Is Necropolitan the Answer?

[Abaddon87]

So Im going to be playing in an FR game and Im bringing a Barbarian to the group. Group lvl is 5 and I was looking at making my Barbarian a Mineral Warrior for the obvious awesome stat bonuses and the 8/adamantine DR. This character will be the main tank and only true melee combatant in the group. The LA of +1 I can swing but my real question is about the Necropolitan template. I wanted to fluff it as the barbarian tribe that worships death and the earth, incorporating it into their daily life. I plan to take Frenzied Berserker and I want to know if being "undead" from Necropolitan will among other things:

-Stop the nonlethal damage from the Frenzy?
-Do you need to breath/eat/sleep? I plan on incorporating the burrow movement from Mineral Warrior to do some ambushing and sleeping underground if need be. Not having to breath would be of great import...
-Any other boons that I might not normally think of?

I dont have the HoH/LM (cant remember what book Necropolitan is in) so any info/advice would be great. Should I try and get the Necropolitan when I bring in the character? This would put me down to ECL 2/character lvl 1 since my DM starts an incoming character at group lvl minus 1. Should I put it off untill I have bought off the LA from Mineral Warrior? Playing a lvl 1 Barbarian in a group of lvl 5 characters might be tough even with a sweet DR... So there you go, more questions than Im sure you care to look at but I need some advice. Thanks Playgrounders!

[TaintedLight]

This character reeks of cheese, but yes it will stop the nonlethal damage from frenzy if you are undead. In addition, undead do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe.

[Soranar]

rage last 3 rounds + your constitution score

undeath makes you lose your constitution (negating the whole bonus)

people usually pick necropolitan to increase their hitpoints, not reduce them (which would be the result, d12 without Con bonuses is pretty terrible for a barbarian)

so sure, you negate the minor malus from FB but you lose your normal bonuses from barbarian rage (and the Con bonus too)

can you , yes

should you, not really

[CyMage]

The lack of Con might be a problem for a barbarian. Unless you plan to routinely kill things in 3 rounds or take Extend Rage.

[Stompy]

Going Necropolitan Barbarian is anti-synergistic in that an undead creature cannot use his CON score to determine bonus (or penalty) hit points. This is problematic when rage gives +4 to CON. Also, having no CON score means that your frenzies will only last 3 rounds (if I'm reading it right).

EDIT: Nothing like a good ol' ninja sandwich

EDIT2: I would like to point out that mineral warrior gives a (+4?) bonus to CON making the necropolitan decision even sillier.

[Zom B]

I was going to reply and say that Necropolitan is always the answer, but I can see that I am very, very wrong.

[BobVosh]

I was going to reply and say that Necropolitan is always the answer, but I can see that I am very, very wrong.

Necropolitan is always the anwser, the problem here is the question. Barbarian should never be a question. :P

[Runestar]

This would be a good time to switch to another rage variant which does not boost con, just as whirling frenzy or adrenaline rush (cityscape web enhancement).

That said, I think undead really screws over FB. Deathless frenzy lets you keep on fighting, but as undead, you are destroyed the moment you hit 0hp...

[ChrisDemilich]

The problem with necropolitan is that one of your players is likely to be a cleric or druid. If they are a good cleric, they are likely to destroy you. I played a necropolitan in a party with a cleric of Pelor. I hid my identity from them, but when he turned undead the group of skeletons which suddenly appeared....

If you have an evil cleric, he is likely to control undead on you. You are now his &%^(*.

And druids hate undead. They hate the unnatural.

And it depends on what the rest of your party thinks of an undead member.

I learned this the hard way. Heh.

[Abaddon87]

Well it was pretty late when I posted this and I didnt even think of the whole CON thing... Would it be reasonable to request with my DM to switch things depending on CON to CHA? I thought undead got bonus hitpoints from CHA anyways... but I might be thinking of something else?

EDIT: In a previous game the DM played a fighter that became a salt mummy and he used his CHA for HP and such

[DementedFellow]

Well it was pretty late when I posted this and I didnt even think of the whole CON thing... Would it be reasonable to request with my DM to switch things depending on CON to CHA? I thought undead got bonus hitpoints from CHA anyways... but I might be thinking of something else?

EDIT: In a previous game the DM played a fighter that became a salt mummy and he used his CHA for HP and such

Only certain undead get those bonuses. IIRC Necropolitan does not.

[Kish]

What is the question?

