Pathfinder Barbarian Tank Build (Emperor Vious)

Character Theme: This optimized pathfinder barbarian build (Emperor Vious) is hard to damage due to normal, flat-footed and touch AC. He is hard to affect with things that allow for a save. He is offensively devastating to his adversaries demanding their attention, even with a bow. He can enlarge himself gaining reach, size and strength with wands and supernatural abilities. He can cast Cleric Spells via wands. He has great mobility and can move in difficult terrain normally. He can dispel magic with his rage. He is everything that an optimized melee character should be, and then some.

Race: Human;

Traits: Normal; Archetypes: None

Favorite Class Option: Human bonus to superstitious

Starting Stats: Str (19), Dex (16), Con (14), Int (7), Wis (14), Chr (7)

Traits / Feats / Rage Powers: C1) Optimistic Gambler, Fortified Drinker, Dodge, Power Attack, Domain (Travel, Plant (Growth Subdomain)), Variant Channeling (Earth); B2) Rage, Fast Movement; B3) Uncanny Dodge, Beast Totem (Lesser), Extra Rage Power (Superstitious); B4) Trap Sense +4; B5) Guarded Stance, Deadly Aim; B6) Improved Uncanny Dodge; B7) Beast Totem, Extra Rage Power (Ghost Rager); B9) Unexpected Strike, Extra Rage Power (Witch Hunter); B11) DR 2/-, Beast Totem, Greater, Combat Reflexes; B12) Greater Rage; B13) Come and Get Me, Extra Rage Power (Spell Sunder);

Spells: Longstider (Domain Spell), Bless, Protection v. Evil, Enhance Water (occasionally prepares this when running low on alcohol), Dancing Lantern (occasionally prepares this when traveling though dark areas). Blue = Spells Normally Prepared; Red = Spells Sometimes Prepared.

Skills (39 points): Acrobatics (6 ranks), Perception (13 ranks), Stealth (6 ranks), Swim (1 ranks), Climb (1 rank), Survival (10 ranks), Knowledge Nature (2 ranks)

Wands – 1st Level Wand Spells: Enlarge Person (2nd Level Caster), Longstrider, Protection v. Evil (2nd Level Caster), Bless (2nd Level Caster), Cure Light Wound, Obscuring Mist; 2nd Level Wand Spells: Effortless Armor, Ghostbane Dirge,

Items
Saves: +3 Vest of Resistance (9K)
AC: +2 Ring of Protection (8K), +2 Amulet of Natural Armor (8K), +4 Breastplate (16K),
Movement: Boot of Speed (12K), Quick Runner Shirt (1K), Tattooed: Wing Boots (20K)
Rage: Barbarian Chew
Escapability: Blink Ring (20K)
Weapons: +2 Longbow Composite (+5) (8K), +2 Furious Greatsword (18K)

14 Responses to Pathfinder Barbarian Tank Build (Emperor Vious)

  1. Ben says:

    Where do you get tattooed: wing boots from?

  2. Landen says:

    Now I might just be an idiot, but doesn’t the second barbarian level give you one rage power? you have lesser beast totem and superstitious down

  3. Jeremy says:

    I like the build and I was impressed by it. I used to game more regularly, but life, wife, kids, etc I only get to play once a year. We play solidly for a week and then we continue with the campaign next year. We used to all live in the same town, but when people started moving away we decided to get together as a group once a year. Our group has grown to about 25 gamers over the past 12 years. We used to fit nicely at one table, but we now have three gaming tables going at once. I have learned a few things over the years. First and foremost, I cannot play a character with vastly different mental stats than I have. I cannot pull off a high wisdom, low charisma, low int character. I can try, but it is a huge challenge, and once we start drinking, I cannot even come close to playing my character. I have played a vast number of classes and combinations and this time I wanted something different. I rolled a d12 and re-roll 12 to determine my class, and the fates selected barbarian for me this time. I found this build and decided to go with it with a few minor tweaks. Roll playing is very important for us, so i had to come up with something to intertwine the story and justification. I feel that with the superstition and lack of heavy int and char penalties, that this build gave me a lot to go on out of combat, which I feel is a huge liability with most barbarian builds.

