Help with Barbarian/Bear Warrior Build

[Necrov]

Hi guys,

I've recently died (again) in our long running D&D 3.5 campaign, and I'm interested in playing a Barbarian/Bear Warrior combination.

To give you some more details, the party level is currently 13, so I have that many class levels to play with. In addition we tend to start with the NPC Wealth by Level for the level below, (this is to offset the fact that a character has died and left their 'stuff' behind).

Now I have a vague concept that I feel works in the setting, so from that side of things I'm sorted as it can work around several races and skill combinations.

What I'm really asking is for help bringing some functionality to it. Are there any races worth considering? What do I do with my feats? I'm really interested in trying to Strength optimise this character.

Any help, greatly appreciated.

[RolandDeschain]

The two primary classes that you're looking at for this build are(in my opinion) great 1 level dips. Therefore there is a lot of room in this character concept for things ranging from relatively simple and flavorful to moderately cheesy and relatively optimized.

How would you describe the optimization level of your group and what resources(books) are available to you?

If it's pretty low optimization, and your looking for a flavorful build you could do something like this:

Barbarian 1/Wildshape Ranger 6/Bear Warrior 1/Runescarred Berserker 5

You could replace the Wildshape Ranger levels with something else, I merely used it for the decent utility and full BAB to get you into the Bear Warrior and Runescarred Berserker prestige classes as early as possible.

P.S. I didn't look at the feat requirements very closely so you may have a hard time there, and you'll want to look at the Lion Totem ACF for Barbarian for charging goodies(Pounce) that you can enhance with pretty cheap magic items...

[Necrov]

Flavour tends to rule the day over optimisation, but none of the group are particularly unpowerful. We use 32pt buy for determining attributes.

I kind of want to stick to the core-themes of Barbarian and Bear Warrior, without multi-classing too much, unless someone can sell me on something in particular.

I mean, I can kind of see a Barbarian 1 / Fighter 7 / Bear Warrior 5, going on. Supplementing with 'Extra Rage' so I'm not gimped out too much. Second form of Bear Warrior is thematically fairly important to me.

[RolandDeschain]

Ah, I see, so there's something specific thematically that you're after in Bear Warrior(5).

I'm not crazy about seven levels of Fighter. Between that and Bear Warrior 5 there are A LOT of "dead levels", but if it fits the theme I absolutely get where you're coming from.

Limited multiclassing for a more 'elegant' build is perfectly understandable if it fits your group and the theme of your build.

Would it be practical to play something like an Eberron Shifter and take some levels of Warshaper? The shapeshifting feature is pretty restrictive and the Shifting Feats are fairly meh, but it might fit the concept or theme...

[Necrov]

I'm not keen on Eberron shifter to be absolutely honest. Whilst I'm not at all opposed to Warshaper, the entry requirements of it and of Bear Warrior means I could only really have one level in it. So it loses appeal. Cheers though.

[RolandDeschain]

BTW - the most elegant build in terms of not multiclassing AND the most optimized is probably Druid 13.

You could even take the "Druidic Avenger" variant if you want the rage feature of a Barbarian.

[Necrov]

Understandable, but we have a straight class party druid. In terms mechanics, what I want is a boat load of hits, rage and the ability to deal a truck of upfront damage.

The concept is themed around a Northern Barbarian rather than any kind of magic wielder.

[RolandDeschain]

I played a similar build once that had a ton of attacks and did monstrous damage(to one target), but he was a Shifter Lion Totem Barbarian/Cleric(Animal Devotion+Strength domain)/Warshaper/Weretouched Master. It was a fun build that didn't require a ton of paperwork like a druid does.

Good luck! Go smash things :smallbiggrin:

For "northern" flavor, look at Frostrager

[Keld Denar]

If you kinda want to keep things simple(ish), you can go with Barb4/FistoftheForest3 for your entry into Bear Warrior. That's 7 levels ( with 7 BAB) and gives you 2 rages per day, plus the fun feral type stuff you get from FotF from Complete Champion. You aren't really "dipping" since you are actually finishing FotF since it's only 3 levels long. You'll end up with a decent UAS damage which you can do on top of your bear's natural claw/claw/bite routine.

