perfect barbarian race [Archive] - Wizards Community

perfect barbarian race [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
dragonboy131313
05-11-07, 11:03 PM i need a race that has a plus two in both strength and dexterity. but with no level ajustment
runestar
05-11-07, 11:06 PM One of the elven subraces has it, but it comes with a penalty to con IIRC.
Bra'k'aern
05-11-07, 11:38 PM One of the elven subraces has it, but it comes with a penalty to con IIRC.

Here you go:

Wood Elf Traits (Ex)

These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted.

* +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence.
* Favored Class: Ranger. This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.
AMGriffin
05-12-07, 12:10 PM The CON penalty is a real deal-breaker.
The_Shaman
05-13-07, 12:38 PM Not so much if you're an archer, though... and improved toughness helps, imo. If you can afford it, a draconic wood elf can be quite nice (+4 str, +2 dex, -2 int, +2 cha).
AMGriffin
05-13-07, 01:25 PM I'd say go Dragonborn instead so you end up with +2 Strenth, -2 Intelligence

But if you're just looking for me smash goodness, just go full-blooded orc.
darksamuari
05-13-07, 02:37 PM What you want is the Neanderthal out of Frostburn.

+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Dex, - 2 Int
Plus they match perfectly, flavor wise...
Salla
05-13-07, 03:12 PM The CON penalty is a real deal-breaker.

Not really. With a d12 Hit Die and a good Fortitude Save, plus the fact your CON goes up when you rage, makes the CON penalty a lot less severe for a barbarian that it would, say, a wizard.
fiendish_platypus
05-13-07, 03:13 PM A kobold, noone will suspect you have the strength of a human while raging.
AMGriffin
05-13-07, 04:09 PM Not really. With a d12 Hit Die and a good Fortitude Save, plus the fact your CON goes up when you rage, makes the CON penalty a lot less severe for a barbarian that it would, say, a wizard.

Barbarian Rage relies on your Con Modifier. Dex is great for barbarians but at the end of the day a dexterity bonus's use is pretty much cancelled out by the constitution penalty.
FatMonkey13
05-13-07, 04:26 PM Water Orc has +4 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int/Wis/Cha, and a swim speed but... you get a -2 penalty to saves vs. fire (effects and creatures). Combined with a Barbarian's bad reflex save and you may end up getting killed by Fireball or Flaming Sphere or Flame Arrow or Red Dragons or...
dagman
05-13-07, 10:44 PM dragonborn water orc
darksamuari
05-13-07, 11:21 PM dragonborn water orc

That's a very nice combo.
Dragoloth
05-14-07, 12:39 AM Longtooth shifter has +2 dex and when shifting a +2 to strength. The longtooth also gives a bite attack when shifting. The shift stacks with rage and they have no LA.
dragonboy131313
05-14-07, 09:21 AM you guys lost me i dont know what most of this is.
terrainmonkey
05-14-07, 09:34 AM try a halfling. because halfling barbarians ROCK!!!
RobbyPants
05-14-07, 09:36 AM But if you're just looking for me smash goodness, just go full-blooded orc.
Orcs make great barbarians. Water orcs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterOrcs) (a variant race) are pretty good. +4 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Wis, -2 Cha. You don't get a Dex bonus, but you also don't get a Dex penalty. +4 Str and +2 Con are great for a barbarian. All at LA+0.

If you can manage a natural 18 into your Str (modified 22) you'll have a +6 mod. With a two-handed weapon, that's +9 damage per attack at level 1. About anything you should be fighting at that level will drop.

Edit:
Oops! :eek: Missed that FatMonkey13 already posted them! :P
Lionhearted
05-14-07, 12:41 PM If you can manage a natural 18 into your Str (modified 22) you'll have a +6 mod. With a two-handed weapon, that's +9 damage per attack at level 1. About anything you should be fighting at that level will drop.

ahem, you forgot the +4 rage bonus, making str to 26 at lvl 1, take Power attack as your first lvl feat, pick up a greataxe and you're ready to go
+8 to hit, 1d12+14 damage, me smash...
The_Shaman
05-14-07, 02:50 PM Aww, I like mauls... All that crushy goodness...

Alternatively, there are some dwarven subraces that are small and have no penalties to strength. IMO that's a good way to start - that +1 attack from being small is a +2 from PA with a two-handed weapon, and a small greataxe is still a 1d10 weapon. Plus, having a mini-sized dwarf go postal with a miniature greataxe might be fun.

OMG, I got it! Grig barbarians with leap attack. KYAAAAAAAAAH!

THUMP
Jon of the North
05-14-07, 07:10 PM you guys lost me i dont know what most of this is.

On that note: please include the book your chosen race is in. I'll help with what I can:

Shifter is in Monster Manual (MM) III, also in ebberarion (sic) books IIRC.

Wood elf, Orc, kobold and halfling are in MM I.

