U9 Barbarian Intimitank

[Missing_Minds]

Halflings are easy to grab. Agreed, you are rolling a dwarf so you don't have the size advantage

Doesn't that make the halfling a tower shield for a dwarf then?

[Khanyth]

Doesn't that make the halfling a tower shield for a dwarf then?

Any statement that implies that anything or anyone can make a halfling tower.... does not compute.

[wax_on_wax_off]

Guys, I'm not going to be blocking all of the time. Only like if I already positively have aggro. If you will notice, I took power attack, Imp. Critical Slashing, Imp. Shield Bash...I plan on attacking. Turtling up isn't Plan A. Plan A is count on 9 DR and 25% reduced damage to help you survive while smacking down on some baddies.

And Shade, those DR calcs weren't meant to be max, and neither were any of them. I was just showing with easy, simple to get gear, what you'll end up with.

If I go human, I'm just not too sure what I'd gain. By not taking dwarf, I'd lose proficiency with a glancing blow one-handed weapon, 2 damage with it, and 1 attack with it.

I would, however, get cleave and go the way that you're all telling me too. However, I'm still not sure that I'd get Frenzied Berserker. Is it REALLY that useful for a barb shield tank (not that they've really been done before)?

My net AP loss would be:
+6 Dwarf Shield Mastery
+6 Dwarf Axe Damage
+2 Dwarf Axe Attack
-12 Human Healing Amp
-8 F.B.
-10 Damage Boost 4 (unless I trade DR Boost 4 in for it...then this is negated)

So I'd lose 6 or 16 AP.

I actually see a way that can work, though. I'll skip out on Healing Amp 3 to save 6 AP, and I will trade in DR Boost 4 for Damage Boost 4. Then I'd lose no AP. I would lose some health, D Axe proficiency, some D Axe damage, and some to-hit. I'd gain FB and 20% healing amp.

I'm sort of brainstorming here. Do you guys think that is worth it?

It's absolutely worth it.

I think the approach used by the respondents here is different to your approach. You're approaching it in terms of how you can make the best barbarian tank possible. Respondents are approaching it in terms how you can give a barbarian a tanking option. When you get down to it, tanking is useful in maybe less than 5% of the game, you need to be able to bring the smack down to any group for those quests that a tank isn't needed, there is a better tank already in the group (AC tanks are almost always better than HP/DR tanks) or you don't have the necessary tank attributes to tank in that specific quest (gear/fleshiness etc).

Barbarians are default options for tanks when there aren't any better options due to their inherent DR and their large HP pool. Tweaking an already solid barbarian build to have a tanking option is very possible and possibly desirable in U9. Usually barbarians have 1 free feat for stunning blow or something. Human provides another feat. 2 fighter gives 2 more feats (not necessarily needed).

18 barbarian / 2 fighter and 20 barbarian are both solid options. 2 fighter gives 3 feats; tower shield proficiency and 2 more, +1 strength, haste boost etc. 20 barbarian gives +1 DR, +4 strength, extra glancing blows. The real question for me is if you get glancing blows even if you don't have bastard sword proficiency.

The result will be a character that can fill a DPS or a tank spot in a raid. Interesting options for such a character are Epic Chimera's Fang. Possibly the splashed fighter option could take a Least Dragonmark of Sentinel instead of Bastard Sword proficiency.

People may say that khopesh is better than bastard sword however I've seen some compelling maths to suggest that if you are sword and board a bastard sword will do more damage if you have the full THF'ing line of feats due to the glancing blows.

[unbongwah]

My idea for a barb shield tank was somewhat different:

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.8.2
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Level 20 True Neutral Half-Orc Female
(2 Fighter \ 18 Barbarian) 
Hit Points: 398
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 18
Reflex: 8
Will: 6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             20                    30
Dexterity            12                    14
Constitution         16                    18
Intelligence          8                    10
Wisdom                8                    10
Charisma              6                     8

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 Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

Level 1 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness


Level 2 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Power Attack


Level 3 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Stunning Blow


Level 4 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 5 (Barbarian)


Level 6 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Cleave


Level 7 (Barbarian)


Level 8 (Fighter)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons


Level 9 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Shield Mastery


Level 10 (Barbarian)


