[4e] Barbarian and a ???

[Mooch]

I am looking at playing a barbarian in an upcoming 4e campagain starting at level 1, and was wondering what other build or class would synergistic well with it. Or if there is nothing that jumps out any 2 character team that works well.

All the party rolls are already cover so we will be doubling up anyway we go.

[Evard]

warlord, sorcerer, rogue

warlord for giving you more attacks

sorcerers can be in melee just fine and can blast and burst pretty good

rogue... you can shift into then out of enemy squares ... you would be a flank tank

these are just off the top of my head though

[Kylarra]

Taclord so you can keep hitting and hitting and hitting.

[Evard]

A control wizard could also be your best friend

An enemy slips past you? Wizard knocks him back to you or even knocks him prone, ripe for the taking :D

Really almost any class can compliment with any other just plan with your party down to the powers with each other. Of course some better than others... One that i really liked was a avenger and barbarian team that would double team monsters (no matter if the monster was a minion or not) very deadly combination. The avenger was the team player type not the isolating avenger.

[Dust]

I second the Tactical Warlord suggestion.

[Mark Hall]

Warlord is a good match. They can heal your likely massive damage, give you additional attacks, etc.

[FoE]

I was looking at a bard/barbarian combo for a two-man party. Works fairly well.

[tcrudisi]

+1 for TacLord. It's the class that synergizes best with the Barbarian, but don't interpret that to mean "the only class." Any two classes can go well with each other if both players understand tactics and their characters.

[Evard]

Warlock is another one that i liked, the barbarian stays up close to the "boss" while the warlock can move 3 spaces each round and stay concealed while blasting the monster. Although the warlock can't heal the barbarian, by the time the barbarian dies the warlock will be able to finish the monster off and save the barbarian :p

[Mando Knight]

Barbarians love their Leaders to death. Strength Cleric and melee Bard builds come in at second for a Barbarian's favorite pal behind the TacLord, followed by the other Leader builds. Out of the others, Leader-like Defenders like the Paladin are almost as favored as Defender-like Leaders like the Battle Cleric.

Or at least, that's how it works if you've got ample ability to move in and hack at your enemy. If you need to use ranged attacks to kill some of the enemy, the ranged builds for the Leaders start looking a lot better, as do Controllers (who can occasionally yank their opponents back to the Barbarian) and the Archer-Ranger (who just got a boost in the newest Dragon article), if you and your pal MC into Leader classes.

What not to go for: A "squishy" class without some source of healing (Controllers and some Strikers). Barbarians are pseudo-Defenders at times, but primarily because you can't shake 'em off and they're hard to kill. If the enemy outnumbers you or the other team's Big Guy can smash around the squishy, suddenly your pal is down for the count and there's nothing you can do about it. It's why tough Leaders are valuable: they can take a beating, heal both of you back up, and help you exact your revenge. A second tough Striker like a TWF Ranger or super-armored Avenger can help, but they're still less resilient than you are and lack the levels of healing a Leader can provide.

[FoE]

The reason I was looking at a bard/barbarian combo was because the one player was determined to play a half-elf bard and the other player was looking for a suggestion. My suggestion was barbarian, as I reasoned that smashy-smashy man could protect singy pointy-ears in battle.

Although Barbarian/Taclord is undoubtedly better in-combat, another reason I thought Bard/Barbarian would make a half-decent two-man party was because the bard makes up for the barbarian's lack of skills.

Plus, it sounds cool. "Bard and Barbarian: one is a savage warrior from the wilds, the other is a cultured swordsman from the hard streets of the city. They fight crime!"