New Barbarian Build Thread

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Rabbid
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New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Rabbid » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:41 am

Welp. I think it's time. Wonderin' what power house ragers people have come up with now that the barbarian changes are live.

I was originally thinking 16 barbarian 10 CoT 4 rogue or similar but I seem to recall one of the rage feats requires 20 barbarian...

Lemme have your best ragers!
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Astral » Thu Sep 21, 2017 11:42 am

Okay, I'm not done but here's one strategy I see with this class
You pick a race that gets a lot of str and con so you can get 21 con by lvl 20 and 25 str by lvl 30. level/feat progression in epics looks something like this

(STR=20), (CON=18) (after gifts/race)

01: Barbarian(1):
02: Barbarian(2): {Uncanny Dodge I},
03: Barbarian(3)
04: Barbarian(4): STR+1, (STR=21)
05: Barbarian(5)
06: Barbarian(6)
07: Barbarian(7)
08: Barbarian(8): STR+1, (STR=22)
09: Barbarian(9)
10: Barbarian(10)
11: Barbarian(11)
12: Barbarian(12): CON+1, (CON=19)
13: Barbarian(13)
14: Barbarian(14)
15: Barbarian(15)
16: Barbarian(16): CON+1, (CON=20)
17: Barbarian(17)
18: Barbarian(18)
19: Barbarian(19)
20: Champion of Torm(1): CON+1, (CON=21)
21: Champion of Torm(2): epic weapon focus, Epic Damage Reduction I
22: Champion of Torm(3): {Smite Evil}
23: Champion of Torm(4): Epic Damage Reduction II
24: Barbarian(20): STR+1, mighty rage, (STR=23)
25: Champion of Torm(5)
26: Champion of Torm(6): Epic Damage Reduction III
27: Bard(1): great strength III, (STR=24)
28: Bard(2): STR+1, (STR=25)
29: Bard(3)
30: Barbarian(21): thundering rage

Yes I know ending scores are both uneven which sucks but maybe with a gnoll or another big race one could get 22 con and 26 str at the end.

-for weapon I'd take greatsword or greataxe
-not sure about terry rage. the feats arrangement/investment would be annoying.

The idea is to not burn your rage right away but to try buying time with haste/clarity potions and bait out enemy abilities and stuff. Then use the rage to break out of cc if your Clarity runs out and catch your enemy off guard, giving you a legit chance to close the distance to them and then it's over. Another way to do it would be to go kensai, throw away the bard lvls, get an extra fit and use it for terry rage but that's the unpopular opinion in most cases. There could be plently of other interesting builds I haven't thought of. Ones who maybe give up EDR and go for 27 barb lvls 3 bard to prioritize other things. The class seems to have great scaling both with con and str (namely because you really want to be able to hit things, unlike before) so that's what I go so far.
Hmm... pdk build *thinking*
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Oshido
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Oshido » Thu Sep 21, 2017 2:05 pm

Been trying to test an ogre barb. The strength and con are nice but the intelligence and dex are hoŕrible. Might have to drop con and edr to boost int so I can at least get disc and taunt. Either way. Ogre Kensai barb fighter 24/6. I'm not writing the build out but would get all three rages, epic wep spec, ... how important is edr in this build with the percentage damage immunity from ogre and barb rage.
:evil:

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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Astral » Thu Sep 21, 2017 5:07 pm

It depends what kicks in first. the immunity or the flat reduction. If the immunity kicks in first, the flat reduction has a very nice return. If the flat reduction kicks in first, the immunity reduces less damage overall, which in that case it might be better to neglect EDR.
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Hunter548 » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:11 pm

Personally, I'd build one the exact same as before the change, if going one handed.

Barbarian 21/Fighter 6/Rogue or Bard 3. Pick up EDR 3 (So you'll need to take all your fighter in epics), Mighty Rage, Terrifying Rage. Thundering rage if you can get the 25 strength needed, though I suspect 2hander barbs will get more use out of it.
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Cortex » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:24 pm

DI always applied before DR.
:)

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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Baron Saturday » Thu Sep 21, 2017 8:10 pm

I'd probably do bastard sword as a bard, for the two-hander/defensive options.
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Cortex » Thu Sep 21, 2017 8:50 pm

Bastard sword still gets 1h progression, -twohand only gives bonus damage according to STR.
:)

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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Baron Saturday » Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:15 pm

Ah, shame
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Astral » Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:18 pm

Hunter548 wrote:Personally, I'd build one the exact same as before the change, if going one handed.

