Going Berserk!

[Joe Eskimo]

Naked! Like a real berserker!
So how can I make this playable? Basically I'm asking how to make an unarmored barbarian playable. Looks pretty suicidal to me too but nothing says berserker more than an unarmored northman wielding a two handed axe wading into the fray, taking hits and surviving the battle. And maybe then collapsing. Magic is the most obvious route. I'm thinking more of Damage Reduction more than AC but both are quite expensive compared to armor. So are there ACFs that grant DR while raging? Or feats? I know of the shirts found in the MIC, shirt of chains, shirt of bones, etc. That grant DR against some forms of damage but these are quite small like DR 3/slashing and for 9,000 gold at that. I also know lycanthropy gives DR 5 or 10/silver but I'm trying not to lean towards that.

[ahenobarbi]

Barbarian Bear Warrior / Fist of the Forest!

See my old thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228081), there are some really nice ideas.

[Krazzman]

You need to get initial DR from somewhere and then take the feat IMproved DR.

What you could do is ask the DM for a Custom Magic item that grants this feat.
Call it Balls of Adamantite!

Alternatives are: Berserker Rage ACF (Rage is triggered on a certain HP value) gives DR.
Asking for the Pathfinder Barbarian Archetype: Invulnerable Rager. Gives DR = to level against Nonlethal damage and DR = 1/2 level against normal damage.

[RoyVG]

If you want to go for flavor, go Frenzied Berserker (Complete Warrior). Its frenzy ability works together with Rage (aka, even more strength, but even less AC), but he receives non-lethal damage every round he is frenzied, so he'll drop to the ground eventually, unless his HP is outrageously high. (could not resist). Also, immune to death by HP loss while frenzying.

Make sure you don't have a fly speed and the rest of the party does, so you don't start bashing the party's skulls after all your foes are cleaved in half.

[Diovid]

Be a Barbarian using the City Brawler variant (Dragon Magazine #349) and either the Implacable variant (Dragon Magazine #330) or the Boar Totem (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#boarTotemClassFeatures ) variant. Then, as said, go into Fist of the Forest and possibly take 2 levels of Deepwarden (Deepwarden + Fist of the Forest should give you con to AC twice).

[Joe Eskimo]

Alternatives are: Berserker Rage ACF (Rage is triggered on a certain HP value) gives DR.

This fits what I'm trying to make most. Looked it over in the PHB II. It's Berserker Strength and it replaces Rage. I'm not sure how long it lasts though. Does it last 3+Con rounds or until the encounter ends?

[PersonMan]

One idea would be to go Vow of Poverty (using something like this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140428) or similar, not the Exalted version), with the fluff being something like "bah! anything but axe and loincloth is weakling garbage!".

Your rage is so great, when you get hungry you simply get angry at your stomach until it fills itself. You get so angry at the ground that you can fly, etc.

[DeltaEmil]

This fits what I'm trying to make most. Looked it over in the PHB II. It's Berserker Strength and it replaces Rage. I'm not sure how long it lasts though. Does it last 3+Con rounds or until the encounter ends?The Berserker Strength lasts until your hit points go over the threshold, which is why it's considered to be a rather bad alternate class feature. You have no control over when it starts and when it ends, and while it lasts, you have all the limitations of being in a rage.

[limejuicepowder]

The Berserker Strength lasts until your hit points go over the threshold, which is why it's considered to be a rather bad alternate class feature. You have no control over when it starts and when it ends, and while it lasts, you have all the limitations of being in a rage.

It also scales really poorly. Going below 5 hp at level 1 to activate rage is stressful but doable. Going below 30 hp at lvl 6 is completely suicidal - if you're lucky you'll get one full attck before being squashed.

Fist of the forest and deepwarden are definitely the way to go.

[Azoth]

If you can stomach +1 LA Quasilycanthrope gives DR10 silver, keeps you looking human, and qualifies you for Warshaper. Not the most powerful template out there, but it does help with you bare chested brutality.

[Joe Eskimo]

If you can stomach +1 LA Quasilycanthrope gives DR10 silver, keeps you looking human, and qualifies you for Warshaper. Not the most powerful template out there, but it does help with you bare chested brutality.

Cool Beans! Didn't even know this template existed. It's just what I was looking for and yes I can stomach +1 LA. Best part is I look normal. Probably the best disguise for a lycanthrope. :smallbiggrin: