Dwarven Battlerager - Hows it gonna play out?

[JiffyPopTart]

So, my paladin bit the big one (for the third time in 8 levels) in or game session this week and I need to create a new character.

The original build for the paladin was to spend all my resources to get him high defenses. I ended up with ARFW values of 25/22/20/21. While those were by far the best in the party, they never really seemed to do the trick. I could avoid AC attacks what seemed to be a decent number of times, but the other three defenses seemed to get hit as much as everyone else.

So, I have determined that trying not to get hit is not the best way to live a long life in 4e combat.

My current idea for a character is a dwarven battlerager. Forgoing any attempt to avoid getting hit, I am instead sinking all my resources into generating massive amounts of temporary hit point to offset my getting blasted by everyone. I ended up with 84HP, 10 temporary hit-points every tiime I get hit in melee or with close attacks, and 17 healing surges at 24 points apiece. Sprinkle in magic items and power choices to grant more temporary hit points and/or give me extra healing in battle and I seem to have a massive stack of HP waiting to be carved into.

So, if anyone has already gone down this road...how did it work?

I can see the biggest drawback is that the to-hit numbers aren't very stellar (with only a 16 STR) but the damage on the hits is really good (+11/2d6+15 for most) which compares decently with the paladins (+14/1d8+6).

DS

 

[Don Incognito]

you will fulfill your role as meat shield and never, ever die.

ever.

 

[Mengu]

You might run into a problem of monsters starting to ignore you because your DM gets bored with trying to damage you. And once you get a regeneration power or two, you are completely ignorable. No point in attacking you. So I agree that you will never ever die because you will frequently be ignored.

If you knock those 10 temporary hit points down to 7, and give yourself an additional +2 attack and damage, I think you will be a much more credible threat. So instead of starting with 14 strength, 20 con, I'd start with 18 strength, 16 con. with two stat increases, you're at 20/18, generating 7 temp hp's per hit, but hitting much more accurately, and possibly harder, depending on the power you use. Brash Strike will be your friend for crazy damage output (at 8th level, I think it should be +15/2d6+21 with a +2 Reckless Mordenkrad and Iron Armbands of Power, of course your AC is down the drain at this point).

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Thanks for the advice.

I ended up ditching a lot of the THP (only 4 a hit now) for better offense and defense numbers.

I hope the GM appreciates it.

DS

 

[Lucias]

One of my party members plays a Dwarven Battlerager. Holy cow, can he take some hits! He doesn't dish out tons of damage, but he soaks it up like he's supposed to. Be prepared to keep a pad of paper handy to keep track of your temp hp, though.

Minions also pose virtually no threat to him, unless they have a good ranged attack.

 

[Wrathamon]

I thought temp hps dont stack? You take the best.

or does the battlerager thing have an exception?

EDIT: read it - it reads only the temp hit points from invigorating keywords are capable of stacking.

 

[Obryn]

I thought temp hps dont stack? You take the best.

or does the battlerager thing have an exception?

It's one of the most misunderstood things about the Battlerager.

Ragers get temp hps any time an enemy attacks them in melee. They can also stack temp HPs from Invigorating powers.

They still only have 1 pool of temporary HPs. They usually use the same rules as everyone else. But when they get temp HPs from an invigorating power, those stack with any others they might already have.

-O

 

[chaotix42]

Close attacks too, so they eat up breath weapons and such as well.

I agree that your DM will like your rager more with fewer temp hp per hit. It'll feel less futile.

 

[MyISPHatesENWorld]

I don't think DM boredom is the issue as much as player boredom for the 16STR/22CON build. Those temp HP can be whittled away pretty quickly with ranged and/or area attacks. With the 22CON/16STR build, you'll get hit often enough by other stuff that it all balances out, unless you stack up armor and a heavy shield along with powers that heal/regenerate, at which point the DM isn't ignoring you because he is bored, but because his monsters can run past you with near impunity due to your poor attack and damage numbers. You have to hit to get the benefit of Invigorating attack powers, so missing a lot means losing out on those stacking Temp HP as well.

It is also a short-lived trick. At eighth level, you're near or at the point that things often don't need to go through you (particularly in 4e-style encounters). And at 10th level, your cleric gets a utility power that makes four guys more durable than you anyway. Bearing the title of Fifth Knight of Unyielding Valor isn't exactly something to aspire to. I imagine any DM that has a problem with the max-tanking battlerager is going to openly weep when the cleric casts Knights of Unyielding Valor.

I think Mengu gave some nice advice on vigor numbers and stats - great blend of offense and durability. 7 is a nice number. 4 is, in my opinion, maybe a little low. At 1st and 2nd level, monsters often don't have a lot of trouble getting past 3 or 4 even stacked with the 3 or 4 from invigorating powers. 5 (or 7 for a dwarf to make up for the slightly lower STR) is a solid number at 8th level.

When things go south though, they go south in a hurry. If you suck up a few ranged attacks in a row because of your lower defenses, you can get to a bad place. In actual encounters, you face a variety of opponents, so you can get hit by something carrying an effect that makes you grant combat advantage, followed by a bunch of ranged attacks that gain a damage bonus from it. And, that nasty crit the brute deals you *before* you get your temp hit points can be the one that puts you down.

I like a less reckless power selection, leaning toward Crushing Surge, Footwork Lure and using 2W encounters and 3W dailies for heavy hitting. Giving up another 2 points of AC by granting combat advantage, particularly with additional bonuses from combat advantage posessed by some monsters is a little too reckless for me. But, depending on preferences and party, I can see it working for someone else.

I think the battlerager vigor ability is one of the best designs they've come up with. You can go with chainmail and mordenkrad for the damage or plate armor, shield and bastard sword for accuracy and defense (or somewhere in between) and it is still a great ability.

 

[Bagpuss]

I imagine any DM that has a problem with the max-tanking battlerager is going to openly weep when the cleric casts Knights of Unyielding Valor.

Yes because a daily that creates four squares that can neither attack, provide flanking or do anything other than block movement through one square and provide cover is exactly the same as a battlerager that can do all those things.