3.5, the bugbear barbarian PC, optimisation is not my skill

[dehro]

I'm rolling a new 8th Lv character for a campaign I'm playing.
Having been given the opportunity, I'm planning to play a bugbear character, preferably a chaotic neutral one.
Having rolled quite well on the stats, I'm considering 2 options:
The barbarian or the spirit shaman
The rolls are as follows
18
14
12
12
12
11
Racial mods are by the book, +4 STR, +2 DEX, +2, CON, -2 CHA.
My DM was not sure yet whether the extra point "per multiples of 4th level" would be 1 or 2, the reasoning being that the character is of 8th Lv but has a level adjustment of +1 so is at least in part, of 7th level. He'll let me know.

My idea, for the barbarian damage dealer, is to place the stats as follows:
STR 18
DEX 14
CON 20
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 9
Which leaves the 1, or 2, extra point/s to be placed... STR? DEX? Don't know yet. I'm open to suggestions.
Bugbear humanoid levels grant two feats. BAB of +2, Fort. 1, Ref. 3, Will. 1.
Racial skills are Climb, hide, liste, move silently, search and spot.
+3 natural armor
+4 move silently checks.
Budget for equipment will roughly be the 27k as per rules. To be confirmed. No single item may cost more than a third of the budget.
I will need a healing item or two, because my old PC was the party cleric and the remaining characters tend to shy away from the frontline where this PC will be, or be otherwise occupied, so healing may become an issue.
without aiming for uber-builds, which would be hard to do with the humanoid classes (also, my GM would oppose too blatant minmaxing), how do I make this a tough brawler to stand against?
No 3rd party, no eberron, no psionics... On master's orders

The rest of the team are an 8th Lv buffing bard with crossbow, a sorceress (9th Lv), a druid who morphs into brawlers (9th again), and a ranger/scout who mostly does ranged attack, also ninth level.

[bekeleven]

ok, a few quick thoughts:

You may want your highest stat in STR instead of CON.

Bugbears start with 3 HD in humanoid and a LA of +1. This is really, really bad, but not insurmountable for a non-caster. You'll just have to optimize harder.

See if the DM will let you reduce your level adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm). Basically, instead of starting as a Humanoid 3/Barbarian 4/LA+1, you'll start as a Humanoid 3/Barbarian 3 but with no level adjustment. You'll be 1K experience from your next level of barbarian (so just an encounter or two), and from there on you'll level faster without the level adjustment millstone around your neck.

The first spot is to look at the class itself and try to swap some alternate class features (ACFs). The most common recommended ACF for barbarians is found in the beginning of complete champion, and it's called Spirit Lion Totem. It allows you to trade away your fast movement for Pounce, meaning you can full attack on a charge. The second most popular ACF is Whirling Frenzy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ), which trades some benefits of Rage for an effect similar to Haste (extra attack every time you full attack). There are other barbarian ACFs, both in the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#barbarianVariantTotemB arbarian) (originally printed in Unearthed Arcana) and elsewhere (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7908).

Feats! Common feats for barbarians are Power Attack, Extra Rage (CWar), Extended Rage (CWar), Combat Expertise/Improved Trip (requires int 13), Shock Trooper, Leap Attack (CAdv), Combat Reflexes, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Spiked Chain). There are some other barbarian builds, but in general, your feats will help you do one thing: Charge someone, hit them 500 times, and use power attack to get +500 damage per hit.

Advanced play is an AoO build, either built around tripping someone and taking attacks when they get back up, then tripping them again, or using a spiked chain to hit people every time they so much as sneeze within a mile of you, or both. This is feat-intensive and often involves taking 1-2 levels of fighter.

As for weapons: anything that can be used two-handed. Power Attack gives 2:1 returns on two-handed weapons. Greataxe is the barbarian standard, Spiked Chain if you want to blow a feat on a better weapon.

Hope that helps a bit!

Somebody remind me: The size of your weapon doesn't change your reach, right? Otherwise I'd recommend titan bloodline (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm) on a lockdown build.

[eggynack]

Well, you should probably start off with traditional barbarian ACF stacking. That means wolf totem (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wolfTotemClassFeatures ), whirling frenzy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ), and spirit lion totem (CC, 46). All in all, that gets you way better rage, improved trip, and most importantly, pounce. All that stuff happens in the first two levels, so I'd strongly advise popping out of the class for something else melee after that. However, if you need to stick around, streetfighter from the cityscape web enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) makes for a decent long term upgrade.

