32pts Dwarf Barbarian Build

[Amidamarujhqz]

Looking for a strenght based barbarian with these characteristics:
1- Dwarf
2- 1st life
3- 32pts build
4- No tomes (at first)
5- Strength based
6- As much dps as possible
Thanks in advance!

[unbongwah]

Just do a dwarf variant on Zoda:

Kundarak Berserker
Barbarian 20
True Neutral Dwarf


Stats
               28pt     32pt     Level Up
               ----     ----     --------
Strength        18       18       4: STR
Dexterity       10        8       8: STR
Constitution    18       20      12: STR
Intelligence     8        8      16: STR
Wisdom           8        8      20: STR
Charisma         6        6      24: STR
                                 28: STR

Feats

 1        : Power Attack
 3        : Cleave
 6        : Great Cleave
 9        : Improved Critical: Slashing OR Bludgeoning
12        : Two Handed Fighting
15        : Improved Two Handed Fighting
18        : Greater Two Handed Fighting
21 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
24 Epic   : Stunning Blow
26 Destiny: Perfect Two Handed Fighting
27 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction
28 Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting OR Elusive Target
29 Destiny: Dire Charge OR Deific Warding
30 Epic   : Blinding Speed
30 Legend : Scion of: Arborea OR Plane of Earth


Enhancements (80 AP)

Frenzied Berserker (41 AP)

Die Hard, Frenzied Toughness, Frenzy, Frenzied Toughness II, Death Frenzy, Storm's Eye    

Extra Rage III, Power Rage III
Angry Arms III, Blood Tribute III, Extra Action Boost III, Sprint Boost III
Mad Munitions III, Blood Trail III, Supreme Cleave III, Constitution
Wade In I, Constitution

Ravager (39 AP)

Furious Rage, Pain Touch, Demoralizing Success, Pain Touch II, Subsiding Fury

Do You Like Pain? III, Barbarian Power Attack III, Hardy Rage III
I Like Pain III, Cruel Cut III, Melee Power Boost III
Festering Wound III, Strength
Dismember III
Blood Strength, Uncanny Balance, Critical Rage II
[/color]
Leveling Guide

FB0 Die Hard; FB1 Power Rage I
FB1 Power Rage II; FB2 Sprint Boost I; FB2 Extra Action Boost I, II
FB0 Frenzied Toughness; FB2 Extra Action Boost III; FB3 Supreme Cleave I, II
FB3 Supreme Cleave III; Rav0 Furious Rage; Rav1 Barbarian Power Attack I, II
Rav1 Barbarian Power Attack III; Rav1 Do You Like Pain? I; Rav0 Pain Touch; Rav2 I Like Pain I
FB0 Frenzy; Rav2 Melee Power Boost I, II, III
Rav0 Demoralizing Success; Rav1 Do You Like Pain? II; Rav2 I Like Pain II; Rav1 Do You Like Pain? III
Rav2 I Like Pain III; Rav3 Strength; Rav2 Cruel Cut I
Rav2 Cruel Cut II, III; Rav3 Festering Wound I, II
Rav3 Festering Wound III; Rav4 Dismember I, II, III
Rav1 Hardy Rage I, II, III; (Bank 1 AP)
Rav0 Pain Touch II; Rav5 Blood Strength; Rav5 Critical Rage I
Rav5 Critical Rage II; Rav5 Uncanny Balance
FB2 Angry Arms I, II, III; FB1 Extra Rage I
FB1 Extra Rage II, III; FB0 Frenzied Toughness II; FB4 Wade In I
FB2 Blood Tribute I; FB3 Blood Trail I; FB2 Blood Tribute II; FB3 Blood Trail II
FB2 Blood Tribute III; FB3 Blood Trail III; FB1 Power Rage III
FB0 Death Frenzy; Rav0 Subsiding Fury; FB3 Mad Munitions I, II
FB3 Mad Munitions III; FB2 Sprint Boost II, III
FB3 Constitution; FB4 Constitution; FB0 Storm's Eye    

[Dulcimerist]

That dwarf build looks great! I'll probably use that one as well!

I looked at the dwarf enhancements, and wondered if any of those would be worth swapping in. The racial weapon bonuses look nice, and I especially wondered about going CON and using Throw Your Weight Around. That could free up AP by ignoring STR boosting enhancments (although that would affect to-hit, and might make Power Attack harder to hit with). Would this improve or degrade DPS, and might it mess up the good epic enhancement lines?

Thanks!

