As many of you might know, I have been trying to make an easy character to play. You might also be aware that I have chosen a Goliath Barbarian and intent to select the Totem Warrior (bear) once I get to level 3.
Now I'd like your opinions on which version of the character you think is the best.
I plan to take the Zealot subclass at level three with this version.
Which of the above versions of my character do you think would work the best, considering what I have already discussed about him here and here. As well as the fact that I am trying to build a character who will easily fit into most games, as I don't know what the lineup will be like in any future group that lets me play with them.
I might also consider playing in Adventurers League (if that is still a thing) if I cant find a group to play with, so I am trying to keep him AL legal, just in case that is the only place I get to play him.
Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say
XD
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
The biggest issue I see is that you are premaking your character without any discussion with the dm. This means that you don’t know what may ir may not be acceptable. All players roll stats in the games I run, I never use the stat array or point buy, so you would need to roll your stats again for a start. Some worlds don’t have Goliath in them, some don’t start at level 1. It’s a good idea to build practice characters but don’t expect to use them in someone’s game.
The biggest issue I see is that you are premaking your character without any discussion with the dm. This means that you don’t know what may ir may not be acceptable. All players roll stats in the games I run, I never use the stat array or point buy, so you would need to roll your stats again for a start. Some worlds don’t have Goliath in them, some don’t start at level 1. It’s a good idea to build practice characters but don’t expect to use them in someone’s game.
I understand what you’re saying but I don’t have a group to play with right now.
Thats why I don’t have a group to play with and why I’m trying to create a character that would fit into vertically any game.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
The biggest issue I see is that you are premaking your character without any discussion with the dm. This means that you don’t know what may ir may not be acceptable. All players roll stats in the games I run, I never use the stat array or point buy, so you would need to roll your stats again for a start. Some worlds don’t have Goliath in them, some don’t start at level 1. It’s a good idea to build practice characters but don’t expect to use them in someone’s game.
Thats why I don’t have a group to play with and why I’m trying to create a character that would fit into vertically any game.
Any character could, theoretically, work in any game but at the same time, any character can also *not* fit into any game. What if the group you find doesn't want or need a goliath barbarian in their group? Are you going to force them to accept you?
I normally prefer my Barbarian with greataxe but going sword and board is not worse necessarily, it just offert different advantages.
A greatsword has better damage and shield better AC. You can have free hand more easily with a two-handed weapon to thrown a weapon or do something than with a sword and board There's additional feat support for shield.
It doesn''t have to be either or, you can always have both weapons and opt for one or the other depending on the combat to come.
If I know anything about you from your posts here, it's that you're always bursting with ideas and inspiration. I think if you find a game, you will have several character ideas within 0.3 seconds of reading what the campaign is about. So what I'm trying to say is that I don't really see you being satisfied with just dropping Rothar the Generic Barbarian into any campaign setting.
But that's not what you asked, so ignore it if you want. I think ultimately your question is a subjective one and I'd go with whichever felt more compelling to play. Both builds are perfectly serviceable. One thing I might suggest is to make the shield guy a fighter (or really anything but a barbarian), so that if your group already has a barbarian you can offer something additional to the party.
If the true goal is to fit into any group, the best way to cover your bases is to have multiple different options ready to go. I've always got a "stable" of PCs that I want to play, and when we start a new game I'll choose whatever compliments what others are intending to play, unless the setting itself gives me an idea for a new character.
If I know anything about you from your posts here, it's that you're always bursting with ideas and inspiration. I think if you find a game, you will have several character ideas within 0.3 seconds of reading what the campaign is about. So what I'm trying to say is that I don't really see you being satisfied with just dropping Rothar the Generic Barbarian into any campaign setting.
But that's not what you asked, so ignore it if you want. I think ultimately your question is a subjective one and I'd go with whichever felt more compelling to play. Both builds are perfectly serviceable. One thing I might suggest is to make the shield guy a fighter (or really anything but a barbarian), so that if your group already has a barbarian you can offer something additional to the party.
