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View Full Version : Optimization Lv2 Barbarian - All Unearthed Arcana available



jaappleton
2016-11-11, 04:53 PM
So I'm making a lv2 Barbarian. The idea being to kill enemies faster than they can kill me, or my Fighter buddy.

What race and archetype should I go?

Point buy.

Mountain Dwarf lets me start with 17 Str and Con, getting them both to 18 at level 4.

But what if I could get many Barbarian elements earlier than normal? This is where Unearthed Arcana comes in.

Specifically, the UA about Feats. This one in particular:

Fell Handed
~ You've mastered mauls, battleaxes, greataxes, handaxes and warhammers.
~ +1 to attack rolls with these weapons
~ Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll, if BOTH attack rolls would hit, you can knock the target prone
~ If you have Disadvantage, the target still takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Str mod IF the higher attack roll would've hit
~ When using the Help action, your ally not only gains advantage against a target, but also +2 to the roll if the target is using a shield

The plan with my fighter ally is for us to focus fire and take enemies out one at a time quickly by utilizing Advantage.

If you guys think that's a pretty good Feat, I'd go VHuman, Totem Warrior. Lv6 gets me something better than Darkvision with Eagle totem, and since I'd have that Feat, I can go either Bear or Wolf at lv3. I know GWM is also pretty sweet, but I'm wary the -5 to hit would make me miss too much at early levels. Although the bonus action attack would be sweet, whenever I kill things.

Or I could go Polearm Master at lv1 and utilize the bonus action attack all the time. Having Advantage via Reckless Attack would make quick work of foes, and it's more reliable than the -5 of GWM.

So it's either the Fell Handed feat listed above, or GWM, or Polearm Master.

If I go PAM, I think Wolf Totem would be best at lv3, to grand Advantage to the Fighter.
GWM could be either Totem.
Fell Handed nets me some of the later Wolf benefits, like easily granting Advantage, so I could go Bear and have some Wolf benefits.

I think PAM & Wolf is overall the best, but I need your thoughts.

CaptAl
2016-11-11, 05:02 PM
I would go with the feat. Rolling with advantage via Reckless Attack will often knock opponents down granting your fighter buddy advantage vs a prone target. Plus, who doesn't want to see a raging barbarian knocking people flat with every swing of his maul.

jaappleton
2016-11-11, 05:05 PM
My issue with taking the Feat is that is it worth granting my ally advantage sometimes, in exchange for Bear Totem (and resistance to all but Psychic), or going PAM and having more attacks all the times while always granting him advantage with Wolf?

CaptAl
2016-11-11, 08:28 PM
The feat isn't the strongest choice, I just like the flavor. Going Wolf with a polearm would probably be more optimal to kill things quickly. Bear with a shield and shield master would be better for killing by attrition (You live waaaay longer) and grant your buddy that same advantage most of the time.

MinotaurWarrior
2016-11-11, 09:06 PM
If all UA are OK, I'd definitely go Path of the Zealot. 5.5 free damage a round to start, and then you eventually become unkillable.

I think you're overestimating how often the cool parts of that feat will go off.

N810
2016-11-17, 02:43 PM
I duno I think this would work great with Berserker,
as you roll with advantage or disadvantage more often.

jaappleton
2016-11-17, 02:49 PM
I duno I think this would work great with Berserker,
as you roll with advantage or disadvantage more often.

The big perk of Berserker is the bonus action attack, but with the massive drawbacks of exhaustion levels.

There's multiple ways to get bonus action attacks. Polearm Master being the easiest, since it's a feat (VHuman to start with it), and you can use it constantly, instead of only when raging.

Hudsonian
2016-11-17, 02:53 PM
Fell Handed would seem nigh broken with the UA Desert Barb Aura. All enemies prone all the time. Run that with a glaive and sentinel and nobody gets away ever. Is it just you and the fighter?

N810
2016-11-17, 02:55 PM
The big perk of Berserker is the bonus action attack, but with the massive drawbacks of exhaustion levels.

There's multiple ways to get bonus action attacks. Polearm Master being the easiest, since it's a feat (VHuman to start with it), and you can use it constantly, instead of only when raging.

what I mean to say is that while attacking recklessly 3 times is a lot of advantage rolls.
and after exhaustion kicks in you will start rolling with disadvantage a lot unless you attack recklessly.
mind you those are at later levels.

jaappleton
2016-11-17, 02:59 PM
Just myself and the Fighter, yes.

I want something effective, but not broken. Broken, while immensely effective, would lead to the DM crushing my soul in a backhanded manner for trying to dink around. Which... Really, wouldn't any of us do that to a player doing something TOTALLY broken?

N810
2016-11-17, 03:03 PM
Still not nearly as OP as GWM or PAM at lower levels.

Hudsonian
2016-11-17, 03:15 PM
In that case, the eagle jump is going to be invaluable to you at higher levels. I would totally go totem. If you want to know what it looks like to be really frustrated as a melee fighter in a ranged encounter, watch episode 63 of Critical Role or episode 71.

Poor guy spends most of the game session running back and forth trying to get to the enemy.

Occasional Sage
2016-11-27, 12:12 AM
Just myself and the Fighter, yes.

I want something effective, but not broken. Broken, while immensely effective, would lead to the DM crushing my soul in a backhanded manner for trying to dink around. Which... Really, wouldn't any of us do that to a player doing something TOTALLY broken?

Nah. I'd just have a word with them and ask them to tone the character down.

djreynolds
2016-11-27, 05:09 AM
The feat isn't the strongest choice, I just like the flavor. Going Wolf with a polearm would probably be more optimal to kill things quickly. Bear with a shield and shield master would be better for killing by attrition (You live waaaay longer) and grant your buddy that same advantage most of the time.

There's your answer.... flavor. Its cool and very dwarven to be the best with an axe and hammer.