    I also decided to go dwarven (+2 bonues to spells, character story reasons, and it is easy to fall into a dwarven accent when i am drunk).
    Besides the race, I also had to adjust stats a little bit (7 int and char is too difficult for me to play, 8 is a struggle enough, and I was also lucky enough to find a +2 int headband making it even easier for me.
    I also didn’t chose the drinker or gambler feats, but everything else was a pretty close.

    I always introduce my character “in character.” Meaning, I did not come out and explain my build to the gaming group with, I am a barabarian, with a cleric level, and I am superstitious etc etc. Instead, I introduced myself as a warrior to Hanseath.

    Hanseath’s domain are war, travel, and beer (which is where I wove in plant growth). Right arm is covered in a tattoo of hops, with the left arm a tattoo of barley. My character uses the power of hops and barley to succeed in his mission.

    I loved how well the whole concept worked out. My group just accepted me as a fighter when I introduced myself as a warrior to Hanseath. The DM knew the whole background and knew that no one had the religion knowledge or character backstory to have indication of what I was going for. I blew the group away they witnessed me cast cleric spells, and rage in the same battle. They grew even more confused when their healing spells did not appear to work. This is one of my favorite characters that I have ever played. I found the character to be amazingly effective and super fun to play. I knew I didn’t want to be a blood thirsty death destruction style barbarian. I have loved being the planning, beer drinking, loveable but rough around the edges, non-killing pacifist. I added the non-killing part as part of a fun twist. We kind of keep kill counts and give award for epic scenes and stuff. We were most of the way through the week before everyone realized I was padding kill count in everyone else’s favor (it is easy to keep such things in my favor when I volunteer to keep track of such things at each table I am at and I toast to others when a bad guy dies, “Aye, I drink to you my compatriot, for you have felled another foe!”). Others tried to point out that I had been responsible for the death of our foes, and I denied it profusely claiming that the monster had died because of natural causes. It wasn’t till the last day of gaming that the gaming group realized that I had nicknamed my greataxe, “Natural Causes.”

    But, back to the original point, I have found this build to be a blast to play both in and out of combat. So, thank you for your work and energy, I very much appreciated it.

  4. krunchy2112 says:

    Would it be more beneficial to take the first level as a Barbarian for more HP (in a system like PFS that gives max HP at 1st level, but avg HP every level after that)?

    Also, what deity grants these two Domains?

    • Brian Raivel says:

      Almost the same way i made my bloodrager. Anyway the two domains he used were travel (gives +10 feet speed and allows you to ignore difficult terrain (Wis mod x per day), and growth which is a subdomain of plant.

      • Brian Raivel says:

        lol forgot to answer your question Erastil would be the Pathfinder Diety used… But if you use him, you might as well take Community domain which allows you cure your fatigue after raging…

  5. Devis says:

    I have a question: Optimistic Gambler increases the duration of morale bonuses by 1d4 rounds, so why did you choose that trait? The growth granted by the Growth Subdomain is not a morale bonus, so I thought it was for the rage bonuses, but is it really necessary?
    Sorry for my english and thank you for this build, i’m going to prove it in the next campaign.

    • admin says:

      It is for the rage. Is it necessary? Well it depends on how long you stay in rage. A barbarian with Optimistic Gambler and Barbarian Chew can reap the benefits of rage almost endlessly.

  6. Brian says:

    Taking Power Attack at first level is going to be a problem. Requires BAB 1+, and Cleric starts with BAB = 0.

  7. nunya says:

    Fortified Drinker is a Trait which can only be taken by followers of Cayden Cailien.

  8. honeyko says:

    Lacks Raging Vitality = trouble.

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