdancer? What are you trying to do/build?

Second, unless the party is REALLY lacking Divine casters, I would skip Renewed Vigor, as it is still a Standard action, and you can only do it ONCE per DAY.

And depending on what the group has for other meatshields, you should strongly consider the Toughness feat.

[gartius]

why elf? you are taking a penalty to your con which is stopping you from taking raging vitality straight away. If you take it straight away all this is a moot point.

[StreamOfTheSky]

So, you built yourself into a situation where you feel the need to use your rage powers and feats to keep your primary class feature from killing you?

I'd never take raging vitality, screw feat taxes. Rage kills you, just roll up a new character. Don't pay a fee for paizo downgrading back to 3.0 and lessoned that apparently weren't learned back then.

And if you're going to use rage on the pushover encounters, why take only defensive/healing rage powers? Either use it on mooks and get offensive boosting powers, or use it in tough fights and take the life-saving powers. offensive + tough fights is suicidal, what you're doing is just dull and redundant.