[unbongwah]

I looked at the dwarf enhancements, and wondered if any of those would be worth swapping in. The racial weapon bonuses look nice, and I especially wondered about going CON and using Throw Your Weight Around. That could free up AP by ignoring STR boosting enhancments (although that would affect to-hit, and might make Power Attack harder to hit with). Would this improve or degrade DPS, and might it mess up the good epic enhancement lines?

The generally accepted wisdom is that Blood Strength (T5 Ravager) is the best of the barb self-healing abilities; and that Storms Eye (FB capstone) + Crit Rage (T5 Ravager) offers the best overall DPS combo (given the need for Blood STR). The downside is that eats up at least 77 APs, leaving almost nothing for racial trees (or Harper & OS, for that matter). Deviating from this AP spread means sacrificing either DPS (Storms Eye or Crit Rage), self-healing (Blood STR), or both.

For an example of a CON-based dwarf barb who sacrifices DPS for higher Dire Charge DCs (plus a lot more HPs, ofc), see my Kundarak Krasher thread. But right now I actually think CON-based Kensei makes more sense, just because you give up a lot less by not spending as much in Stalwart D. Something like 41 AP Kensei / 18 AP dwarf / 13 AP SD / 8 AP Harper; if you don't have Harper, put more APs into SD instead. But that's a build for another thread...

[Dulcimerist]

The generally accepted wisdom is that Blood Strength (T5 Ravager) is the best of the barb self-healing abilities; and that Storms Eye (FB capstone) + Crit Rage (T5 Ravager) offers the best overall DPS combo (given the need for Blood STR).

Thanks for the insight! My dwarf barbarian was created six years ago, and staying healed was always a real pain. Your build advice in this thread is bringing him out of mothballs, so thanks for that!

Where do you suggest skill points go? Would it be the basic one rank of tumble; and max balance, jump (not exceeding 40), and intimidate? Is UMD worth taking a look at, or even heal to recover more HP at shrines? Is there much value in listen, a barbarian class skill; or heavily investing into tumble? If an INT tome were available for more skill points, would trap disabling be worth a look as a pure barbarian?

Thanks again!

[Enderoc]

Staying healed also is dependent on melee power, so wouldn't an 8 fighter 12 Barbarian split provide the increase to melee power to make it worthwhile?

[unbongwah]

Where do you suggest skill points go?

Wherever you like, although if you're thinking long-term, remember that Heal boosts Positive Spellpower which affects Sacred Ground; and Spellcraft boosts elemental Spellpower, which affects Scion of Plane of Earth. Otherwise, I would max UMD, Balance, and <filler>.

Staying healed also is dependent on melee power, so wouldn't an 8 fighter 12 Barbarian split provide the increase to melee power to make it worthwhile?

Remember, though: "Blood Strength: Each time you land a hit there is a 12% chance you heal positive damage equal to half your Barbarian level." So by dropping to barb 12, you give up 40% of your base healing from the on-hit effect. Will you gain enough Melee Power to make up for it? You gain +6 MP from feats and +20 from Opportunity Atk; but lose +20 MP from the last two FB cores. So I don't see how you could possibly come out ahead, especially considering how much MP you gain just from Blitzing.

On the DPS side, you're losing Death Frenzy + Storms Eye, but gaining Strike w/No Thought (+1 crit multiplier), which ought to stack with Crit Rage (yum!). [Riftmaker would be 17-20/x5 that way.] So you'd see some big fun crit numbers, but in practice I'm not sure if your overall DPS goes up w/out Storm's Eye. Still: maybe 36 Ravager / 22 Kensei / 21 FB / 1 human?

[Dulcimerist]

This has been a good build as I've took my dwarf barbarian into epics. Are there any adjustments to this in light of the barbarian changes? Looks like the changes gave me two more AP to work with.

Thanks!

[AbyssalMage]

This has been a good build as I've took my dwarf barbarian into epics. Are there any adjustments to this in light of the barbarian changes? Looks like the changes gave me two more AP to work with.

Thanks!

The initial changes just gives you a few more free AP's to spend "as needed." I placed mine in Extended Rage (because Rage just doesn't last long enough IMO).

The second round of changes to Occult Slayer may make me do a switch over to test it out. If it doesn't work, it is an easy reset back to the "standard Barbarian."

[UncleMoon]

Hey, I was wondering what skills I should max when using this build? Not sure because a lot of builds say to either use intimidate, heal, and UMD. Thanks.

[Breezwyn]

Hey, I was wondering what skills I should max when using this build? Not sure because a lot of builds say to either use intimidate, heal, and UMD. Thanks.

I have been using this build for one of my alts, and used a +2 INT tome to help get some extra skill points. Intimidate is good. Heal and UMD are worth putting points into if you plan to do epics - UMD might be more important of the two, to help use rez scrolls in an emergency.