Making a barbarian immune to magic

[Vetril]

I've been looking for ways to make a high level barbarian villain immune to magic, either through a permanent antimagic field effect, or by having a very high spell resistance (I know that SR doesn't really make you immune). Even better if immunity does not rely on items.

The best I could find so far was:
- half golem template (questionable as MM2 is a mix of 3.0 and 3.5)
- custom item of permanent AMF (can be stolen, can be taken by the PCs)
- Forsaker prc stacking its SR on racial SR (3.0 material)
- totemist dreaded carapace (too many levels invested, no longer a barbarian)
- antimagic shackles

Do you know of anything that could help? I am struggling to keep him a barbarian, the more I look into it, the more it seems I'd have to alter his build until he no longer resembles a barbarian mechanically.

[MisterKaws]

I've been looking for ways to make a high level barbarian villain immune to magic, either through a permanent antimagic field effect, or by having a very high spell resistance (I know that SR doesn't really make you immune). Even better if immunity does not rely on items.

The best I could find so far was:
- half golem template (questionable as MM2 is a mix of 3.0 and 3.5)
- custom item of permanent AMF (can be stolen, can be taken by the PCs)
- Forsaker prc stacking its SR on racial SR (3.0 material)
- totemist dreaded carapace (too many levels invested, no longer a barbarian)
- antimagic shackles

Do you know of anything that could help? I am struggling to keep him a barbarian, the more I look into it, the more it seems I'd have to alter his build until he no longer resembles a barbarian mechanically.

MM2 has been revised for 3.5. (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a)

[Inevitability]

Have the boss be any kind of construct with an item of permanent Golem Immunity? It's still a valuable piece of loot, but the PC's are unlikely to benefit directly from it.

[Cerefel]

I'm pretty sure there's a race in ToM that's immune to magic for +1 LA IIRC

[Venger]

I'm pretty sure there's a race in ToM that's immune to magic for +1 LA IIRC

are you thinking of karsite? they have SR, and are LA +2.

[Cerefel]

Yeah, I was just about to edit my post. Definitely not worth the LA

[Venger]

Yeah, I was just about to edit my post. Definitely not worth the LA

normally, yeah they're pretty bad. if your DM allows buyoff, they're not horrible. better SR than drow, and spell healing is pretty cool if you can get a friendly spellcaster to carpetbomb you with aoes, plus it specifically allows you to be a manifester.

[redwizard007]

Easiest way to pull this off is with plot armor. Tailor something to the Barbarian that can't be looted or recreated.

A specific combination of tattoos blessed by the dark goddess so and so, or a perk from bathing every week in the springs of anti magic-ness in the shadow of the great glacier would both work.

It could also be a lingering curse from some temple the barbarian sacked or a boon from the god of magic.

Inserting lootable items or easily duplicated circumstances that will make a PC magic proof will quickly lead to the campaign ending. So will having magic proof badguys if you have caster PCs, so be damn careful.

[Eldariel]

My favourite Barbarian Prestige Class, Runescarred Berserker [Unapproachable East], gets Runescars that can be used to replicate certain (awesome) spells. The 5th level list (accessible ECL16 - you can qualify on level 8 and need 9 levels to get 5th level Runescars) includes Antimagic Field. Up to 7 runescars can be scribed at any given time. They're a bit like Scrolls in that crafting them costs some XP and gold but they're comparatively cheap and quick to craft. They also advance Barbarian stuff nicely So there's one good option (it's not permanently up but still, 10 min/level with multiples available). Combined with like Frenzied Berserker 4, he'd be very hard to kill indeed being immune to death for the duration of his Frenzy and inside an AMF. Then he just needs ways to get to people and remodel their faces.

[Anthrowhale]

A warforged barbarian that picks up a level of Pugilist and 5 levels of Warforged Juggernaut has a boatload of class-based immunities that provide immunity to all forms of damage/drain. There are still some status effects (stun/daze/sickness/etc...) that can be applied, but these are typically of short duration.

[Venger]

A warforged barbarian that picks up a level of Pugilist and 5 levels of Warforged Juggernaut has a boatload of class-based immunities that provide immunity to all forms of damage/drain. There are still some status effects (stun/daze/sickness/etc...) that can be applied, but these are typically of short duration.

what is pugilist? is that a pathfinder class/archetype?

[Anthrowhale]

Pugilist is Dragon #310 fighter variant. They can choose "Shake it Off" instead of a feat gaining:
A Pugilist develops non-lethal damage only...