If the true goal is to fit into any group, the best way to cover your bases is to have multiple different options ready to go. I've always got a "stable" of PCs that I want to play, and when we start a new game I'll choose whatever compliments what others are intending to play, unless the setting itself gives me an idea for a new character.
Thank you for your excellent and lovely reply. Sadly I no longer have a group anymore, so I've been trying to make a character that I could use with a pickup group when I get the chance to play. Which means all my crazy usual ideas need to be kept to a minimum as I'm not sure what the group will be like really until the day.
This is the first time that if found myself without playmates in quite a long time.
I thought that this would be an excellent time to get back to basics, expand my experiences beyond the closed circle I've had for so long, and reconnect with the game.
To start again and essentially see it with new eyes.
I don't know if that males any sense.
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Tongue in cheek I’d say if you want to fit in any game be the cleric
until you know the setting kick back and relax
but a barbarian with a shield reduces the likelihood of being hit and improves your tankiness
There's actually some value in having a lower AC as a barbarian... especially a Bear Totem barbarian, since they have resistance to damage. The value of a tank-style of gameplay isn't just the ability to survive in combat, but the ability to draw fire away from your allies. A character with extremely high AC might be seen as a low-priority target, since the enemies might realize they're going to miss every attack anyway, but a Barbarian attacking recklessly is a tempting target... smart enemies might realize the barbarian is going to need some extra attention to take down and focus on them instead of abandoning the target they miss again and again to switch their focus to the party Cleric or Bard.
Tongue in cheek I’d say if you want to fit in any game be the cleric
until you know the setting kick back and relax
but a barbarian with a shield reduces the likelihood of being hit and improves your tankiness
There's actually some value in having a lower AC as a barbarian... especially a Bear Totem barbarian, since they have resistance to damage. The value of a tank-style of gameplay isn't just the ability to survive in combat, but the ability to draw fire away from your allies. A character with extremely high AC might be seen as a low-priority target, since the enemies might realize they're going to miss every attack anyway, but a Barbarian attacking recklessly is a tempting target... smart enemies might realize the barbarian is going to need some extra attention to take down and focus on them instead of abandoning the target they miss again and again to switch their focus to the party Cleric or Bard.
The flip side are animals and dumb opponents, who might swarm and multi-attack, or holding the choke point of a 5' corridor. There a sword and board to give both high AC and damage resistance pays off, giving you a higher effective heath than an equivilant fighter and therefore lasting longer. Does little against the smart wizard in the back, who probably will just try to dominate person the barbarian, but hey...that's smart play.
So there is both a fantasy aspect (How do I want to play) and a tactical one (this makes the most sense right now). Ultimately as a Barb; mine tend to carry both options so I can adjust to what makes the most sense.
Tongue in cheek I’d say if you want to fit in any game be the cleric
until you know the setting kick back and relax
but a barbarian with a shield reduces the likelihood of being hit and improves your tankiness
There's actually some value in having a lower AC as a barbarian... especially a Bear Totem barbarian, since they have resistance to damage. The value of a tank-style of gameplay isn't just the ability to survive in combat, but the ability to draw fire away from your allies. A character with extremely high AC might be seen as a low-priority target, since the enemies might realize they're going to miss every attack anyway, but a Barbarian attacking recklessly is a tempting target... smart enemies might realize the barbarian is going to need some extra attention to take down and focus on them instead of abandoning the target they miss again and again to switch their focus to the party Cleric or Bard.
The flip side are animals and dumb opponents, who might swarm and multi-attack, or holding the choke point of a 5' corridor. There a sword and board to give both high AC and damage resistance pays off, giving you a higher effective heath than an equivilant fighter and therefore lasting longer. Does little against the smart wizard in the back, who probably will just try to dominate person the barbarian, but hey...that's smart play.
So there is both a fantasy aspect (How do I want to play) and a tactical one (this makes the most sense right now). Ultimately as a Barb; mine tend to carry both options so I can adjust to what makes the most sense.
GLHF!
