Thanks to the inclusion of rage powers, barbarians in Pathfinder have a wide selection of abilities that can influence their playstyle. Depending on which powers they choose, two barbarians could have almost nothing in common aside from both using rage to trigger their perks. The right combination of powers can give any player a barbarian that suits their approach to the game.
In Pathfinder, barbarians gain a new rage power every two levels, up to a maximum of ten at level 20. Each power augments the barbarian's rage, either granting them a bonus or new ability as long as it is active. This feature provides the barbarian with an extra skill tree that turns their rage into a more powerful weapon as the adventure goes on. The best combinations of rage powers can turn the tide of a battle on their own. Players who have built barbarian class characters in Dungeons & Dragons will find a lot of fun new options when deg one for Pathfinder, especially where rage powers are concerned.
A Bite-Focused Pathfinder Barbarian Can Fight Like A Shark
There are a surprising amount of rage powers that have to do with biting. Whether the barbarian has a natural bite attack or gained one through the Animal Fury rage power, they have several options to adjust and amplify it with further rage powers. It sounds like an absurd idea on the surface, particularly since the barbarian already has a weapon that they could be using instead of their teeth. The list of augments for the barbarian's bite may be able to sway players to try it out, though.
Bloody Bite will let a barbarian's bite deal bonus bleed damage, while Penetrating Bite lets it by damage resistances, a skill that melee classes in Pathfinder would find extremely useful. By taking the Tyrant Totem line of rage powers, the barbarian's bite will not only get stronger, but it can also start grapples and even swallow some smaller enemies whole. If a biting barbarian takes both Bloody Fist and Feast of Blood, then a critical bite can be used to rip out and eat one of an enemy's vital organs, dealing bonus damage while healing the barbarian in a gruesome display.
Adding empowered bites to a barbarian's arsenal requires the investment of a few rage powers for full effect, but can be devastating in practice. A rage based around bite attacks creates an unusual alternate method of fighting, but a scarily effective one. A barbarian with this skillset possesses some of the most brutal ways to dispatch enemies in Pathfinder. Biting chunks out of enemies may sound like the antics of an evil Dungeons & Dragons character, but it's a quirk that a skilled roleplayer could work with.
Some Pathfinder Barbarians Prefer To Toss Around Objects & Enemies
A raging barbarian is the sort of character one can imagine tearing up everything in their path. It's easy to imagine a barbarian using their rage to send furniture flying as they smash their enemies around the room. As fate would have it, Pathfinder has the appropriate rage powers to allow players to make barbarians that turn these destructive tendencies into a new fighting style. This variety of barbarian could end up dealing as much damage to the area around them as they do to their foes.
The Hurling line of rage powers allows a barbarian to pick up objects and throw them at enemies up to 10 feet away while raging. Higher levels of the power will let the either throw up to 30 feet away, or throw objects up to one size category larger. Turning regular items into weapons in DnD is little more than a niche tactic, but a Hurler barbarian turns it into a true battle plan. Thrown objects deal damage similar to falling objects, giving them some respectable strength with good rolls. A fitting compliment to Hurling would be Body Bludgeon, which extends that same philosophy to living targets. With Body Bludgeon, a raging barbarian can take any smaller target they have grappled and pinned and wield them like a weapon, smashing them into other enemies while damaging both.
Combining Hurling and Body Bludgeon can completely transform a barbarian. Once they go into rage, they wouldn't even need their weapon, replacing it with anything that they could get their hands on, making it an entertaining choice for players beginning to play Pathfinder since such a tactic is fairly unique to this build. The only downside to this setup is that its effectiveness relies on how many throwable objects are in the vicinity when rage activates, but players looking to carve a path of destruction can't go wrong with this barbarian build.
A Barbarian Can Inspire Fear In Their Enemies In Pathfinder
Among all of the playable classes in Pathfinder, barbarians may be the most intimidating. While wizards and sorcerers may be able to deal more damage with their spells, a barbarian's imposing presence more likely than not makes them a party's most fearsome member at a glance. It's possible to put together a set of rage powers that weaponizes the barbarian's natural intimidation factor, inspiring fear in even some of Pathfinder's most unusual enemies to turn fights in the party's favor.
Lesser Undead Blood is a rage power in Pathfinder that leaves enemies hit by a charge attack shaken, granting them penalties on most of their rolls. Another power that can shake enemies is Intimidating glare, allowing the barbarian to unnerve them with just a fierce glance. Both of these powers can combo into Terrifying Howl, which causes any shaken enemies within its radius that fail their saves to become panicked. Panicked enemies stop fighting completely and attempt to flee the battle for the effect's duration, so catching even one enemy with Terrifying Howl's effect can have a major impact.
Being able to scare enemies during a fight can be a big advantage, and it's an effect that often requires spells to activate. Using rages to weaken enemies with fear is a unique idea for a barbarian character, making them play a ing role in addition to dealing damage. Since Pathfinder pits players against fearsome foes on a regular basis, a chance for the party to turn the tables is always welcome.
The wide variety of rage powers in Pathfinder gives players the chance to customize their barbarians to their liking. They can mix and match abilities to affect various areas, or go all in on empowering one specific part of their game plan. Whatever direction a player decides, building a barbarian in Pathfinder has a lot of exciting possibilities.
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