[Gray Mage]

normally, yeah they're pretty bad. if your DM allows buyoff, they're not horrible. better SR than drow, and spell healing is pretty cool if you can get a friendly spellcaster to carpetbomb you with aoes, plus it specifically allows you to be a manifester.

Well, it seems to be a NPC boss, so LA doesn't apply.

I'd suggest avoidinh AMF, as that means the boss won't be able to have magical equipment.

[Venger]

Pugilist is Dragon #310 fighter variant. They can choose "Shake it Off" instead of a feat gaining:

thanks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn3tUOJ9yv4) never heard of that one before.

[Afgncaap5]

Easiest way to pull this off is with plot armor. Tailor something to the Barbarian that can't be looted or recreated.

A specific combination of tattoos blessed by the dark goddess so and so, or a perk from bathing every week in the springs of anti magic-ness in the shadow of the great glacier would both work.

It could also be a lingering curse from some temple the barbarian sacked or a boon from the god of magic.

Inserting lootable items or easily duplicated circumstances that will make a PC magic proof will quickly lead to the campaign ending. So will having magic proof badguys if you have caster PCs, so be damn careful.

Yeah, assuming you're the DM, this is the way to go. Say it's something like the soul-locked trait from Heroes of Horror if you need a way to explain it to rules lawyer players.

[Venger]

Well, it seems to be a NPC boss, so LA doesn't apply.

I'd suggest avoidinh AMF, as that means the boss won't be able to have magical equipment.

yeah, it sounds like it's pretty clearly for a boss npc. I just meant karsite as a whole has niche use as a pc.

[Calthropstu]

Well, it seems to be a NPC boss, so LA doesn't apply.

I'd suggest avoidinh AMF, as that means the boss won't be able to have magical equipment.

I could totally see this being a thing.

An amazing artifact with some amazing abilities, but with the awful drawback of no other magic. No potions, no healing spells, no magic weapons... Only this. And it can't be removed.

I'd say a ring. AMF, regeneration 2, strength bonus, con bonus, dex bonus (4 each) and dispel magic at will.

But no other magic can affect you or be used by you. Removing the ring by force is impossible, and the wearer cannot remove it without dying. The artifact should be sentient, with the special purpose of killing spell casters.

[Doc_Maynot]

I could totally see this being a thing.

An amazing artifact with some amazing abilities, but with the awful drawback of no other magic. No potions, no healing spells, no magic weapons... Only this. And it can't be removed.

I'd say a ring. AMF, regeneration 2, strength bonus, con bonus, dex bonus (4 each) and dispel magic at will.

But no other magic can affect you or be used by you. Removing the ring by force is impossible, and the wearer cannot remove it without dying. The artifact should be sentient, with the special purpose of killing spell casters.

I know I just added an artifact to my setting.

[ShadyRaven]

It's for a warchief that the PCs pissed off by melting a glacier during previous adventures. The flood destroyed the plains where the tribes gathered for a sacred meeting. The PCs even knew about it, but saw it as the lesser evil. Now this guy united the tribes and declared war on the nearby kingdom, which is pretty much controlled by the PCs. I am making him immune to magic as it fits their culture and it is going to challenge the party a lot more than usual - the PCs have become quite reliant on some strategies that revolve around some spells.
The Runescarred Berserker looks like a possible solution! I'd rather stay away from arbitrary advantages as I prefer to build villains using the same rules that are available to the players - it's just my personal preference, I know it's not really necessary. Keep the ideas coming, you already helped me quite a lot!

[Venger]

It's for a warchief that the PCs pissed off by melting a glacier during previous adventures. The flood destroyed the plains where the tribes gathered for a sacred meeting. The PCs even knew about it, but saw it as the lesser evil. Now this guy united the tribes and declared war on the nearby kingdom, which is pretty much controlled by the PCs. I am making him immune to magic as it fits their culture and it is going to challenge the party a lot more than usual - the PCs have become quite reliant on some strategies that revolve around some spells.
The Runescarred Berserker looks like a possible solution! I'd rather stay away from arbitrary advantages as I prefer to build villains using the same rules that are available to the players - it's just my personal preference, I know it's not really necessary. Keep the ideas coming, you already helped me quite a lot!

sounds like the way to go. let us know how it works out.

[Psyren]

True magic immunity is all but impossible. Everything from golem immunity to antimagic fields can be bypassed somehow. Even dead magic planes aren't foolproof, and your big bad sequestering himself there may simply result in him becoming irrelevant to campaign events.

