Barbarian

The Pros and Cons of a Barbarian

The barbarian is made for fighting, but he's definitely more than just an uncivilized fighter. He comes with his own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Barbarian Assets

When you choose a barbarian, you have plenty of options for creating an interesting character. Below are several assets you have going for you with a character of this class.

• • High Hit Points: The barbarian's 12-sided Hit Dice give him unmatched hit points, especially if he has a decent Constitution score.

• • Good Attack Bonus: A barbarian's base attack bonus is +1 per level, which is the best in the game. Thus, a barbarian can take on almost any foe and expect to land effective blows.

• • Good Fortitude Saves: A barbarian uses the best save progression in the game for Fortitude saves (see Table 3-1 in the Player's Handbook). This natural hardiness helps him resist most effects that attack his body, such as poison, polymorphing, and energy draining.

• • Good Weapon Selection: Because he can use any simple or martial weapon, a barbarian is a deadly opponent with just about any weapon in his hand.

• • Good Armor Class: A barbarian is proficient with light and medium armor and every kind of shield except a tower shield. The lack of heavy armor keeps his Armor Class rating from reaching the stratosphere, but a properly equipped barbarian is no slouch when it comes to defense.

• • Barbarian Rage: A barbarian is an efficient fighter in most circumstances, but his signature ability -- rage -- turns him into a veritable killing machine. The Strength boost that rage provides makes his attacks more potent, and the Constitution increase makes him extra tough, at least for a short time.

• • Defensive Abilities: A 2nd-level barbarian's uncanny dodge ability keeps him from suffering the usual ill effects when he is surprised or otherwise caught off guard. Some of his other class features -- especially the ability to avoid traps (gained at 3rd level) and the ability to resist blows (gained at 7th level) -- also help to protect him from harm.

• • Quick Movement: A barbarian who isn't carrying a heavy load or wearing heavy armor enjoys a modest boost in speed that helps him cover ground in a hurry.

• • Good Skill Selection: The barbarian has a substantial list of class skills that make him alert, mobile, and self-sufficient.

Barbarian Weaknesses

As with members of any other character class, the barbarian's many advantages come at a price. Here are a few of the disadvantages you should keep in mind if you're considering a barbarian character.

• • Poor Reflex and Will Saving Throws: Barbarians have the worst progression for Reflex and Will saves in the game (see Table 3-1 in the Player's Handbook). This drawback means they aren't so great at avoiding most kinds of magical attacks.

• • Illiterate: Unless he spends some skill points to learn how to read and write (or takes levels in some other class), your barbarian character remains illiterate for life. Illiteracy usually isn't a deadly flaw, but it can prove embarrassing or inconvenient.

• • Curiously Vulnerable: In spite of the barbarian's formidable defenses, he can die quite easily if you aren't careful about how you play him. His rage ability lowers his Armor Class just when he needs it most, and his superior speed makes it easy to outrun his allies just when their aid might be most valuable. Furthermore, the loss of his temporary hit points after rage makes it easy for him to die after giving his all.