Level 3 Barbarian (Grizzly Ursine[Polar]). Stats: Str - 16, Dex - 14, CON - 16, INT - 10, WIS - 12, CHA - 12
Party just leveled up to level 3 & I am probably going the Path of the Ancestral Guardian as it fits my character's backstory pretty well (stolen by Ilithids & later escaped) & appeals to me.
My issue, however, comes from last night's combat. Dropped three separate times due to good DM rolls & being hit with magic attacks. He wields a greataxe & has an AC of 15 (unarmoured defense - 10+2+3=15). While I am trying not to overreact to what might simply be 'bad luck' for me last night I am curious if I should trade down to a batteaxe or warhammer & add a shield.
That would up my AC by 2 to a 17 but would reduce my max damage by 4 (d8 vs. d12).
First barbarian I've ever played so any insights/advice would be greatly appreciated.
If you have the means or dm who will work with you, try to get an animated shield. Boosts your ac and you can still use 2 handed weapons.
the other option is taking medium armor like half plate. You would still get your dex bonus and have a 17 AC.
or take your ASI in dex or con to boost it if you’re not planning on taking a feat. this would take longer of course.
Thanks for the suggestions! The Animated Shield looks cool - hadn't heard of that one before. Will definitely put it on my 'wish list.' ;-)
Thought of Breast Plate or Half Plate; unfortunately, both are a little out of my price range at the moment.
May end up going the ASI route, depending on funds.
Kato
If your really worried about your AC. You can actually drop the Unarmored Defense at least for now. Or even in combination with an animated shield to get you more AC.
With your Stats an AC of 16 to 17 is possible even without any magical armor.
Dropped three separate times due to good DM rolls & being hit with magic attacks.
You mean magic spell damage or damage from magic weapons? Only asking, because your resistance to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage doesn't come with a qualifier like "from non-magical weapons" or some such. A barbarian rage damage resistance works against magic or non-magic slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage. You may know this already, but just wanted to be sure. :)
If you are this worried about damage you can look to get some armour and/or a shield. Armour will need to be Scale Mail or better to improve upon your unarmoured defence, though, and a shield will need you to drop to a single-handed weapon, but you will take fewer hits and less damage on average.
Remember that Barbarians' main defence is to have a large number of hit points and resistance. With your stats, you are likely on around 25HP now, but will gain about 10 (on average) when you level up. If you up your CON at L4, that will give you even more AND will increase your unarmoured AC.
Some subclasses give you extra defensive features. Path of the Totem Warrior will give you resistance to pretty much everything if you choose the Bear at L3, Beast lets you have a tail to boost your AC. However, Ancestral Guardian's main feature is to draw enemy attacks to yourself. This is going to mean you draw even more hits. Dropping the great axe and going sword-and-board may be a better choice: Your party role will likely be mostly tanking, drawing enemy fire away from the squishies, not damage dealer. Being able to take more punishment may be more valuable than being able to dish it out.
Honestly, I don’t think AC will help you against magic attacks. You could go as a Totem Barb to resist everything or try to use the battlefield at your favor. Most magic attacks require line of sight and cover offers protection as well.
Not that you should ignore AC, but the truth is that Reckless Attack already encourages you to go all-in to attack.
Level 3 Barbarian (Grizzly Ursine[Polar]). Stats: Str - 16, Dex - 14, CON - 16, INT - 10, WIS - 12, CHA - 12
Party just leveled up to level 3 & I am probably going the Path of the Ancestral Guardian as it fits my character's backstory pretty well (stolen by Ilithids & later escaped) & appeals to me.
My issue, however, comes from last night's combat. Dropped three separate times due to good DM rolls & being hit with magic attacks. He wields a greataxe & has an AC of 15 (unarmoured defense - 10+2+3=15). While I am trying not to overreact to what might simply be 'bad luck' for me last night I am curious if I should trade down to a batteaxe or warhammer & add a shield.
That would up my AC by 2 to a 17 but would reduce my max damage by 4 (d8 vs. d12).