[Segev]

There is a magic item tag called "spellblade." I don't know the full specifics, but they can store a single spell in them, which can be replaced by casting another spell into them. While wielding a spellblade, you're immune to the spell stored within it.

You could give this guy one of those, and either have a shaman fill it strategically for him, or have it have come with a spell that is integral to the party's tactics already inside it when he found it. Perhaps he even sought it out specifically because he knew his hated foes used a magic it was reputed to "destroy."

[Venger]

There is a magic item tag called "spellblade." I don't know the full specifics, but they can store a single spell in them, which can be replaced by casting another spell into them. While wielding a spellblade, you're immune to the spell stored within it.

You could give this guy one of those, and either have a shaman fill it strategically for him, or have it have come with a spell that is integral to the party's tactics already inside it when he found it. Perhaps he even sought it out specifically because he knew his hated foes used a magic it was reputed to "destroy."

spellblade only absorbs targeted effects, but that's an option if you want to lock down a specific spell of the party's that fits those parameters.

[Eldariel]

It's for a warchief that the PCs pissed off by melting a glacier during previous adventures. The flood destroyed the plains where the tribes gathered for a sacred meeting. The PCs even knew about it, but saw it as the lesser evil. Now this guy united the tribes and declared war on the nearby kingdom, which is pretty much controlled by the PCs. I am making him immune to magic as it fits their culture and it is going to challenge the party a lot more than usual - the PCs have become quite reliant on some strategies that revolve around some spells.
The Runescarred Berserker looks like a possible solution! I'd rather stay away from arbitrary advantages as I prefer to build villains using the same rules that are available to the players - it's just my personal preference, I know it's not really necessary. Keep the ideas coming, you already helped me quite a lot!

Couple of other things. What CR do you want him at? Frenzied Berserker's "Inspire Frenzy" or Warchief's [Miniatures Handbook] Tribal Frenzy are both also good options for a Barbarian Chieftain if you have the room. Also, if you have him be charismatic (which makes sense for a leader), you can use the Instantaneous Rage [Complete Warrior] + Intimidating Rage [Complete Warrior] + Imperious Command [Drow of the Underdark] setup for the ability to make someone cower when he rages (as a free action that can be taken out of turn order). Add to that the Never Outnumbered skill trick from Complete Scoundrel for another AOE fear effect with brutal consequences for the frightened. Of course, on high levels, fear immunity is quite acquirable so it's not a guaranteed character breaker, but it's a pretty nice option.

Also, Fiend Folio contains Fiendish Wings Graft which is a nonmagical source of flight: something a character making heavy use of an AMF is probably in the market for.

[ExLibrisMortis]

There's the dragonbone golem, which is properly immune to magic, unlike other golems, which have 'always just enough' SR. Dragonbone golems make for terrible barbarian lords, though: they're nontintelligent, and quite tricky to awaken. You can, in a totally non-RAW-but-sensible-in-universe way, make dragonbone armour and animate it as a golem. Rules-wise, it'd essentially be a symbiont living breastplate with a dragonbone golem ability. As a creature, the symbiont's abilities are not suppressed by antimagic fields or the like, which is quite nice. See the Eberron Campaign Setting for more information on symbionts.

[Segev]

Also, Fiend Folio contains Fiendish Wings Graft which is a nonmagical source of flight: something a character making heavy use of an AMF is probably in the market for.

I recommend an impressive flying beast for a mount, instead. A griffon advanced a few HD would probably work. Give it barding, and, if you're feeling cheeky, Deflect Arrows as a feat. Less mechanically optimal than the graft, due to the vulnerability of a mount, but more thematic, I think, with "barbarian warlord."

[Mordaedil]

What if you kill a Rakshasa and wear his skin as a pelt?

[Gruftzwerg]

Craft Contingent Spell could be an option too.

- nothing to loot later
- no action needed to activate
- you can have as many Contingent Spells as your lvl/HD (not sure on this atm).

[CaPtMalHammer]

Could always give the barbarian a few levels of Occult Slayer. Does not make then immune but would cause spell casters fits if he gets close and may disrupt the combat quite a bit. that with some SR from gear in some way would give you an interesting combat.

[Cerefel]

Ring of Counterspells could be helpful

[el minster]

A 150000gp potion which permanently projects an antimaic eld centered on the drinker.

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: If only the barbarian were immune to necromancy.