Barbarian 21/Fighter 6/Rogue or Bard 3. Pick up EDR 3 (So you'll need to take all your fighter in epics), Mighty Rage, Terrifying Rage. Thundering rage if you can get the 25 strength needed, though I suspect 2hander barbs will get more use out of it.
The problem with what you're suggesting is that you'd only have 1 barb lvl in epics, meaning only 1 epic rage feat.
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Lorkas » Fri Sep 22, 2017 1:41 pm

Nah, you'd take four of the six fighter levels before 20, at the very least. 16 barb/4 fighter at level 20 leaves you 2 fighter levels, 3 rogue/bard levels, and 5 barb levels in epic -- more than enough for all three feats.

Thundering rage and terrifying rage only actually require 15 barb levels and at least 21 total character levels. Mighty rage requires 20 barb levels. Three build mentioned can get all three rage feats, as long as levels are taken in the correct order.

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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Astral » Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:12 pm

Lorkas wrote:Nah, you'd take four of the six fighter levels before 20, at the very least. 16 barb/4 fighter at level 20 leaves you 2 fighter levels, 3 rogue/bard levels, and 5 barb levels in epic -- more than enough for all three feats.

Thundering rage and terrifying rage only actually require 15 barb levels and at least 21 total character levels. Mighty rage requires 20 barb levels. Three build mentioned can get all three rage feats, as long as levels are taken in the correct order.

Nah, one of them requires 25 intimidate (meaning lvl 24 earliest), one requires 25 str, and one requires 21/21 so it's going to be really hard to get it at lvl 21. At lvl 27th feat you're on a bard/rogue lvl and with 21 barb you don't get free barb feats so that's only 2 rages you can get with 21 barb lvls unless I'm missing something else.
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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Lorkas » Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:43 pm

Astral wrote:
Lorkas wrote:Nah, you'd take four of the six fighter levels before 20, at the very least. 16 barb/4 fighter at level 20 leaves you 2 fighter levels, 3 rogue/bard levels, and 5 barb levels in epic -- more than enough for all three feats.

Thundering rage and terrifying rage only actually require 15 barb levels and at least 21 total character levels. Mighty rage requires 20 barb levels. Three build mentioned can get all three rage feats, as long as levels are taken in the correct order.

Nah, one of them requires 25 intimidate (meaning lvl 24 earliest), one requires 25 str, and one requires 21/21 so it's going to be really hard to get it at lvl 21. At lvl 27th feat you're on a bard/rogue lvl and with 21 barb you don't get free barb feats so that's only 2 rages you can get with 21 barb lvls unless I'm missing something else.
I was leaving out those requirements since you were making a claim about the level requirements.

But yea, it's definitely difficult to achieve. Half-orc or gnoll can get the ability score requirements without needing epic feats, but you do run into the trouble of what order you're allowed to take the feats in.

It seems like you might have to either give up the rogue/bard dump and just go kensai to get them all, or else move the rogue/bard dump earlier (levels 21-23). A half-orc or gnoll barbarian could have barbarian 16 / fighter 4 with 22 CON and 24 STR at level 20, and could then follow this path:

Level 21 - rogue/bard (1): Epic Weapon Focus
Levels 22/23 - rogue/bard (2/3)
Level 24 - barbarian (17) - Terrifying Rage - STR 25
Level 25 - fighter (5)
Level 26 - fighter (6) - Epic Weapon Specialization
Level 27 - barbarian (18) - Thundering Rage
Level 28 - barbarian (19) - STR 26
Level 29 - barbarian (20)
Level 30 - barbarian (21) - Mighty Rage

You sacrifice 1 AC from tumble, but it gets all three feats.

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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by dominantdrowess » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:12 am

I have a friend who's new to the server, and wants to make a half-orc dual-wield barbarian~ anyone have a complete build they can post? I'm trying to figure out how to build one myself for him -- but it isn't exactly working out in my head and I have no experience building barbarians around epic rage feats.

I understand Kensai's removal changes their function a bit~ if double weapon is no longer viable, I can tell him that.

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Re: New Barbarian Build Thread

Post by Straydog » Wed Apr 25, 2018 10:01 am

Hey, I'm new to Neverwinter Nights and Arelith. I'm wondering, how mandatory is Thundering Rage? +1 attack seems pretty godlike, but I wanted to play a Weapon Master and it doesn't seem like I'll be able to get both 25 Str and 21 Con for Mighty Rage (which seems absolutely mandatory,) My idea was Barbarian 17, Weapon Master 7, Fighter 6 with my epic feats looking like


21 Fighter 5: Great Strength I (STR 21)
22 Fighter 6: Epic Weapon Specialization
23 Barb 10
24 Barb 11: Mighty Rage, STR+1 (STR 22)
25 Barb 12
26 Barb 13
27 Barb 14: Terrifying Rage (or something)
28 Barb 15 STR +1 (STR 23)
29 Barb 16
30 Barb 17: Overwhelming Critical

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