Fear-stacking, Unarmed Barbarian/Swordsage

[JW86]

Hi,

I am having a little trouble getting clear on how to build a character concept, and would appreciate assistance.

The game is 3.5, all sources allowed but vetted. Templates allowed, LA buyoff allowed, 1 flaw.

I want to play an unnarmed character who punches/kicks/bites for high damage, who also is good at intimidating others into a panicked/cowering state.

I was considering playing a Barbarian with Dreadful Wrath, Intimidating Rage, Instananeous Rage, and Imperious Command. With the Never Outnumbered skill trick.
Additionally, Toughness -> Troll-Blooded -> Detach could be funny, for tearing off my own limbs and throwing them at opponents.

I'm also considering Unnarmed Swordsage to advance the unnarmed damage and add mobility and maneuvers via Tiger Claw.

Can anybody talk to me about how the fear-related feats would work together?
Can anybody recommend how best to maximise my unnarmed damage? Dips/feats.

Any thoughts welcome.

PS. This is not a terribly OP game. I may even be running this game as a Feral Strongheart Halfling. Because a little feral dude who can bite your ankles, bludgeon you with his own severed leg, and terrify entire rooms of enemies.

[EndocrineBandit]

A severed limb is an improvised weapon, so you would want some drunken master levels to mitigate that penalty. Aside from that, take superior unarmed strike, snap kick, i think races of stone has a feat that gives you 1.5 str on unarmed strikes. If you're wanting to do feral i also recommend taking multistrike, improved multistrike, and the rapid strikes for less penalties and iterives with your claw claw bite.

[Nifft]

Kobolds have that Web Enhancement which gives them claw/claw/bite (albeit low damage).

Combine that with Barbarian / Swordsage / Fist of the Forest and the Beast Strike feat, and you have something potentially hilarious.

[JW86]

Is there any need to look at Improved Unarmed Strike etc. (through Monk, or City Brawler Barbarian) if I go Feral and have claws?

[Nifft]

Is there any need to look at Improved Unarmed Strike etc. (through Monk, or City Brawler Barbarian) if I go Feral and have claws?

Beast Strike allows you to stack the damage.

[Rebel7284]

I hope you have a good stat spread. Such a build requires good: Strength, Dex, Con, Wis, Cha. So Int is the only dump stat which partially defeats the skill use of Swordsage.

Intimidate has this part:
Special:
You gain a +4 bonus on your Intimidate check for every size category that you are larger than your target. Conversely, you take a -4 penalty on your Intimidate check for every size category that you are smaller than your target.

So being a Halfling is not really optimal.

What I would suggest instead, is being a Psychic Warrior or Warmind and using Expansion to grow two size categories for a +8 bonus to intimidate.

If you dip (Ex)Monk instead of, or in addition to Swordsage, you can take Tashalatora and get full unarmed strike progression on whatever manifester class you chose.

Something like Ex Monk 1/Barbarian 1/Psychic Warrior 18 would work.

Also, Zhentarim Fighter substitution levels allow you to intimidate as a swift action, but requires taking 9 levels of fighter... good ability, but difficult to justify.

[ShurikVch]

Some notes

Race: Jerren (Book of Vile Darkness)

Classes:
Halfling Barbarian (Dragon #342): sub. levels - Halfling Rage is a "reduced version" of Mountain Rage, makes you bigger (count as Medium); Intimidating Presence - instead of Trap Sense, you will get bonus to Intimidation; Bigger Than Life - you count as Medium for Intimidation checks
Instead Swordsage, I suggesting Warblade - maneuver recharge mechanics is easier, and full BAB
PrCs:
Flesheater (Dragon #300): signature Jerren PrC, very wild and scary
Oppressor (Dragon #312): one of the few ways to get faster demoralization - as Move action; you may get it around 10th level (5th class level)
Ravager (Complete Warrior): Pain Touch, Aura of Fear, and Cruelest Cut are very thematic CFs; still, don't take too much levels in it
Twisted Lord (The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde): another way to faster demoralization; as a Move action too; this time - around 12th level (6th class level)

