I am playing a Barbarian now, a half-orc at that...
And I think they are great... the barbarian rage is amazing.. +4 to str and +4 to con... that is incredible... that's 23 str and 23 con for a half-orc
The increased movement allows you to get out in front of your party, to allow the archers to pick off enemies while you engage in melee... and the immunity to backstabbing is great too, especially for those pesky rune assassins...
The HIT POINTS ARE INCREDIBLE.. I am level 8, and I have about 150 HP... amazing...
Dual-wield or two-handed sword is awesome... I am currently dual-wielding long sword and warhammer.. eventually will do katana and warhammer for the celestial fury and crom faeyr...
Hindrances are not that bad.. so you cant become grandmaster in a weapon.. but specialized is good enough... and the armor hindrance is not a hindrance at all considering the amount of armor in the game that is below plate but is still really good...
(still not sure if the barbarian can use the red dragon scale armor?)
Anyway, great character and one I am glad I decided to play...
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"I shot the low-life knobgoblin RIGHT IN THE EYE!"