As for feats, there's always the classic barbarian stuff. That means charging, which is generally composed of power attack, improved bull rush, shock trooper (CW, 112), and leap attack (CAdv, 110), tripping, which is mostly improved trip and knock-down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown), with AoO optimization applied as needed, and intimidation, which is imperious command (DotU, 50), intimidating rage (CW, 102), instantaneous rage (CW, 102), and the never outnumbered skill trick (CS, 87). You may also want to consider a prestige class, which has a good chance of having feat prerequisites. The best is runescarred berserker (UE, 31), with champion of gwynharwyf (BoED, 56) following a bit behind. So that's about it, offhand. I should probably mention that going bugbear is a poor choice, just so it's out there. You're losing a whole hell of a lot, and getting very little.

[dehro]

Ok... Baby steps
ok, a few quick thoughts:

You may want your highest stat in STR instead of CON.
That would leave me with...
STR22 (awesome) and
CON 16 (17/18 at best)... Not so awesome, with 3 levels of d8 instead of d12,...and possibly a LA of 1... That is a whole lot of hitpoints... In a setting where the bad guys routinely hit for more than 20 damage each( more like around 30-35), and a less than optimal AC.


See if the DM will let you reduce your level adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm). Basically, instead of starting as a Humanoid 3/Barbarian 4/LA+1, you'll start as a Humanoid 3/Barbarian 3 but with no level adjustment. You'll be 1K experience from your next level of barbarian (so just an encounter or two), and from there on you'll level faster without the level adjustment millstone around your neck.I doubt he'll let me do that...but I can always ask.

The first spot is to look at the class itself and try to swap some alternate class features (ACFs). The most common recommended ACF for barbarians is found in the beginning of complete champion, and it's called Spirit Lion Totem. It allows you to trade away your fast movement for Pounce, meaning you can full attack on a charge.
That sounds good.

The second most popular ACF is Whirling Frenzy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ), which trades some benefits of Rage for an effect similar to Haste (extra attack every time you full attack). There are other barbarian ACFs, both in the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#barbarianVariantTotemB arbarian) (originally printed in Unearthed Arcana) and elsewhere (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7908).
these I have a hard time wrapping my head around. Can they be combined? Would that be worth it or counterproductive?

Feats! Common feats for barbarians are Power Attack, Extra Rage (CWar), Extended Rage (CWar), Combat Expertise/Improved Trip (requires int 13), Shock Trooper, Leap Attack (CAdv), Combat Reflexes, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Spiked Chain).

Awesome, and a little confusing. Any suggested/favourite progression? (I'm thinking about using a weapon with reach and making the most of it, but am hazy on how to... So probably I'm better off sticking to pounding on whoever gets underfoot, or else I'll be here asking for help every time the character gets anywhere.)


As for weapons: anything that can be used two-handed. Power Attack gives 2:1 returns on two-handed weapons. Greataxe is the barbarian standard, Spiked Chain if you want to blow a feat on a better weapon.

Hope that helps a bit! Yes.. A lot!
Thank you!


Somebody remind me: The size of your weapon doesn't change your reach, right? Otherwise I'd recommend titan bloodline (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm) on a lockdown build. something just went right over my head.. But if I understand it right, my master would probably call it overkill, or over-minmaxing

Well, you should probably start off with traditional barbarian ACF stacking. That means wolf totem (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wolfTotemClassFeatures ), whirling frenzy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ), and spirit lion totem (CC, 46). All in all, that gets you way better rage, improved trip, and most importantly, pounce. All that stuff happens in the first two levels, so I'd strongly advise popping out of the class for something else melee after that. However, if you need to stick around, streetfighter from the cityscape web enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) makes for a decent long term upgrade.

As for feats, there's always the classic barbarian stuff. That means charging, which is generally composed of power attack, improved bull rush, shock trooper (CW, 112), and leap attack (CAdv, 110), tripping, which is mostly improved trip and knock-down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown), with AoO optimization applied as needed, and intimidation, which is imperious command (DotU, 50), intimidating rage (CW, 102), instantaneous rage (CW, 102), and the never outnumbered skill trick (CS, 87). You may also want to consider a prestige class, which has a good chance of having feat prerequisites. The best is runescarred berserker (UE, 31), with champion of gwynharwyf (BoED, 56) following a bit behind. So that's about it, offhand. I should probably mention that going bugbear is a poor choice, just so it's out there. You're losing a whole hell of a lot, and getting very little.