Dragonborn I believe is a template from Races of the Dragon

Water orc... um, the Big Orcing book or Orcs?
Darth Sephiroth
05-14-07, 07:39 PM Half-Minotaur Goliath Barbarian. +8 Str normal makes things go bang, add the ability to get bigger while raging along with the additional +2 to str (on top of the normal) when raging makes you devistating.
Kirk99
05-14-07, 07:43 PM Feral. Goliath.
dragonboy131313
05-14-07, 10:04 PM So what book is water orc in?
smorgasbord_of_pie
05-15-07, 07:28 AM I (as a DM) have an aversion to wood elves. On page 24 of the 3.0 DMG it is explicitly stated that an intelligence penalty is NOT equivalent to a loss of strength. INT is (skills aside) useless to most strength oriented classes, so there is a reason that half-orcs lose INT and CHA. Wood elves give half-orcs the short end of the stick.
Borris
05-15-07, 07:53 AM So what book is water orc in?
The Water Orc comes from Unearthed Arcana. As RobbyPants has already posted, it can also be found here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterOrcs
Lionhearted
05-15-07, 09:04 AM I (as a DM) have an aversion to wood elves. On page 24 of the 3.0 DMG it is explicitly stated that an intelligence penalty is NOT equivalent to a loss of strength. INT is (skills aside) useless to most strength oriented classes, so there is a reason that half-orcs lose INT and CHA. Wood elves give half-orcs the short end of the stick.

Not true! try to play a character with negative stupid intelligence AND fighter, geez you cannot even jump propely
RobbyPants
05-15-07, 09:40 AM I (as a DM) have an aversion to wood elves. On page 24 of the 3.0 DMG it is explicitly stated that an intelligence penalty is NOT equivalent to a loss of strength. INT is (skills aside) useless to most strength oriented classes, so there is a reason that half-orcs lose INT and CHA. Wood elves give half-orcs the short end of the stick.
If you want to make this worse (for a direct comparision) add in the Dragonborn template.

Before the template you're comparing +2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con, -2 Int to +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha. Because of the Con penalty, it's not too appealing.

However, after adding the template (-2 Dex, +2 Con, among other things), you compare +2 Str, -2 Int to +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha.

It certainly looks like halforcs get the short end of the stick here. Wood elves are core, and they pretty much make halforcs obsolete.
smorgasbord_of_pie
05-15-07, 10:05 AM Not true! try to play a character with negative stupid intelligence AND fighter, geez you cannot even jump propely

