# What are the best feats for a barbarian?



## Firebeetle

I'm doing a bit of research for a project.

What are the best/most common feats for a barbarian? I'm interested in PHB feats only here.

I'm predicting:

Power Attack
Cleave
Great Cleave

What additions would you make?


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## RangerWickett

* Reckless Rage [instead of -2 AC for +4 Str, +4 Con, it's -4 AC for +6 Str, +6 Con]
* Reckless Offense [-4 AC, +2 attack, from the Expanded Psionics Handbook]
* The tactical feat that lets you take a hit to AC instead of attack bonus when you power attack


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## Rystil Arden

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> * Reckless Rage [instead of -2 AC for +4 Str, +4 Con, it's -4 AC for +6 Str, +6 Con]
> * Reckless Offense [-4 AC, +2 attack, from the Expanded Psionics Handbook]
> * The tactical feat that lets you take a hit to AC instead of attack bonus when you power attack



 I'm guessing you really like your Barbarians to be living missiles--fire them off at a charge to do massive damage and self-destruct   That's a cool image!

If the monster has Power Attack and multiple natural weapons (dragons are a good example), there's very little chance to survive a Reckless Rage, Reckless Offense, Shock Trooper charge unless the enemy dies on the charge.


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## Dr. NRG

Firebeetle said:
			
		

> I'm doing a bit of research for a project.
> 
> What are the best/most common feats for a barbarian? I'm interested in PHB feats only here.
> 
> I'm predicting:
> 
> Power Attack
> Cleave
> Great Cleave
> 
> What additions would you make?




Power attack and cleave, yes.  Great cleave, no.  It just rarely ever ends up getting used, in my experience.  

The dodge, mobility, spring attack chain isn't bad for a relatively lightly-armored barbarian who doesn't have access to feats outside the PHB.  

NRG


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## Crothian

My Barbarian has Improved Toughness, Power Attack, Cleave, and Extra Rage.  

I also like like alternative Barbarian packages in Unearthed Arcana.  I took the Ape one so he is a great climber.


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## Elephant

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> * Reckless Rage [instead of -2 AC for +4 Str, +4 Con, it's -4 AC for +6 Str, +6 Con]
> * Reckless Offense [-4 AC, +2 attack, from the Expanded Psionics Handbook]
> * The tactical feat that lets you take a hit to AC instead of attack bonus when you power attack




I'd agree that those are useful Bbn feats, but ...



			
				Firebeetle said:
			
		

> I'm interested in PHB feats only here.




They don't seem terribly relevant.

My suggestions are:  Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Imp Crit, and Cleave.  I'd have to do more thinking before picking any others for a Bbn.  Maybe Weapon Specialization with some Fighter multiclassing.


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## Hammerhead

Iron Will, probably.


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## Nifft

Power Attack
Iron Will
Dodge
Mobility
Weapon Focus
Improved Sunder

Cheers, -- N


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## pawsplay

Power Attack, Cleave, Dodge, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes.


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## Legildur

Power Attack, Cleave, Iron Will. Maybe Extra Rage.


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## Nazhkandrias

You know, a Mounted Combat Barbarian is a force to be reckoned with! Try this...

Barbarian mounted on Dire Wolf, armed with Lance (or Glaive, if you don't want to be too charge-dependent; please note that while you can use a Lance one-handed while mounted, don't, take advantage of Power Attack and high Strength), taking Power Attack, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Combat Reflexes, and various examples of the feats used above.

This results in a Barbarian that uses the reach weapon to their advantage (lots of AoOs), along with forgoing the need for Spring Attack (since the wolf can attack and trip anybody who gets too close). Their charges are devastating, their mount is fierce, they have good close-in combat ability, they do tons of damage, and they're cool as hell. I have a player that's a mounted Half-Orc Barbarian, armed with a Glaive and the feat selection above, and they kick butt.

Also consider taking Heavy Armor Proficiency. Your Fast Movement doesn't apply on a Wolf, and you can take all of the AC you can get. I always recommend that mounted warriors use heavy armor, since almost all of the drawbacks are negated. You aren't hit by reduced movement speed, reduced running ability, and the penalty to a high Dex score is outweighed by the AC change from Breastplate to Full Plate. Combine a set of Adamantine Full Plate (extra DR) with the Barbarian's DR, and you're invincible. Consider getting the mount good barding, too. For a brawler, tank-ish mounted warrior, use Full Plate Barding, but you can go with Breastplate or Chain Shirt, too.

