Barbarian/Fighter or Fighter/Barbarian?

[BurgTurdler]

Hey y'all... I'm trying to make a kick-arse Tiefling GWF. I could use a little advice on which is better and how many levels to put in each and in which order to do it.

Any ideas?:smallsmile:

I've got this awesome picture I want to build a character around.

http://orig01.deviantart.net/4dfc/f/2007/083/e/3/giant_warrior_demon_by_namesjames.jpg

[ChildofLuthic]

Hey y'all... I'm trying to make a kick-arse Tiefling GWF. I could use a little advice on which is better and how many levels to put in each and in which order to do it.

Any ideas?:smallsmile:

Question: are you using standard array, or rolling for stats. Barbarian is MAD and Tiefling doesn't bump the stats you want, so you might be better off going fighter. That way, you can focus on boosting Strength without worrying so much about Dexterity (or Con, to a degree).

[BurgTurdler]

Question: are you using standard array, or rolling for stats. Barbarian is MAD and Tiefling doesn't bump the stats you want, so you might be better off going fighter. That way, you can focus on boosting Strength without worrying so much about Dexterity (or Con, to a degree).

I always roll but don't mind standard array if it helps people give advice.

[BurgTurdler]

I'm really trying to find something good for Tieflings and it seems like they've really boxed Tiefling to Warlock... almost exclusively. I'm getting pretty disappointed.

[MeeposFire]

You can make a perfectly viable tiefling warrior. Stats are not the best but really that will not screw you over especially in a home game unless you are in a group that hyper promises everything (and even then you would only be slightly ahead).

I think feral gives you more stat boosts that happen to help you. Wings are also a really cool way to go though your picture does not have it. I like to think of having the wings draped around like a cloak when not in use like in the show gargoyles (look that show up if you want some nice ideas).

As for levels generally I feel that more fighter is better between those two classes. Barbarians gain only a few things at higher levels that I happen to like and the things they have improve fairly slowly. Fighter is really nice to about level 12. Another you could do with the cha boost from tiefling is be able to go into paladin a little bit to augment your fighter and barbarian abilities later on if you don't want to get level 5 or above in barbarian. A few smites in the right situation could be useful.

[zylodrizzt]

Minotaur with magic initiate feat for whatever flaming projectile you want based on stat you want or run it by your dm that you are a tiefling that started from a different race or try to find something in scag you think will work. But to answer your question you seem to want barechested so go barbarian first. There are new barb paths I think one is storm so pick the sea based one and describe your damage aura as that projectile. Ancestral might work too. Did you consider some warlock? There is some synergy there with fiend blade lock. You'd be dangerous calm and raging with powered up eldritch blasts and the blade lock invocations. I don't know if I would go ftr personally unless I found a really good archetype that worked well like maybe eldritch knight in your case. Just my two bits

[Bugado25]

I would do a division 12/8. Barbarian/Fighter if you want more survivability through relentless rage or Fighter/Barbarian if you want a third attack.

How to level:

It is not good to multiclass before 5th. If you want to do it take just one level, two at most, or else your extra attack will be delayed a lot.

Choose your main class and take it to 5th or 6th level, then take 3 or 4 levels of your secondary class (Depending on your need for ASI) for the archetype. Then, take your main class to 11 or 12 (again, depending on your need for ASI) and the take your last levels on your secondary class.

You probably want to stay away from Heavy Armor if you’re not a bearbarian, and you won’t even have proficiency on it if you don’t start fighter. So, you need at least a 14 into dex. As you are a GWF, Str is your main stat. With the standard array, I would make:

15 Str/ 13 Dex / 14 Con / Mental Stats don’t really matter, do as you please. At 4th boost both Str and Dex.
Normal tiefling don’t give any boost to physical stats, what is bad for you. Feral tieflings, from SCAG, gives you +2 to dexterity and Abyssal tieflings, from UA That Old Black Magic, gives +1 to Con and +1 to Hp every two levels. Any on them are better options than the base tiefling.

