Build Request: 12 Druid/8 Barbarian - feat suggestions?

[thalliwell]

Hi,
I'm trying to plan out a bearbarian build. I am planning to go 12 Druid/8 Barbarian and have read about using T5 in Ravager and Core 4 in Nature's Warrior for the crit mult.
Flavor-wise, I'd love to be a dwarf but it looks like Shifter is a good choice for rage casting. Not sure the AP will spread that far?

My biggest issues are determining feats and leveling order (other than Barb 1 for proficiencies).

How much value is there in S+B vs THF? I have been reading about which feats are applicable in bear form but have seen various things about the use of THF feats or not.

Thanks for any help you can provide! The character has a ton of shields and warhammers so if S+B is viable that would be nice, but THF is fine too if it's lightyears better.

[unbongwah]

The most common class split I've seen is probably barbarian 11 (Greater Rage) / druid 8 (Dire Bear form) / Favored Soul 1 (WIS Battle Trance). Tier-5 Frenzied Berserker for Focused Wrath with falchion is 15-20/x4 critical threat range; 15-20/x5 with Sword of Shadow. What you propose nets +2 crit range +1 multiplier (as well as more spells), but it costs at least 53 APs so it restricts what you can do with the rest of your points. Beast Awakened is 23 APs in Nature's Protector; that's what lets you cast druid spells while Raging. [Unless you're a Wildhunt Shifter, in which case you can take your racial ability instead.]

The THF and Shield Mastery / Shield Bash feats do nothing in animal forms. However, the THF feats do unlock the Angry Arms + Mad Munitions + Focus Wide enhancements and their Strikethrough bonuses will carry over to bear form. Also a dwarf who uses dwarven axes in bear form will benefit from Strikethrough bonuses from their racial Axe enhancements; but hand-and-a-half weapons do not increase their base damage modifier with Natural Fighting feats in bear / wolf form the way they do with THF or SWF feats in humanoid form.

[thalliwell]

The most common class split I've seen is probably barbarian 11 (Greater Rage) / druid 8 (Dire Bear form) / Favored Soul 1 (WIS Battle Trance). Tier-5 Frenzied Berserker for Focused Wrath with falchion is 15-20/x4 critical threat range; 15-20/x5 with Sword of Shadow. What you propose nets +2 crit range +1 multiplier (as well as more spells), but it costs at least 53 APs so it restricts what you can do with the rest of your points. Beast Awakened is 23 APs in Nature's Protector; that's what lets you cast druid spells while Raging. [Unless you're a Wildhunt Shifter, in which case you can take your racial ability instead.]

The THF and Shield Mastery / Shield Bash feats do nothing in animal forms. However, the THF feats do unlock the Angry Arms + Mad Munitions + Focus Wide enhancements and their Strikethrough bonuses will carry over to bear form. Also a dwarf who uses dwarven axes in bear form will benefit from Strikethrough bonuses from their racial Axe enhancements; but hand-and-a-half weapons do not increase their base damage modifier with Natural Fighting feats in bear / wolf form the way they do with THF or SWF feats in humanoid form.

Thanks Ubongwah, that's very useful. Sounds like more barb and thf is the way forward.

[C-Dog]

The most common class split I've seen is probably barbarian 11 (Greater Rage) / druid 8 (Dire Bear form) / Favored Soul 1 (WIS Battle Trance).

If one did want a Druid PL, what break would be common/recommended for melee? For caster?

[Marshal_Lannes]

I've run a 15 Druid/5 Barbarian and a 12 Druid/8 Barbarian. 14 Druid gives you the Heal spell. 8 Barbarian gives you Improved Uncanny Dodge. You'll have to decide what you prefer.

Leveling order doesn't matter as long as you are hitting the requirements for Natural Fighting. You take Natural Fighting for bear form, not THF. Feat breakdowns:

1. Power Attack
3. Stunning Blow
6. Natural Fighting
9 Natural Fighting
12. IC Slash
15. Natural Fighting
18. Open

Your Enhancement points are extremely tight. So tight you can't cast while raged in heroics. You pick up rage casting in Draconic ED. 8 pts Nature's Protector, 23 Nature's Warrior, 9 Vistani, 38 Occult Slayer. Shifter is a good racial tree, and so is dwarf or Orc. Wood Elf if you have the racial points is also interesting. Occult Slayer gives a ton more HPs than Frenzy or Ravager, again you'll have to decide what you want more keeping in mind that the T5 Barb bonuses to crit won't stack with Nature's Warrior core 3. Basically it breaks down like this - Frenzy best DPS tree, Ravager gets full crit stacking with Nature's Warrior, Occult most HPs, and best heal. EDs are primary Fury, Draconic for rage casting (tier 2), then either Shadowdancer, Dreadnaught, or Primal based on your playstyle.

Weapon - L10 SoS, L14 Tail of the Scorpion, L20 Epic SoS, L29 Tail of Sulomades, (optional) L31 Bone-Crafted Falchion