nerdythebard

[nerdythebard]

#63: Eileen the Crow [Bloodborne]

Off to her next assignment she goes.

Now, I will be honest with you guys, I do not get the hype surrounding the Souls games, the Souls-likes, and all the different sub-genres. I want my videogames to tell me a story, not make me rip my beard off and destroy my gaming equipment. But I cannot deny a request, even an anonymous one. So let us take a look at the beast the monsters fear - Eileen the Crow.

Next Time: Hear the horns of the winged shieldmaidens. The Queen of the Valkyries descends!

A good hunter is always prepared, so let's gather up our goals for this build:

A Hoonter Must Hoont: (count how many times we say 'hunter' and 'hunt' in this post) As the Hunter of Hunters, Eileen needs excellent tracking and ambushing skills. We focus on mobility and information gathering.

Living Weapon: Eileen is skilled with her duel Blade of Mercy, various types of firearms, as well as hand-to-hand combat. With plenty of resistances and physical enhancements, she is unparallel hunter.

Blood, Blood, Gallons of the Stuff: A central theme of the Hunters and the game series. Eileen hunts down those who succumb to their lust for blood. Her own abilities include absorbing blood of her enemies and creating ammunition using her own blood.

---

1. BACKGROUND

This one's obvious, we're going with Human (Variant). Doing so gives us a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Dexterity and Constitution), 30 feet of ground speed, ability to speak Common and one additional language, proficiency in one skill of our choice (Acrobatics), and one feat of our choice; for that last one, let's pick the Gunner feat from Tasha's, which will increase our Dexterity and give us the ability to use firearms.

For Eileen's background, let's do Urban Bounty Hunter from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. This gives us proficiency in two skills from the list (Insight and Stealth), proficiecy with two tools from the list (take thieves' tools and any of the others), and the Ear to the Ground feature, which gives us an information network about any potential targets in the area.

2. ABILITY SCORES

Dexterity will be our priority. Although of advanced age, Eileen can still dodge point-blank blunderbuss shots. Constitution is next, just in case we cannot dodge or avoid the fight. Wisdom is another good trait for Eileen - we need it to resist mind manipulation, gain insight on the people around us, and use the Survival skil for tracking.

Strength will be next, not as important as striking fast and avoiding damage, but we do have that improved with Old Blood. Intelligence is on the lower end and we're dumping Charisma. We're not here to play nice or charm our way through the city.

3. CLASS

This one's an interesting case, partically because I feel like this is a bit of cheating but, to my defense, the man's official D&D canon published by WotC, so...

Level 1 - Blood Hunter:

BRING OUT THE MERCER! Blood Hunters have this unique lore that fits perfectly to dark fantasy campaigns and characters, so let's have some fun! Blood Hunters get a d10 as their Hit Dice, [10 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons, and alchemist supplies. For starters, we'll give Eileen a studded leather armour (flavoured as a long coat) and two shortswords. If you're buying your equipment, and the DM allows so, buy a gun. If not, try to get one ASAP. Our saving throws are Dexterity and Intelligence, and we get to pick three skills from the class list (Athletics, History, and Investigation).

At 1st level, Blood Hunters are subjected to drinking Hunter's Bane, to unlock their full potential in hemocraft magic. This gives us advantage on Survival checks for tracking fey, fiends, or undead as well as Intelligence checks to recall information about them. We also get Hemocraft Die to fuel some of our Blood Hunter abilities. Starting off with 1d4, it evolves as we level up.

Finally, we gain access to Blood Maledicts, powerful curses that control the blood of our enemies. Whenever we cast those curses, we can amplify them and give additional properties by suffering necrotic damage equal to our Hemocraft die roll. We get to pick one Blood Maledict at the start, and here we're gonna grab Blood Curse of Binding - forcing a Strength saving throw on a creature that's Large or smaller within 30 feet of us, reducing its speed to 0 and making it unable to take reactions until the end of our next turn on a failed save. Amplifying the curse extends the effect to 1 minute.

Level 2 - Blood Hunter: We get to choose our Fighting Style, and here it's obvious that Two-Weapon Fighting will do us well. We can now add our modifiers to the attack we make as a bonus action with our off-hand.

Additionally, we can improve our weapons by invoking a Crimson Rite. As a bonus action, we sacrifice some Hit Points taking necrotic damage equal to our Hemocraft Die, and we can infuse one of our weapons with extra damage (also equal to the Hemocraft Die). We get to choose one type of damage. For Eileen, let's pick Rite of the Flame to deal extra fire damage.

Level 3 - Blood Hunter: At this level, we get to pick our subclass, our Blood Hunter Order. Since the Hunters who are lost to their bloodlust are nothing more than husks of their former selves, we shall pick the Order of the Ghostslayer. To deal with the undead, we can now perform Rite of Dawn as another option for our Crimson Rite feature: we deal extra radiant damage, our weapon sheds bright light for 20 feet, we gain resistance to necrotic damage, and if we hit an undead while Rite of Dawn is active, we get to roll additional Hemocraft Die damage.

We are also a Curse Specialist, which lets us pick another Blood Maledict. With Blood Curse of the Eyeless, we can force an attacking creature within 30 feet of us to deduct a number equal to our Hemocraft Die from their attack roll as a reaction. Amplifying the curse extends its effect to all attacks of the creature until the end of its turn (we roll for each attack separately).

Level 4 - Blood Hunter: With our first Ability Score Improvement, we are going to raise our Dexterity and Constitution by one point each.

Level 5 - Blood Hunter: Our Hemocraft Die becomes 1d6. We also gain Extra Attack, which allows us to make two strikes during a single Attack action.

Level 6 - Blood Hunter: For our final level of Blood Hunter, we're getting Brand of Castigation. Once we damage a creature with weapon that has an active Crimson Rite, we can leave a blood mark on it. From that moment (until we remove it, it is dispelled, or we mark another target), we always know the direction to the marked target (as long as it is on the same plane of existence). Furthermore, if the marked creature deals damage to us or a creature within 5 feet of us, it suffers psychic damage equal to our Hemocraft Die. Once used, we cannot use this feature until completing a short or long rest.

Additionally, we can now use our Blood Maledicts twice before resting and we get to pick up another Blood Curse. With Blood Curse of Exposure, if the target takes weapon or spell damage it is resistant to, we can temporarily strip away that resistance until the end of the target's next turn. Amplifying the Curse, transforms immunity to a certain damage into resistance.

Level 7 - Rogue: We have our damage dealing and blood abilities, now let's focus on agility. Multiclassing into Rogue give us proficiencies we already have (+ thieves' tools) and one skill from the list (Perception).

Rogues start by applying Expertise to two skills they're proficient with (or one + thieves' tools) and doubling their proficiency bonus when using them. Let's pick Acrobatics and Insight for better parkour and gathering information. We also learn Thieves' Cant (can't what?), a secretive language of phrases and symbols used between different factions to exchange information. Finally, we can apply Sneak Attack to apply extra damage (currently 1d6, increases as we level-up) once per turn to one creature we hit with an attack that has an advantage.

Level 8 - Rogue: We gain better mobility thanks to Cunning Action. We can now take the Dash, Disengage, and Hide Actions as Bonus Actions.

Level 9 - Rogue: We get to pick our second subclass, our Roguish Archetype. I know it would be very tempting to go with 'Assassin' here but let's boost our tracking and closing skills with Scout. As a Skirmisher, we can use our reaction to move up to half of our speed if the enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of us without provoking opportunity attacks.

We're also a great Survivalist. We gain proficiency with Nature and Survival and our proficiency bonus in using those is doubled, essentially giving us a free Expertise.

Level 10 - Rogue: Halfway through the build and we get another ASI. Let's put both points into Dexterity, maxing it out.