Level 11 (Barbarian)


Level 12 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Improved Shield Bash


Level 13 (Barbarian)


Level 14 (Barbarian)


Level 15 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Shield Mastery


Level 16 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 17 (Barbarian)


Level 18 (Barbarian)
Feat: (Selected) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh (or maybe Quick Draw)


Level 19 (Barbarian)


Level 20 (Barbarian)
Ability Raise: STR
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost I
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost II
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost III
Enhancement: Barbarian Damage Boost IV
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Barbarian Improved Damage Reduction I
Enhancement: Barbarian Improved Damage Reduction II
Enhancement: Barbarian Extend Rage I
Enhancement: Barbarian Extend Rage II
Enhancement: Barbarian Extra Rage I
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Attack I
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Attack II
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Attack III
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Rage I
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Rage II
Enhancement: Barbarian Power Rage III
Enhancement: Barbarian Frenzied Berserker I
Enhancement: Barbarian Frenzied Berserker II
Enhancement: Barbarian Frenzied Berserker III
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Stunning Blow) I
Enhancement: Orcish Brute Fighting I
Enhancement: Orcish Brute Fighting II
Enhancement: Orcish Brute Fighting III
Enhancement: Orcish Brute Fighting IV
Enhancement: Orcish Extra Action Boost I
Enhancement: Orcish Melee Damage I
Enhancement: Orcish Melee Damage II
Enhancement: Orcish Power Attack I
Enhancement: Orcish Power Attack II
Enhancement: Orcish Power Attack III
Enhancement: Orcish Power Rage I
Enhancement: Orcish Strength I
Enhancement: Orcish Strength II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I
Enhancement: Barbarian Toughness I
Enhancement: Barbarian Toughness II

This build sacrifices some DPS (no capstone, no THF feats) for the shield feats; but the focus is still mostly on DPS, with the shield only coming out when you need the dmg mitigation. A few comments:

• Without THF feats, you need to master twitching. Or you could drop, say, Toughness, Stunning Blow, and khopesh for THF chain.
• A pure barb would have higher DPS and +1 DR but lose three feats (tower shield + 2 ftr bonus), Haste Boost, and +1 ftr STR enh (though gain +1 STR from capstone and +2 when Raged for net gain of +3 STR most of the time).
• NEVER turn off PA unless you can't hit.
• ONLY pull out a shield when have a firm grip on aggro and need the dmg mitigation. Imp Shield Bash will help boost your S&B DPS so you can hold aggro longer, but only a little, IIUC.
• ONLY turtle up when you need to give the healer(s) time to get your HPs back up.

[Samadhi]

I've done it before; FB is too important to give up. You will need damage to retain aggro better.

That said, start piling on a ton of guards for even more fun

[Cam_Neely]

Horc or WF would be decent options to get racial hate as in U9 the exclusivity with rage has been fixed..

Do you have the link for this? I did not see it in the lamda release notes.

Tk

/on topic.

Why do this on a Barb? You seem to be giving up alot to make it even a decent option. With Pally or Fighter, it seems you could make a very good version of what you are making without dumping DPS

[wax_on_wax_off]

Do you have the link for this? I did not see it in the lamda release notes.

Tk

/on topic.

Why do this on a Barb? You seem to be giving up alot to make it even a decent option. With Pally or Fighter, it seems you could make a very good version of what you are making without dumping DPS

Just search for brute fighting at http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=206066

barbarian has good potential to tank, hell, everyone barbarian tanks anyway but just causes a horrible SP sink. 25% damage mitigation will make this viable without gimping DPS.

WF 20 barbarian build with shield mastery instead of stunning blow and you're pretty much sorted.
WF 18/2 barbarian could pick up a couple more feats (maybe required if glancing blows aren't given if you don't have proficiency).

Human is another option if you can get healing amp up and the extra feat and skill points are nice.

UMD, Intimidate and balance are no brainers for skills.

Enhancements ... well, just fit in what you can.

[theboatman]

Please, oh please, never take this proficiency, uness you absolutely need it for soloing.

Masters Touch grants tower shield proficiency; grab a stack from the portable hole and have your friendly neighborhood arcane/umd cast it at you.