[The Glyphstone]

There are numerous undead with that ability (Unholy Toughness, use CHA instead of CON for HP), but it is not standard. It mainly shows up in monsters from MM3 and beyond.

The common workaround for undead casters who don't want to be Dry Liches is Necropolitan plus Faerie Mysteries Initiate to use Int instead, but that doesn't help you as a melee fighter who needs CON for rage duration.

[Snake-Aes]

Feats cover for most of those things, but none let you "treat your con checks and bonuses all from another stat". Even if you happen to find a con bonus-> other bonus, rage will still increase your nonexistent con so you're losing out a few rounds worth of rage.

[Abaddon87]

Hmmm perhaps I will just drop the whole undead thing... I just wanted to capitalize on the burrow speed from Mineral Warrior and minimize problems like getting tired after raging and the damage from frenzy.

[Kalim]

Hmmm perhaps I will just drop the whole undead thing... I just wanted to capitalize on the burrow speed from Mineral Warrior and minimize problems like getting tired after raging and the damage from frenzy.

Your DM would have, likely, popped a powerful cleric into any group you would fight from that point on, to be fair.

He will see your cheese and raise you... more cheese!

[Abaddon87]

Yea understandable...

Does anyone know any good Barbarian guides?

[Rad]

Your DM would have, likely, popped a powerful cleric into any group you would fight from that point on, to be fair.

He will see your cheese and raise you... more cheese!

No real cheese needed... any plain radiant servant of Pelor one level higher than you can likely turn you to ashes, no save.

[Vangor]

I plan to take Frenzied Berserker and I want to know if being "undead" from Necropolitan will among other things:

-Stop the nonlethal damage from the Frenzy?
-Do you need to breath/eat/sleep? I plan on incorporating the burrow movement from Mineral Warrior to do some ambushing and sleeping underground if need be. Not having to breath would be of great import...

Frenzy deals 2 nonlethal damage a round. You're going to take 3+Con (say 16 Base+4 Rage)+Extend for 26 total nonlethal damage throughout the course of a Frenzy. At level 7, the earliest you can take this, you would have 12+6d12+7xCon health, for an average of 86 health while raging using the statistics above. I don't see that as any great threat, especially nonlethal.

[Snake-Aes]

Warforged solves most of that.

[DanReiv]

Seconded.

Be a warforged, not undead. Don't have the book here, but pretty sure that Juggernaught PrC fits well with a barbarian base and will gives you immunity to non-lethal, among other immunities and decent class abilities.

Kind of a god of war when I think 'bout it. Mineral Warrior Warforged Barb/frenzy/jugger is a scary thought.

[Drakefall]

I seem to remember that air genasi don't need to breathe. If this is the same for all genasi, then earth solves your problem and grants you yummy fluff synergy for +1LA.

I could be very wrong though. My 3.5 experience was very short and a good while ago.

[DementedFellow]

If you are wanting something with a burrow speed, check out the Asherati from Sandstorm. They can do a sandswim type thingie-ma-bob.

[Awnetu]

3rd on the Warforged Path, ECS is the book, You dont burrow, (Im sure you can find another way.) You are immune to Fatigue, nonlethal damage, you remove one of your last weaknesses as a frenzied berserker (Death Effects). And you get some nice synergy with other boosts.

[Snake-Aes]

3rd on the Warforged Path, ECS is the book, You dont burrow, (Im sure you can find another way.) You are immune to Fatigue, nonlethal damage, you remove one of your last weaknesses as a frenzied berserker (Death Effects). And you get some nice synergy with other boosts.

You aren't immune to nonlethal damage without a few levels in Juggernaut. Not that that's a bad thing, since Juggernaut's got awesome synergy with barbarian, both thematic and mechanic.

[Abaddon87]

Sorry but its a Forgotten Realms game so Im pretty sure Warforged is out

[Fax Celestis]

Isn't there a feat that lets you sub your Cha for your Con for rage?

[Snake-Aes]

Sorry but its a Forgotten Realms game so Im pretty sure Warforged is out

Eh, they exist in the monster manuals too.

[Greymane]

Hm. Be a Lolth-Touched Mineral Warrior. Get Incarnated. Die. Become Necropolitan? Technically LA 0, but the DM has books he can throw at you.

[hamishspence]

Eh, they exist in the monster manuals too.

I managed to talk my DM into allowing a Warforged in Faerun- by mentioning that one of the ancient empires (Raumathar) used huge armies of constructs.