May be, but I want to do it anyway... Just loving the fluff.
Cityscape starts telling us that not all barbarians are ignoramus from a remote Island... And that is exactly what he is, lol.

[Urpriest]

My DM was not sure yet whether the extra point "per multiples of 4th level" would be 1 or 2, the reasoning being that the character is of 8th Lv but has a level adjustment of +1 so is at least in part, of 7th level. He'll let me know.


It's based on character level (hit dice). So once you have four total hit dice you gain a point to an ability score, and again when you have eight hit dice, etc.

You should probably read my Monster Handbook. It covers basics like this.

[dehro]

It's based on character level (hit dice). So once you have four total hit dice you gain a point to an ability score, and again when you have eight hit dice, etc.

You should probably read my Monster Handbook. It covers basics like this.
That's the thing... Is character level defined by hit dice for the purpose of allocating the extra point, or is that one of the other definitions of level come into play?

I have been reading it.:smallwink: I must have missed this retail

[Urpriest]

That's the thing... Is character level defined by hit dice for the purpose of allocating the extra point, or is that one of the other definitions of level come into play?

I have been reading it.:smallwink: I must have missed this retail

Character Level = Hit Dice. Effective Character Level is a different animal altogether. Hit Dice control most of the level-dependent stuff, including skill points, feats, ability score increases, vulnerability to things like Sleep, etc. Effective Character Level basically only relates to XP, and oddly enough to when you count as Epic.

I thought I had made this pretty clear in the section in the guide that deals with different sorts of level, so let me know if some of the language is still confusing. It's always good to get feedback.

[dehro]

Character Level = Hit Dice. Effective Character Level is a different animal altogether. Hit Dice control most of the level-dependent stuff, including skill points, feats, ability score increases, vulnerability to things like Sleep, etc. Effective Character Level basically only relates to XP, and oddly enough to when you count as Epic.

I thought I had made this pretty clear in the section in the guide that deals with different sorts of level, so let me know if some of the language is still confusing. It's always good to get feedback.

Nope... Just Fine. I had simply scrolled over it by mistake
Also, I get lost easily in the rules... Really easily.
So. Thanks

Back to looking for decent feats.

Uhm..that means 1 more point to place instead of two... Intelligence maybe.. For the tripping feat.. Or strength.
Still not sure I should swap STR / CON

[Lanaya]

these I have a hard time wrapping my head around. Can they be combined? Would that be worth it or counterproductive?

Alternate class features replace one (or sometimes more) of your default class features. You can take as many as you like, as long as you aren't replacing the same ability multiple times - for example, you can't use this variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#barbarian) to trade out rage for various ranger abilities, then use a second variant to trade out your rage again for something else, because you don't have rage any more. But you could trade rage for one ability, fast movement for another, trap sense for a third, etc. Often taking lots of ACFs are very useful for the core classes, because a lot of their class features tend to be pretty awful. Balance was way out at the original release of 3.5, as Wizards didn't really understand how their system worked and massively overvalued the importance of things like BAB and hit dice.

[dehro]

Gotcha.
I think I'll focus on the damage dealing ... And see what I can come up with, feats-wise

[Tevesh]

Your DM is allowing MIC but not Eberron? Like that's going to do anything...

Anyway, I saw that no one really addressed your question about Healing and/or Items. I would recommend the following two Godsends which players are still using in my campaign right now.

Healing Belt - p.110 MIC - 750 gp which is the same price as a Cure Serious Potion but this doesn't get used up and provides more healing. Its better to have a few of these belts and swap them out than burn your money away with Potions.

Cloak of Predatory Vigor - p.87 MIC - 1400 gp - 2/D heal HP = HD during Rage as Swift. Its an effect that scales with you, meaning that this is always a useful pick-up.

Those two items should help you with heals and not break the bank. The rest should be relying on your party as these are just to patch you up.

[dehro]

Healing belt is the default item we all carry.
Was unaware of the other, so thanks.

