Barbarian/Hulking hurler/Warhulk Optimization Help

[Dej1975]

Hi all, so my DM wants us to create a level 1 character for a campaign into the temple of elemental evil. With the party, they lack a good fighter class. He is allowing me open access to all D20 resources, with no restrictions on books used, including ultimate books by mongoose publishing and pathfinder. I have been wanting to play a Goliath Barbarian as a starter then going into Warhulk and then HUlking hurler. The stats he gave us all are 18,18,17,17,14,12 to be placed as we with. I have never had this amount of resources available before and I am begging you fine people for some help making this optimized character. The Dm told it make our characters with as much cheese as we want as he is taking the time to optimize and advance all the monsters in the campaign. Thanks guys.

[H_H_F_F]

Well, to start with, you can't really play an ECL 1 goliath. Also, qualifying for warhulk with mountain rage (I assume that's what you're going for?) is... iffy, to say the least.

Talk to your DM. Make sure they're fine with you starting at ECL 2, figure out how they see the Goliath->warhulk thing - and ask to what level approaximately the campaign would go.

Anyway, if you're playing a warhulk and the game is only going to mid-levels, I'd consider taking some uncanny trickster levels, from Complete Scoundrel. You'd be a level behind, but skill tricks are nice, and you'd salvage some BAB. Legacy Champion would be better, but no time to think means it's out if the question, unfortunately.

I'm not a pathfinder person, so I don't know if that has any helpful options for the BAB issue.

[Anthrowhale]

If you are starting at ECL3+, Half-Ogre Anthropomorphic Baleen Whale is large size, high armor class, and absurdly strong with LA+0.

[Inevitability]

Whenever a DM says 'optimize as much as you can' take the time to double-check what his idea of 'as much as you can' is. What kind of thing should we use as a ballpark?

Some DMs consider an 'optimized' character to be what the playground would call low-to-mid op: the fighter who grabs Shock Trooper instead of Weapon Focus, the wizard who prepares Grease instead of Burning Hands, etc etc.

Like, just ask your DM to give a few examples of the power level that the monsters or other players have before you show up with something that just doesn't fit the power level of the table.

(and on the flip side: maybe his imagined level of optimization is more optimized than yours, and fighter or barbarian are simply not viable classes anymore)

[Chronos]

Amen to that. I had a DM tell me that once, and I brought a DMM Persist clerzilla, and he thought I was powergaming too much.