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Thorns won't have a strong effect until about 5000% to 10000% damage returned. This is because monsters typcally have 50 to 100 times more life than damage, even in cold plains. When you use "/players 8" you multiple the monster HP and life recovery, but not their damage (not by much anyway). Thorns builds are more for soloing than party play, since every new person essentially cuts their damage output by a lot.
If you're still in A1 norm with this character, then there is no problem between FArmor and thorns, the problem is just that you're immune to the monster's damage (FArmor has 1 dr/mdr per 2 levels). Damage return from thorns only kicks in if you've lost HP, and the damage returned is relative to the HP lost. Try testing against an champ group, and just run around them without attacking (to reduce defence to zero). If the champs get a critical hit, then they'll probably do enough damage to get past your dr/mdr and have the thorns kick in.
Skulls in shield, especially later game, will devastate your thorns output, since you'll be taking much less physical damage via the dr%.
If you want to try thorns, then I strongly recommend a barb with 2 Suicide Branch wands (6000% thorns). Until level 45 and the wands, you're not a thorns barb, but more of a BO/IStamina tank (twink gear can help you kill if needed). Use Berzerk to lower your defence, and try to get yourself cursed with Amp damage. Try to curse the enemies with Amp too. You'll kill some things (champs, berzerkers, melee bosses) pretty quickly. There's other thorns gear in the game, but the two wands are always the bulk of it. Later game, Lacerator axes are worth using. You drop your thorns by 1.5k%, but you gain a nearly endless source of lvl 1 Amp Damage, which will remove the global phys res in Hell for you. Use Taunt to force archers and casters to melee you, but be aware that their damage still sucks, so your merc will still have to help with them.
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