Feats:
Snatch Trophy + Bloodsoaked Intimidate: allow to demoralize as a Swift action
Willing Deformity + Deformity (Teeth): +4 on Intimidate checks, Bite attack, and very thematic for Jerren
Intimidating Strike (Player's Handbook II): like Power Attack, but number deduced from BAB go to Intimidate check
Resounding Blow (Book of Exalted Deeds): you crit. - enemy cowering
Trophy Collector
Trophy Hunter

[AMFV]

If you're willing to budge on Barbarian Singh Rager has about the best fear inducing ability that melee gets, and they get pounce (albeit later in the game but that works for what you're looking for) and rage. The only drawback is they're lawful and you'd have to restructure your build around that. So I'm not sure how good that would be. But basically greater Kiai (sp?) Shout makes things panicked the worst fear condition right off the bat with no need for stacking.

For other stuff this is a good resource:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389244-Caedrus-Art-of-War-vol-1-Fear-Handbook

[ShurikVch]

If you're willing to budge on Barbarian Singh Rager has about the best fear inducing ability that melee gets
...
But basically greater Kiai (sp?) Shout makes things panicked the worst fear condition right off the bat with no need for stacking.Firstly, Panicked (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_panicked&alpha=) isn't "the worst fear condition" - Cowering (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_cowering&alpha=) is
Secondly, you don't need enter the Singh Rager to use Ki Shout feat
And thirdly, Ki Shout is limited:
The ki shout affects only opponents with fewer Hit Dice or levels than you have.

[AMFV]

Firstly, Panicked (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_panicked&alpha=) isn't "the worst fear condition" - Cowering (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_cowering&alpha=) is
Secondly, you don't need enter the Singh Rager to use Ki Shout feat
And thirdly, Ki Shout is limited:

A.) You, the player, don't have to do **** to escalate from Panicked to Cowering, only corner somebody, it's as far as escalation will take you, read the linked fear guide which goes into that. Also you CAN'T escalate from panicked to cowering, you can only do that by preventing escape, also detailed in the linked guide.

B.)Singh Rager has a lot of improvements on the base Ki Shout, including making it a free action when used with a full attack, which is a big part of fear effects and making them viable, it's now faster, it boosts the save DC by 4, gives you the better version, for free of the feat, which is nice. It gives you rage, and pounce, which is also nice. Gives you free rounds of haste every day, which is absolutely awesome.

C.) You aren't going to get any mileage out of trying to scare things with gobs of Hit Dice, they tend to be big and that makes them very resistant to fear effects (of melee types since those tend to be linked to intimidate and that loses out in terms of ability to affect big single targets). Fear is already a limited technique, it works on large groups of mooks, not so well on large boss types, so that's not really a huge drawback, since that's where you're going to be using fear anyways. (Unless you're using magical fear)

[ShurikVch]

A.) You, the player, don't have to do **** to escalate from Panicked to Cowering, only corner somebody, it's as far as escalation will take you, read the linked fear guide which goes into that. Also you CAN'T escalate from panicked to cowering, you can only do that by preventing escape, also detailed in the linked guide.Dark Speech, Imperious Command, and Resounding Blow feats are forcing enemies to cower
Also, Menacing Brute's Making an Example, Soulguard's Divine Rebuke, and Wildrunner's Primal Scream


C.) You aren't going to get any mileage out of trying to scare things with gobs of Hit Dice, they tend to be big and that makes them very resistant to fear effects (of melee types since those tend to be linked to intimidate and that loses out in terms of ability to affect big single targets). Fear is already a limited technique, it works on large groups of mooks, not so well on large boss types, so that's not really a huge drawback, since that's where you're going to be using fear anyways. (Unless you're using magical fear)Except monster's HD are rising much faster than your class levels
Let's take the 12th level (minimal where you can get the Roaring Strike)
Everything with 12+ HD will be immune
But what's we have at 12+ HD?
Dire Bear (12 HD) - CR 7
Legendary Ape (13 HD) - CR 7
Dire Tortoise (14 HD) - CR 8
Dire Tiger (16 HD) - CR 8
Legendary Snake (16 HD) - CR 8
Tyrannosaurus (18 HD) - CR 8
Roc (18 HD) - CR 9
Legendary Bear (20 HD) - CR 9
Legendary Tiger (26 HD) - CR 10
As we can see, even relatively modest CRs (your level minus 5) are still outrunning your level by HDs