Level 11 - Rogue: With Uncanny Dodge, we can use our Reaction to halve the damage of an attack that hits us which we can see.

Level 12 - Rogue: At this level, we can apply Expertise to two more skills we're proficient with. Let's do Perception and Stealth to better approach our prey.

Level 13 - Rogue: Here, we get probably one of the best defensive abilities in the game - Evasion. Whenever we make a Dexterity saving throw against an area effect, a successful save lets us avoid damage completely (where usually we would take half) and a failed save makes us take half damage (where usually we would take full damage).

Level 14 - Rogue: Another ASI! With the Mobile feat, our speed increases by 10 feet and whenever we Dash, we are not bothered by difficult terrain. Additionally, after we attack we can move and not provoke and opportunity attack (regardless if we hit the target or not).

Level 15 - Rogue: We get another feature of our subclass. Superior Mobility increases our speed by 10 feet; this applies to any form of speed we get (flying, climbing, swimming).

Level 16 - Rogue: ASI once again. With the Tavern Brawler feature, we can improve our fighting chances in case we're disarmed or ambushed when unprepared. Our Strength or Constitution increases by 1, we become proficient with improvised weapons, our unarmed strikes now use d4 instead of our Strength modifier, and whenever we attack the target with our fists or an improvised weapon, we can use our Bonus Action to attempt to grapple it.

Level 17 - Rogue: Reliable Talent is another fantastic ability; all skills we're proficient with treat a d20 roll of a 9 or lower as a 10.

Level 18 - Rogue: With the final ASI of this build, we will improve our Strength and Wisdom to even the odds (HA!)

Level 19 - Rogue: We get the final subclass feature. As an Ambush Master, we have an advantage on initiative rolls. Additionally, the first creature we hit during first round of combat will now have attacks made against it with an advantage until the start of our next turn.

Level 20 - Rogue: Our capstone is Rogue 14, which gives us Blindsense. As long as we're able to hear, we are aware of any invisible or hidden creatures within 10 feet of us.

4. RECOMMENDED ITEMS

Look for the following items in-game to increase your hunting skills:

Periapt of Proof Against Poison: Get yourself that immunity to poisons and poison damage. You will not succumb to the bloodlust like the others.

Armour of Resistance: Any will do, the less things can hurt you the better.

Goggles of Night: Important for stalking your prey across the nightclad cityscape. Since we're a Human, we don't have innate Darkvision.

---

So this is Eileen the Crow, the best as I could make her. Let's see what we ended up with:

First of all, we're pretty fast. With 20 in Dexterity, a +5 to our Initiative and the base speed of 50 feet, we can move around the battlefield like the wind. The Mobile feat also helps us ignore the difficult terrain and opportunity attacks. With proficiencies in Stealth, Survival, and Perception our role is defined - act fast, strike, disappear. Blood Maledicts help us with crowd control, to make sure we live to hunt another day.

Our AC is 17 and we have the average of 168 Hit Points.

Unfortunately, the build lacks in the mental side of D&D. Our Charisma is still in the negatives, and our Intelligence (although we're proficient in saving throws) might not be good enough to defend ourselves. We're also not equipped to be a frontliner, so better make sure you're always surrounded by stronger friends.

---

And that is it, my lovelies. It is good to be back. Happy 2025 and may we all live our best in these trying times! <3

- Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

#62: Sun Wukong, the Monkey King

[Art Credit: GameScience Studio]

All he ever wanted was to chill with his monkey friends and eat delicious fruit. But the Bureaucracy of Heaven said nooo...

Time for the one and only Sun Wukong. The Handsome Monkey King. The Great Sage Equal to Heavens (self-appointed). The Immortal Troublemaker. As requested by @otakuboysworld. Without any futher ado, let's get into some monkey business! This is going to be quite a bananas build!

Next Time: With a raven's mantle and a doctor's mask... the Hunt shall begin!

Wukong is the earliest example of an overpowered anime protagonist I can think of. With his extensive repertoire of powers and skills, I had to restrict myself to only the most famous few, so let's see what we shall focus on:

Stacks of Immortality: Sun Wukong has gained immortality on at least four separate occasions and originally emerged from a mysterious stone (which adds to his durability). We need to be as tanky as possible on our journey to protect the goodest of monks.

Friends in High Places: The Monkey King, although often clashing with the Bureaucracy of Heaven, does have a few immortals looking out for him including the Bodhisattva Guanyin or Taibai Jinxing, the Great White Golden Star.

Monkey Games: Although a competent and powerful fighter, Sun Wukong is also an accomplished trickster, relying on illusions, transformations, and manipulation to accomplish his goals. Only don't make any bets with the Buddha.

---

1. BACKGROUND

This one is pretty obvious - we're going with the Hadozee from Astral Adventurer's Guide. We shall put +2 into our Dexterity and +1 into Constitution, gain 30 feet of running and climbing speed, and the Dexterous Feet ability, which lets us manipulate objects with our feet as well as we would with our hands. We then have the Glide ability - whenever we fall at least 10 feet above the ground, we can use our reaction to open our skin flaps and glide using our running speed without taking any fall damage, flying squirrel-style. In this case, I would ask the DM to reflavour the Hadozee skin membrane into Sun Wukong's Jin Dou Yun, or "Cloud Surfing" ability. Or, as you may know it better

We also get Hadozee Dodge - whenever we take damage, we can use our reaction to roll a d6, add our proficiency bonus, and reduce the damage by the result. We can to that a number of times equal to our proficiency bonus per long rest.

For the Backround, we have a few options (Acolyte, Sage, Folk Hero among them), but as a pilgrim making their Journey, we shall grab Far Traveler. We get proficiency in Insight and Perception (to better spot the demons), proficiency with one musical instrument or gaming set, one language of our choice, and the All Eyes on You feature; our accent, mannerisms, and... well, being a monkey, certainly draw attention, but we may use this to our advantage by obtaining information or favours.

2. ABILITY SCORES

We will start with Constitution - we are a monkey made of stone draped in layers of immortality; we can take several heavy punches. Strength will be next, being able to lift an entire pillar supporting the underwater dragon kingdom is no small feat. We will put Dexterity as the next one - we are, in the end, a nimble monkey.

Charisma will be next; we are, after all, the (self-proclaimed) Handsome Monkey King and our reputation among the yaoguai preceeds us. Wisdom is on the lower end, but it shouldn't worry us as the (self-proclaimed) Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Finally, we're dumping Intelligence - we are, in the end, an impulsive monkey.

3. CLASS

Now, there are a few interesting ways we could've build the Monkey King, ranging from the classic Kensei Monk through Matt Mercer's Echo Knight Fighter to simulate his hair clone technique; but I do like what I came up with.

Level 1 - Druid: Starting off with Sun Wukong's connection to his homeland, Mount Huaguo. Druids get d8 as their Hit Dice, [8 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, and spears as well as light armour, medium armour, shields, and herbalism kit. Really good options, so let's grab a quarterstaff and a scale mail armour. Our saving throws are Intelligence and Wisdom (we sure need those), and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Medicine and Religion).

Druids start by learning Druidic, a secret language and writing system used to communicate secrets across. Additionally, we start with Spellcasting. Wisdom is our casting ability, we learn cantrips, regular spells, and rituals, and we get to prepare [Wisdom modifier + our Druid level] spells every day from the full spell list. We start with two cantrips (Primal Savagery and Thunderclap) and one 1st-level spell (Jump).

Level 2 - Druid: We unlock Druid's signature ability - Wild Shape. Simulating one part of Wukong's 72 Earthly Transformations, we are now able to take the form of a beast we've previously encountered, with a max CR of 1/4 (no swimming or flying speed), for [our Druid level / 2] hours using our Bonus Action. We can transform twice per short or long rest.

