What to do with 1st level orc barbarians

[pawsplay]

The problem is not so much the weapon he is wielding, but the +9 damage boost he is already getting from his 22 strength (meaning you are assured of at least 10 damage). Anyone who has less than a d10 for hp is going to hit the bucket.

Indeed. The example comes from all the greataxe wielding orcs you see in artwork. The actual orc I was working on was an NPC barbarian wielding a spear. I did the math and blinked a couple of times. Even without Power Attack or Weapon Focus, this guy is a menace.