Barbarians - Anything I should look for?

[DanmarLOK]

No idea on where the numbers came from. I just auto generated the character and then looked at the power cards and set them to show personalized data.

 

[Obryn]

No idea on where the numbers came from. I just auto generated the character and then looked at the power cards and set them to show personalized data.

Yeah, I'd have to check on it, but I think something might be broken with recuperating strike's calculations in that example...

At 21st, it should be 2[w]+2d6+Str+stuff - still high, but remember this is a striker, so it should be high. At 21st level, a ranger with twin strike will be doing 2[w]+3d8+stuff, followed by 2[w]+stuff. And a rogue would do 2[w]+dex+cha+stuff+5d8 with combat advantage.

It's in-line with other strikers, IMHO. It's a little lower on damage, but it gives you temp HPs and you don't need to set up special conditions first.

edit: Also, I noticed that Tide of Blood is a level 7 encounter power. By 21st level, at-wills will often far overshadow low-level encounter powers. I'd have traded that one away by now, but I don't know if the auto-builder can cope with those sorts of vagaries.

What's more, it didn't explain Tide of Blood quite right. You get +1 to damage per enemy within your CON modifier squares, not adjacent. So, within a 13x13 square if your CON modifier is +6. This could potentially be a LOT.

-O

 

[DanmarLOK]

Yeah the character builder has a very different power text than the DDI does. It's adjacent up to 6. The DDI power reads as below which when you're raging could rack the power up to a GA point given the con size blast and no limits on how many you get to count. That would indeed make it more useful than an atwill. I'd imagine the barbie would be asking hte wizard to not kill the minions until he could use his enc power against the boss and get the +x damage on the hit.

Your rage sweeps over every nearby enemy, drawing blood to fuel the tide of your assault on one of them.
Encounter

Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage. The attack deals 1 extra damage for each enemy adjacent to you.
Rageblood Vigor: The attack instead deals 1 extra damage for each enemy within a number of squares of you equal to your Constitution modifier.

 

[Obryn]

So, the barbarian played about like expected last night.

He's munchkined-out a bit, partly due to some magic items which just make him a charge-o-matic.

(1) Boots of (Something) Charging, which let him shift after a charge. It's at-will, and level 3, IIRC.

(2) A charging-related helm, which adds 1d6 to a charge.

So, the basic tactic is...

(1) Charge. The attack will be at +1 or more. Howling Strike will do 1d12+2d6+8 damage, +1d6 if he's bloodied (due to his greataxe).

(2) Shift after the charge

(3) Next round, back up and charge again.

Good shtick if he can stick it. It's a bit more than his archer ranger, but unlike his archer ranger, he can't stay at a distance and plunk away.

-O

 

[deleteme123456]

He should go for a Vanguard Execution Axe if he can afford one and the feat. +1d8 on any successful charge is probably more useful than +1d6 while bloodied. Powerful charge (Heroic Feat) will add another static +2 (untyped) damage.

Horned Helm + Vanguard weapon + powerful charge = +1d8+1d6+2 with every succesful charge. Avg improvement: 11. Not bad at heroic. The Vanguard damage doesn't scale but the Horned Helm goes up +1d6 per tier.

 

[Obryn]

He should go for a Vanguard Execution Axe if he can afford one and the feat. +1d8 on any successful charge is probably more useful than +1d6 while bloodied. Powerful charge (Heroic Feat) will add another static +2 (untyped) damage.

Horned Helm + Vanguard weapon + powerful charge = +1d8+1d6+2 with every succesful charge. Avg improvement: 11. Not bad at heroic. The Vanguard damage doesn't scale but the Horned Helm goes up +1d6 per tier.

He picked up Weapon Focus instead of the Powerful Charge feat. Dunno why, but I guess he thought it would be more useful, overall.

I think he may end up retraining that one, but then again, who knows?

He did get Fast Runner - which helps with his chainmail, since he can charge at a brisk 7.

(Edit: He also has other powers which trigger on Bloodied, so the Berserker or whatever it is Axe isn't a bad deal, nonetheless.)

-O

 

[Drakhar]

For more charge related goodness he might want to look into getting a pair of Tigerclaw gauntlets, as they take up the hand slot and give you an extra 2 squares on a charge.