[dehro]

http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/af52/Alessandro_Maggiorotto/thepouncefeat_zps34349049.jpg

not very original, I know..
so.. the LA stays, the DM isn't too fond of unearthed arcana. so far I've wheedled out the pounce feat through lion totem option. other than that, it's very much going to be a basic build.

[Forrestfire]

Bighugelabs doesn't store images (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=278124):smalltongue:

What sort of other party members do you have? If you have pounce, you should get your caster to pick up haste, as the extra attack on you is probably doing more than a fireball, for instance.

[dehro]

Bighugelabs doesn't store images (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=278124):smalltongue:

What sort of other party members do you have? If you have pounce, you should get your caster to pick up haste, as the extra attack on you is probably doing more than a fireball, for instance.

yeah.. haste is something that gets casts, occasionally. add to that the Rhino Hide armour, and suddenly I'm dealing a bit more damage.
It seems that at least for a while, my PC will be able to make a significant contribution..

mind you, I'm still going to be the meatshield, together with the morphed druid, to allow the caster and the scout to do ranged damage.
anyhoo.. there are two schools of thought at the moment (of course.. there are 2 main experts in the party.. you wouldn't expect them to agree, would you?)
the master says I should go with
22 STR (18, +4 racial bonus) and 19 CON (14, +2 racial bonus, +2 ring of "look how tough I am", +1 of 4th level extra point)
or even 24 STR and 17 CON (using a ring of look how strong I am instead)

the druid instead things I should buff CON more than strength, coming down to
18 STR (14, +4 racial bonus) and 23 CON(18, +2 racial bonus, +2 ring, +1 of 4th level extra point)
I may be overly suspicious, but I do think he's trying to not have to spend spells into healing me...


so.. the TL;dr version:

do I go
STR 25 CON 16,
STR 24 CON 17,
STR 22 CON 19,
STR 19 CON 22, or
STR 18, CON 23????

[Ortesk]

Are you stuck being a bugbear? And do you want to be pure damage or lockdown build? Damage, we can make you into one shot one kill. But a barbarian can rival a crusader in lockdown power

[dehro]

Are you stuck being a bugbear? And do you want to be pure damage or lockdown build? Damage, we can make you into one shot one kill. But a barbarian can rival a crusader in lockdown power

the bugbear thing is my idea, lol.. I want to play one. (other options included the traditional races and a few more that I didn't care for).

minmaxing is kinda frowned upon. unearthed arcana apparently also.. as is anything that is setting-specific (except, I reckon, Kingdoms of Kalamar which after all is the setting we're mostly sticking to) anything that unbalances the character too blatantly from the basics seems to twist my GM's knickers..
one could argue that the balance should be with the other team members rather than the class itself..but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

I do like the idea of keeping up with the damage my fellow party members can dish out, and charging seems to lead in that direction.

[Ortesk]

the bugbear thing is my idea, lol.. I want to play one. (other options included the traditional races and a few more that I didn't care for).

minmaxing is kinda frowned upon. unearthed arcana apparently also.. as is anything that is setting-specific (except, I reckon, Kingdoms of Kalamar which after all is the setting we're mostly sticking to) anything that unbalances the character too blatantly from the basics seems to twist my GM's knickers..
one could argue that the balance should be with the other team members rather than the class itself..but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

I do like the idea of keeping up with the damage my fellow party members can dish out, and charging seems to lead in that direction.

Barbarians make the second best chargers, if you prestige correctly. What do you envision with this character, first and foremost?

[dehro]

I'm always thinking more in terms of roleplay than optimisation.

a Chaotic Neutral character,
3bugbear/1LA/4barbarian.

I'm thinking a few more levels of barbarian, maybe up to a total of 10, so 2 levels at the most.. and then it's likely that continued exposure to the somewhat more refined other party members will make him grow a bit into his own.. maybe even shift his alignment a little bit... cue prestige class (though I have no idea which one and, again, I'll most likely have to stick to the ones that are not setting specific).
I think anything from any of the champion books would be allowed though.

when I showed him this (http://ihititwithmyaxe.tumblr.com/post/5994449301/the-charging-fighter-breaking-3-5-d-d)build for laughs, he did indeed laugh. mostly because he couldn't punch me in the face through the computer, I think.
powerplaying is a big no-no.

right now we're stuck on an island facing dinosaurs and a Gythianki invasion (accidentally brought about by my previous character:smalltongue:). eventually we'll have to go face a Chain Devil armed with a powerful artifact that is slowly corrupting the very soil of the planet (that is, most of it except the wild and remote part of it we're in...my bugbear character is a local guy..local to the island with rampaging dinos, that is.

