Barbarian/Eye of Gruumsh/Frenzied Berserker

[GKNSB]

Hello there everyone.
I'm really new to the forums and I'm kind of new to the dnd concept.
I have just started playing a new campaign and the build i'm aiming for is the one on the topic, but I would like a few tips on how to optimise it from some fellow barmarians.

The character is a half orc barbarian at level 5 now. Since I like the whole theme
eye of gruumsh prestige and the orc double axe the 2 feets I have taken by level 5 are

Weapon Proficiency (Orc double axe)
Two Weapon Fighting

I'm wielding a masterwork orc double axe and I'm wearing a +1 chainshirt armor.
The abilities are:
Str 21
Dex 17
Con 18
Int 14
Wis 11
Cha 12

The build I was having in mind is the one that follows:

1) Barbarian - weapon proficiency orc double axe
2) Barbarian -
3) Barbarian - Two weapon fighting
4) Barbarian -
5) Barbarian -
6) Fighter - Weapon focus orc double axe / Power Attack
7) Eye of Gruumsh
8) Eye of Gruumsh
9) Fighter - Power Attack / Intimidating Rage
10) Eye of Gruumsh
11) Eye of Gruumsh
12) Fighter - Destructive Rage
13) Frenzied Berserker

I'm open to all suggestions. Perhaps change some feats for better damage output? Better two weapon fighting? Swap some of the mentioned levels on a class for another class? In general I open to any suggestions.

:smallbiggrin:

[Madara]

Drop the weapon focus, its always considered sub-op. You get cleave, but you don't grab power attack until after? Power Attack is a prereq for cleave, so you need to get it first.

[Devmaar]

Actually, you don't have a feat in the ???? position. The 3rd level of Fighter doesn't grant a bonus.

Also, Madara is right on both counts. Power Attack has to come before Cleave and Weapon Focus isn't worth a feat slot.

[hex0]

Are you set at Barbarian 5 and your feats already? Eye of Gruumsh is an 'okay' class, but you'd probably want to get into Frenzied Berserker first. Instead of taking a level of fighter for exotic weapon proficiency and focus, I'd take a level of cleric instead. Also dipping into Exotic Weapon Master for Flurry of Strikes might be worth it as well. I'm not sure this would work as good as a standard Frenzied Berserker build because TWF takes away from the focus of the class (dealing high damage with a two handed weapon).

[GKNSB]

Oops yeah I totally forgot about Power Attack being needed. So yeah power attack goes there.

Weapon focus is unfortunately needed for the Eye of Gruumsh prestige class so i don't get to leave it out :P

I really like the whole theme of the Eye of Gruumsh. Commanding the hord and stuff that's why i'm going for it first. Planning on getting something like my own orc guild that pimps an entire city xD

[Golden Ladybug]

If you have access to the Magic Items Compendium, you should look into the Gloves of the Balanced Hand, which provide Two-Weapon Fighting, or if you already have that Improved Two Weapon Fighting, for the minor cost of 8,400gp.

Weapon Focus isn't that bad; its not particularly amazing, but it opens some neat doors. Eye of Gruumsh, for instance. Pious Templar might also be something to look into, since you're going with EoG.

I would recommend dipping Cleric 1 rather than Fighter, however, since at the cost of 1 point of BAB, you can take the War Domain and pick up Weapon Focus that way (since Eye of Gruumsh utilizes the Orc Double-Axe, I would assume that its Gruumsh's favoured weapon?), along with another beneficial Domain. Travel is quite good, and if you didn't take the Spirit Lion Totem ACF, you can use trade it out for Travel Devotion. Other nice ones are Time (free Improved Initiative), Pride (Re-roll ones on Saving Throws), Luck, Bestial (Scent!) or any number of others.

Frenzied Berserker is a bit of a risky class; how's your Will Save? You don't want to be wandering around, step on a stray caltrop, hulk out and then kill your party to death.

[hex0]

I really like the whole theme of the Eye of Gruumsh. Commanding the hord and stuff that's why i'm going for it first. Planning on getting something like my own orc guild that pimps an entire city xD

If you are going for that, there is Orc Warlord in Races of Faerun.

If you just play a desert orc instead, you get Endurance instead of dark vision, which you can use to get Steadfast Determination to reduce Frenzy.

[GKNSB]

Orc warlord sounds good but eye of gruumsh sounds better (being favored by the god xD)

For the cleric matter, the DM thinks it's kind of gay so we decided to leave it out.

What I thought was to add 2 more fighter levels isntead of 1 barbarian and one eye of gruumsh level so that i get one more feat and make that quick draw.
That way I can charge and and make more damage with one attack using a greataxe and on the next round quickdraw the orc double axe and utilize more damage with the multiple attacks. How does that sound?

[Devmaar]

If you have access to the Magic Items Compendium, you should look into the Gloves of the Balanced Hand, which provide Two-Weapon Fighting, or if you already have that Improved Two Weapon Fighting, for the minor cost of 8,400gp.

Weapon Focus isn't that bad; its not particularly amazing, but it opens some neat doors. Eye of Gruumsh, for instance. Pious Templar might also be something to look into, since you're going with EoG.

I would recommend dipping Cleric 1 rather than Fighter, however, since at the cost of 1 point of BAB, you can take the War Domain and pick up Weapon Focus that way (since Eye of Gruumsh utilizes the Orc Double-Axe, I would assume that its Gruumsh's favoured weapon?), along with another beneficial Domain. Travel is quite good, and if you didn't take the Spirit Lion Totem ACF, you can use trade it out for Travel Devotion. Other nice ones are Time (free Improved Initiative), Pride (Re-roll ones on Saving Throws), Luck, Bestial (Scent!) or any number of others.

Frenzied Berserker is a bit of a risky class; how's your Will Save? You don't want to be wandering around, step on a stray caltrop, hulk out and then kill your party to death.

Annoyingly, Gruumsh's favoured weapon is spears...


Orc warlord sounds good but eye of gruumsh sounds better (being favored by the god xD)

For the cleric matter, the DM thinks it's kind of gay so we decided to leave it out.

What I thought was to add 2 more fighter levels isntead of 1 barbarian and one eye of gruumsh level so that i get one more feat and make that quick draw.
That way I can charge and and make more damage with one attack using a greataxe and on the next round quickdraw the orc double axe and utilize more damage with the multiple attacks. How does that sound?

The difference in damage between Greataxe and Orc-Double-Axe as a 2-handed weapon is small enough that it's probably not worthwhile

[Medic!]

This brings back memories of a gestalt I made once out of a mix of orc paragon, barb, ftr, eye of gruumsh, frenzied 'zerker, and war-hulk (with a permant enlarge person and a DM ruling that dispel supresses permanency instead of obliterating it)

If you haven't already, I'd be sure to use the Lion Spirit Totem variant for Pounce. If you have access to Races of Faerun there's a feat called Headlong Rush that gives you the option of eating an AoO from every opponent who threatens the path of a charge attack (including the one at the end of it) to deal double damage. It's also officially a fighter bonus feat, pre-reqs are orc or half-orc and BAB +4.

If it helps with the two-weapon fighting stuff, keep in mind that using an orc double-axe doesn't necessarily mean two-weapon fighting, you can still two-hand that bad-boy and power-attack to your heart's delight with all those delicious frenzied berserker PA bonuses.


Tiny but boring anecdote:
In that campaign my only party-member was a permanent-reduced gnome artificer//psion who rode in my backpack (again a great DM ruling: I couldn't/wouldn't attack him). The pinnacle of that orc's achievements was dragging a boat across a continent by land and one-rounding a maralith at level 8.

[hex0]

Annoyingly, Gruumsh's favoured weapon is spears...


Then why does Eye of Gruumsh require the Orc Double Axe stuff? I mean this is an ask your dm stuff for changing it.

Also, don't use 'gay' like that. :smallmad:

[Mari01]

Then why does Eye of Gruumsh require the Orc Double Axe stuff? I mean this is an ask your dm stuff for changing it.

Also, don't use 'gay' like that. :smallmad:

As long as it's not being used to degrade someone, the way he uses it doesn't matter.

More on topic I also would suggest against frenzied berserker. First hand experience with one who took damage form a trap in a hallway, and proceeded to kill half the party before being paralyzed. We hadn't even made it to the first encounter.

[hex0]

There is a way around Frenzy, Iron Will from Oytugh Hole, Steadfast Determination (which I suggested, and improves in a rage), etc.

[herrhauptmann]

There is a way around Frenzy, Iron Will from Oytugh Hole, Steadfast Determination (which I suggested, and improves in a rage), etc.

Brand new player.
DM suggests he not take a tier 1 casting class that boosts his will and opens up a lot of options (even with 11 wis). OP is level 5, without power attack or cleave? I'm willing to bet a low-op group. They might not know the tricks to save a party from FB, or might dismiss/ban them as powergaming.

Also, favored weapon of Grummsh is a spear? Yeah, that's annoying. Sounds more like a namby-pamby nature-loving elf to me... War domain is much more useful when the war god uses a martial or exotic weapon. Maybe war devotion would be useful.

[Madara]

Brand new player.
DM suggests he not take a tier 1 casting class that boosts his will and opens up a lot of options (even with 11 wis). OP is level 5, without power attack or cleave? I'm willing to bet a low-op group. They might not know the tricks to save a party from FB, or might dismiss/ban them as powergaming.

Also, favored weapon of Grummsh is a spear? Yeah, that's annoying. Sounds more like a namby-pamby nature-loving elf to me... War domain is much more useful when the war god uses a martial or exotic weapon. Maybe war devotion would be useful.

Grease is a first level spell which can take down the Berserker. All they need is a wand of it.

[herrhauptmann]

Grease is a first level spell which can take down the Berserker. All they need is a wand of it.

Which is another trick. A trick they might not know.

[Madara]

Which is another trick. A trick they might not know.

That's true, but I think he's better off with FB than EoG, even with the walking timebomb problem.

[GKNSB]

Spirit lion totem for pounce sounds really good as a matter of fact.
I'll see if i can make use of that.

Worrying about killing the party is something i don't actually care about (xD)
They all have some way of protecting themselves after all so it shouldn't hurt much (one of them
is planning on getting some feats that allow him to run double the normal speed for example)
Powergaming or not we have already found ways of protecting the party against frenzy so all is good.

Power attack and cleave are not used yet since i want to have the first prestige class as soon as possible. I'll probably get them both on the 6 level with one fighter level.

Yeap Gruumsh's favored weapon is kind of annoying and not really helpful at the time. I
believe the orc double axe is used to mostly demonstrate that it's a prestige class for orcs, mostly at least.

Also on another matter, i didn't mean to offend someone with the usage of the word gay.
It was just used by the DM to demonstrate the difference between the savagery of classes.

Thanks everyone for the replies so far. Of course i'm open to more suggestions :D

[Venusaur]

If you are going frenzied Berserker, get a wand of calm emotions or grease or something to avoid a TPK.