River Tam: Halfling TWF Frenzied Berzerker with Evasion

[geoffhanna]

Tiny little girl, giant blood-dripping axes.

River Tam: Halfing Evasion Berzerker
Level 20 Neutral Good Halfling Female
(18 Barbarian / 2 Rogue)

The theme is the fictional character River Tam from the movie Serenity. In keeping with the theme, the tiniest possible girl would be Halfling while the largest possible axes would be Dwarven. I've played her up to level six and she's fun! She wears ritual-enhanced starter rags and looks very impressive dual wielding her giant axes.
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The constraints/goals:

• Halfling
• Two weapon fighter
• Dwarven axes
• Evasion
• Really amazingly spectacular crit damage (hoping!)

There was a bit of struggling over the loss of the barbarian capstone, but I think evasion will add more value than +2 STR. A THF build may want the splash damage booster but this is not a THF build.

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 16)
Strength             16                    20
Dexterity            16                    18
Constitution         16                    18
Intelligence          8                     8
Wisdom                8                     8
Charisma              8                     8

Tomes Used        
+1 DEX

The tome must be consumed before level 15. In other words, there's no rush

The Level 20 ability point goes into STR too.

Fo/Re/Wi Saves
11  6  6 barbarian 18
 0  3  0 rogue 2
 1  1  1 halfling
 4  0  0 CON
 0  4  0 DEX
--------
16 14  7
 
 4  0  3 rage
 5  5  5 resist item
 3  3  3 CON/DEX/WIS items
========
28 22 18

Not liking the will save. May have to add to Willpower rage enhancement or throw in some Halfling Luck?

Hit Points                     AC   
218 barbarian 18               who cares, 
 12 rogue 2                    she's a barbarian 
 20 heroic durability
 20 draconic vitality
 80 CON
 30 GFL
 20 minos legens
 45 greensteel
 60 CON item                 
===                            
505

Sure would like some more hit points. Stacked rages and frenzy will put me into the low 700's, but is that enough? The emergency backup plan is to forego Greater TWF @ 18 and instead take toughness and the toughness enhancements. But that will take a real hit point emergency, I want GTWF! There is a double-secret emergency backup plan too, but it is too painful to contemplate.

ToHit                   Damage
 18 barb18              2d8 base greensteel D.Axe
  1 rogue2                5 base greensteel D.Axe
  1 halfling             10 STR 
 10 STR                   3 STR item
  3 STR item              4 rage
  4 rage                  1 rage spell/clickie
  1 rage spell/clickie    1 frenzy
  1 frenzy                2 death frenzy
  2 death frenzy        4d6 greater vicious
 ==                       5 power attack
 37                       3 barb power attack III
                        === 
                         57

Damage does not include 1d6+3 sneak attack but I will get that now and then. Also does not include madstone effects although I intend to grind for the boots.

Crits will be X5! Hopefully I can acquire a bloodstone but even if not, I am really hoping the crits will be awe-inspiring!

                  Starting 
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 16)
Intimidate            3                    18
Jump                  7                    26
Balance               4                    23
Tumble                4                    11

[edit] removed Listen replaced with Balance.

Feats
Level  1 Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Dwarven Waraxe
Level  3 Two Weapon Fighting
Level  6 Power Attack
Level  9 Cleave
Level 12 Improved Crit: Slash
Level 15 Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 18 Greater Two Weapon Fighting

Really could use two more for Toughness and maybe Oversize TWF but oh well.

Projected enhancements through level 16 are as follows:

Enhancements at 16th level
Rogue Haste Boost I
Barbarian Damage Boost IV
Barbarian Improved Damage Reduction II
Barbarian Extend Rage III
Barbarian Extra Rage III
Barbarian Hardy Rage III
Barbarian Power Attack III
Barbarian Power Rage III
Barbarian Willpower I
Barbarian Frenzied Berserker III

I expect to finish off enhancements through level 20 with Barb CON III and whatever rage enhancers fit best.

This build created with the help of
Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 2.96 
DDO Character Planner Home Page
Thanks Ron!

[ryingar]

BTW she is from the Firefly series more specifically than the movie Serenity. You just don't get a good feel for the characters in the movie.

Whereas the movie is good, the series was great. But thanks to the clowns running fox at that time, they managed to air the episodes out of sequence, or override the show thanks to football, or just didn't air an episode at all. In other words they strangled the show and canceled it, just like what they did to Futurama. You can find all the episodes on hulu btw.


Cheers

[JayDubya]

neat concept.

I would consider getting rid of Cleave. That gives you a free slot for Toughness and all those delicious hitpoints.

If you find you need OTWF, you could look at switching to BattleAxes instead of Dwarven Axes. Just a thought.

I take it you're really keen on FrenzyIII or you would take a couple of fighter levels for the extra feats.

Lastly, DAxes have better base damage, but Khopeshs will have much better crit damage when you factor in strength, burst effects, etc

Luckily you can always swap those out.

[geoffhanna]

BTW she is from the Firefly series more specifically than the movie Serenity. You just don't get a good feel for the characters in the movie.

Whereas the movie is good, the series was great. But thanks to the clowns running fox at that time, they managed to air the episodes out of sequence, or override the show thanks to football, or just didn't air an episode at all. In other words they strangled the show and canceled it, just like what they did to Futurama. You can find all the episodes on hulu btw.

She did not get all blood-drippingly frenzied until the movie.

neat concept.

I would consider getting rid of Cleave. That gives you a free slot for Toughness and all those delicious hitpoints.