We also get to pick our first subclass, our Druid Circle. For Sun Wukong, whose entire campaign against the Heavens started because his peaceful life on Mt. Huaguo was disturbed, we will go with Circle of the Land. We get to choose a bonus cantrip (Shilelagh), Natural Recovery lets us regain some spell slots during short rest, and we also get some additional spell depending on the Land we decide to associate with; here, we'll go with Mountain.

We can also grab another 1st-level spell (Protection from Evil and Good).

Level 3 - Druid: We don't unlock new class features here, but we are being supplies with some spells. From our subclass we get Spider Climb and Spike Growth (feel free to flavour the latter as Wukong's hair tossed on the ground and transformed), and we unlock 2nd-level spells, which lets us grab Hold Person.

Level 4 - Druid: We get our first Ability Score Improvement. We'll put one point into Constitution and round up Dexterity with the other. Our Wild Shape also improves, now including creatures with the maximum CR of 1/2 and swimming speed, and we gain one new cantrip (Produce Flame) and one 2nd-level spell (Enlarge/Reduce to use on ourselves or our staff).

Level 5 - Paladin: We're changing a tune for a little bit, but hear me out: Wukong is a holy warrior whether he likes it or not (and we do need better combat). Multiclassing into Paladin gives us proficiencies with the full spectrum of simple and martial weapons, as well as armours and shields we already are proficient with.

Starting with Divine Sense, we can now focus our magical monkey senses to detect all celestials, fiends or undead within 60 feet of us, basically allowing us to walk up to the suspicious old lady and go

We also get Lay on Hands, which grants us small pool of [our Paladin level x5] healing energy, which we can use on ourselves or another creature as an action. Alternatively, we can spend 5 of those Healing Points to remove an illness or a disease from our target.

Level 6 - Paladin: At this level, we are now able to pack a proper divine punch with the introduction of Divine Smite. Whenever we hit a target, we can now burn one spell slot to do additional radiant damage. The damage is 2d8 for 1st-level spell slot and increases by 1d8 for each higher slot (to a maximum of 5d8 or 6d8 if the target is a fiend or undead).

We also unlock our Fighting Style here; we'll pick Dueling for a +2 to our damage rolls since we're only using our staff and no other weapon.

Finally, at this level we unlock Spellcasting. Charisma is our casting ability, and we only know regular spells - no cantrips or rituals. Since we're mixing up two casting classes, feel free to use this [calculator] to know how many spell slots you'll be getting. We have a full access to our spell list, but each day we can only prepare [our Charisma modifier + half of our Paladin level]. With how we are right now that means we start with two 1st-level spells: let's grab Searing Smite and Compelled Duel to yell "COME AT ME, BRO!" to any demon encountered.

Level 7 - Paladin: With Divine Health we are now immune to any disease. We also get to pick our second subclass and pledge our Divine Oath. For Sun Wukong, whose goal is to become the Number One In All Heavens, it's obvious to pick the Oath of Glory.

We get a few extra spells (Guiding Bolt [funny idea: flavour this spell as your staff extending and hitting the target] and Heroism) and a Channel Divinity options (which we can use once per short or long rest):

Peerless Athlese: As a bonus action, we can enhance our physicality. For the next 10 minutes we have advantage on our Athletics and Acrobatics checks; we can push, lift, drag, and carry twice our normal capacity; and our jumping distance and height increases by 10 feet.

Inspiring Smite: When we deal radiant damage using our Divine Smite ability, we can use this Channel Divinity and, as a bonus action, distribute a total of [2d8 + our Paladin level] healing Hit Points to creatures of our choosing within 30 feet of us (ourselves included).

Level 8 - Druid: Going back to the man monkey of nature, we unlock 3rd-level spells. Take Erupting Earth and flavour it as extending your staff and striking the ground, causing tremors and difficult terrain. From our subclass we also unlock Lightning Bolt and Meld into Stone.

Level 9 - Druid: We unlock a new subclass feature. With Land's Stride, there isn't much that can stop us now. Non-magical difficult terrain no longer impedes our speed, and we can move through non-magical plants with hazardous elements such as thorns and grasping vines without any problems. For this level's spell let's take Water Walk to chase our enemies across all surfaces.

Level 10 - Druid: Halfway through the build and we unlock 4th-level spells. Time to get even better transformation abilities with... Hallucinatory Terrain. The reason I'm not taking Polymorph here is because that spell, much like our Druidic Wild Shape, is also restricted to the 'Beast' category. With Hallucinatory Terrain, we can mess up with the enemy's perception of their surroundings and add a sneak attack or two while they're confused. Classic trickster behaviour.

We also get two more spells from our subclass (Stone Shape and Stoneskin).

Level 11 - Druid: Oh, a lot happens here. First and foremost, another ASI. Let's take one point of Constitution and one point of Wisdom to finally become a little smarter. Next up, our Wild Shape impoves once again and now we can assume the form of any Beast with the max CR of 1 (which usually means a giant version of regular animals) and we can finally include creatures with flying speed!

Finally, we can get another 4th-level spell (Locate Creature).

Level 12 - Druid: At this level, we only unlock 5th-level spells. From our subclass we get Passwall and Wall of Stone, and we additionally collect Control Winds.

Level 13 - Druid: We get our last cantrips of the build (Resistance) and another 5th-level spell (Scrying). We also get another subclass feature. With Nature's Ward, we can no longer be charmed or frightened by fey or elementals, and we're also immune to poison and disease.

Level 14 - Druid: We unlock 6th-level spells here. With Wind Walk we can transform ourselves and our group into Flying Nimbuses... Nimbusi?... which can be re-made as summoning the clouds for everyone.

Level 15 - Druid: For this level's spell, Bones of the Earth will let us manipulate the battlefield and deal some damage. For our ASI we will get the Tough feat to further boost our Hit Points.

Level 16 - Druid: Unlocking 7th-level spells grants us another great crowd control ability - Whirlwind. It not only deals 10d6 bludgeoning damage to any target caught within, but we can also move it 30 feet per turn, effectively sweeping the area like a hoover.

Level 17 - Druid: Time for our final subclass feature. Nature'e Sanctuary forces a Wisdom saving throw onto any beast or plant that attempts to attack us and make them choose a different target (and miss) if they fail.

For this level's spell, let's further roleplay Sun Wukong's immortality by picking Regenerate. Just remember to be selfish with the heals ;)

Level 18 - Druid: Unlocking 8th-level spells here gives us access to Control Weather (yes, that's actually a power Wukong has) to wreck even more chaos.

Level 19 - Druid: For our final ASI we will grab the Observant feat; as Wukong was elevated to the Buddahood and gained his all-seeing eyes, we get a +1 to our Wisdom, read lips if we observe a creature for a minute, and get a +5 to our passive Perception and Investigation scores. For this level's spell, we're getting Sunburst to fully unleash our newly acquired divine might.

Level 20 - Druid: Our cap is Druid 17; it doesn't give us any new class or subclass features, but we do unlock the pinnacle of spellcasting, the 9th level spells. At this point, we can finally perfect the 72 Earthly Transformations with Shapechange.

4. RECOMMENDED ITEMS

Now, this here is a new section I'm trying out, please let me know your thoughts. Basically, to complete the build, I would like to list two or three items found in the D&D source books that you might want to consider pursuing. See, I am under the impression that the players shape the story as much as the DM; it is completely fine to ask your DM if you perhaps could have a storyline about getting these items, which would make for interesting plot hooks or storylines. Anyway, for Sun Wukong, you should consider the following (both given to the Monkey King by Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East):

1) (Blue) Dragon Scale Mail - This Very Rare item gives us a +1 to AC, advantage on saving throws against Frightful Presence and breath weapon of dragons, and resistance to lightning damage.

2) Pole of Collapsing - To simulate the Ruyi Jingu Bang's dimension changing properties, I would ask the DM to fuse this one with the quarterstaff we use as our main weapon.

