Barbarian build for taking damage

rrealm

First Post
I would like some suggestions for building a barbarian that can take a lot of punishment. I’m currently forth level half-orc barbarian and my stats are Str 20 (which was bumped at forth level), Dex 15, Con 18, Int 7, Wis 12, Chr 12. I have power attack and cleave and my skill points are dumped into climb and jump. I use the whirling frenzy rage variant in Unearthed Arcana (+4 to Str, +2 to Reflex saves, +2 to AC, extra attack but with a -2 to all attacks in that round).

Basically I want him to be able to leap across pits or climb up obstacles without worrying about the consequences. Once engaged, he should be able to take punishment without much worry about dying. Once injured, he should be fairly self sufficient and only require a single powerful healing spell or two lesser healing spells to be back to full health if he can rest.

I plan on taking extended rage at level 6 and I was debating the idea of taking improved toughness(?) (+1 hp per level from Complete Warrior), fast healing (to get back two hp per level during typical dungeon exploration resting.) and improved damage reduction as soon as I can after I get my first DR.

My character uses magic +1 splint mail that only reduces his movement by 5’ instead of the 10 (so my character moves 35 feet per round), a +1 greatsword, and boots of leaping (+10 to jump checks). I have a few other items like potions and a magic bow with a variety of arrows but my main focus is on melee attacks. Also, my character is evil in an evil campaign. That being said, our cleric too is evil and cannot spontaneously cast healing spells and prefers to pray for damaging spells.

My progression ideas so far:
Level 1: Power Attack [have]
Level 3: Cleave [have]
Level 4: Increase Str from a 19 to a 20 [did]
Level 6: Extended rage
Level 7: gain damage reduction [barbarian ability – not a feat]
Level 8: Increase Con from a 18 to 19
Level 9: take Improved Damage Reduction
Level 12: fast healing
Level 12: Increase Con from a 19 to 20 (and gain 12 hit points)
Level 15: improved toughness (and gain another 15 hit points)
Level 16: Unsure which stat to increase. Probally Con from 20 to 21.
Level 18: improved damage reduction [again. This would give me a DR of 6 per round]
Level 19: have DR of 7 per round [barbarian ability + two IDR feats]
Level 20: unsure which stat to increase. Probally Con from 21 to 22 and gain 20 extra hit points.

Any suggestions? Are their any items or abilities that would allow me to effectively make a “heal” skill check on myself? I’m not sure if our cleric would spend the points on heal even though it would be a good call for saving healing spells. With fast healing, and someone/something tending me, I would heal ridiculously faster than normal.
 

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Take 5 levels of shaman (OA) and pick up the substitution spell, and the Divine Vigor feat (CW). The barb/shaman/rager IMC soaked a meteor swarm last session, and came through it almost physically untouched.
 

A couple of clearifications first:

rrealm said:
Level 9: take Improved Damage Reduction
If you're referring to the CW, it's Greater Resiliency.

rrealm said:
Level 12: fast healing
Again, if you're referring to CW, Faster Healing is the feat. Fast Healing is the ability or it's the epic feat that grants the ability.

rrealm said:
Level 18: improved damage reduction [again. This would give me a DR of 6 per round]
Assuming you mean Greater Resiliency, it can only be taken once. And damage reduction isn't per round, it's per attack.

And now for my recommendation:

Level 6: Faster Healing
Level 8: +1 to 18 Con = 19
Level 9: Improved Toughness
Level 12: Toughness (prerequisite for Roll With It)
Level 12: +1 to 19 Con = 20
Level 15: Roll With It (DR 2/- which stacks)
Level 16: I recommend a Con increase
Level 18: Roll With It (Can be taken multiple times for another 2/-)
Level 20: Same stat you increase at level 16.

See if you can talk your DM into allowing Improved Toughness as the prerequisite for Roll With It (Savage Species) in place of Toughness. If you can, replace Toughness with Greater Resiliency (Your Con is too low at this point to take Roll With It). If you go barbarian all the way you'll have a 10/- DR at 19th level (or 9/- and a whole 3 extra hps).

hong said:
Take 5 levels of shaman (OA) and pick up the substitution spell, and the Divine Vigor feat (CW). The barb/shaman/rager IMC soaked a meteor swarm last session, and came through it almost physically untouched.
This is a good route to take. If you do this, take Improved Toughness at 6th instead of Faster Healing, and take Divine Vigor at 9th, make sure you get ahold of an item that'll boost your wisdom so you can cast Substitution. I don't recommend a wisdom increase instead of one of the con increases, unless you do it at 16th or 20th level. Lastly, Deflect Arrows for your bonus Shaman feat.
 

Make a Dwarven Barbarian with Con 20.
Take the Toughness feat at 1st level, then the "Roll with It" feat at level 3, and every 3 levels thereafter.

The "Roll with It" feat can be found in Savage Species. It is a general feat (prereq is Toughness, and I think Con 20). It gives you DR 2/- and it stacks with itself (you can take it multiple times) and all other forms of DR.
 

Well, there's always the Frenzied Berserker's Deathless Frenzy. That there lets you ignore HP damage as long as you're in frenzy...

A one-level dip into Anointed Knight (BoED) can get you another 3/- to your DR if you can spare the 18 charisma, and the prerequisite Ancestral Relic feat is pretty cool in its own right (great for sinking excess loot).

--Impeesa--
 

I highly doubt an evil aligned character is going to become an anointed knight. I don't have Savage Species on and, but I thought Roll With It only stacked with itself, not other forms of DR ?
 


Impeesa said:
A one-level dip into Anointed Knight (BoED) can get you another 3/- to your DR if you can spare the 18 charisma, and the prerequisite Ancestral Relic feat is pretty cool in its own right (great for sinking excess loot).

There would be no way to qualify since my Charisma is only a 12. I already play this character so I cannot switch the ablity scores around. Besides - are charming barbarians really allowed - really? And a half-orc one at that.
 

I think that roll with it is definately your best bet.

So get a +2 con item, get someone to manifest psychic reformation on yourself for all of your levels. Get toughness (or improved if you can talk your dm into letting that be the prereq) and then all the rest of your feats as roll with it.

It will suck for your other feat choices yes, but it will do what you want as best as can possibly be said to happen really.

There are other class combos, but I think that your best bet is to stay with barbarian, that leaves your only real resource as feats, and those as roll with it stack with barb DR and it is just gravy from there.

DR 17/- is good yes?

Otherwise, you could check the savage species book for the survivor prc. In my campaign I have changed it to make it actually worth taking, with the changes I made it would put it right up your alley, but I dont know if it would still be good enough for you to actually take.
 

rrealm said:
There would be no way to qualify since my Charisma is only a 12. I already play this character so I cannot switch the ablity scores around. Besides - are charming barbarians really allowed - really? And a half-orc one at that.
Yes they are - see my notes in the other barbarian thread. :-)
How do you want to rescue the virgin from the dark cult if she will run away from youm, prefering to be sacrificed to a dark god above fleeing with you?

Mustrum Ridcully
 

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