Finally, to deal with the problem of your mount being weaker than you are and possibly dying, cast most defensive spells on the mount, or, if you party with a Druid, hop on their Animal Companion (assuming they'll let you). Worst case scenario, get the party Wizard to cast Mount or some sort of Extended Summon Monster spell. Also, get a bigger mount whenver the opportunity arises. If you find yourself with a trained 6 HD Dire Wolf, and the Druid befriends a 9 HD untrained Dire Wolf, by all means, get somebody to train the better one!


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## hong

Extra Music



Oh, you said BARB. I thought you said BARD. My bad.


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## Rystil Arden

hong said:
			
		

> Extra Music
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, you said BARB. I thought you said BARD. My bad.



 It's easy to jump to that conclusion when you have a Bayesian prior for Firebeetle threads with words to the effect of X Y Z 'bar...'  

I admit that I did so as well when I first saw the thread


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## frankthedm

Rystil Arden said:
			
		

> I'm guessing you really like your Barbarians to be living missiles--fire them off at a charge to do massive damage and self-destruct   That's a cool image!
> 
> If the monster has Power Attack and multiple natural weapons (dragons are a good example), there's very little chance to survive a Reckless Rage, Reckless Offense, Shock Trooper charge unless the enemy dies on the charge.



Won't you need some sort of "Pounce" to get multiple attacks while charging. Say...What level would a feral minotaur have to be to have all the feats to pull that off ?


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## Particle_Man

Leadership.

One barbarian is nasty.  A group of barbarians is a HORDE!  

Power Attack and Cleave are also good, natch.  Iron Will is good for your fellow party members' peace of mind.

A little out there, but...

Improved Unarmed Strike.  For bar fights.   And if you got the stats for it, Deflect Arrows and Snatch Arrows, because it is kinda cool to throw you enemy's ax back at their own head.

Well that is 7 feats.  If you are a pre-epic half-orc you are full!


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## Sejs

hong said:
			
		

> Extra Music
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, you said BARB. I thought you said BARD. My bad.




I love you.


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## hong

Sejs said:
			
		

> I love you.


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## Kae'Yoss

Rystil Arden said:
			
		

> I'm guessing you really like your Barbarians to be living missiles--fire them off at a charge to do massive damage and self-destruct   That's a cool image!




Well, whatever survives that assault probably has no problems hitting him with or without the AC penalty.


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## Particle_Man

Rystil Arden said:
			
		

> I'm guessing you really like your Barbarians to be living missiles--fire them off at a charge to do massive damage and self-destruct   That's a cool image!




I believe it is a not-too-inaccurate portrayal of the Celts vs. the Romans.  The Celts did one massive enraged charge, which was devastating, but if the Roman legion held, then the Celts were dead meat.


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## Rystil Arden

Kae'Yoss said:
			
		

> Well, whatever survives that assault probably has no problems hitting him with or without the AC penalty.



 But now it can hit the Barbarian automatically on a full Power Attack.  For instance, a Full Power Attacking Young Adult dragon has only +8 to hit (because it just Power Attacked for 19), and lower on its not claw attacks (maybe +6 with Multiattack).  It's a CR 10 opponent, so we'll make RW's Barbarian level 10, which means he Shock Troopered for 10, leaving him at his regular AC - 18.  Let's be generous and say that the Barbarian has 26 AC normally.  So the dragon would barely ever hit with that Power Attack (needs 18 for claws, 20 else).  Now that AC is 8.  Free hits except on a 1.



			
				Particle_Man said:
			
		

> I believe it is a not-too-inaccurate portrayal of the Celts vs. the Romans. The Celts did one massive enraged charge, which was devastating, but if the Roman legion held, then the Celts were dead meat.




True that, and that's a really cool image--that feat combo is the perfect way to represent that style of fighting.  For extra style points, since the enemy hits you anyway, ditch all armour and clothing and just wear war paint!


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## Nazhkandrias

Rystil Arden said:
			
		

> True that, and that's a really cool image--that feat combo is the perfect way to represent that style of fighting. For extra style points, since the enemy hits you anyway, ditch all armour *and clothing* and just wear war paint!



:\ Umm, terribly sorry, but I must recommend against that one part. That's the domain of the BoEF...


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## Nifft

Particle_Man said:
			
		

> Leadership.
> 
> One barbarian is nasty.  A group of barbarians is a HORDE!




"Check out the horde on Brad!"
"Thog want horde. Thog wish Charisma not dump stat."