---

And that's my take on Sun Wukong, the great Monkey King. Let's see what we ended up with:

First and foremost, we have a solid pool of Hit Points. With the average of 216 we place on 3rd place of all build so far, right after Kratos and Atlas. With a plethora of healing options, we can simulate the layers of Wukong's immortality easily. We are a scout and a vanguard first and foremost - with Wild Shape, Divine Sense, and Wind Walk we can search out dangers along the way and let our party members plan out efficiently. We are also able to hold our own, adding the Paladin SMITE to our strikes or use our support spells to confuse the enemy.

Our AC is 16 (18 if we get the Dragon Armour), we have a +3 to our initiative, and the average of 216 Hit Points.

Unfortunately, there are several weaknesses here: first and foremost, none of our ability scores reach 20. Next up, a lot of our spells require concentration, so we need to be careful there. Finally, our mental stats are pretty low, which might prove challenging when facing enemies with mind control or illusion powers.

---

And that's it, my dears. I wanted to release this during the height of Black Myth: Wukong's popularity, but since my creative brain hates me... I have scrapped the entire build as I was at the very end. Yup, originally I intented to make him Kensei Monk and Trickster Cleric, but decided to focus on his transformations more. Hope you enjoy this, remember to be good to yourself, and I'll see you in the next one!

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

Side-Story: EPIC the Musical

In case you didn't know, my dearest Divines, I am a big mythology fan (shocker, I know).

It was only a given that when I've discovered Epic: The Musical (thank you, @astraygenius) I will be immediately into it. Well, with the Wisdom Saga finally dropping (go take a look and support the Great Mr. Jalapeno Pinacolada himself), let me tell you... as soon as I've heard Hephaistos's voice, my first thought was

.

.

.

...Moustache.

.

.

That man is rocking the most magnificent moustache ever.

And the resul was this lil' sketch. Nowhere near the level of the divine illustrators we see here (cough @gigizetz cough) but it's something.

But yeah, that's it. I promise the build of Sun Wukong is coming soon. I just wanted to share my own little piece of hype. Go support Epic: The Musical and stay tuned. Love you all!

-Nerdy out

[nerdythebard]

#61: Loki Laufeyson [Marvel Comics]

[Art Credit: Gabriel Hernandez Walta | Doctor Strange (2015)] ---

I'll start by saying this, my dear Deities... I am not a fan. As a resident mythology nerd, I have a few baseball bats with Marvel decision-makers' names on them. But, I am a bard of the people and therefore shall hear my audience's requests. And thus, we're building Loki Laufeyson as depicted by Marvel Comics. Plenty of changes to the real Loki (which will be featured!), so let's see what we can do.

Next Time: You want more gods, I give you more gods. No more monkey business! Unless the monkey's business is to become immortal.

So, what does this so-called Loki brings to the table:

Tall Tales & Tricks: Loki in most of his iterations is known for his speechcraft and manipulation techniques. This one, however, is also quite fond of spells and various magical practices, specialising however in illusions and shapeshifting (although seemingly limited to mostly humanoid forms).

Tough as... Ice: This Loki is a full frost giant (...shh! Keep the Jotunn lecture for those who ask, Nerdy) with all the physiological advantages. We're talking durability, strength, the entire package.

Shinies & Stabbies: This Loki likes his pointy objects. Daggers and the sword Lævateinn seem to be his particular favourites. Plus, we all remember the glaive/scepter he gets in the movies.

---

To properly represent Loki's Jotunn lineage, we will reach for the "distant cousins of giants" in the world of D&D - Firbolgs, as depicted in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse. We get +2 Charisma and +1 Constitution, some Firbolg Magic which lets us cast Detect Magic and Disguise Self (once without expending spell slots, unless we have slots to spell - spoilers: we will), ability to turn invisible with Hidden Step, ability to communicate (one way) with nature using the Speech of Beast and Leaf, as well as Powerful Build which makes us count as one category larger for tasks such as carrying, pulling, or lifting.

Loki's many things, but in most instances he is a Charlatan, so that's what we're going with. We gain proficiency in Deception and Sleight of Hand, as well as with disguise and forgery kits (which will be useful to alter our clothes, as it cannot be done via magic). We are also able to craft False Identity for ourselves, completed with an entire past full of tangible evidence. What's better for a foundling child, adopted by a local warlord, who needs to use disguise magic to hid his true form?

ABILITY SCORES

This one's obvious - we are putting our highest score into Charisma, we will be using it most of the time both in and out of combat. We also need to avoid, dodge, and slip into the shadows so Dexterity will be next. Finally, let's grab Constitution, just in case some musclehead with a hammer catches us once in a blue moon.

Intelligence will actually be next, we're good at gathering information and utilising it. Strength comes from our giant lineage, although we rarely get physical. Finally, we're dumping Wisdom - if we had it, we'd learn to not constantly betray our brother or the heroes that gave us a chance (again).

CLASS

Level 1 - Rogue: We will start with our non-magical skills. Rogues get a d8 as their Hit Die, [8 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, and thieves' tools. Let's give your standard leather armour, and two daggers plus a shortsword (which what would a Norse primary weapon be, provided you're wealthy enough).

Our saving throws are Dexterity and Intelligence, and we can choose four skills from the class list (Acrobatics, Perception, Performance, and Stealth). Rogues start with Expertise to their skills, doubling the proficiency bonus of two chosen skills; for this Loki, who uses illusions and body switching so often, let's put Expertise in Persuasion and Stealth. We also know Thieves' Cant (can't what? - no, that joke will never not be funny), a system of phrases and symbols used by Rogues to communicate. Slip some Asgardian lingo without worry of revealing plans.

We can also apply Sneak Attack to any attack (with a Finesse or Ranged weapon) that we have an advantage on. The amount of damage increase as we level up; for now it's an extra 1d6.

Level 2 - Rogue: Our quick thinking grants us Cunning Action. We can now take the Dash, Disengage, and Hide Actions as Bonus Actions, allowing for better positioning.

Level 3 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack bonus now becomes 2d6. We also get to pick our subclass, our Roguish Archetype. I'm guessing some of you would go with Arcane Trickster here, but remember we're focusing on quick and stabby Loki in this part; put on your feather caps, we're going Swashbuckler! With Fancy Footwork, we do not provoke opportunity attacks if we make an attack against the enemy (notice, it doesn't say we need to hit the enemy, so this is a perfect testing-the-waters technique). Thanks to our Rakish Audacity, we can add our Charisma modifier to our Initiative, making us a good scout and once again helping with our positioning.

Additionally at this point, when we're in melee range of an enemy and there's nobody else within 5 feet, we do not need advantage for our Sneak Attack.

Level 4 - Sorcerer: As one wise Loki said "blades are worthless in the face of a Loki Sorcery", so we're going to focus on that now. Multiclassing into Sorcerer does not give us any extra bonuses, but it enables Spellcasting. Charisma is our casting ability and we know catrips and regular spells. Sorcerers get a fixed number of spells. We start with four cantrips (Fire Bolt, Friends, Minor Illusion, and Prestidigitation) and two 1st-level spells (Comprehend Languages and Sleep).

Sorcerers also pick their subclass, their Sorcerous Origin, at this level. We shall circle back to our giant legacy and pick the Giant Soul option from the Unearthed Arcana 51. With the legacy of the Frost Giants embedded in our essence, we gain Jotun Resilience - every level up we get an additional 1 Hit Point. We also carry the Mark of Ordning, which grants us some additional spells; at this level it's Armour of Agathys and Ray of Frost.

Level 5 - Sorcerer: We discover our inner Font of Magic and are now able to convert Sorcery Points into Spell Slots and vice versa. We can also grab another 1st-level spell; let's grab Charm Person to emulate the usage of the Mind Stone.

