Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Grifter0730 03-03-05, 05:40 PM	Okay, so I'm trying to create a character who's beastly. He'll be a Feral Catfolk who will probably wield a two-bladed sword, which is purely for flavor, but it's pretty much gonna stay that way. Here's my problem. I was thinking of going the barbarian route, probably bbn10/champ of gwyn10, because I like the idea of a raging feral character, it just fits. My problem, however, is that the cleric class can easily outduel this guy. The only feat I really care about is Power Attack, so keeping that in mind, basically the only advantage the bbn has is: HP difference of about 100. DR 5/-- +3 str to attack and damage from Rage. The cleric can gain more HP by casting spells, which he can make persistent. He can't get DR that I know of, so the bbn has the advantage there. He also doesn't get Rage, but seriously, he can get that +3 through various other means, so that's not even worth discussing. BAB is the same because Divine Power can be made persistent. On top of all this, the cleric is practically save from everything imaginable. He can have all sorts of spells that can overcome many things such as blindness, poison, etc. He can heal himself. He has high saves. He can even boost his own saves. He doesn't have to spend money to get +5 weapons, and considering I'm using a two-bladed sword, that'll save a ton of money. So can someone justify playing a barbarian over a cleric? I don't want this to turn out to be a "which class is better" debate. My main point is that I want this character to be self-sufficient, and the way I see it, the barbarian is lacking in that department. Our DM throws every imaginable things at us, so I want to be prepared for as many things as possible. Most of the cleric's spells would go towards miscellaneous things that might occur, such as removing disease, stun, and whatnot. Anyone out there die-hard barbarian class lovers that can convince me to play a bbn over a clr for this character?
Snicker-Snack 03-03-05, 06:25 PM	It's gonna sound really stupid, but I suggest you to choose what you want to play, make him as good as you can, and stop thinking much about it. Seriously. If you always think about overall character effectivesess at long term, you will never play anything other than Clerics, Druids, and Artificers, or maybe wizards if the campaign starts at level 15+. Just play a Barbarian, never try to compete with the Cleric, and have fun with it. Also, remember that even if the Cleric is more effective in the long run, there are reasons for playing Barbarians instead of Clerics: The first levels of a Barbarian are a lot easier, specially when you have LA, and he is not scared to fight without buffs, like inside an AMF or caught by surprise in the morning. Most of these don't happen with frequency or don't affect character effectiveness for very long, but when it does make a difference, your group will be glad they have a Barbarian.