That's a good point. I think in that case I would recommend Longsword and Shield... if you don't need the AC boost, stow the shield and wield the Longsword two-handed. If it looks like you're going to have to reduce the damage you take, keep your shield handy and swing the sword one-handed.
The 2 options are equally valid and offer benefits of their own, which honestly, in MOST combats, will end up a wash. The sword and board will lower the damage you take and better ensure your surviving the fight. The 2 hander will increase your damage and drop your enemy faster, to better ensure you survive the fight. I would bet, in 10 encounters of the same enemies, using one method or the other, your HP count would end up fairly similar using either tactic. Sword and board is at LEAST losing potential 4 damage each swing (d8 1 handing LS vs d12 on the axe) Averages and stuff likely take that "drop" below a full 2 points, but I bet it's close. Board will make you get hit less on average, with diminishing returns as you level, due to the enemy bonus to hit getting stupidly high.
I have a Barbarian who is using a Greataxe currently (level 6) and has a nice Longsword in his bag, waiting on a shield. If I can see what we're about to get into before the combat starts, I will be able to choose which setup I go in with. Thus far, I know of a couple recurring enemies I will likely end up grabbing the shield for, due to their damage when they hit compared to their overall HP. So far, I have been doing the simple Rage >hit with axe > repeat until that one dies > move to next foe, hit with axe. It's been fine and I know the shield route would have produced similar results, possibly preventing me from hitting single digit HP once or twice.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Talk to your Players.Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I agree that both have their benefits and that it depends on who you are fighting, but I would add it also depends on your DM and how he/she/they run combat especially if you are looking at overall effectiveness rather than single encounters or one particular type of encounter. I think there might be slight advantages one way or another based on one DM versus another. That said, I know this is a character being developed outside of a campaign/group, so if it were me, I'd go with whichever felt truer to the personality of the character I was creating.
Good luck, I hope you find a group to unleash your barbarian with.
Hi,
As many of you might know, I have been trying to make an easy character to play. You might also be aware that I have chosen a Goliath Barbarian and intent to select the Totem Warrior (bear) once I get to level 3.
Now I'd like your opinions on which version of the character you think is the best.
Which of the above versions of my character do you think would work the best, considering what I have already discussed about him here and here. As well as the fact that I am trying to build a character who will easily fit into most games, as I don't know what the lineup will be like in any future group that lets me play with them.
I might also consider playing in Adventurers League (if that is still a thing) if I cant find a group to play with, so I am trying to keep him AL legal, just in case that is the only place I get to play him.
Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say
XD
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
The biggest issue I see is that you are premaking your character without any discussion with the dm. This means that you don’t know what may ir may not be acceptable. All players roll stats in the games I run, I never use the stat array or point buy, so you would need to roll your stats again for a start. Some worlds don’t have Goliath in them, some don’t start at level 1. It’s a good idea to build practice characters but don’t expect to use them in someone’s game.
I understand what you’re saying but I don’t have a group to play with right now.
Thats why I don’t have a group to play with and why I’m trying to create a character that would fit into vertically any game.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Tongue in cheek I’d say if you want to fit in any game be the cleric
until you know the setting kick back and relax
but a barbarian with a shield reduces the likelihood of being hit and improves your tankiness
Any character could, theoretically, work in any game but at the same time, any character can also *not* fit into any game. What if the group you find doesn't want or need a goliath barbarian in their group? Are you going to force them to accept you?
I normally prefer my Barbarian with greataxe but going sword and board is not worse necessarily, it just offert different advantages.
A greatsword has better damage and shield better AC. You can have free hand more easily with a two-handed weapon to thrown a weapon or do something than with a sword and board There's additional feat support for shield.
It doesn''t have to be either or, you can always have both weapons and opt for one or the other depending on the combat to come.
If I know anything about you from your posts here, it's that you're always bursting with ideas and inspiration. I think if you find a game, you will have several character ideas within 0.3 seconds of reading what the campaign is about. So what I'm trying to say is that I don't really see you being satisfied with just dropping Rothar the Generic Barbarian into any campaign setting.
