Fedifensor said:
Now, what kind of moron must the barbarian be to engage the fighter in melee? He's got a 40' move versus the fighter's 15', and the fighter can't use a bow since he's got a frickin' DOOR on his arm.
Let's see. Melee is what barbarians are best at--that's probably the first reason he'd engage the fighter in melee.
However, one other reason the barbarian might engage the fighter in melee is that the fighter has a "door" on his arm. You see, if the barbarian wants to kill the fighter and the fighter has a tower shield, the barbarian cannot possibly kill the fighter with a bow. The fighter just takes 100% cover behind the shield and that's that.
Or the fighter pulls some javalins and starts hurling them at the barbarian. Assuming the barbarian is within range, the fighter is likely to win that exchange too. . . as long as he doesn't run out of javalins (he should hope he has a quiver of Ehlonna).
Barbarian backs up, draws his masterwork composite longbow (+3 Strength bonus), and fires at the fighter. Then it's just a matter of whittling the fighter down with arrows that do 1d8+3 per hit.
Firing at 100% tower shield cover, he has 0% chance of ever doing anything....
For that matter, why fight the fighter at all? He's got the hit points to survive a round of combat, so even if the fighter is guarding a choke point, the barbarian can take the hit from the attack of opportunity and outdistance the fighter within two rounds.
You mean other than to resolve the question of who would win in a one on one fight? (Which was the question the comparison set out to answer).
Any number of reasons. Maybe the barbarian is the champion of his tribe and the fighter challenged him to single combat in order to win safe passage for his adventuring party. Maybe it's a judicial duel. Perhaps it's a duel of honor. Perhaps the fighter is the champion or general of an evil army and the barbarian is the last member of the strike team sent to assassinate him. There are plenty of reasons the barbarian might fight the fighter.
Incidentally, warhorses are a very nice way for fighters to negate the speed differential (which is only 20' to 40' unless the fighter is heavily encumbered). And if the fighter is really guarding a choke point, the barbarian's only way past him is either:
A. Killing him
B. Tumbling past him
C. Overrunning him.
All of those are possible but the one most barbarians choose (IME) is A.