[Spellbreaker26]

Hey y'all... I'm trying to make a kick-arse Tiefling GWF. I could use a little advice on which is better and how many levels to put in each and in which order to do it.

Any ideas?:smallsmile:

I've got this awesome picture I want to build a character around.

http://orig01.deviantart.net/4dfc/f/2007/083/e/3/giant_warrior_demon_by_namesjames.jpg

Go regular Teifling, go paladin of conquest (if your DM allows UA, if not go Oath of Vengence). That way you'll make the most of your Charisma boost. You will have to wear heavy armour, so it won't be totally accurate to the picture, but otherwise you're laughing.

[Citan]

Go regular Teifling, go paladin of conquest (if your DM allows UA, if not go Oath of Vengence). That way you'll make the most of your Charisma boost. You will have to wear heavy armour, so it won't be totally accurate to the picture, but otherwise you're laughing.
"You have to wield heavy armour"? I suppose this is a special thing of Conquest Oath?

@OP: if you are looking around mechanical efficiency first, I agree that Paladin is your best main class.
You don't even need to cast spells. Paladin with a few levels in Fighter (Action Surge) and Barbarian (Unarmored Defense, rage, damage resistance) would cut it pretty good.
It would require your DM to accept a refluff of the "magic" though (like Divine Smite not being magical energy infused, but rather such a violent hit embodying your rage that it makes much deeper wounds hence the extra damage).

Otherwise, a Totem Barbarian with a mix of Bear and Elk, along with Battlemaster Fighter, should make a pretty potent result.
For example, Barb 14 (Bear or Elk / Wolf / Tiger or Elk) and Battlemaster 6 (Precision Attack / Trip Attack / whatever) would fit very well the image imo: representation of a powerful, fierce warrior that relentlessly hunt his prey and charges it as soon as found... ;)
Mobile, Alert and Martial Adept would be good additions here. ;)

[Spellbreaker26]

"You have to wield heavy armour"? I suppose this is a special thing of Conquest Oath?


No, but it's pretty hard to get good unarmoured defense with a tiefling if you're trying to wield two-handed weapons at the same time. You could try it, but two-handed weapons key of strength and unarmoured defense dexterity, and only feral teiflings get a bonus to dexterity but not to strength, leaving you with severe MAD.

I love the concept of a teifling being played as Zodd the Immortal, but the stats make this concept a bit tricky to optimize.

[Gignere]

Reskin half orc into Tiefling trade out relentless endurance for Tiefling magic voila.

[Aett_Thorn]

Go Feral Tiefling from the SCAG. At least that way you get some bonus Dex instead of Charisma. This may lessen your need for quite as many ASIs, allowing you to get 14 Dex from the start, which would allow you to focus on Str and Con.

[Citan]

No, but it's pretty hard to get good unarmoured defense with a tiefling if you're trying to wield two-handed weapons at the same time. You could try it, but two-handed weapons key of strength and unarmoured defense dexterity, and only feral teiflings get a bonus to dexterity but not to strength, leaving you with severe MAD.

I love the concept of a teifling being played as Zodd the Immortal, but the stats make this concept a bit tricky to optimize.
You are right in that such a character would depend on three stats, STR, DEX and CON, but it is basically no worse than many other classes: Paladin, Monk, potentially Ranger...

And variant Tiefling gets Dexterity instead of Charisma, so you can easily start with 16 in those three stats.
OR OP could start with a 17 in STR and only 14 in DEX, wield medium armor and shield for a while, then switch to unarmored later after a bump in DEX, then remove shield later when he takes GWM.

Having only 16 on attack stat is not that bad on a plain Barbarian thanks to Reckless Attack, although you do lose on damage. Only when you want to activate the GWM feat bonus damage is becomes tricky to hit imo.

But most of the time, this character will be good enough to be efficient in the party. ;)

[Specter]

Feral Tiefling instead of regular Tiefling, and no more than 4 levels in one of those classes. That's the basics not to go wrong.