First barbarian I've ever played so any insights/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Kato
Considering that you're planning to go Ancestral Guardian for your subclass I'd strongly consider going shield and battle axe. Most Barbarians depend on Reckless Attacks as a sort of tanking tool since it encourages enemies to attack you by giving them advantage, but Ancestral Guardian has tanking tools built into their subclass features. Your damage will reduce less than you think because realistically it's better to look at the average damage of the weapon than the max. Great axe with 16 strength you're doing an average of 11.5 damage on a hit, one handed battle axe you're doing 9.5. As others have said you'd also benefit from picking up some armor, but if you're worried about your defense then you should increase your constitution to 18 at level 4, at which point the only non magical armor that will boost your AC is Half plate and that costs 750 gp.
As for magic items, braces of unarmored defense, ring of protection and cloak of protection are probably your best bets. Animated Shield is very cool, but it takes a bonus action to activate and so does your rage so you won't be able to activate both in the same turn. It's also a very rare magic item, so it's going to be a while before you see one.
Lastly, a big part of the reason you went down three times is just that you're low level. Given that you said you just hit level 3 I'm assuming the fight you went down in was at level 2. Level 2 as a barbarian with no armor can be tough. As you level up and your constitution modifier increases you're gonna get a ton of HP and you will be tough to take down just by virtue of how many hits you can shrug off.
Honestly, I don’t think AC will help you against magic attacks. You could go as a Totem Barb to resist everything or try to use the battlefield at your favor. Most magic attacks require line of sight and cover offers protection as well.
Not that you should ignore AC, but the truth is that Reckless Attack already encourages you to go all-in to attack.
Level 3 Barbarian (Grizzly Ursine[Polar]). Stats: Str - 16, Dex - 14, CON - 16, INT - 10, WIS - 12, CHA - 12
Party just leveled up to level 3 & I am probably going the Path of the Ancestral Guardian as it fits my character's backstory pretty well (stolen by Ilithids & later escaped) & appeals to me.
My issue, however, comes from last night's combat. Dropped three separate times due to good DM rolls & being hit with magic attacks. He wields a greataxe & has an AC of 15 (unarmoured defense - 10+2+3=15). While I am trying not to overreact to what might simply be 'bad luck' for me last night I am curious if I should trade down to a batteaxe or warhammer & add a shield.
That would up my AC by 2 to a 17 but would reduce my max damage by 4 (d8 vs. d12).
First barbarian I've ever played so any insights/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Kato
Considering that you're planning to go Ancestral Guardian for your subclass I'd strongly consider going shield and battle axe. Most Barbarians depend on Reckless Attacks as a sort of tanking tool since it encourages enemies to attack you by giving them advantage, but Ancestral Guardian has tanking tools built into their subclass features. Your damage will reduce less than you think because realistically it's better to look at the average damage of the weapon than the max. Great axe with 16 strength you're doing an average of 11.5 damage on a hit, one handed battle axe you're doing 9.5. As others have said you'd also benefit from picking up some armor, but if you're worried about your defense then you should increase your constitution to 18 at level 4, at which point the only non magical armor that will boost your AC is Half plate and that costs 750 gp.
As for magic items, braces of unarmored defense, ring of protection and cloak of protection are probably your best bets. Animated Shield is very cool, but it takes a bonus action to activate and so does your rage so you won't be able to activate both in the same turn. It's also a very rare magic item, so it's going to be a while before you see one.
Lastly, a big part of the reason you went down three times is just that you're low level. Given that you said you just hit level 3 I'm assuming the fight you went down in was at level 2. Level 2 as a barbarian with no armor can be tough. As you level up and your constitution modifier increases you're gonna get a ton of HP and you will be tough to take down just by virtue of how many hits you can shrug off.
Good luck and watch out for those spellcasters
Thanks for the insight & the advice. Just finished a campaign as a 15th level Paladin and so I may have gotten used to the AC. ;-)
Definitely going to take the CON ASI at 4th level. Thanks also for the damage breakdown! Helps visual things better.
