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[thatkid]

With the right build and prestige classes, a barbarian druid can actually be kind of fun. From a metagame standpoint, a lot of people will tell you that you're only making yourself weaker, for reasons GWG mentioned, but in general wildshape and druid spells can augment barbarian abilities nicely- and the other way around.
In other words- you won't be the best, but if you carefully focus your build you won't be the worst, either. And you might be able to do something like this, which is always a plus.

EDIT: Ideally, you'd want to make use of rage while wildshaped into something crazy powerful. For added fun, take Natural Spell so you can buff your new form or summon more animals before raging. There should be a barbarian-centric prestige class that allows you to inspire your allies into a rage as well. With ranks in bluff, you could even use your summoned allies as doppelgangers, if you were to ever be the target of assassins or whatever.

[GreatWyrmGold]

By overlap I meant that the wild shape of the druid could fill the space of the rage.
otherwise, I'll bear that in mind.

Not at all. Sure, they're similar, but both are limited in per-day usage, wild shape is more versatile...and they stack.

[sjm9876]

Can they stack?
Under wildshape on the SRD it says it functions like alternate form, which says:

The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature).

with no exception in wild shape that I can see.

[thatkid]

Can they stack?
Under wildshape on the SRD it says it functions like alternate form, which says:

The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature).

with no exception in wild shape that I can see.

as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature).
Sounds like they stack to me.

[Deep Waters]

i suppose you could do a melee-oriented build that focuses on the druid's wild shape abilities... but wild shape for druids don't come in until lv5, and i don't know how useful that build would be outside of wild shape, especially since both rage and wild shape are 1/day until at least cl9. there's also the fact that druids are as close as you can get to a decent fighter/spellcaster without multiclassing afaik, so that'd be some potential wasted. still, if you could optimize it enough, i don't see why it wouldn't work in later levels. i think complete divine has a lot of shite for druids and wild shaping, if that helps.

Can they stack?
Under wildshape on the SRD it says it functions like alternate form, which says:

The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature).

with no exception in wild shape that I can see.

that says "extraordinary special attacks... not derived from class levels". rage is derived from class levels.

[sjm9876]

Oh, failed to read the 'not' there  . This could be fun, even if it might end underpowered......
And natural shape was a must anyway.

[thatkid]

My advice would be to focus primarily on druid, and use the Extra Rage feat to make up for the lack of barbarian levels.

[GreatWyrmGold]

This could be fun, even if it might end underpowered......

It includes a significant investment in druid levels. You'll easily be in the upper half of the power spectrum if you try. Possibly upper third or quarter.

[Culise]

Culise: afaik, all small races get a penalty to STR due to their size. I don't believe you'll find any that don't. your best bet is to probably just put in a higher score-- actually an STR 16 halfling would be pretty awesome, now that i think about it. like that half-orc wizard i made once.

In practise a small creature with -2 STR evens out to just a -1 to damage, since they gain +1 to hit from being small.

Ah, thanks.  I think I can use Power Attack to convert that over to damage if I'm against something that can't dodge.  Also, Small creatures do have to use smaller and less effective weapons by default, yes, which I'll have to look at.  I'm basically thinking of building a shinkicker with a vengeance, since it seems thematic: Underfoot Combat, Confound the Big Folk, and the like.  If I can reduce myself to Tiny via Reduce Person or some magical item with that effect, I can do it even to Standard creatures like humans. 

[LeoLeonardoIII]

It's an oversimplification, of course. It was mostly regarding the effects of the -2 to STR, not counting in the other stuff related to small size.

I always thought Small races were a bargain. Everyone else's stat modifiers usually balance out. But a Halfling for example getting a DEX bonus and STR penalty, but the STR penalty is actually coming from his Small size ... so he actually is just standard Small modifiers with a DEX bonus!

Or does size give you a DEX mod? I don't remember. If it does then Halfling for example probably has no racial stat mods and it's all just from size, meaning he's still a net +0 stat change.

As for the Druid thing, I do believe that a creature with a single natural attack (like a bite but no claws) counts that as 1.5x STR bonus as if it were a two-handed weapon. 1: Is that right? Or am I remembering something from Pathfinder? 2: Would that pile into all the feats etc. that contemplate 2-handed weapons, like Power Attack?

[Harbingerjm]

((The alternative idea was an awakened animal who fakes being a familiar alongside a cohort rogue who fakes being a spellcaster.))

This is glorious. Kobold Rogue or Artificer and a Pseudodragon would be similar.

Or does size give you a DEX mod? I don't remember. If it does then Halfling for example probably has no racial stat mods and it's all just from size, meaning he's still a net +0 stat change.

It does, at least going by the advancement tables.

[sjm9876]

Although as a completely unthought through idea, what about a druid 5/barbarian 5/MoMF 10? Wouldn't need natural spell due to shifter speak, and so many wildshapes to stack with rage. probably a horrible plan, but still.

[GiglameshDespair]

MoMF?

[Doomblade187]

Are there any spots left? I'd like to join if there is one. I can play most any role.

[sjm9876]

Master of Many Forms, from complete adventurer
http://dndtools.eu/classes/master-of-many-forms/