 -- N


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## Rystil Arden

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> :\ Umm, terribly sorry, but I must recommend against that one part. That's the domain of the BoEF...



 And, y'know, the actual Celts?


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## Olaf the Stout

I made a Level 14 Half-Orc Barbarian for a PbP and took the following feats.

Power Attack
Improved Unarmed Strike
Improved Grapple
Improved Critical
Dodge

I had a Falchion as my main weapon so Improved Critical meant that I had a threat range of 15-20.

Power Attack is an obvious choice.  I needed Improved Unarmed Strike to get Improved Grapple.  Improved Grapple may or may not be useful, depending on what creatures you come up against.  You should be able to beat most humanoids in a grapple, provided you have a reasonable strength.  If you are going to face a lot of really strong monsters then these 2 feats might be better spend elsewhere.

If you do decide to take Improved Critical, see if you can get some _Oil of Bless Weapon_.  If you threaten while this on your weapon, the crit is automatically confirmed.  For it's price it is well worth the money.

Olaf the Stout


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## Nazhkandrias

Rystil Arden said:
			
		

> And, y'know, the actual Celts?



I know, I just couldn't resist.


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## RangerWickett

Rystil Arden said:
			
		

> But now it can hit the Barbarian automatically on a full Power Attack.  For instance, a Full Power Attacking Young Adult dragon has only +8 to hit (because it just Power Attacked for 19), and lower on its not claw attacks (maybe +6 with Multiattack).  It's a CR 10 opponent, so we'll make RW's Barbarian level 10, which means he Shock Troopered for 10, leaving him at his regular AC - 18.  Let's be generous and say that the Barbarian has 26 AC normally.  So the dragon would barely ever hit with that Power Attack (needs 18 for claws, 20 else).  Now that AC is 8.  Free hits except on a 1.




A 10th level barbarian with a 26 AC? The heck? I suppose if you put all your money in defenses (you are supposed to have about 49k in money at 10th level), sure. You could have +3 mithral full plate (19,500), +1 animated heavy shield (9,330), +2 ring of protection (8,000), +2 amulet of natural armor (8,000), and gloves of dexterity +2 (4,000), with a starting Dexterity of 14. You end up with an AC of 31 (+11 armor, +3 shield, +2 deflection, +2 natural, +3 dexterity).

Of course, when I made a character with those feats, I had a Dexterity of 8, wore no armor, and liked to have the party wizard enlarge me. With my base AC of 9, at 6th level I could be large (-1 from lower Dex, -1 from size), charge (-2), be offensive (-4), and recklessly raging (-4), while combat bruting (-6). My AC reached -9. *grin*

Of course, with a falchion I had a +18 attack bonus (+6 base, +1 weapon, +4 base strength, +1 enlarged strength, -1 size penalty, +3 rage, +2 reckless, and +2 charge), and dealt 2d6+25 damage (large falchion, +1 weapon, +6 base strength, +1.5 enlarged strength, +4.5 raged strength, and +12 power attack).

At 10th level with the character, I would have spent my money on my weapon, on potions of flying and enlarge, and a belt of strength and amulet of health. And lots of potions of cure light wounds.


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## AnonymousOne

Nifft said:
			
		

> "Check out the horde on Brad!"
> "Thog want horde. Thog wish Charisma not dump stat."
> 
> -- N



 
Priceless.


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## Rystil Arden

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> A 10th level barbarian with a 26 AC? The heck? I suppose if you put all your money in defenses (you are supposed to have about 49k in money at 10th level), sure. You could have +3 mithral full plate (19,500), +1 animated heavy shield (9,330), +2 ring of protection (8,000), +2 amulet of natural armor (8,000), and gloves of dexterity +2 (4,000), with a starting Dexterity of 14. You end up with an AC of 31 (+11 armor, +3 shield, +2 deflection, +2 natural, +3 dexterity).
> 
> Of course, when I made a character with those feats, I had a Dexterity of 8, wore no armor, and liked to have the party wizard enlarge me. With my base AC of 9, at 6th level I could be large (-1 from lower Dex, -1 from size), charge (-2), be offensive (-4), and recklessly raging (-4), while combat bruting (-6). My AC reached -9. *grin*
> 
> Of course, with a falchion I had a +18 attack bonus (+6 base, +1 weapon, +4 base strength, +1 enlarged strength, -1 size penalty, +3 rage, +2 reckless, and +2 charge), and dealt 2d6+25 damage (large falchion, +1 weapon, +6 base strength, +1.5 enlarged strength, +4.5 raged strength, and +12 power attack).
> 
> At 10th level with the character, I would have spent my money on my weapon, on potions of flying and enlarge, and a belt of strength and amulet of health. And lots of potions of cure light wounds.