Level 6 - Sorcerer: We unlock Metamagic, which lets us use Sorcery Points to alter the properties of our spells. We get to choose two options: Quickened Spell uses 2 Sorcery Points to change a spell from Action to Bonus Actions. Subtle Spell uses 1 Sorcery Point to cast a spell without verbal or somatic components - perfect to sneakily place an body double illusion.

We also unlock 2nd-level spells here, so in regards to my previous sentence, let's take Mirror Image. We also get Hold Person from our subclass.

Level 7 - Sorcerer: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. Let's raise our Charisma and Constitution by one, and then we can move to our spell selection. We get a new cantrip (Green-Flame Blade) and another 2nd-level spell: Misty Step.

Level 8 - Sorcerer: At this level, we normally do not get anything; the optional feature from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything called Magical Guidance lets us spend Sorcer Points to re-roll failed ability checks, but ask your DM about that one.

We do, however, unlock 3rd-level spells, so let's take Major Image to improve the quality of our projections, while we stick to the shadows.

Level 9 - Sorcerer: We get another subclass feature. With Soul of Lost Ostoria, we gain a benefit based on the Giant heritage we've chosen previously. For Frost Giants, after casting one of our Mark of Ordning spells, we get temporary Hit Points equal to our Consitution modifier. We also get another 3rd-level spell; let's grab Antagonise.

Level 10 - Sorcerer: Halfway through the build and unfortunately, we get no class boons here. We do, however, unlock 4th-level spells so let's take Charm Monster to hopefully avoid potential non-human fights... or to cause them.

Level 11 - Sorcerer: Time for another ASI. Let's put points into Constitution and Wisdom, and then grab another 4th-level spell: Greater Invisibility.

Level 12 - Sorcerer: Once again, we get nothing class-wise. We do unlock 5th-level spells now, so let's take Creation to have an opportunity to always have a tool or a wepon on our hands.

Level 13 - Sorcerer: We get to pick another Metamagic option here. With Extended Spell, we can extend the duration of our spells (if available) by spending Sorcery Points to a maximum of 24 hours. Useful to keep some illusions or the Creation spell we've picked up last level.

We also pick up our last cantrip of the build (Mending) and another 5th-level spell; this time, let's get Telekinesis to reorganise the environment around us (and pick some loose trinkets laying in the open).

Level 14 - Sorcerer: Once again, no new class boons but we do unlock 6th-level spells. With Mass Suggestion, we can now convince an entire crowd of mortals to bow down before us (or perhaps vote us President).

Level 15 - Sorcerer: For our next ASI, we will increase our Dexterity by two points to get better AC and Initiative options.

Level 16 - Sorcerer: Unlocking 7th-level spells, we can now use Teleport to call up a lift from Heimdall. Just make sure to collect some knick-knacks from the place you want to teleport to for a better chance of actually going there. Spatial travel's tough.

Level 17 - Sorcerer: For our final subclass option of the build, we are able to unleash the Rage of Fallen Ostoria. When casting a spell, we can spend one additional Sorcerer Point to transform into our Giant Form. For 1 minute, we become one category size larger and gain the following benefits:

Our current Hit Points and Hit Points Maximum increase by 1 per Sorcerer Level.

Our reach increases by 5 feet.

Our speed increases by 5 feet.

We have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

We get a bonus damage to our weapon attacks equal to our Constitution modifier.

Level 18 - Sorcerer: Once again, no class boons, but we do unlock 8th-level spells. To once again hopefully avoid combat, let's use the power of the Norse Runes and grab Power Word: Stun.

Level 19 - Sorcerer: For our final ASI of the build, let's cap our Charisma to 20. Who knows, maybe the BBEG would be so willing to step down after having a nice little chat.

Level 20 - Sorcerer: For our capstone as Sorcerer 16, we get to enhance our Metamagic yet again. For the late game, let's get Twinned Spell to add one additional target to some of spells (like Telekinesis, Charm Monster, Major Image, etc.).

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And this is what I can do for the Marvel Comics version of Loki. Let's see what story I came up with:

First of all, we have a fantastic Initiative score. With a +7, we are almost certain to start every combat first which gives us fantastic opportunity to hide, reposition, or distract the enemy before they even make their move. Because this is what we are: we're a skirmisher, a supporter. We have enough to protect ourselves with but mostly we use Crowd Control and sticking to the back lines. We are first and formost the Party's out-of-combat Face for all social interactions.

Our AC is 14 and we have the average of 153 Hit Points.

Despite a solid identity as the Face, our Wisdom score is absolutely abysmal, which is not really great considering that is one of the most used and abused by the enemies. We are very vulnerable to any charmed or feared effects, so it's best to avoid being seen or invest into some magic item protection.

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So that is it. You guys want more gods, I listen and serve. It's good to be back in the character building saddle. I'll see you soon with another breakdown build, my friends <3

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

#60: Susano'o-no-Mikoto, God of the Summer Storms

Welcome back, Gods and Goddesses!

This anonymous request brings us face to face with the mighty Susano'o, Japanese God of Storms and Sea. Susano'o, wild and impetuous, became a wandering hero after his banishment from the divine realms and created several kinds of plants and crops (and many, many descendants) while on his travels across Japan. Let's see what this short-tempered troublemaker can bring to your game.

Next Time: Reluctantly, I have to accept this one... Because I am Nerdy the Bard of the D&D Library... and I am burdened with Glorious Purpose.

Now then, let's see what do we need to focus on:

A MIGHTY STORM: Heh heh... old SMITE jokes are great. Anyway, yes, we need to have some connection to the raging storms, hurricanes, and the seas. Their destructive power shall serve us.

An even mightier Sword: While we embody the raging power of a storm, we are also a skilled and peerless warrior god. We are, in fact, the bone of our sword (love you, Grailfinders!) and it is the extension of ourselves.

Gotta Go Fast: Mobility will be important for us, as the God of Storms and a wandering warrior. We need to be able to position ourselves to face any danger.

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Normally, I'd use my usual trick and make a god we're building an Aasimar (as I did with his sister, Amaterasu -> see HERE). This time, however, I want to play around a little, so let's make Susano'o an Air Genasi. Going by the guidelines from Mordenkeinen's Monsters of the Multiverse, we get a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Dexterity and Strength respectively), our movement speed is just slightly better at 35 feet per round, we get 60 feet of Darkvision, we are able to hold our breath indefinitely if not incapacitated (effectively gaining resistance to gaseous attacks and ability to remain underwater forever) and are resistant to lightning damage. Thanks to the Mingle with the Wind feature, we also gain the Shocking Grasp cantrip and some other spells in the future.

What better for a banished god than a redemption as a Folk Hero. We gain proficiency in Animal Handling (poor horses) and Survival, as well as one type of artisan's tools and land vehicles. We also gain the Rustic Hospitality feature; the pathetic mortals kind common folk may offer us their kindness on occasion and provide with shelter, food, or perhaps the latest gossip. They may also shield us from danger, although it's unlikely they'd risk their lives for a stranger right away. Although...

ABILITY SCORES

We will start with Dexterity on this one. We strike fast, we strike often. As a being of heavens, we also boast a divine Constitution. Finally, we need to strike with the power of the storm, so we're also investing in Strength.

Charisma will be next, we have enough to intimidate the weak and trick a giant demon snake. Intelligence will be on the lower end, and we're dumping Wisdom - we are definitely not thinking about the consequences of our actions.

CLASS

This one had a few options, but I decided that the best balance between Susano'o's divine abilities and his swordsmanship would be to make him a Fighter start-to-finish. Fighters get a d10 as their Hit Dice, [10 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. We can see Susano'o wear some armguards in the art, but since we cannot get just those in the game, we're going to start him without any armour. And we will give him a longsword that you can reflavour visually as a katana. Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution, and we get to choose two class skills from the list (Athletics and Intimidation).