I think budget might allow for a ring of +2 CON and for a ring of +2 STR.. though I question whether it's something I should do.
If I do, this means I'll have a total of 43 points to spread over STR and COS.

[Ortesk]

I'm always thinking more in terms of roleplay than optimisation.

a Chaotic Neutral character,
3bugbear/1LA/4barbarian.

I'm thinking a few more levels of barbarian, maybe up to a total of 10, so 2 levels at the most.. and then it's likely that continued exposure to the somewhat more refined other party members will make him grow a bit into his own.. maybe even shift his alignment a little bit... cue prestige class (though I have no idea which one and, again, I'll most likely have to stick to the ones that are not setting specific).
I think anything from any of the champion books would be allowed though.

when I showed him this (http://ihititwithmyaxe.tumblr.com/post/5994449301/the-charging-fighter-breaking-3-5-d-d)build for laughs, he did indeed laugh. mostly because he couldn't punch me in the face through the computer, I think.
powerplaying is a big no-no.

right now we're stuck on an island facing dinosaurs and a Gythianki invasion (accidentally brought about by my previous character:smalltongue:). eventually we'll have to go face a Chain Devil armed with a powerful artifact that is slowly corrupting the very soil of the planet (that is, most of it except the wild and remote part of it we're in...my bugbear character is a local guy..local to the island with rampaging dinos, that is.

I think budget might allow for a ring of +2 CON and for a ring of +2 STR.. though I question whether it's something I should do.
If I do, this means I'll have a total of 43 points to spread over STR and COS.

That build is fairly weak actually. My barb was doing like 5000 a round by level 13 or so

Barbarian is a 1 level class. Take 3 levels of fighter, pick up your last one next level. Now before i go any further, how do you want to roleplay him? Just a tough guy or do you want him to be an absolute nightmare


By nightmare, he cuts your heart out for looking at him wrong

[dehro]

no nightmares, there is already enough mistrust within the group as is. I'd like them to have my back rather than plotting to shove me in the nearest trap for fear of my lack of control over rage.
I don't actually mind him being weak.. as long as he still has a decent chance at survival... the "stick to barbarian" choice is mostly for flavour... but I'm still fairly set in it.

[Gwendol]

Well, you have a bruiser in the druid already, and your bard will make up the lack of levels you have. I suggest going lock-down with you entering the crusader class soon (maybe alternating barb and crusader a little?).

Feats: combat reflexes, improved trip (if you can swing the combat expertise pre-req, otherwise don't pick the feat and trip using a reach weapon: medium creatures won't be able to AoO you anyway), EWP Spiked chain

For the crusader you will want the mountain hammer and foehammer strikes, eventually the thicket of blade stance, and since you have a druid that hopefully summons animals in battle, you can put the leading the charge stance to good use early on in the fights.

[dehro]

sadly, crusader is most likely off limits, as is pretty much the whole tome of battle.
also, the chain got a lot of frowns, because of fluff and flavour. for starters I'll be going down the greatsword route.. with

leap attack, power attack and cleave.
and taking pounce at first level instead of having the extra speed.
roughly, between various bonusses, that should give me (on a charge and with power attack for +4) a damage output of
2d6+16
2d6+16
2d6 (due to rhino hide armor special feature)
landing me somewhere between 38 and 68..
provided I hit with both attacks.
plus an extra 2d6+16 if the sorceress casts haste
that is, without maxing out on the power attack.
I may be able to improve matters a little with an item or two, if budget allows for it..but all considered I'm not complaining.

[eggynack]

You should probably try to pick up shock trooper, if you can. It's significantly more important than stuff like leap attack and cleave, because it basically lets you power attack to the fullest amount on every hit. Also, if a chain isn't your speed, just pick up a guisarme, and maybe get armor spikes in case folks close to adjacent. Spiked chains are really nice, but they're far from strictly necessary for AoO/tripping builds.