If you find you need OTWF, you could look at switching to BattleAxes instead of Dwarven Axes. Just a thought.

I take it you're really keen on FrenzyIII or you would take a couple of fighter levels for the extra feats.

Lastly, DAxes have better base damage, but Khopeshs will have much better crit damage when you factor in strength, burst effects, etc

Luckily you can always swap those out.

• Cleave is a pre-req for frenzied, and yes, need all III levels of frenzied berzerker.
• Swapping D.Axe for battleaxe ... ouch! is my double-secret emergency backup plan if the build just absolutely has to have the hitpoints. Ditto with the khopeshes, really the giant D.Axes are sort of the point.

Good thoughts though, and I definitely hope the ideas keep coming. I hate it when people post builds and then just defend them and ignore input.

[Robi3.0]

I think the lack of your builds ability to kill people with her mind does a huge injustice to the character of River Tam. Maybe a real River Tam build will be possible once psionics are put into the game.

That like nitpick aside I like the concept a lot. I actually have a halfling ranger that use D. axes she is pretty good fun as well.

[Noctus]

Just as a general mood-setter:

[Robi3.0]

Just as a general mood-setter:

hawt!

or to better stick with the theme Shiny!

[MDS_Geist]

Geoff, that's brilliant. I may have to give this one a try in the future. (I like Eberron halflings!)

[JayDubya]

hawt!

or to better stick with the theme Shiny!

Nice, but that just shows that she needs one Khopesh and one Dwarven Axe.

[Gnorbert]

Nice, but that just shows that she needs one Khopesh and one Dwarven Axe.

That's going to suck on feats.

In that case, take OTWF and skip the proficiencies, just absorb the -4 to hit.

[Tanka]

Or go 18Ftr/2Mnk. No Capstone, but Kensai 3 (admittedly only with one weapon) and plenty of Feats to spare.

[binnsr]

Hitpoints may indeed become a crisis once you get all that frenzied viscious damage reflecting back on you.. You have a lot of attack hooks with greater two weapon fighting, each with its own 1d3 reflected damage and I'm sure that'll add up pretty quickly.. (I'm still working slowly on getting my halfling 10brb/6rgr up to 18 on Llama to see how bad it gets)

otherwise, TWF halfer barbies are a ton of fun (I made mine female solely for the 'squeak' of rage ) .. good luck with her!

[BLAKROC]

I think of her more as elven, she is small but not really short as a haflins

but def SHINEY

[Pwesiela]

Nice, but that just shows that she needs one Khopesh and one Dwarven Axe.

I think this is the first build I've seen in a long time that I actually want to try out!

Course, I'd have more tomes to throw at it, so the starting stats would be a bit differetn.

And I think that's more of a longsword than a khopesh, but I'd go for the d.axes regardless.

Also G: Did you decide to start off with barbarian or go for the 2 rogue right off?

[binnsr]

that picture makes me think more of a longsword (katana style) and handaxe than of a dwarven axe..

but since this is DDO, you'd *have* to go Khopesh and D-Axe

[geoffhanna]

Great pic Noctus thanks! Note - she is still wearing her starter rags!

Nice, but that just shows that she needs one Khopesh and one Dwarven Axe.

Not a khopesh. Maybe a short long sword? Or a long short sword? Ah screw it I'll just dual Dwarven axes

Or go 18Ftr/2Mnk. No Capstone, but Kensai 3 (admittedly only with one weapon) and plenty of Feats to spare.

Thought of that. Also pure Ranger. Either works, and the pure Ranger gets evasion for free. But ... "Frenzied Berzerker" ... just look at the words. I mean, isn't FB pretty much mandatory for this theme?

Hitpoints may indeed become a crisis once you get all that frenzied viscious damage reflecting back on you.. You have a lot of attack hooks with greater two weapon fighting, each with its own 1d3 reflected damage and I'm sure that'll add up pretty quickly.. (I'm still working slowly on getting my halfling 10brb/6rgr up to 18 on Llama to see how bad it gets). otherwise, TWF halfer barbies are a ton of fun (I made mine female solely for the 'squeak' of rage ) .. good luck with her!

Sure hope no crisis emerges but I can definitely see the possibility. Let me know how your experiment goes.

I think this is the first build I've seen in a long time that I actually want to try out!

Also G: Did you decide to start off with barbarian or go for the 2 rogue right off?

Technically its not "eek" its "squeak", as in "fear and tremble before my mighty battlesqueak".

I started barb so I could take the D.Axe feat at level 1. Exotic Weapon Proficiency requires BAB1 and rogues start with BAB0. It was worth the loss of some starting skill points.

[geoffhanna]

Geoff, that's brilliant. I may have to give this one a try in the future. (I like Eberron halflings!)

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But but but you HATE halflings! Have for years and years! Violently too I might add...

Wow.

What's next? John Elway marrying a Raiders cheerleader? oh wait...

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[MDS_Geist]

[COLOR="Black"]
But but but you HATE halflings! Have for years and years! Violently too I might add...

Just the chubby, whiny cowards in some other game worlds. Eberron and Athasian halflings are fun.

[Tanka]

Thought of that. Also pure Ranger. Either works, and the pure Ranger gets evasion for free. But ... "Frenzied Berzerker" ... just look at the words. I mean, isn't FB pretty much mandatory for this theme?

Not really. River isn't a Berzerker. She's a savant. She excels at everything she does.

[geoffhanna]

I think of her more as elven, she is small but not really short as a haflins. but def SHINEY

Elves look wrong. Humans are too big. Shiny halfling it is