Level 1: We begin by choosing our Fighting Style. For this, we shall take the Dueling style, which lets us add a +2 to our damage roll when we wield a weapon in one hand and nothing in the others. We also get Second Wind, which we can use as a bonus action once per short or long rest in order to heal [1d10 + our Fighter level] Hit Points.

Level 2: Thanks to Action Surge, we can now take one additional Action during our turn in combat. We can do so once per short or long rest.

Level 3: We choose our subclass, our Martial Archetype. Susano'o is a warrior first and foremost, but due to his divine heritage he also displays some supernatural abilities; therefore, we shall make him an Eldritch Knight.

From now on, we get access to Spellcasting. Intelligence is our casting ability, and we know cantrips and regular spells. We start with two cantrips (Gust and Sword Burst) and threee 1st-level spells, two of which must be either from the Abjuration or Evocation school of magic; we'll take Mage Armour, Thunderwave, and Disguise Self). From our Air Genasi race, we also get Feather Fall.

We also make our sword truly mighty by developing Weapon Bond. From now on, we cannot be disarmed unless we're incapacitated or allow so. Additionally, as a bonus action, we can summon our sword to our side from whenever it is as long as it is on the same plane of existence as us. We can Bond two weapons at once (giving us now a full set of samurai swords).

Level 4: We get our first Ability Score Improvement where we upgrade our Strength by both points. We also get another spell (Fog Cloud).

Level 5: At this level we get Extra Attack. From now on, during a single Attack action we can strike twice. We also get our final Air Genasi spell: Levitate.

Level 6: Time for another ASI. Let's raise our Strength and Wisdom by one.

Level 7: At this level we get another subclass feature. With War Magic, if we cast a cantrip as our Action, we can make one weapon attack as a Bonus Action. We also unlock 2nd-level spell here; we can grab Magic Weapon to recover some of our lost divinity.

Level 8: Time for another ASI. Let's raise both Strength and Dexterity for that nice 18 on both, and pick up another 2nd-level spell: Warding Wind.

Level 9: We gain the Indomitable feat. We are now able to re-roll one failed saving throw. We must, however, use the new result even if it's worse than the original one.

Level 10: Halfway through the build and we're getting another subclass feature. With Eldritch Strike we can now place a cut on our enemy that makes them vulnerable to magic; when we hit a creature with our melee weapon, it has disadvantage on the saving throw of the next spell we cast before the end of our next turn. With that, we can now pick a new 2nd-level spell: Shatter, which will force a Consitution saving throw.

We also get another cantrip; let's take True Strike that will synthesize nicely with our War Magic subclass feature.

Level 11: Here, we get an upgrade to our Extra Attack. From now on, whenever we Attack we can make a total of three strikes per turn (six if we decide to take Action Surge). We also get another spell, See Invisibiliy, to always find our enemies.

Level 12: Another ASI. This time, we shall cap our Dexterity into 20, which will increase our AC and Initiative bonus to make sure we get the first strike before anyone else.

Level 13: Our Indomitable can now be used twice per long rest. Additionally, we finally unlock 3rd-level spells. Let's grab Call Lightning to become the Thunder Bringer (yes, EPIC the Musical released a new Saga and it is awesome!)

Level 14: Time for another ASI. Let's cap our Strength to 20 for that divine striking power. But what's power without more mobility, so for our next 3rd-level spell, let's grab Thunder Step.

Level 15: For our final subclass feature, we shall get Arcane Charge. After using our Action Surge, we can now teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet of us. With that, and our last choice, we can now cover quite a lot of distance whether in combat or outside of it.

Level 16: With the next ASI, we will actually bump up our Constitution and Charisma by one point each. We also get another spell. Here, let's pick Pulse Wave and flavour it as a sheer wind pressure coming from our sword slashes.

Level 17: We get a few upgrades to our fighting mechanics. We can now use Indomitable three times per long rest, and we can use Action Surge twice per short or long rest.

Level 18: For our final subclass feature, we get Improved War Magic; this lets us make a weapon attack as a Bonus Action if we use our Action to cast a spell.

Level 19: For the final ASI of the build, we will round off our Constitution and Charisma to nice even numbers. Here is where we unlock 4th-level spells, however we will keep to the previous level in order to grab Lightning Bolt.

Level 20: As our capstone we are Fighter 20, which gives us improved Extra Attack. During a single Attack, we can now unleash up to four strikes. For our final spell, let's grab Tidal Wave to create the ultimate storm.

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And that's Susano'o-no-Mikoto, the wild god of storms. Let's see what we came up with:

First and foremost, we're a combat beast. Plenty of attacks, both physical and magical, maximum score for both Strength and Dexterity, solid Speed; we're clearly a frontline fighter. Mobility and Crowd Control is our strongest tactic here.

Our unarmoured AC is 15 (18 with Mage Armour), we have a +5 to our Initiative, and the average of 211 Hit Points.

Unfortunately, though a solid build, we cannot do a lot outside of combat. We don't have a lot of skill proficiency and out mental ability scores are pretty weak; we need to procure some sort of item that will help us not being mind controlled. My personal recommendation: the Mindguard Crown from Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk.

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And that's it. As promised, we're back my dears. As penitance, I shall work on the next build right away, so keep watch!

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

If this blog is no longer doing builds, are there other places we can follow DM's adventures?

Oh, wow... That's a wake-up call if I ever needed one...

No sarcasm at all, I actually would like to thank this person. Yes, I was occasionally dabbling at the next build, not giving you any explanation for the delays. All I can offer is an apology. We're not done. I will do what I can to finish what I have. But it also warms my heart that you wish to follow my antics.

So with that in mind

[nerdythebard]

#59: Thor, God of Thunder

[Art Credit: Raf Grassetti] ---

It's been so long since I said this, but... Welcome, Gods and Goddesses! Our long-time reader, @dionysus-liber, has requested a mythology-accurate build of Thor - God of Thunder and Storms, God of Strength and Masculinity, Protector of the Hearth, and one of the key members of the Aesir pantheon. Now, the reason I chose the appearance from God of War: Ragnarök is because I believe this to be the most accurate portrayal we have in any media at the moment: brusque, with bushy red hair and beard, and built like a powerlifter off-season. I could've make an entire separate post describing the intricacies and little details of Thor's character, but for now, let's get down to business to defeat the Jötnar!

Next Time: Divine storm rages. It continues moving East. Watch out for horses.

Now, what was that thing we're usually do here? Ah, yes, build goals!

Divine Equipment: While Thor boasts unrivaled physical strength and stamina on his own, he is also the master of three important items that further increase his might; those being Megingjörð, the Power Belt that doubles his strength, Járngreipr, the Iron Grip Gloves granting him resistance to all the power he generates, and of course the famous hammer - Mjölnir, the Grinder.

The Force of Nature: Thor is the embodiment of pure strength and power. He brings down the full might of the Aesir gods to all enemies of Asgard. The thunder you hear in the skies is the result of his mighty hammer swinging against Jötnar skulls. While he doesn't manipulate lightning to the same extent as, for example, Zeus or Ao Kuang, the storm always joins him on the battlefield.

War Priest: People know Thor mostly due to his feats of strength and achievements on the battlefield (and probably because of... eugh... Chris Hemsworth's portrayal), but what you might not know is that Thor is also viewed as the ultimate protector. His hammer is used to bless and certify marriage ceremonies, he has the ability to heal wounds of warriors, and even resurrect his faithful chariot-pulling goats.

