Charging Barbarian Catchup

[Hedgemage]

PHB2 and Primal Power have been out for a long time now and I just now got around to looking at barbarians.

I'm thinking about a charging barbarian, but I'm a little overwhelmed by the basics.

1) since a charge usually 'ends your turn' does that mean that if you kill someone after a use of Swift Charge that you don't get your free basic attack from Rampage?

2) Can you use Howling Strike with your free charge from Swift Charge?

3) what are good feats for a charging barbarian? Powerful Charge looks good to me.

4) what's a good weapon for a charging barbarian? Is it worth spending a feat for a superior weapon?

 

[DracoSuave]

PHB2 and Primal Power have been out for a long time now and I just now got around to looking at barbarians.

I'm thinking about a charging barbarian, but I'm a little overwhelmed by the basics.

1) since a charge usually 'ends your turn' does that mean that if you kill someone after a use of Swift Charge that you don't get your free basic attack from Rampage?

No.

You just killed two people in one turn. Be happy with that.

2) Can you use Howling Strike with your free charge from Swift Charge?

Absolutely.

3) what are good feats for a charging barbarian? Powerful Charge looks good to me.

Sounds good.

4) what's a good weapon for a charging barbarian? Is it worth spending a feat for a superior weapon?

Um... it's the same as if you weren't a charging barbarian.

In other words, if the word 'charging' were not in the equation, would that Fullblade/Modrenkrad/Execution Axe be worth it? If yes, then take it. If no, then do not.


That said, I sort of like the idea of a reaving execution axe for lots of extra attacks.

 

[holywhitetrash]

taking the prof for an executioners axe is like adding 2 to every w in damage since it makes the lowest number you can possibly roll a 3
it is always worth getting for a barbarian not planning to use two weapons

 

[RickVigorous]

taking the prof for an executioners axe is like adding 2 to every w in damage since it makes the lowest number you can possibly roll a 3
it is always worth getting for a barbarian not planning to use two weapons

Actually, it's like adding 1 to every [W]. The average roll for a d12 is 6.5; the average for a d12 brutal 2 is 7.5.

 

[DracoSuave]

Actually, it's like adding 1 to every [W]. The average roll for a d12 is 6.5; the average for a d12 brutal 2 is 7.5.

Ninja'd.

But yes, Executioner's Axe and Mordenkrad are -very nice-.

Fullblade isn't -so- nice for a Barbarian, because your lack of dexterity makes using its feats a bit harder... altho a Barbie with HBO... OH NO YOU DIDN'T WALK AWAY.

Heh.

Seriously tho, for a Rageblood, my personal preference is for a Mordenkrad. Sure, you don't get high-crit, but having Hammer Rhythm is super nice. Compare that to Deadly Axe, which does nothing for a Sexecutioner.

 

[Destil]

4) what's a good weapon for a charging barbarian? Is it worth spending a feat for a superior weapon?

It's a non-choice for anyone who wants to deal damage and uses [W] powers. Unless you're a dwarf or some other race that can get it in a roundabout way (Dwarf Weapon Training, which also adds +2 damage).

 

[Eldorian]

Thundergod Weapon

Vanguard Weapon

Horned Helm

The item set with the Ram, gives you a +1 to hit with charge attacks for two pieces, I suggest the neck and the boots. The helm is also good, +1 to hit vs the horned Helm's damage.

 

[Diirk]

1) since a charge usually 'ends your turn' does that mean that if you kill someone after a use of Swift Charge that you don't get your free basic attack from Rampage?

I'm going to disagree with Draco and say that if you crit on your swift charge, you do still get your free basic attack from Rampage. Even if a charge does end your turn, free actions don't need to be performed on your turn... so there's no reason you can't take the free attack anyway (this interpretation deals nicely with heavy blade opportunity attacks with barbarian powers criticalling as well).

Even ignoring that, good evidence that you can use free actions after charging is presented by items such as Bestial Armour: it has a daily power that is triggered as a free action after a charge giving you melee basic attack.

 

[DracoSuave]

I'm going to disagree with Draco and say that if you crit on your swift charge, you do still get your free basic attack from Rampage. Even if a charge does end your turn, free actions don't need to be performed on your turn... so there's no reason you can't take the free attack anyway (this interpretation deals nicely with heavy blade opportunity attacks with barbarian powers criticalling as well).

The reason it doesn't work is because while you can take free actions at any time, you can't save triggered free actions for a later time when it is convenient.

If you do this, you don't get to take your action until -after- the next person has started their turn, when taking actions becomes legal again. But between then, there's that 'Stuff you do at the beginning of your turn' part no one can take any actions in, where ongoing damage is tracked, Font of Life is used, etc.

No actions means no free actions.

Even ignoring that, good evidence that you can use free actions after charging is presented by items such as Bestial Armour: it has a daily power that is triggered as a free action after a charge giving you melee basic attack.

That's a specific item that contradicts the rules directly by telling you to do something that is normally illegal. Rampage does not; it tells you to do so after a critical, which is not the same as telling you to do so after a charge.

 

[Diirk]

That's a specific item that contradicts the rules directly by telling you to do something that is normally illegal. Rampage does not; it tells you to do so after a critical, which is not the same as telling you to do so after a charge.

Its not really a specific item, there's a lot of them. And they don't contradict the rules, they're just worded in a way that suggests my interpretation of the rules.

Eg. Boar Tusk helm.
Power (Daily): Free Action. Trigger: You hit with a weapon at the end of a charge. Effect: <stuff>

It doesn't say "After a charge you may make a free action to do <stuff> before your turn ends" which would be overriding the normal rules. It gives you a trigger, and specifies the action it takes to use the power when the trigger occurs. If the trigger wasn't useable with a free action, it would be a no action (like the powers that let you remove the stunned condition from yourself, etc).

The same applies to Boar's Charge Totem, Pouncing Armour, Marauder's Armour, Totemic Belt, etc.

Rampage works the same way as all these items. Its a free action. The trigger is a critical with a barbarian attack power, which can also happen as part of a charge. These items are free actions and have triggers that occur at various points (before, during, after) of charges. There's not really any difference.