Registered Member #1050
Joined: 7:35:50 am GMT 05/11/07
Posts: 409
Dear All,
I as you may or may not be aware am relatively new to Thain and really enjoy RPing here due to the other characters that interact (or don't as the case may be) there is plenty to look at, quests to do or just blab around the campfires, but my only problem is my wild ruthless barbarian tends to be quite tame and dies rather frequently. I have got him to level 8 (i think) and he still only does around 8 - 10 meelee damage, loads more if I power attack, but then I never hit anything. I really want to leave him as a Barbarian as he is a great RP character, I have been told to take a level in rogue so that he gets the sneak attacks etc, but I kind of think that is 'cheating' his style. He also likes to use a great axe, but when you remove his shield (large at best in my opinion for a barbarian) he gets his backside kicked (regularly). It kind of makes him suck when we party and a rogue of level 5 does more damage and is harder to kill. Any opinions advice is appreciated
TPK Insurance Specialist, call now for our low, low rates! 1-800-U KILL ME Registered Member #552
Joined: 4:34:52 am GMT 06/13/05
Posts: 2608
Don't get too stressed. That Level 5 Rogue is doing more damage and is harder to kill because you're providih him the opportunity to sneak attack and soaking all his damage.
Welcome to the world of the Tank!
Things will improve for you, especially if you don't just dump all your stat raises into Str. Take some Dex as well - this will help offset the AC penalty from Barbarian Rage, and improve your general AC and shooting to boot.
Again, partying with a Rogue or the like is a perfect blend. Just taking a Rogue level is much less so, because your role is always likely to be a front line fighter, and you don't get Sneak Attacks when toe-to-toe with an enemy!
This is my boomstick. Registered Member #763
Joined: 2:33:38 am GMT 05/08/06
Posts: 2324
Hrm... Barbarians. Never was much impressed by the Rage ability. More like a "hit me" feat, but it can have it's uses.
Since Barbs are restricted to medium armor, you're really looking at Breastplate or Chainshirt as best armor options which means you should look to hit 14 or 18 dex with items to get full AC potential. Snag a tower shield as well to get yourself hit less if you're willing to give up 2-handed damage. Lots of "pure" fighter types spend cross-class skill points in Tumble (only gets AC bonus in multiples of 5), and can also take Dodge for an extra AC bonus.
Another thing to consider, is that with a "pure" fighter type build, your AB will eventually surpass your Rogue friend, as will your number of attacks. One side advantage of high AB is that it makes feats like Knockdown, Called Shot and Disarm far more viable (in later levels at least). All three of which carry positive effects for your barbarians survivability.
Ways to increase hitting/damage have plenty of options, Wpn Foc and Improved Critical being the obvious ones. And Exotic Wpn feat to get access to higher dmg 1-handed wpns like Waraxes, and Katanas if you think you'll be using a shield. You could also take four or more Fighter levels to get Wpn Specialization for an extra +2 dmg, and/or a few extra feats. The trade-off with not going pure Barbarian being that you lose out on some Damage Resistance in upper levels.
You'll just have to get over Rogue sneak attack dmg, its just going to get higher. They are devestating in party environments where they can work in lots of flanking. Just say "Glad I got you watching my back, Sneaky Pete, instead of sticking a knife in it," and share in the spoils.
Registered Member #839
Joined: 4:02:06 pm GMT 08/23/06
Posts: 1067
It sounds as though you have thought very much about mechanically building your character around a concept based on roleplaying rather than power. I, for one, love to see this and I would encourage you to continue to make mechanical choices based on your character concept rather than on, necessarily, making him/her more powerful.
One direction that may be fun for you is to think about the problem of the vulnerability of your character from an in character (IC) perspective, rather than an out of character (OOC) perspective. That is, your barbarian character continues to get his/her butt kicked and he/she knows it. What would your character do about that?
Would he/she seek more help when going to dangerous places? If your barbarian is particularly proud, this humbling experience could create some very interesting roleplaying?
Would he/she begin to train in heavier armor that offers more protection (taking the Heavy Armor feat later) or perhaps train in ways to just avoid getting hit (investing in dexterity or seeking out dexterity enhancing items)?
More generally, perhap he/she might seek out magical items that offer more protection (leading to asking around about such items and subsequently going shopping)?
Depending on your concept for your character, he/she may even turn to the gods asking for means to better aid in battle. (Leading to taking some cleric or druid levels, perhaps).
As the player of a rather weak character (well, atleast with the way I play him), I can say that there is still much fun (more fun?) to be had, even if you aren't the main contributor in every battle. If you view this as less of a problem with your character and more of an opportunity for roleplaying, I suspect you will enjoy your character much more.
P.S. I hope that didn't sound too patronizing as I really don't know what I'm talking about.
[ Edited 03:56:21 PM 06/20/07 ]
Registered Member #279
Joined: 4:17:59 pm GMT 09/25/04
Posts: 5460
A con-based barbarian can be fun to play. In this case, just give up on trying to deal a lot of damage; be satisifed with being able to deal reasonable damage and have the hit points to survive what comes back at you. Get the barbarian damage reduction class-feats; take toughness and a few of the energy resistance feats; maybe even resist poison and/or resist disease. Pick up some +Con gear, and by level 20, your char could have 350+ hit points, have a natural 3/- damage reduction, and could have 5/- resistance to three or four elements. This wouldn't be uber, but it's certainly be viable and possibly a lot of fun. Heck, just seeing those hit points in the party list could make a few jaws drop.
Registered Member #685
Joined: 10:12:38 pm GMT 01/14/06
Posts: 1252
Nothing be scarier then a beefy guy, frothing at the mouth, with glowing auras and flaming 6ft long axes.
And do note that even though the Rogue will out-damage you with Sneaks, he still has really low HP. Plus his AC won't be fantastic either. This is where a Barb excels since they can use Medium armor + large shields AND! They have the highest HP rolls in the game.
Registered Member #787
Joined: 8:48:31 am GMT 05/30/06
Posts: 1761
For a good barbarian, I look at Caniak's Thorvald. He doesn't seem that weak to me. *shrugs* Any class can be built to ultimate power or whatnot, but I've found from personal experience that having a weaker character, or one with flaws (even mechanical) can be a lot of fun. *shrugs and runs off to his next class*
[ The Island of Thain ]
Barbarian rage - more of a whimper