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There are two options when it comes to making Thor in D&D. One is to go with Goliath if you want to emphasize his endurance and strength; that would be a very good, solid base, but I've used this one in my Kratos build, so we're gonna use the other option (and this blog's regular go-to), the Aasimar from Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse. We start with a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Strength and Constitution respectively), resistance to necrotic and radiant damage, the Healing Hands ability that lets us heal a creature for [our proficiency bonus number of d4s] Hit Points once per long rest, and the Light cantrip (to apply on the hammer :D)

Thor gets involved not only in the affairs of the divine, he is also very prominent in the lives of mortals. His protection and blessings are not only sought by warriors going a-viking (yes, viking is a verb) but also by the common folk and Scandinavian villagers. Because of that, we shall make him a Folk Hero. We gain proficiency in Animal Handling and Survival, which will be useful to take care of our goats in the desolate wastelands of Jötunnheimr, as well as proficiency with one set of artisan's tools (perhaps brewer's supplies to have a refreshing gallon of mead on the road) and land vehicles (such as goat-drawn chariot). Finally, thanks to the Rustic Hospitality feat, we may find our place among the mortals and common folk with ease and have a better chance of finding food, shelter, and potential aid in some tasks.

ABILITY SCORES

This one is a no-brainer, for Thor we must lead with Strength. Follow that up with Constitution; all that bulk has to contribute to something. Dexterity will be next, Thor does not move around the battlefield but an occasional hammer throw requires a good eye.

Wisdom will actually be next, but mostly because we need it for multiclass later. Charisma will be on the lower end; although Thor has good intimidation game, his messy appearance and brusque manners are far from some of the more charismatic characters. Finally, we're dumping Intelligence - the world of arts and science is not one we frequent.

CLASS

Level 1 - Barbarian: We need a solid base of health and damage to start with. Barbarians get a d12 as their Hit Dice, [12 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiency with light armour, medium armour, shields, simple and martial weapons. We will give Thor a hide armour and, of course, a warhammer. Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Athletics and Intimidation).

As a Barbarian, we of course start with Rage. By unleashing the divine fury, for 1 minute we gain the following benefits if we're not wearing heavy armour:

Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws

A +2 bonus to damage rolls for attacks using Strength (increases as we level up)

Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage

Rage lasts for 1 minute but it can end earlier if we decide to end it, we are knocked unconscious, or we fail to deal or receive damage during our turn. Initially, we can Rage twice per long rest.

We also get Unarmoured Defense; if we're not wearing any armour, our AC becomes [10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Constitution modifier].

Level 2 - Barbarian: We develop a Danger Sense, giving us the advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that we can see (such as traps and AoE spells). To apply that status, we cannot be blinded, deafened or incapacitated. While attacking, we can also declare to make a Reckless Attack; we gain an advantage on the first Strength-based attack of our turn, but for the entire turn the enemies have an advantage on attacks made against us.

Level 3 - Barbarian: At this level, we can now use our Rage three times per rest. At this level, we also get to pick our subclass, our Primal Path; since Thor is the ultimate warrior of the gods, we're gonna use Path of the Zealot. We are able to channel Divine Fury into our weapon strikes. While raging, the first creature we strike on our turn takes extra [1d6 + our Barbarian level] radiant or necrotic damage (we choose the type when we get this feature and cannot change it).

As the Warrior of the Gods, we are meant to live until Ragnarok. Revival spells (Revivify, Raise Dead, etc.) do not require any material components when used on us.

Level 4 - Barbarian: Time for the first Ability Score Improvement. We're going to grab the Thrown Arms Master feat from Critical Role's Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn (it's now on D&D Beyond, the setting is semi-canon, I'm using it!): our Strength or Dexterity increases by 1, and weapons without Thrown property (such as our current warhammer) gain that property; I would also ask the DM to allow the next part of that feat: when missing a throw, a weapon comes back to our hand; normally, it works only with light weapons, but considering our divine strength, I personally would allow it in this case.

Level 5 - Barbarian: With Extra Attack, we can now strike twice during a single Attack action. We also gain 10 feet of extra movement when not wearing heavy armour, thanks to Fast Movement.

Level 6 - Barbarian: At this level, we can literally change our own fate by being ANGRY. With Fanatical Focus, we can re-roll a failed saving throw when raging (once per rage), but we have to use the new roll. We can also now Rage four times per rest.

Level 7 - Barbarian: It's time to let go of all we've learned in Asgard about being a civilised fighter and give in to our Feral Instinct. We have an advantage on initiative rolls. Additionally if we're surprised before a combat (but not incapacitated), we can shake off the surprise and act before anyone else but only if the first thing we do is Rage.

Level 8 - Barbarian: Time for another ASI. This time, we shall put one point each into Constitution and Wisdom in order to prepare to tap into our divine portfolio with...

Level 9 - Cleric: Time to harness some divine magic! Multiclassing into Cleric doesn't provide us with any new proficiencies, but does unlock Spellcasting. Wisdom is our casting ability and we know cantrips, regular spells, and rituals. Clerics have access to their entire spell list and can prepare [Wisdom modifier + Cleric level] spells every day. We start with three cantrips (Mending, Thaumaturgy, and Word of Radiance) and two 1st-level spells (Ceremony and Cure Wounds).

Clerics also get to pick their subclass, their Divine Domain at first level. Here, it's obvious to go with the Tempest Domain to gain some power over the storms. We add two extra spells to our list (Fog Cloud and Thunderwave) and gain Wrath of the Storm: if we get hit by a creature standing within 5 feet of us, we can use our reaction to impose a Dexterity saving throw onto it; on a failed save, it takes 2d8 lightning or thunder damage (our choice) or half as much if it succeeds. We can do that a number of times equal to our Wisdom modifier per long rest.

Level 10 - Cleric: We continue our divine development with Channel Divinity. Using this feature, once per short or long rest, we can tap into the power of Asgard and utilise one of two (one deafult + one granted from our subclass) following effects:

Turn Undead: As an action, we can impose a Wisdom saving throw onto all undead creatures within 30 feet of us. On a failed save, they are Turned (cannot take reactions, must spend their turn running away from us, cannot get closer than 30 feet of us) for 1 minute or until they take damage;

Destructive Wrath: When we deal lightning or thunder damage, we can use this Channel Divinity option to deal maximum damage instead of rolling

We also get one more spell for our small but significant arsenal; let's pick Bless, so that our party can receive the grace of the mighty Thor!

Level 11 - Barbarian: For this level, we gain the Brutal Critical feature. Whenever we score a critical hit with our melee weapon, we can add one additional die for determining weapon damage.

Level 12 - Barbarian: This time, we get a subclass feature. Our Zealous Presence is truly inspiring on the battlefield. As a bonus action, once per long rest, we can unleash a thunderous roar. Up to 10 creatures within 60 feet of us that can hear us gain advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of our next turn.

Level 13 - Barbarian: At this level, we get Relentless Rage. If we drop to 0 Hit Points while raging, we can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a success, we get 1 Hit Point back. Each time we use this feature, the DC increases by +5 and resets back to 10 after a short or long rest.

Level 14 - Barbarian: We finally get another ASI. We can finally cap off our Strength to that godly 20.

Level 15 - Barbarian: Our Brutal Critical feat improves here. When scoring a critical hit, we can now add two dice to our damage rolls.

Level 16 - Barbarian: At this level, we get to channel our inner Dylan Thomas and Rage Beyond Death (...eh, they can't all be winners). While raging, we do not go unconscious if we drop to 0 Hit Points. We still have to make Death Saving Throws, but all the effects only take hold after our Rage ends... at which point, we can call Relentless Rage and possibly shrug off the damage.

Level 17 - Barbarian: To add on top of the previous feature that makes us immortal as long as we Rage, we gain Persistent Rage. The only way our Rage ends is if we choose to end it or become unconscious (which, as previously established, cannot happen from battle damage).

Level 18 - Barbarian: This is our final ASI of the build. While there is a lot of stuff we didn't develop (and two odd numbers, much to my distaste), we have to balance it out with more Constitution so that we can at least soak up some damage that will definitely hit us.

