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ripped0ff wrote:

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I think one thing a lot of folks might be forgetting is that you don't necessarily need to create a new class to play a character with a whole different feel. 4E has, in many ways, resurrected the old "kit" concept from 2E. To use your Barbarian example, I found a perfect example of a homebrew Barbarian kit that bgaesop threw together on the SA Traditional Games forum.

Barbarian Kit
"Raaaaaaaaaaggghhh!!!!"

You are a barbarian, a fierce, raging warrior that relies more on brute power and terrifying your enemies with your speed and ferocity than on years of training or tactics.

Prerequisites: Fighter or Ranger

Drawbacks: Your armor proficiency becomes Cloth, Leather, Hide. You may gain armor proficiencies through feats as normal, but all of your Barbarian abilities cease functioning when you are wearing armor other than Cloth, Leather, or Hide. Your shield proficiencies remain the same. You do not gain your inherent class abilities, though you still gain powers as normal. For instance, if you are a fighter, you do not gain your Mark ability, Combat Superiority, or a Fighter Weapon Talent. Your weapon proficiencies become: Axes, Heavy Blades, Maces, and Spears.

Benefits:
Murderous Frenzy The first time you drop an opponent to 0 hit points or fewer in an encounter, you gain an action point.

Savage Reaction Whenever you are hit by a melee attack you can make a basic melee attack against the opponent who hit you. This does not count towards your limit of 1 OA against each opponent each turn, but you may only use this against any one opponent once each turn. For instance, if two enemies are flanking you and the first attacks and hits, you get a basic melee attack. He then retreats from you, provoking an OA. The other one attacks, hits, provoking a basic melee attack. He then spend an action point to attack again, hits, but does not provoke a second basic melee attack.

Never Say Die Once per day, as a triggered react to becoming Bloodied, you gain Regeneration 5 until the end of the encounter. At 11th level this becomes Regeneration 10. At 21st level, it becomes Regeneration 15.

That simple. You have a barbarian that can do everything a fighter can, and feels like a barbarian. Doesn't feel just right? Tweak it a bit. There's no reason you need to stat out a whole new class, when really, the only changes necessary are in the class features.

You've inspired me to try a writeup of this kit. However, I firmly believe that barbarians are strikers. Thus, I made a shift in the focus. The class selection would be as such: TWF Ranger or Brawny Rogue. This creates some power overlap in the writeup, which is intentional. It's not polished, but it is inspired by Robert E. Howard.