Except if, say, you had a good strength score....
Heeeey! You do!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
dragonboy131313 05-11-07, 11:03 PM	i need a race that has a plus two in both strength and dexterity. but with no level ajustment
runestar 05-11-07, 11:06 PM	One of the elven subraces has it, but it comes with a penalty to con IIRC.
Bra'k'aern 05-11-07, 11:38 PM	One of the elven subraces has it, but it comes with a penalty to con IIRC. Here you go: Wood Elf Traits (Ex) These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted. * +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence. * Favored Class: Ranger. This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.
AMGriffin 05-12-07, 12:10 PM	The CON penalty is a real deal-breaker.
The_Shaman 05-13-07, 12:38 PM	Not so much if you're an archer, though... and improved toughness helps, imo. If you can afford it, a draconic wood elf can be quite nice (+4 str, +2 dex, -2 int, +2 cha).
AMGriffin 05-13-07, 01:25 PM	I'd say go Dragonborn instead so you end up with +2 Strenth, -2 Intelligence But if you're just looking for me smash goodness, just go full-blooded orc.
darksamuari 05-13-07, 02:37 PM	What you want is the Neanderthal out of Frostburn. +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Dex, - 2 Int Plus they match perfectly, flavor wise...
Salla 05-13-07, 03:12 PM	The CON penalty is a real deal-breaker. Not really. With a d12 Hit Die and a good Fortitude Save, plus the fact your CON goes up when you rage, makes the CON penalty a lot less severe for a barbarian that it would, say, a wizard.
fiendish_platypus 05-13-07, 03:13 PM	A kobold, noone will suspect you have the strength of a human while raging.
AMGriffin 05-13-07, 04:09 PM	Not really. With a d12 Hit Die and a good Fortitude Save, plus the fact your CON goes up when you rage, makes the CON penalty a lot less severe for a barbarian that it would, say, a wizard. Barbarian Rage relies on your Con Modifier. Dex is great for barbarians but at the end of the day a dexterity bonus's use is pretty much cancelled out by the constitution penalty.
FatMonkey13 05-13-07, 04:26 PM	Water Orc has +4 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int/Wis/Cha, and a swim speed but... you get a -2 penalty to saves vs. fire (effects and creatures). Combined with a Barbarian's bad reflex save and you may end up getting killed by Fireball or Flaming Sphere or Flame Arrow or Red Dragons or...
dagman 05-13-07, 10:44 PM	dragonborn water orc
darksamuari 05-13-07, 11:21 PM	dragonborn water orc That's a very nice combo.
Dragoloth 05-14-07, 12:39 AM	Longtooth shifter has +2 dex and when shifting a +2 to strength. The longtooth also gives a bite attack when shifting. The shift stacks with rage and they have no LA.
dragonboy131313 05-14-07, 09:21 AM	you guys lost me i dont know what most of this is.
terrainmonkey 05-14-07, 09:34 AM	try a halfling. because halfling barbarians ROCK!!!
RobbyPants 05-14-07, 09:36 AM	But if you're just looking for me smash goodness, just go full-blooded orc. Orcs make great barbarians. Water orcs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterOrcs) (a variant race) are pretty good. +4 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Wis, -2 Cha. You don't get a Dex bonus, but you also don't get a Dex penalty. +4 Str and +2 Con are great for a barbarian. All at LA+0. If you can manage a natural 18 into your Str (modified 22) you'll have a +6 mod. With a two-handed weapon, that's +9 damage per attack at level 1. About anything you should be fighting at that level will drop. Edit: Oops! :eek: Missed that FatMonkey13 already posted them! :P
Lionhearted 05-14-07, 12:41 PM	If you can manage a natural 18 into your Str (modified 22) you'll have a +6 mod. With a two-handed weapon, that's +9 damage per attack at level 1. About anything you should be fighting at that level will drop. ahem, you forgot the +4 rage bonus, making str to 26 at lvl 1, take Power attack as your first lvl feat, pick up a greataxe and you're ready to go +8 to hit, 1d12+14 damage, me smash...
The_Shaman 05-14-07, 02:50 PM	Aww, I like mauls... All that crushy goodness... Alternatively, there are some dwarven subraces that are small and have no penalties to strength. IMO that's a good way to start - that +1 attack from being small is a +2 from PA with a two-handed weapon, and a small greataxe is still a 1d10 weapon. Plus, having a mini-sized dwarf go postal with a miniature greataxe might be fun. OMG, I got it! Grig barbarians with leap attack. KYAAAAAAAAAH! THUMP
Jon of the North 05-14-07, 07:10 PM	you guys lost me i dont know what most of this is. On that note: please include the book your chosen race is in. I'll help with what I can: Shifter is in Monster Manual (MM) III, also in ebberarion (sic) books IIRC. Wood elf, Orc, kobold and halfling are in MM I. Dragonborn I believe is a template from Races of the Dragon Water orc... um, the Big Orcing book or Orcs?
Darth Sephiroth 05-14-07, 07:39 PM	Half-Minotaur Goliath Barbarian. +8 Str normal makes things go bang, add the ability to get bigger while raging along with the additional +2 to str (on top of the normal) when raging makes you devistating.
Kirk99 05-14-07, 07:43 PM	Feral. Goliath.
dragonboy131313 05-14-07, 10:04 PM	So what book is water orc in?
smorgasbord_of_pie 05-15-07, 07:28 AM	I (as a DM) have an aversion to wood elves. On page 24 of the 3.0 DMG it is explicitly stated that an intelligence penalty is NOT equivalent to a loss of strength. INT is (skills aside) useless to most strength oriented classes, so there is a reason that half-orcs lose INT and CHA. Wood elves give half-orcs the short end of the stick.
Borris 05-15-07, 07:53 AM	So what book is water orc in? The Water Orc comes from Unearthed Arcana. As RobbyPants has already posted, it can also be found here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#waterOrcs
Lionhearted 05-15-07, 09:04 AM	I (as a DM) have an aversion to wood elves. On page 24 of the 3.0 DMG it is explicitly stated that an intelligence penalty is NOT equivalent to a loss of strength. INT is (skills aside) useless to most strength oriented classes, so there is a reason that half-orcs lose INT and CHA. Wood elves give half-orcs the short end of the stick. Not true! try to play a character with negative stupid intelligence AND fighter, geez you cannot even jump propely
RobbyPants 05-15-07, 09:40 AM	I (as a DM) have an aversion to wood elves. On page 24 of the 3.0 DMG it is explicitly stated that an intelligence penalty is NOT equivalent to a loss of strength. INT is (skills aside) useless to most strength oriented classes, so there is a reason that half-orcs lose INT and CHA. Wood elves give half-orcs the short end of the stick. If you want to make this worse (for a direct comparision) add in the Dragonborn template. Before the template you're comparing +2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con, -2 Int to +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha. Because of the Con penalty, it's not too appealing. However, after adding the template (-2 Dex, +2 Con, among other things), you compare +2 Str, -2 Int to +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha. It certainly looks like halforcs get the short end of the stick here. Wood elves are core, and they pretty much make halforcs obsolete.
smorgasbord_of_pie 05-15-07, 10:05 AM	Not true! try to play a character with negative stupid intelligence AND fighter, geez you cannot even jump propely Except if, say, you had a good strength score.... Heeeey! You do!