Build advice - Barbarian

[Contrast]

So I have a level 8 zealot gnome barbarian in Adventurers League.

His stats are 18 16 14 10 10 10. He typically wields a one hander and shield.

I'm a bit conflicted as to where to go from here. I'm considering a 2-4 level dip into fighter.

2 levels would net me a fighting style (likely dueling) and action surge.
3 levels would net me a subclass (possibly champion for brutal critical/reckless synergies).
4 levels would mean I wasn't delying my ASIs.

However being AL there is a non-zero chance this char will reach 20 so I would lose out on the cap (on the other hand how much am I actually likely to play this character after they hit 20...).

I could wait until level 10 as zealot gets quite a nice 10 feature and I'd pick up the bonus rage damage but then I would be significantly delaying my next ASI.

ASIs under consderation at the moment are +Str then Medium Armour Master, +Con or Shieldmaster.


Any suggestions on if I should dip and, if so, when and how much? I keep changing my mind :smallbiggrin:

[opaopajr]

I am partial to +CON or Shield Master. CON is obvious for extra HP and +1 AC. Depending on the AL GM, Shield Master's Shove prone BA should be insert-able between your Extra Attacks, which is tempting for lvl 9's Brutal Crit. But then you already have Reckless Attack, and a solid DEX for Saves, so not that big of an issue.

Multiclassing is fun, but just keep running up Barbarian, if I were you. Next level grants you +1 to your Rage damage anyway, along with the Brutal Crit feature... and you are not really going to optimize with Fighter armors much. Take advantage of AL rocketing you through levels. :smallsmile:

[djreynolds]

Grab PAM and take a quarterstaff or spear. Its good damage 1d8,1d8, 1d4

[CTurbo]

Stay full class Barbarian all the way. Next ASI I would either max Str, take PAM as mentioned above, take Tough if you want more HP(I would't consider +2 Con unless you want to go unarmored), or if you want to flesh our your character a bit, grab Magic Initiate and get some more cantrips and a spell or take Ritual Caster. You are a Gnome after all. My biggest complaint about Barb's are that they lack things to do out of combat. Magic Initiate and Ritual Caster help with that.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

So I have a level 8 zealot gnome barbarian in Adventurers League.

His stats are 18 16 14 10 10 10. He typically wields a one hander and shield.

I'm a bit conflicted as to where to go from here. I'm considering a 2-4 level dip into fighter.

2 levels would net me a fighting style (likely dueling) and action surge.
3 levels would net me a subclass (possibly champion for brutal critical/reckless synergies).
4 levels would mean I wasn't delying my ASIs.

However being AL there is a non-zero chance this char will reach 20 so I would lose out on the cap (on the other hand how much am I actually likely to play this character after they hit 20...).

I could wait until level 10 as zealot gets quite a nice 10 feature and I'd pick up the bonus rage damage but then I would be significantly delaying my next ASI.

ASIs under consderation at the moment are +Str then Medium Armour Master, +Con or Shieldmaster.


Any suggestions on if I should dip and, if so, when and how much? I keep changing my mind :smallbiggrin:

You really don't need to worry about combat, you got that covered. Though you could drop that shield and ride an enemy like a cowboy at a rodeo with the "climb onto bigger creature" action.

I wouldn't dip fighter. Focusing more on combat isn't going to net you that much in return that you aren't already able to do. Plus DMs typically will challenge your character no matter what your DPR is so you will just be pushing then to up their enemies. Yeah, even in AL.

I would focus on expanding your exploration or social abilities. Plenty of AL games I've been in have been derailed by groups overly focusing on combat and not having anything else.

If you're going to dip, with those ability scores, Rogue would be a better option. In 4 levels you can grab a rogue one hander for sneak attack (you can still use Strength for your attack stat), you get cunning action, expertise (athletics and a mental skill of your choice... Perception, History, Intimidation), roguish archetype, uncanny dodge, and an ASI.

For archetype I would grab thief if you do go the route of climbing things... Climb up on things and jump down to be a gnome rain of death.

Mastermind Rogue would be my main choice though. The bonus action to help your allies while raging or not raging will be nice... Makes you a discount wolf totem barbarian. The additional ribbon features and skill stuff helps expand your character to the extreme.

[kazaryu]

So I have a level 8 zealot gnome barbarian in Adventurers League.

His stats are 18 16 14 10 10 10. He typically wields a one hander and shield.

I'm a bit conflicted as to where to go from here. I'm considering a 2-4 level dip into fighter.

2 levels would net me a fighting style (likely dueling) and action surge.
3 levels would net me a subclass (possibly champion for brutal critical/reckless synergies).
4 levels would mean I wasn't delying my ASIs.

However being AL there is a non-zero chance this char will reach 20 so I would lose out on the cap (on the other hand how much am I actually likely to play this character after they hit 20...).

I could wait until level 10 as zealot gets quite a nice 10 feature and I'd pick up the bonus rage damage but then I would be significantly delaying my next ASI.

ASIs under consderation at the moment are +Str then Medium Armour Master, +Con or Shieldmaster.


Any suggestions on if I should dip and, if so, when and how much? I keep changing my mind :smallbiggrin:

question: does AL fix the zealot barbarian? if so, how? (if you're confused about what im referring to, a zealots lvl 14 ability makes them invulnerable to pretty much everything except for 1. disintegration 2. PWK 3. sleep. im sure there are probably others. the point is they're very sparse.


if not:
don't dip below level 14.
at level 12 grab the healer feat. why? to keep you from being reliant on outside sources of healing for your invulnerability silly.
i'd recomend then going to 16 just to grab that last ASI for 20 str.

THEN maybe go ham with a dip. i mean you're an immortal barbarian, so just go ham with it. :shrug: MC rogue for athletics expertise and some sneak attack dice. have fun running around dragging enemies to and fro while being immortal.

edit: serious gameplay advice, assuming they didn't fix how your lvl 14 ability works. don't even bother attacking, seriously just have fun. grab enemies that get to close to your allies and run 'em to somewhere else on the battlefield (yay 40 feet of movement because of BA dash). toss people off of cliffs (if available). grab enemy back liners and deliver them to your paladin for smiting. (especially if you suspect they have that pesky sleep spell)

[da newt]

If you do dip fighter, PAM and a spear with BM and dueling fighting style works well - especially if you look for ways to maximize the chance of a OppAtt when someone enters your melee range. You will also pick up 2nd wind which is small but handy, and it gives the option of lvls 6 and 8 in fighter for even more ASIs.