Barbarian

Instincts

Giant Instinct

You take a minor penalty for a ton of extra damage on your attacks while you Rage.

Tip: You gain Clumsy 1 only when you are wielding the oversized weapon and you are wielding a weapon when you're holding it in the number of hands needed to use it effectively. This allows you to use the Release action at the end of your turn to remove the Clumsy condition then use the Interact action at the start of your turn to re-grip the weapon.

Now do your best Tryndamere impression.

Class Feats

Level 1:

Sudden Charge (5/5) - While it's only an extra economy bonus, doubling the distance you can travel with the bread-and-butter Stride + Strike action can often mean the difference in getting a flanking bonus or avoiding an Attack of Opportunity.

Raging Intimidation (4/5) - Either amazing or a huge waste and my favorite part about this feat is the seemingly pointless rules problem where a Barbarian cannot Demoralize while Raging. I'm fairly certain if this Class Feat didn't address the weird rules interaction that most people would consider trading a Class Feat for a level 1 and a level 15 feat as bad. Also, keep in mind that this Class Feat is effectively a situational Skill Feat until level 15 (and your character may never make it to that level). Also, this is a good Class Feature at level 1 but pretty bad otherwise (like from a Archetype Class Feat point of view) -- you want to be able to Demoralize at level one or two.

There's also a niche use case for this Class Feat. You gain Scare to Death at exactly level 15, most characters don't have a Skill Feat available at level 15 and if they wanted Scare to Death at that level, they'd need to use the level 15 General Feat slot instead. It's a clever use of a level 1 feat if you're building a character at that level.

Moment of Clarity (1/5) - Spend an action so you can use a Concentration action this turn. It's a nice stop gap if you used Rage when you shouldn't have but it's better to learn about when you should Rage or how you can drop Rage when you don't want it anymore.

The primary actions a Barbarian might want while raging that have Concentrate are Demoralize and Ready. Raging Intimidation handles the Demoralize problem for you and Ready competes with other reactions you might have.

Raging Thrower (1/5) - Barbarians shouldn't have enough DEX to support throwing weapons and you're more than likely better spending the action getting in melee range instead of throwing a weapon.

There's a niche build where you make a DEX-based Giant Instinct Barbarian that uses a Harpoon as it's primary weapon. (not a Returning weapon). Since you aren't holding the Harpoon with two hands after it's thrown, you aren't wielding the weapon; each turn takes an action to return the weapon to your hands but you wouldn't take the additionally penalty. I don't see it being better than a Rogue Thief or a traditional Giant Barbarian but it's an option.

You're wielding an item any time you're holding it in the number of hands needed to use it effectively.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/whlbjd/is_giant_instinct_barbarian_constantly_clumsy/

Level 2:

Furious Finish - Not a good feat but it has some hidden utility -- it lets you drop Rage.

Gear

Buckler - Don't overlook Bucklers. When you're holding a two-handed weapon, you can release one of your hands to use the Raise a Shield action. It's only +1 to AC but that interaction is likely better than missing an attack when you have multiple MAPs.

FAQ

If I took the Raging Intimidation feat, can I still Demoralize if I'm not raging?

Yes. Raging Intimidation applies the Rage trait to Demoralize and Scare to Death while you are raging. That means if you aren't raging, those actions do not have the Rage trait.

Raging Intimidation.
Your fury fills your foes with fear. While you are raging, your Demoralize and Scare to Death actions (from the Intimidation skill and an Intimidation skill feat, respectively) gain the rage trait, allowing you to use them while raging. As soon as you meet the prerequisites for the skill feats Intimidating Glare and Scare to Death, you gain these feats.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=132 https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/10rridv/is_raging_intimidation_a_good_feat/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/obnghz/are_barbarians_really_not_able_to_demoralize/

Do Thrown Weapons Benefit from Rage?

No. A thrown weapon is a ranged attack with a ranged weapon. If you want thrown weapons to benefit from Rage, pick up the Raging Thrower Class Feat.

The Thrown Property reads as follows:

You can throw this weapon as a ranged attack, and it is a ranged weapon when thrown. A thrown weapon adds your Strength modifier to damage just like a melee weapon does. When this trait appears on a melee weapon, it also includes the range increment. Ranged weapons with this trait use the range increment specified in the weapon's Range entry.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/cr82mx/lets_take_a_look_at_throwing_weapons_raw/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/cn7mzt/thrown_weapon_questions/

Can you cast spells while Raging?

Yes, but Verbal spells require Concentration.

Moment of Clarity (Level 1) allows the Barbarian to use actions with Concentrate until the end of the turn.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=280 https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/ckzffn/can_you_cast_spells_while_raging/

Resources