[Gwendol]

Agreed. Any reach weapon really will do wonders for you, the chain is just very convenient, but hardly a must have. You will want reach and combat reflexes eventually anyway. Think of it this way: as a melee being able to attack out of turn and several times per round is golden as it may interrupt the actions of your enemies, thus denying them actions. You win.

[dehro]

agreed.. but I'm still working through the "other" option.. that of focussing on charging.

so.. I got some feats to juggle (or maybe I'm just not used to them)..
and I'm getting rather lost... possibly because I'm tired after a full day at work.. but..

if everything goes as planned, I could have
STR 20
BAB 6/1
a +2 greatsword
the feats
Pounce (from the MM) means I get to do a full attack at the business end of a charge
Leap Attack (from Complete adventurer) makes me double the power attack bonus damage in case of a charge, triple in case of two handed weapon.
Power Attack as usual
Cleave as usual
also, a 2d6 damage bonus if I charge due to Rhino Hide armor.

so.. what is the range of my actual damage output in case of charge with all feats a go?

and what is it if I don't charge?

[Runeclaw]

Pounce is not a feat, in the MM or anywhere else. The easiest way to get it, which has already been discussed repeatedly in this thread, is as the Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian ACF.


agreed.. but I'm still working through the "other" option.. that of focussing on charging.

so.. I got some feats to juggle (or maybe I'm just not used to them)..
and I'm getting rather lost... possibly because I'm tired after a full day at work.. but..

if everything goes as planned, I could have
STR 20
BAB 6/1
a +2 greatsword
the feats
Pounce (from the MM) means I get to do a full attack at the business end of a charge
Leap Attack (from Complete adventurer) makes me double the power attack bonus damage in case of a charge, triple in case of two handed weapon.
Power Attack as usual
Cleave as usual
also, a 2d6 damage bonus if I charge due to Rhino Hide armor.

so.. what is the range of my actual damage output in case of charge with all feats a go?

and what is it if I don't charge?

[Gwendol]

Shock trooper at level six. That's what you want. Also, you will want to take fighter levels using the dungeoncrasher variant (Dungeonscape).

[eggynack]

Shock trooper at level six. That's what you want. Also, you will want to take fighter levels using the dungeoncrasher variant (Dungeonscape).
Very much yes on the first count, and a highly possible yes on the second count. taking enough fighter levels to make dungeoncrasher worth it isn't necessarily in every build's best interest. As is, the build should replace leap attack with improved bullrush, and cleave with shock trooper. Also possibly pounce with leap attack, if that's actually being listed as a feat. That's not necessarily the actual order of things, but it's what should happen in general. A barbarian 2/fighter 6 could be pretty viable for this. You could even take fighter to level 9 (maybe 10) with zhentarim soldier levels, and toss on a little intimidation build.

[Gwendol]

Dungeoncrasher gives some out of combat utility, which may come in handy. I still think a reach weapon will do good from the start.

[dehro]

Cloak of Predatory Vigor heals HP during rage.. twice daily, I take this to mean once every time it's activated, and not every round of said rage..right?
seems like a pot of money for a relatively small advantage..except of course when those few points make the difference.

[dehro]

Wow... That was quick
On his first encounter with a png he got humiliated with a wooden sword.
On his subsequent joining up with the main party he was abducted by the BBEG, accidentally caused the death of another png and got himself killed. All over less than one session's worth of gaming. I spent more time putting him together than playing him.
I get the feeling the DM isn't pulling any punches.
And now I've got to come up with a new character with the rather average scores of 15, 14, 14, 13, 11 and 9.
With the terrible terrible rolls of yesterday's session, I think I might need to invest in new dice.

[Particle_Man]

Is the new character temporary (like one session) or long term temporary (could be months) or the official new character?

Anyhow, you can play Warlock from Complete Arcane in a way that makes no high stats necessary. Fun invocations include: Fell Flight, Flee the Scene, Eldritch Spear, See the Unseen, & Entropic Warding. Just don't pick any invocations that require a save. Pump UMD (of course). And you could take Craft Wondrous Item early to make your own Chasuble of Fell Power if the DM doesn't let you start with one. I believe there are some good Warlock flavoured magic items in the MIC, including one that doubles the range of ray attacks like your Eldritch Blast.

[dehro]

It's the new official character, provided he survives at least a couple encounters.
I was actually looking into the warlock.
I'm also considering the spirit shaman...... There are too many classes to pick from, lol.