Shattered Kingdoms

You aren't invisible. I actually wrote down your idea as a possibility. What I specifically like is the core of this idea, which is making held spells better than spells from a bottle. But as it relates to aura of negation, I will probably give you a bonus to avoid your spell being resisted if it is actively held.

I just thought of another aspect: why is it that MR barbs get the benefits of enchanted armor, but also the new damage reduction?

Unless the number of armor slots has changed. I would rather make a centaur barb than a griffarb.

That, to me, was always obvious. EQ slots and access to actual weaponry make centaurs a much more viable barbarian class.

Too bad you'll never be able to fly.

Quaff, ask, eat, it can be done still.

*boggles*

We are talking about MR barbs. No, they can't if they've trained resistance 10 times.

Personally I would take a giant over a griffon MR barb. You can still get a flying pet and have higher damage output and natural max STR. I also think I would train resistance about 8 times and get the rest on gear so that I could be buffed with some patience.

[Edit] Note also that MR barbs don't need things like wisdom, willpower or fortitude the way regular barbs would because they resist those anyway. (The only possible need for willpower would be for getting through sanctuary/intimidate.) This allows them to use all of their stat points on HP and MR, protection on their armor slots, and stats on their jewelry.

I think a prepped, non-MR barb would still beat an MR barb, but you have to look at this picture with all of the class comparisons in mind and it seems to me that most every other class besides barbarian gets rocked by an MR barb. Warlock (if elementals don't get dispelled) and priest/shaman in a tribunal might be exceptions.

It's totally unclear to me how "resisting" this effect would actually work. You said it's not like a dispel, but what's the check then? From the limited instances I've seen it seems to always knock out all the person's spells. This should definitely not be the case.

I think having near 100% resistance is better for the reasons that jhorleb brings up. Who would want to fight someone that resists 8 out of 10 spells, and then also has raptor jesus and all things unholy cast on his character during the fight? I think that would be an undeserved buff to the MR barbarian. Of course there's nothing preventing anybody from building this way to begin with. Oh well.

Maybe aura of negation should also clear buffs on the barbarian using it as well.

It does knock out your own, I think. It'd still be worth doing this way, though, because you could judiciously decide whether or not to activate the aura depending on your opponent and the circumstances.