My guy was level 2 as was pointed out, by my son no less, I dealt with three spellcasters in a row & had used up my Rages. DM rolled crazy well, including initiative, which is always the bane of a party. Just trying to consider things so I don't become too much a liability.
Picking up some medium armor is very good, but adamantium armor is key imo, if you can find/afford it. It means you will always take half damage from hits, even if the DM rolls that big crit...to you it will just be another hit that does only half damage! As a barbarian giving up advantage to enemies all the time, you ARE going to get hit. Just count on it. Assume it will happen. Hopefully, between taking half damage yourself and heals, you are not going down very often. You DM may need to throw a few more healing potions into the game, for you, if your healers aren't showing up some love!
Picking up some medium armor is very good, but adamantium armor is key imo, if you can find/afford it. It means you will always take half damage from hits, even if the DM rolls that big crit...to you it will just be another hit that does only half damage! As a barbarian giving up advantage to enemies all the time, you ARE going to get hit. Just count on it. Assume it will happen. Hopefully, between taking half damage yourself and heals, you are not going down very often. You DM may need to throw a few more healing potions into the game, for you, if your healers aren't showing up some love!
Thanks for the input! Not sure how likely getting adamantium armor will be in the Ten Towns but I like the idea. Being the focal point in combat with a lower AC, compared to my paladin, definitely takes some getting used to. Gotta change my mindset - and not run into to many spellcasters all at once (lol)!
Thanks for the insight & the advice. Just finished a campaign as a 15th level Paladin and so I may have gotten used to the AC. ;-)
Definitely going to take the CON ASI at 4th level. Thanks also for the damage breakdown! Helps visual things better.
My guy was level 2 as was pointed out, by my son no less, I dealt with three spellcasters in a row & had used up my Rages. DM rolled crazy well, including initiative, which is always the bane of a party. Just trying to consider things so I don't become too much a liability.
Kato
Oof, running out of rages is always tough but especially so at low levels. Maybe consider both greataxe for when raging and shield and battle axe for when you run out? Barbarians can be a little more flexible with weapon choice than Paladins since you never pick up a fighting style (other than SMASH!)
Off topic, is your username a Wheel of Time reference?
Thanks for the insight & the advice. Just finished a campaign as a 15th level Paladin and so I may have gotten used to the AC. ;-)
Definitely going to take the CON ASI at 4th level. Thanks also for the damage breakdown! Helps visual things better.
My guy was level 2 as was pointed out, by my son no less, I dealt with three spellcasters in a row & had used up my Rages. DM rolled crazy well, including initiative, which is always the bane of a party. Just trying to consider things so I don't become too much a liability.
Kato
Oof, running out of rages is always tough but especially so at low levels. Maybe consider both greataxe for when raging and shield and battle axe for when you run out? Barbarians can be a little more flexible with weapon choice than Paladins since you never pick up a fighting style (other than SMASH!)
Off topic, is your username a Wheel of Time reference?
Great idea! Will definitely work on that combo.
Yes, my username is inspired by Wheel of Time. A mixture of the fighting technique of 'Cat Crosses the Courtyard' & my high school nickname. Nice catch!
I think the thing that should really be doing the most for your durability is if the fighter, cleric, and artificer would all cooperate to help you out. The fighter should be taking some of the heat off you, and the artificer should either be doing so as well or buffing you, depending on which subclass they chose. An artillerist using the temp HP providing arcane cannon option will give you an enormous boost to durability.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I think the thing that should really be doing the most for your durability is if the fighter, cleric, and artificer would all cooperate to help you out. The fighter should be taking some of the heat off you, and the artificer should either be doing so as well or buffing you, depending on which subclass they chose. An artillerist using the temp HP providing arcane cannon option will give you an enormous boost to durability.
Good idea. Will have to start working more on tactics. Everyone is still trying to gel together & combine our actins better. Thanks!
