Please improve my 1st attempt at a melee

[mobrien316]

I am considering TR'ing my dwarven cleric and am thinking about doing one or more past lives as a melee class before becoming a cleric again. He is currently equipped with a greataxe and I was planning for him to use (primarily) a greataxe in his next life as a melee.

This is my first attempt at a melee build, as all of my characters have been arcanes, clerics, bards, or rogues.

Any feedback would be appreciated. I was basically just winging this one.


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.9.1
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Praetoreus 2nd life
Level 20 Chaotic Good Dwarf Male
(20 Barbarian)
Hit Points: 492
Spell Points: 0
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 19
Reflex: 6
Will: 6

Starting Ending
Abilities Base Stats Base Stats
(34 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 18 25
Dexterity 8 10
Constitution 20 22
Intelligence 10 10
Wisdom 8 10
Charisma 6 6

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7

Starting Ending
Base Skills Base Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20)
Balance 1 11
Bluff -2 -2
Concentration 5 7
Diplomacy -2 -2
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle -2 -2
Heal -1 0
Hide -1 0
Intimidate 2 21
Jump 8 31
Listen -1 0
Move Silently -1 0
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair 0 0
Search 0 0
Spot -1 0
Swim 4 8
Tumble 0 1
Use Magic Device -1 9

Level 1 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Cleric
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost I
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage I
Enhancement: Barbarian Toughness I


Level 2 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Dwarven Spell Defense I
Enhancement: Barbarian Constitution I
Enhancement: Barbarian Improved Trap Sense I


Level 3 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Attack I
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Rage I
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I


Level 4 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost II
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack I


Level 5 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Barbarian Extend Rage I
Enhancement: Barbarian Extra Rage I
Enhancement: Barbarian Toughness II


Level 6 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave
Enhancement: Barbarian Frenzied Berserker I


Level 7 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost III
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I


Level 8 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR
Enhancement: Barbarian Improved Damage Reduction I
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Attack II


Level 9 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Barbarian Extend Rage II
Enhancement: Barbarian Extra Rage II


Level 10 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Rage II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 11 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Barbarian Willpower I
Enhancement: Barbarian Toughness III


Level 12 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Two Handed Fighting
Enhancement: Barbarian Frenzied Berserker II


Level 13 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost IV
Enhancement: Barbarian Intimidation


Level 14 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Barbarian Hardy Rage I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III


Level 15 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Two Handed Fighting
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Attack III


Level 16 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR
Enhancement: Barbarian Improved Damage Reduction II


Level 17 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Barbarian Toughness IV


Level 18 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Two Handed Fighting
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Rage III
Enhancement: Barbarian Frenzied Berserker III


Level 19 (Barbarian)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage II


Level 20 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR
Enhancement: Barbarian Might
Enhancement: Dwarven Tactics I

[Dwarfo]

hmm..seems alright. ive seen some high end barbs on khyber using supreme cleave or something like that in epics all the time..say it works wonders. instead of 20 barb, id go 18 barb/2 fighter for the extra 2 feats and haste booste, better than the +2 str barb caps gives you. ill post the feats id suggest to get later...

[Kinerd]

20 barb is not just the +2 Strength from the capstone, it is also +2 Strength and Constitution from Mighty Rage and +10% glancing blow damage from the capstone. With Damage Boost being useful now, 2 fighter splash is a much tougher sell.

To the OP: you seem confident that you will not be staying with this build long. If this is so, your build will serve you very well. THF with greataxes is not an elite DPS build, but it is not worth expending the energy needed to make an elite DPS build if you're going back to cleric anyway. It is certainly a good-enough DPS build.

[Emizand]

18 barb/2.

Thought this was flavour of the month before the nerf to barb plf, maybe 20 barb is back in vogue.

[Alex301]

It's really the change to damage boosts that makes the 18/2 split inferior.

As 25% more damage > 15% haste boost there isn't much reason to take those 2 fighter levels and lose all the benefits of pure barbarian.

[Dwarfo]

hmm..seems alright. ive seen some high end barbs on khyber using supreme cleave or something like that in epics all the time..say it works wonders. instead of 20 barb, id go 18 barb/2 fighter for the extra 2 feats and haste booste, better than the +2 str barb caps gives you. ill post the feats id suggest to get later...

thanks to the idiot who gave me negative rep for this, hilarious.

[die]

hmm..seems alright. ive seen some high end barbs on khyber using supreme cleave or something like that in epics all the time..say it works wonders. instead of 20 barb, id go 18 barb/2 fighter for the extra 2 feats and haste booste, better than the +2 str barb caps gives you. ill post the feats id suggest to get later...

dont listin too this dope

[Dwarfo]

^ please explain to me why i am a dope. i have seen people in ER/Revs do this, i can PM you the names and you can myDDO them if you so please. but please, do not call me a dope without justifying it.

[mournbladereigns]

Change it to Horc, and your good to go.

[Bobthesponge]

dont listin too this dope

Oh, well played! The finely tuned irony of a lack of punctuation and spelling combined with the intent of the missive is a wonder to behold.

[Dwarfo]

Oh, well played! The finely tuned irony of a lack of punctuation and spelling combined with the intent of the missive is a wonder to behold.

lol +1 man.

[Bobthesponge]

Change it to Horc, and your good to go.

Not too sure. Dwarves get enhancement bonuses to axes and the OP plans to primarily use great axes.

[Dwarfo]

Not too sure. Dwarves get enhancement bonuses to axes and the OP plans to primarily use great axes.

the thing is h-orcs get +4 damage to ALL two handers, plus their line of STR enchancements.

[Bobthesponge]

the thing is h-orcs get +4 damage to ALL two handers, plus their line of STR enchancements.

Good point. HOs are OP. Nerf them!

[die]

Oh, well played! The finely tuned irony of a lack of punctuation and spelling combined with the intent of the missive is a wonder to behold.

Die

[Dwarfo]

Die

Not a complete sentence, which is excusable on the forums - but you also forgot a period.

[stainer]

thanks to the idiot who gave me negative rep for this, hilarious.

That neg probably wasn't half of the +1 I just gave you.

[Kinerd]

Supreme Cleave is an ability granted by Frenzied Berserker 2, it has nothing to do with feats. Its draw is that it has effectively no cooldown, unlike the Cleave and Great Cleave feats.

Again, Fighter Haste Boost 1 means much less when Barbarian Damage Boost 4 is a useful enhancement.

[Shade]

few mistakes.

Please review my Dwarf guide in sig, and my definitive guide to barbarians.

edit: direct link to dwarf guide:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=116814

Main issues are:
alignment
stats - never dump dex

Feat - are ok, but toughness should always go last, not first. It's only a few hp at low lvl, very irrelevant, when you could have more DPS and 1 shot the mobs and not get hurt in the first place at low lvls.