Ok, so as the title suggests, I'm currently trying to build a Barbarian, a shifter at that, for a Play-by-Post game run by Sinfire Titan. Several houserules, including:
* Starting level of ECL 3
* Point-buy stat generation
* Most races have no ability penalties
* Flaws are allowed, but no traits
* Feats/PrC's/Variants that are region/CS specific need to be approved by the DM
* Moderate optimization- Not too high, not too low
* No cheesiness like Changeling Warshaper (or shifter, in this case), or Dragonwrought Kobold qualifying early for epic feats, etc.
and a few more less character-creation-related rules.
So basically, I came across RobbyPants'
rebalance of the Barbarian which I wanted to try out in this PbP game on another forum. I decided to go with Shifter to enhance raging and such, and because I haven't played one yet.
The problem is that I don't want to just be a one-trick pony. Sure I can go with the standard charger-build, get Leap Attack, Shock Trooper, Combat Brute, etc, but then that's all I am. Admittedly, I could be damn good at it, but in the end I'm relying on the ability to charge. What happens if I can't? If the quarters are cramped, or something else prevents such tactics? Plus, it uses up valuable feat slots for feats I won't be using much (Imp. Bullrush and Sunder).
Some things of note are that the Barbarian rewrite includes a different version of Rage (+4 str, +2 will, +2 fort, no con bonus but lasts 5 + con mod rounds instead of 3, and is usable 1/encounter), and at level 6 it gets pounce, so there's no need to go with the Lion Totem ACF.
Now, since the class already gets pounce, I'd think my priority would be adding to the number of attacks I can make in a round. Being a shifter (surprising that there were never Shifter Barbarian racial sub levels), it's not too hard to get one or two natural attacks, though the damage output is much lower than going with a two-handed weapon with Power Attack, and focusing on natural weapons tends to fall behind in damage potential pretty quickly, especially with a full-BAB class. The class also gets several nicer abilities later on in levels, which makes it appealing to stay with it all the way through. However, with the right alternative, it could be worth it to take a PrC or something to boost my versatility.
Currently, with 32 PB and no stat penalties, the Shifter's stats look like this:
Str 18
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 8
Wis 10
Cha 8
Initially, my feats for first level were Power Attack and two shifter feats so that my Shifting lasts as long as my Rage and can be used twice a day. I'm open to changing this if need-be.
There will only be three people in the party total, including me, and most people contributing seemed to want to make ranged or casting based characters.
What can I do to stand out, and to hold up in the party?