Am I squishy?

[Gunga]

As a general rule of thumb, if you have to ask the question...

[GBantaR]

As a general rule of thumb, if you have to ask the question...

I see your point. I guess my REAL question was, "Am I squishy by build or by playstyle?" And I'm glad to find out that it was mostly by playstyle because that's WAY easier/cheaper to fix than build.

[Cam_Neely]

I would say neither. Your set up seems fine, and your 16 con is not an issue. 18 would be great, but 20 more HP is not make or break. You are going to be topping out around 700 HP with decent end game gear. My Barb is 725 HP, but no toughness feats.

Your play style is fine. If you are not getting hit, then you are not doing your job. Yes the Trip and SB are fantastic at mitigating dmg, but its a quite limited CC. As a Barb, if you are not getting hit, then someone else is and 90% of the time, that someone is less able to take the hit then you. You get hit for 30 dmg, they would get hit for 39 dmg, and a much larger % of total HP then you.

So, you should get hit, and you should get healed alot, its part of the Barb playstyle. Remember to thank the healer, and pass on any pots you get. Top up your HP by standing near him and his aura when you can, and use pots.

People in the party are going to get hit, might as well be the meat shield with DR.

[aristarchus1000]

Lots of good advice all around, and some not-so-good.

When I said kite, like many people said, do NOT kite in a straight direction. I suggest circling a target to make the mob run into each other while trying to reach you. If they are chasing you, they are not hitting ANYONE, which is what you want. Also, by keeping mobs in a tight group you make it easier for other dps to damage.

This is much easier with a long-reach Two Hander, which is a big reason why I usually use Two handers while leveling, even when I'm picking TWF feats (usually until I get greater TWF).

Regarding Paralyzers, I think they are useful in Gianthold where a lot of mobs have low will saves. Depending on your weapon, a little Acid blah is not a major component of your damage anyway, so your dps alternative might not actually be that much better. Use your judgment, that's part of the game. There is no one-trick-rule-all method.