But that's not what you asked, so ignore it if you want. I think ultimately your question is a subjective one and I'd go with whichever felt more compelling to play. Both builds are perfectly serviceable. One thing I might suggest is to make the shield guy a fighter (or really anything but a barbarian), so that if your group already has a barbarian you can offer something additional to the party.
If the true goal is to fit into any group, the best way to cover your bases is to have multiple different options ready to go. I've always got a "stable" of PCs that I want to play, and when we start a new game I'll choose whatever compliments what others are intending to play, unless the setting itself gives me an idea for a new character.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Thank you for your excellent and lovely reply. Sadly I no longer have a group anymore, so I've been trying to make a character that I could use with a pickup group when I get the chance to play. Which means all my crazy usual ideas need to be kept to a minimum as I'm not sure what the group will be like really until the day.
This is the first time that if found myself without playmates in quite a long time.
I thought that this would be an excellent time to get back to basics, expand my experiences beyond the closed circle I've had for so long, and reconnect with the game.
To start again and essentially see it with new eyes.
I don't know if that males any sense.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
There's actually some value in having a lower AC as a barbarian... especially a Bear Totem barbarian, since they have resistance to damage. The value of a tank-style of gameplay isn't just the ability to survive in combat, but the ability to draw fire away from your allies. A character with extremely high AC might be seen as a low-priority target, since the enemies might realize they're going to miss every attack anyway, but a Barbarian attacking recklessly is a tempting target... smart enemies might realize the barbarian is going to need some extra attention to take down and focus on them instead of abandoning the target they miss again and again to switch their focus to the party Cleric or Bard.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
The flip side are animals and dumb opponents, who might swarm and multi-attack, or holding the choke point of a 5' corridor. There a sword and board to give both high AC and damage resistance pays off, giving you a higher effective heath than an equivilant fighter and therefore lasting longer. Does little against the smart wizard in the back, who probably will just try to dominate person the barbarian, but hey...that's smart play.
So there is both a fantasy aspect (How do I want to play) and a tactical one (this makes the most sense right now). Ultimately as a Barb; mine tend to carry both options so I can adjust to what makes the most sense.
GLHF!
That's a good point. I think in that case I would recommend Longsword and Shield... if you don't need the AC boost, stow the shield and wield the Longsword two-handed. If it looks like you're going to have to reduce the damage you take, keep your shield handy and swing the sword one-handed.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Or grapple and swing that sword
The 2 options are equally valid and offer benefits of their own, which honestly, in MOST combats, will end up a wash. The sword and board will lower the damage you take and better ensure your surviving the fight. The 2 hander will increase your damage and drop your enemy faster, to better ensure you survive the fight. I would bet, in 10 encounters of the same enemies, using one method or the other, your HP count would end up fairly similar using either tactic. Sword and board is at LEAST losing potential 4 damage each swing (d8 1 handing LS vs d12 on the axe) Averages and stuff likely take that "drop" below a full 2 points, but I bet it's close. Board will make you get hit less on average, with diminishing returns as you level, due to the enemy bonus to hit getting stupidly high.
I have a Barbarian who is using a Greataxe currently (level 6) and has a nice Longsword in his bag, waiting on a shield. If I can see what we're about to get into before the combat starts, I will be able to choose which setup I go in with. Thus far, I know of a couple recurring enemies I will likely end up grabbing the shield for, due to their damage when they hit compared to their overall HP. So far, I have been doing the simple Rage >hit with axe > repeat until that one dies > move to next foe, hit with axe. It's been fine and I know the shield route would have produced similar results, possibly preventing me from hitting single digit HP once or twice.
Talk to your Players. Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I agree that both have their benefits and that it depends on who you are fighting, but I would add it also depends on your DM and how he/she/they run combat especially if you are looking at overall effectiveness rather than single encounters or one particular type of encounter. I think there might be slight advantages one way or another based on one DM versus another. That said, I know this is a character being developed outside of a campaign/group, so if it were me, I'd go with whichever felt truer to the personality of the character I was creating.
Good luck, I hope you find a group to unleash your barbarian with.