Excellent. D&D isn't like an MMO where there's certain classes who should be taking all the hits while other classes do the damage or provide support. It's more mixed than that.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Also… if you’re surrounded and taking a lot of hits normally, switch to a sword and board (obviously not mid-combat) and dodge. At level 2 it’ll make you almost unhittable. And if the enemies keep attacking you, great! If they start running away, take the opp attack and then unleash your reckless attacks next round when they’ve thinned out.
I love teaching Barbarians as a DM that there’s more to the class than reckless and rage. Unfortunately, it takes a few KOs to teach that sometimes.
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Looking for some help regarding my barbarian. My group is playing Rhyme of the Frostmaiden.
Party: Goliath Fighter (Rune Knight), High Elf Ranger (two-weapon fighter), Hobbit Druid, Gnome Artificer, Human Cleric (Order domain), & Tikaani Ursus (me).
Level 3 Barbarian (Grizzly Ursine[Polar]). Stats: Str - 16, Dex - 14, CON - 16, INT - 10, WIS - 12, CHA - 12
Party just leveled up to level 3 & I am probably going the Path of the Ancestral Guardian as it fits my character's backstory pretty well (stolen by Ilithids & later escaped) & appeals to me.
My issue, however, comes from last night's combat. Dropped three separate times due to good DM rolls & being hit with magic attacks. He wields a greataxe & has an AC of 15 (unarmoured defense - 10+2+3=15). While I am trying not to overreact to what might simply be 'bad luck' for me last night I am curious if I should trade down to a batteaxe or warhammer & add a shield.
That would up my AC by 2 to a 17 but would reduce my max damage by 4 (d8 vs. d12).
First barbarian I've ever played so any insights/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Kato
If you have the means or dm who will work with you, try to get an animated shield. Boosts your ac and you can still use 2 handed weapons.
the other option is taking medium armor like half plate. You would still get your dex bonus and have a 17 AC.
or take your ASI in dex or con to boost it if you’re not planning on taking a feat. this would take longer of course.
Do you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
Thanks for the suggestions! The Animated Shield looks cool - hadn't heard of that one before. Will definitely put it on my 'wish list.' ;-)
Thought of Breast Plate or Half Plate; unfortunately, both are a little out of my price range at the moment.
May end up going the ASI route, depending on funds.
Kato
If your really worried about your AC. You can actually drop the Unarmored Defense at least for now. Or even in combination with an animated shield to get you more AC.
With your Stats an AC of 16 to 17 is possible even without any magical armor.
As long as you're wishing, if you want to stay unarmored, Bracers of Defense, Ring of Protection, or Cloak of Protection are all your friends...
You mean magic spell damage or damage from magic weapons? Only asking, because your resistance to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage doesn't come with a qualifier like "from non-magical weapons" or some such. A barbarian rage damage resistance works against magic or non-magic slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage. You may know this already, but just wanted to be sure. :)
If you are this worried about damage you can look to get some armour and/or a shield. Armour will need to be Scale Mail or better to improve upon your unarmoured defence, though, and a shield will need you to drop to a single-handed weapon, but you will take fewer hits and less damage on average.
Remember that Barbarians' main defence is to have a large number of hit points and resistance. With your stats, you are likely on around 25HP now, but will gain about 10 (on average) when you level up. If you up your CON at L4, that will give you even more AND will increase your unarmoured AC.
Some subclasses give you extra defensive features. Path of the Totem Warrior will give you resistance to pretty much everything if you choose the Bear at L3, Beast lets you have a tail to boost your AC. However, Ancestral Guardian's main feature is to draw enemy attacks to yourself. This is going to mean you draw even more hits. Dropping the great axe and going sword-and-board may be a better choice: Your party role will likely be mostly tanking, drawing enemy fire away from the squishies, not damage dealer. Being able to take more punishment may be more valuable than being able to dish it out.
Honestly, I don’t think AC will help you against magic attacks. You could go as a Totem Barb to resist everything or try to use the battlefield at your favor. Most magic attacks require line of sight and cover offers protection as well.
Not that you should ignore AC, but the truth is that Reckless Attack already encourages you to go all-in to attack.