From there, I'd at least try to fit in one level of Warshaper for immunity to crits while shifted. You could end up with Barb4/FotF3/Bear5/Warshaper1 and have Brown Bear form. From there, I'd probably suggest more Warshaper until you get to WS4. Bear Warrior doesn't have much good stuff after 5 until you get to the final form. Lots of dead levels.

If you want to go for maximum silly, you might be able to fit the feats Aberrant Blood (Flexible Limbs) + Inhuman Reach + Deepspawn from Lords of Madness. This gives you a +4 to grapple (on top of your natural beariness) plus 10' natural reach and two tentacle attacks. Plus, you'll turn into something that looks like it escaped from the Isle of Dr Moreau.

[Flickerdart]

Barbarian should be taken to at least level 2 because of Wolf Totem, which can be combined with the Spirit Totems. Free Improved Trip rocks. You could take Bear Totem if you want to play up the Improved Grab you get off your bear rage, but grapple isn't super at your level.

If you take FotF, then consider Beast Strike, a feat that adds your claw damage to your unarmed strikes. Barbarian 5/FotF 3/Bear Warrior 5 isn't a bad way to go for the grappling route (since you need Barbarian 5 to get the last totem bonus from Bear).

[Necrov]

Nah FotF doesn't do it for me. I'm not interested in the unarmed strikes, I'll happily just have a +1 Greatsword for when I'm not beared up.

[Cerefel]

Nah FotF doesn't do it for me. I'm not interested in the unarmed strikes, I'll happily just have a +1 Greatsword for when I'm not beared up.

I think the idea is that you have IUS so you can do more than just claw/claw/bite in bear form because you don't get iteratives with natural weapons.

[Flickerdart]

How dedicated are you to barbarian entry? There are other ways of getting rage:
A half-orc paragon gains 1/day Rage at level 2, and a +2 Strength boost at level 3. This lets you be any alignment you want, too.
An Eye of Gruumsh (orc or half-orc only) gains rage at level 1 (ECL 7) and gains +4 more STR in a rage at level 2 (ECL 8). You burn two feats to enter, though.
A badger or wolverine lycanthrope can rage, but this is more of a technicality than useful character build. "Yeah I'm a were-badger that turns into a bear, hurr durr." The weretouched master class lets you gain this ability on a Shifter, but it's still kind of weird.
A drow kinslayer gains rage at level 1, but you have to be drow and you burn 4 feats to enter.

You could do something like half-orc paragon 3/human paragon 3/fighter 1/eye of Gruumsh 2/bear warrior 4
Half-Orc Paragon 1: Select Human for your divided ancestry, and you also get a bonus on Intimidate
Half-Orc Paragon 2: Rage 1/day
Half-Orc Paragon 3: +2 STR, as your feat for this level take Reckless Rage (extra +2 STR and CON in a rage)
Human Paragon 1: Doesn't really matter what skills you pick, but you can treat one of them as a class skill forever to compensate for Bear Warrior's super sad skill list.
Human Paragon 2: Use your bonus feat to help qualify for eye of Gruumsh
Human Paragon 3: +2 to any ability score, pick STR
Fighter 1: This can be anything that grants full BAB, but the bonus feat from fighter helps you qualify for eye of Gruumsh
Eye of Gruumsh 1: An extra use of Rage
Eye of Gruumsh 2: Extra +4 STR when you rage
Bear Warrior: Keep taking this until you get the bear you want

You now have +6 STR (+2 half-orc, +2 half-orc paragon, +2 human paragon), and when you rage you gain +14 STR (+8 bear form, +2 Reckless Rage, +4 Eye of Gruumsh).