Barbarian in making...need some info

[Psyduck]

I just had a few questions about a barbarian I plan on making, and I needed help for those who tried either way. I know Str is probably the most important score for one, but what would be second between Dex, Con, or Wisdom?

Also, my past barbarian seemed to die quite easily. Is there any info that can be offered that'll keep him alive longer?

Thanks in advance

 

[Daemon]

Con is nice for the extra hp, but unless you plan on giving your barbarian profieciency in heavy armor, a nice dex score is also very good. Wisdom isn't all that important for a barbarian... at least for the ones I've played...

As for living longer... try not to rush into battles w/o any support... BBNs that do this tend to die quickly before the rest of the party can get into help. Go for armor that gives you the highest base ac that still allows your full dex bonus. Get a big damage weapon (greatsword does the most on average... though other big weapons are cool (reach weapons are fun, but you have to be careful with them...)) and kill them fast or go with a one handed weapon and shield for ac bonus (not sure if BBN get shield prof.). Try not to get flanked (early on)... uh.. not sure what else will help you stay alive w/o info on your style of play with barbarians...

Daemon

 

[Apok]

I'd say put your next highest stat into Dex then Con. That d12 goes a long way in boosting your HP but since you are going to be limited to Medium or lighter armor the Dex will help you in that arena. It will also help your low Reflex save.

 

[candidus_cogitens]

CON also determines how long you can rage, as I recall ... But if I were you, I'd put my second highest stat in DEX. And then I'd take the Extended Rage feat, which more than compensates for having a slightly lower CON.

Now here's a wacky idea: are you sure you need to have STR be the highest score? To me, it is best for a barbarian to have a 14 or 18 STR, that way you make the most of the damage bonuses when using two-handed weapons.

With STR 14, you get +3 damage, with a two-handed weapon.
With STR 16, you get +4 damage.
With STR 18, you get +6 damage.

So, if I your three highest stats are (for example) 16, 14, 13 ...
I'd go with DEX 16, STR 14, CON 13. When you rage, your STR is going to be plenty high anyway. You'd get more advantage from having the +3 dex bonus than having the extra +1 in STR.

 

[Psyduck]

Thanks for the help.

I like to play an aggressive, mean barbarian, btw

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

My take on this:

Playing a melee class in D&D 3e is a matter of damage trading. Will the amount of average damage you deal out per round kill the other guy before he kills you. The different fighting classes put different spins on this situation.

A fighter/wizard maxed for armor class puts it in slow motion. He doesn't take much damage per round but he doesn't dish out a whole lot either.

A fighter maxed for armor class (bastard sword and shield), etc. is a little bit faster. He dishes out damage pretty quickly and takes a fair amount.

A dual wielder or a two handed weapon fighter is the norm. They dish out large amounts of damage per round but take a lot of damage too.

A barbarian puts the situation into fast forward. They dish out massive amounts of damage. And they take lots of damage too (since their armor classes are very rarely impressive).

Consequently my stat recommendations for a barbarian:
1. Strength. You need to be able to dish out damage quickly. That's what you have strength for.
2. Constitution. You need to be able to take the punishment you'll be receiving. This really shouldn't be below 14 unless you rolled poorly or have a con penalty.
3.25 Dexterity. This is good for intiative and reflex saves. It helps armor class too, but lets face it--by the time you hit level three, your enemies will almost always hit you anyway.
3.35 Wisdom. This is good for spot, listen, will saves, and clerical spells if you multiclass into a cleric. Will saves are your achilles heel as a barbarian. A high wisdom is also a life-saver if you're into actually role-playing your mental stats. It means you don't do foolish things (like the things that normally kill barbarians).
5. Intelligence, Charisma. Barbarians don't need either to be effective in combat (which is where their primary skill is) but you should pick scores appropriate to the character you want to role-play. (I recommend against low scores in either but especially charisma. It's not a lot of fun to play with a jerk).

Some things to keep in mind:
-It never hurts to multiclass into a fighter. Weapon specialization is a good thing. Great cleave never hurt the guy who had it either.
-It doesn't hurt much to multiclass into cleric either--particularly if you can pick up the war, travel, or luck domains. You get extra will save, extra fort save, good hit points, some good spells and minor healing capabilities and with travel domain you become immune to hold person (One of the number 1 barbarian killer spells).
-Iron Will is your friend. As I mentioned, barbarians are notorious for their weak will saves. Do something about this before it kills you.
-Just because you move faster than everyone else in your party doesn't mean you want to get into combat three rounds before them. That's another way barbarians die.

 

[Velenne]

The benefits to taking more than a few levels of Barbarian are few. So I'd recommend either finding yourself some good prestige classes, or multiclassing into a fighter.

If you go fighter, you'll be able to keep your rage and uncanny dodge bonuses, still have lots of hp's, but you'll also be able to wear heavy armor. Do you lose your bonus speed? Sort of: you get to have 30 speed AND be in heavy armor. I've found that having 40 speed is rarely more useful than having +8 to your AC.

If you don't want fighter, try Ranger. Get an exotic weapon proficiency in a large double weapon and go the 2WF route. 2WF + Great Cleave = munchy crunchy goodness. But not so great against single big-baddies with high AC's.

But always remember that your survival will depend on how quickly you can dish out a lot of damage. Make the party cleric your best friend and you'll live a lot longer. Be nice to him. Maybe bathe every now and then. Donate to his diety (hard to remember what those little shiny metal things are for anyway).

 

[tabrumj]

There were several rules problems with your ideas that I felt compelled to point out.

If you go fighter, you'll be able to keep your rage and uncanny dodge bonuses, still have lots of hp's, but you'll also be able to wear heavy armor. Do you lose your bonus speed? Sort of: you get to have 30 speed AND be in heavy armor. I've found that having 40 speed is rarely more useful than having +8 to your AC.

According to thw PHB the Barbarian only has fast movement so long as he is in no armor, light armor or medium armor. As soon as they start wearing Heavy armor they loose the extended movement.

If you don't want fighter, try Ranger. Get an exotic weapon proficiency in a large double weapon and go the 2WF route. 2WF + Great Cleave = munchy crunchy goodness. But not so great against single big-baddies with high AC's.

The Rangers virtual ambidexterity and two weapon fighting do not work with Double Weapons. They are restricted to using these abilities with two one handed weapons.

 

[Psyduck]

Thanks again for all of the help.

I do have a few more questions now...

It's been stated that high lv barbarian abilities aren't worth it. What about DR? Improved Raging? They seem good.

Also, the only Barb class I can remember is the Frenzy Bezerker, which can also be a group party killer. Is there any prestidge classes designed mainly for a barbarian that is more group friendly?

 

[Velenne]

Owned

That's what I get for posting from school.

Anywho...

Depends on what you're going for. Tribal Protector is a good one. There are lots out there for half-orc followers of Grummsh (at least 3-4). Do you have access to Dragon mag and can you use material from them? I'm also a big fan of lycanthrope barbarians if your DM will allow the ECL.

Also, don't forget to have really crazy taboos and customs. I have a barbarian that doesn't own anything he hasn't taken from an enemy. He doesn't deal in coins, only loot. A friend of mine plays a barb that eats the hearts of his powerful foes in order to take their strength. Unfortunately, when he did that to a were-boar, he became afflicted! Another barbarian from recent memory had a habit of grappling his foes and biting them (he was a human) until they either submitted or he chewed his way through. Fun stuff!