Considering that you're planning to go Ancestral Guardian for your subclass I'd strongly consider going shield and battle axe. Most Barbarians depend on Reckless Attacks as a sort of tanking tool since it encourages enemies to attack you by giving them advantage, but Ancestral Guardian has tanking tools built into their subclass features. Your damage will reduce less than you think because realistically it's better to look at the average damage of the weapon than the max. Great axe with 16 strength you're doing an average of 11.5 damage on a hit, one handed battle axe you're doing 9.5. As others have said you'd also benefit from picking up some armor, but if you're worried about your defense then you should increase your constitution to 18 at level 4, at which point the only non magical armor that will boost your AC is Half plate and that costs 750 gp.
As for magic items, braces of unarmored defense, ring of protection and cloak of protection are probably your best bets. Animated Shield is very cool, but it takes a bonus action to activate and so does your rage so you won't be able to activate both in the same turn. It's also a very rare magic item, so it's going to be a while before you see one.
Lastly, a big part of the reason you went down three times is just that you're low level. Given that you said you just hit level 3 I'm assuming the fight you went down in was at level 2. Level 2 as a barbarian with no armor can be tough. As you level up and your constitution modifier increases you're gonna get a ton of HP and you will be tough to take down just by virtue of how many hits you can shrug off.
Good luck and watch out for those spellcasters
Thanks!
Thanks for the insight & the advice. Just finished a campaign as a 15th level Paladin and so I may have gotten used to the AC. ;-)
Definitely going to take the CON ASI at 4th level. Thanks also for the damage breakdown! Helps visual things better.
My guy was level 2 as was pointed out, by my son no less, I dealt with three spellcasters in a row & had used up my Rages. DM rolled crazy well, including initiative, which is always the bane of a party. Just trying to consider things so I don't become too much a liability.
Kato
Picking up some medium armor is very good, but adamantium armor is key imo, if you can find/afford it. It means you will always take half damage from hits, even if the DM rolls that big crit...to you it will just be another hit that does only half damage! As a barbarian giving up advantage to enemies all the time, you ARE going to get hit. Just count on it. Assume it will happen. Hopefully, between taking half damage yourself and heals, you are not going down very often. You DM may need to throw a few more healing potions into the game, for you, if your healers aren't showing up some love!
Thanks for the input! Not sure how likely getting adamantium armor will be in the Ten Towns but I like the idea. Being the focal point in combat with a lower AC, compared to my paladin, definitely takes some getting used to. Gotta change my mindset - and not run into to many spellcasters all at once (lol)!
Oof, running out of rages is always tough but especially so at low levels. Maybe consider both greataxe for when raging and shield and battle axe for when you run out? Barbarians can be a little more flexible with weapon choice than Paladins since you never pick up a fighting style (other than SMASH!)
Off topic, is your username a Wheel of Time reference?
Great idea! Will definitely work on that combo.
Yes, my username is inspired by Wheel of Time. A mixture of the fighting technique of 'Cat Crosses the Courtyard' & my high school nickname. Nice catch!
Kato
I think the thing that should really be doing the most for your durability is if the fighter, cleric, and artificer would all cooperate to help you out. The fighter should be taking some of the heat off you, and the artificer should either be doing so as well or buffing you, depending on which subclass they chose. An artillerist using the temp HP providing arcane cannon option will give you an enormous boost to durability.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Good idea. Will have to start working more on tactics. Everyone is still trying to gel together & combine our actins better. Thanks!
Excellent. D&D isn't like an MMO where there's certain classes who should be taking all the hits while other classes do the damage or provide support. It's more mixed than that.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Also… if you’re surrounded and taking a lot of hits normally, switch to a sword and board (obviously not mid-combat) and dodge. At level 2 it’ll make you almost unhittable. And if the enemies keep attacking you, great! If they start running away, take the opp attack and then unleash your reckless attacks next round when they’ve thinned out.
I love teaching Barbarians as a DM that there’s more to the class than reckless and rage. Unfortunately, it takes a few KOs to teach that sometimes.