 Yeah, I said I was being very generous with the 26 (you can actually hit 26 by spending half your cash--just reduce all those bonuses to +1 and lose the Dex item, but what Barbarian spends half their cash on defense?  No real Barbarian!).

It's a pretty awesome image, though with that kind of AC, the trouble comes when the enemy survives the initial charge, or if the GM allows the Improved Combat Expertise feat, the trouble might start coming before that (that dragon has 45 AC if it ICEs for full, and it can easily afford to do that and full Power Attack against AC -9  )


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## Nazhkandrias

Nifft said:
			
		

> "Check out the horde on Brad!"
> "Thog want horde. Thog wish Charisma not dump stat."



Don't we all love Thog? His singing is astounding...

"If you wanna be Thog's lover, you gotta get with Thog's friends..."

"Thog free! As free as the wind..."

Charisma might not actually be his dump stat... or he might have a couple of ranks in Perform (karaoke).

But, I digress... Yeah, a full-offensive Barbarian certainly fits the archetype, but it doesn't have to be that way. What with the increased Con from Rage and d12 HD, a Barbarian could conceivably be an excellent tank. Just throw in Heavy Armor Proficiency, and you're only missing out on Fast Movement. You're basically a Fighter with cooler abilities, a bigger Hit Die, and a badder attitude!

And please, don't neglect the Dex-based Barbarian! Str isn't everything, an archery build is a force to be reckoned with! Yes, your Rage won't boost your Dex, but that only increases accuracy. If you have 16 Str and 18 Dex, carry two Composite Longbows - one at a +3 Mighty, the other a +5 Mighty. Use the +3 one most of the time, and whip out the +5 for your Rages! You're looking at Greataxe-ish damage with good accuracy from 110 feet away!


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## Nifft

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> Charisma might not actually be his dump stat... or he might have a couple of ranks in Perform (karaoke).




Actually the only thing we're sure of is Int is his dump stat. Given how often he up-stages Nale, I'll bet he actually has a decent Charisma bonus.

Cheers, -- N


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## Bad Paper

so far: Iron Will, Power Attack, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip.  Haven't decided beyond that, but am considering the Dodge-Mobility-Spring Attack-Whirlwind Attack chain.


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## Darklone

Nifft said:
			
		

> Actually the only thing we're sure of is Int is his dump stat. Given how often he up-stages Nale, I'll bet he actually has a decent Charisma bonus.
> 
> Cheers, -- N



Thog is multiclass bbn/brd. Where's firebeetle if you need him? Half-orc barbarbaraians are borken!


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## Kae'Yoss

Rystil Arden said:
			
		

> And, y'know, the actual Celts?




Which is why their charges were so terrifying. I know one thing: If I were standing on a battlefield and a horde of naked, painted guys frothing at the mouth would charge me, I'd get the hell out of there. Dying would be among the better prospects in such a fight!


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## Old Gumphrey

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> A 10th level barbarian with a 26 AC? The heck? I suppose if you put all your money in defenses (you are supposed to have about 49k in money at 10th level), sure. You could have +3 mithral full plate (19,500), +1 animated heavy shield (9,330), +2 ring of protection (8,000), +2 amulet of natural armor (8,000), and gloves of dexterity +2 (4,000), with a starting Dexterity of 14. You end up with an AC of 31 (+11 armor, +3 shield, +2 deflection, +2 natural, +3 dexterity).
> 
> Of course, when I made a character with those feats, I had a Dexterity of 8, wore no armor, and liked to have the party wizard enlarge me. With my base AC of 9, at 6th level I could be large (-1 from lower Dex, -1 from size), charge (-2), be offensive (-4), and recklessly raging (-4), while combat bruting (-6). My AC reached -9. *grin*
> 
> Of course, with a falchion I had a +18 attack bonus (+6 base, +1 weapon, +4 base strength, +1 enlarged strength, -1 size penalty, +3 rage, +2 reckless, and +2 charge), and dealt 2d6+25 damage (large falchion, +1 weapon, +6 base strength, +1.5 enlarged strength, +4.5 raged strength, and +12 power attack).
> 
> At 10th level with the character, I would have spent my money on my weapon, on potions of flying and enlarge, and a belt of strength and amulet of health. And lots of potions of cure light wounds.




If you're not Leap Attacking you're not dealing damage.


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## Nazhkandrias

Kae'Yoss said:
			
		

> Which is why their charges were so terrifying. I know one thing: If I were standing on a battlefield and a horde of naked, painted guys frothing at the mouth would charge me, I'd get the hell out of there. Dying would be among the better prospects in such a fight!



Well, yes, a Celtic charge was annihiliation incarnate to most, and it scared the crap out of conscripts and seasoned warriors alike. But if they charged against a good defensive formation such as the phalanx, the Celts would be torn apart, especially against pikes (Celt-kabob).


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## Kae'Yoss

I'm not just talking about annihilation. I mean, as soldier, you're used to look death in the eye.

But a bunch of naked guys with garish body paint rushing you? I would fear for more than my life!   

Naked lasses, on the other hand....   

Your average fantasy amazon army isn't far from that. Skimpy Clothing seems to be a must for fantasy chicks. The Glorious She-Horde of Amazonia's battle cry is reputed to be "GIVE ME YOUR DAMN SHIRT I'M FREEZING!"


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## Nazhkandrias

Kae'Yoss said:
			
		

> Your average fantasy amazon army isn't far from that. Skimpy Clothing seems to be a must for fantasy chicks. The Glorious She-Horde of Amazonia's battle cry is reputed to be "GIVE ME YOUR DAMN SHIRT I'M FREEZING!"




Ah, yes. Fantasy RPGs, the games where it seems that most women wear armor that has no protective value whatsoever... "Nice Full Plate, Bob. And I like your Strips-Of-Cloth-Worn-Only-To-Cover-The-Naughty-Bits, too, Angela!" Ironically, they both seem to offer the same protection against gigantic monsters... Ladies, don't be afraid to break the stereotype! I encourage you, play a Fighter, wear armor that covers your belly, and don't be afraid to be a female Half-Orc! (And if you do play a Half-Orc, for the love of god, cover up!)


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## Sejs

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> Ah, yes. Fantasy RPGs, the games where it seems that most women wear armor that has no protective value whatsoever... "Nice Full Plate, Bob. And I like your Strips-Of-Cloth-Worn-Only-To-Cover-The-Naughty-Bits, too, Angela!" Ironically, they both seem to offer the same protection against gigantic monsters... Ladies, don't be afraid to break the stereotype! I encourage you, play a Fighter, wear armor that covers your belly, and don't be afraid to be a female Half-Orc! (And if you do play a Half-Orc, for the love of god, cover up!)




Wouldn't breaking the stereotype be playing a smoulderingly hot warrior woman, who is covered from head to toe, or a much less attractive efficiency-minded warrior woman who lets it all hang out?


C'mon, let's see those female dwarves in nothing but a platemail bikini!  Half orc women with little more than a greataxe and a tusky smile!


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## Nazhkandrias

Sejs said:
			
		

> C'mon, let's see those female dwarves in nothing but a platemail bikini! Half orc women with little more than a greataxe and a tusky smile!



And charismatic elves in Mountain Plate, don't forget that.

But, we're getting a bit off topic. Firebeetle, when you asked for best feats, you didn't really specify what kind of Barbarian you were going for. Best feats are never universal - it all depends on what style of combat you want to follow. Archetypal melee powerhouse damage dealer? Never-miss attacker? Critical hit demon? Mounted melee nightmare? Mounted RANGED nightmare? Front-line archer? Sniper? Basher? Smasher? Crasher? The possibilities are as endless as there are munchkins in D&D!


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## Pickaxe

How about Blindfight? Yes, they get part of the benefit from Uncanny Dodge, but it seems like a blind-fighting barbarian in a fog cloud would have a distinct advantage over his foes. I have a dwarf barbarian with Power Attack and Cleave, and I was considering Blindfight for his 6th level feat. (It might also be the fact that we just finished fighting a bunch of grimlocks using concealment to their advantage.)

--Axe


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## Nifft

Old Gumphrey said:
			
		

> If you're not Leap Attacking you're not dealing damage.




Spell Focus (Divination).

Wait, wrong thread.

Sorry, -- N


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## Destil

Darklone said:
			
		

> Thog is multiclass bbn/brd. Where's firebeetle if you need him? Half-orc barbarbaraians are borken!



Tefflon Billy, I believe, submitted this a few years back for an EN world Hiku contest.

Half-Orcs are singing
why gods why
did they remove the class restrictions


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