Level 19 - Barbarian: Our Brutal Critical ability improves again. This time, it's reeeeally going to hurt whatever creature we score the critical hit on, as we can add a total of three extra damage dice to our melee damage roll.

Level 20 - Barbarian: Our capstone is Barbarian 18, which gives us the Indomitable Might ability. If we make Strength checks and our roll is lower than our Strength score (i.e. 20), we can replace the outcome with our Strength score.

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And that is Thor, as close to his real-life Norse myth portrayal as I could make him. Before I give you a short summary of him, however, I also need to point out that in D&D there are three items (from DMG Guide) that directly represent Thor's Symbols of Power; those being the Hammer of Thunderbolts (Legendary Maul), Gauntlets of Ogre Power (Uncommon), and Belt of Giant Strength (various rarities and types). If you wish to implement collecting those as your character's personal quest/backstory element, feel free to discuss it with your DM. Now, back to the build, what did we manage to cook?

To start off, we're a typical tank. With Strength and Constitution being our highest abilities, adding a +4 damage to damage while raging plus several opportunities to summon lightning onto our enemies. With the Cure Wounds spell, we can stay on the battlefield a little longer, and the combination of Relentless Rage and Rage Beyond Death gives us a chance to fight even after suffering serious wounds. Our role in the party is simple: deal damage and focus the enemy attention on ourselves.

Our Unarmoured AC is 15, we have a +1 to our initiative, and the average of 197 Hit Points.

Unfortunately, for decent health pool and damage dealing we had to sacrifice pretty much everything else. Apart from Strength and Constitution, our abilities are not great and we don't have a lot of skills to contribute to besides Athletics.

---

I'm back, darlings. Hope this holiday season goes well for you. I do not make any promises to not sound like a dishonest fool, but I at least hope I can give you something to enjoy. Looking forward to reconnect with all of you wonderful lot.

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

#58: Echo [Overwatch 2]

Always ready to learn!

This fun idea comes to us from a user by the name "deduqzaru". Today, we build the ultimate adaptoid. Echo, the creation of Doctor Liao - founding member of Overwatch - is a capable Damage hero, programmed with an advanced AI to fulfill variety of roles in combat and outside of it.

Next Time: Whosoever holds this hamm— NO! Not you! We're going back to the original!

Let's list the three main directives of this build:

Jill of All Trades: Echo was created with the goal of being able to fit into many situations, whether in combat or outside of it. In-game, her kit makes her a great scout, engager and damage-dealer.

I am Thou: Echo's Ultimate skill, "Duplicate" allows her to assume the form and copy the abilities of other characters on the battlefield.

Self-Sustainable: As a robot, Echo is unaffected by many statuses and effects that would affect humans: hunger, sleep, diseases, etc.

---

There were two options to start with Echo; one very obvious, the other - not so much... so I went with the obvious one and made her a Warforged. We get a +2 Constitution and +1 to one ability of our choice (Dexterity), 30 feet walking speed, and also immunity to being aged by magic. With Constructed Resilience, we gain several benefits to our fortitude:

Resistance to poison damage and an advantage on saving throws against being poisoned

We don't need to eat, drink or sleep

We are immune to diseases

We don't need to sleep, and magic cannot put us to sleep

Stemming from that last one, thanks to Sentry's Rest we can spend our long rest (shortened to a minimum of six hours) in a sort of energy-saving mode by remaining in a motionless (but still aware) state rather than unconscious sleep.

Another set of benefits we're granted by our Integrated Protection. We gain a +1 to our AC and can integrate any armour we're proficient in into our own body (and it cannot be removed against our will). Finally, Specialised Design gives us one skill proficiency (Performance) and one tool proficiency (perhaps Tinker's Tools could help us heal/repair).

Because of her learning matrix, Echo holds a huge amount of information. We will make her a Sage, giving us proficiencies in Arcana and History, three languages of our choice, and the Researcher feature - whenever we must recall a piece of lore, we know exactly where to look for the relevant information (library, archive, people of interest, etc.)

ABILITY SCORES

We'll start with Dexterity to move around the battlefield and position ourselves to different roles. Constitution will be next, our body is made of quality materials. After that, we're taking Intelligence, as recording information is what we're all about.

Charisma will be next; we're an adaptoid who can also impersonate others, we need to be convincing. Wisdom is on the lower end, we're still learning after all. Finally, we're dumping Strength.

CLASS

I've had a few ideas here, depending on which race I was going to pick for Echo. In the end, I've decided on something interesting and went Rogue start-to-finish. Rogues get the d8 as their Hit Dice, [8 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, and thieves' tools. Let's give Echo a studded leather set and a hand crossbow (and maybe darts) to integrate into her body, the latter to represent her primary tri-shot attack. Our saving throws are Dexterity and Intelligence, and we get to pick four skills from the class list (Acrobatics, Deception, Insight, and Perception).

Level 1: We begin this build by gaining Expertise in two skills we're already proficient in, or one skill and thieves' tools. We can double our proficiency bonus for any checks we make using those skills. Let's apply that to Deception and Insight. We can also apply Sneak Attack to strikes that we make with advantage; once per turn, if we attack with an advantage (or our target is within 5 feet of another creature hostile to it), we can add extra 1d6 damage (the value changes as we level-up).

We also learn Thieves' Cant (can't what?), a series of special code phrases and symbols that is recognisable only to us and those who operate in the same circles as us (so, like... Python, C++, HTML, pick your poison) to decode or encode messages.

Level 2: We can now use Cunning Action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide actions as bonus actions.

Level 3: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 2d6. We also pick our subclass, the Roguish Archetype. Since Echo needs several abilities that are similar to magic, despite my dislike of MagiTech, we will make her an Arcane Trickster. We gain Spellcasting, with Intelligence as our casting ability. We learn cantrips and a fixed number of regular spells. We gain the Mage Hand cantrips and two others of our choice (Light and Shocking Grasp) and three 1st-level spells: Disguise Self, Feather Fall, and Magic Missile. With those three, we have covered Echo's ultimate (to a degree), her passive ability to glide, and her primary tri-shot.

Additionally, with Mage Hand Legerdemain, we can make our Mage Hand invisible and use it to perform additional tasks (pickpocketing, using thieves' tools with it, etc.).

Level 4: Time for the first Ability Score Improvement, and we will use it to bump up our Dexterity by two points. We can also grab the Identify spell to access our vast database.

Level 5: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 3d6. We can now activate our extra jet boosters and make an Uncanny Dodge; doing so, we can use our reaction to halve the damage of an attack hitting us (if we can see it).

Level 6: We get an upgrade to our Expertise, by selecting two more skills that will benefit from the effect: let's choose History and Perception.

Level 7: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 4d6. We also unlock 2nd-level spells, so let's grab Aganazzar's Scorcher to replicate Echo's Focusing Beam ability.

Here, we also gain a very useful maneouvre ability: Evasion. When we are forced to make a Dexterity saving throw against an effect that would result in us taking half damage on a success (such as the Fireball spell), we instead take no damage. On a failure, we take half damage instead of full damage.

Level 8: Another ASI. We can cap our Dexterity to 20 for even better AC and Initiative bonus. To replicate Echo's Sticky Bombs ability, let's use the spell Snilloc's Snowball Swarm.

Level 9: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 5d6. We gain a new subclass feature: Magic Ambush. If, while casting a spell, we are hidden from our target, the creature has a disadvantage if the spell requires them to make a saving throw.

Level 10: Halfway through the build and we get a new cantrip (Light) and another spell. Let's get Detect Thoughts to improve our impersonations. We also get another ASI; let's put two points into Constitution here.

Level 11: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 6d6. We now gain a Reliable Talent, which makes our proficient skills even more refined; whenever we make a skill check using a skill we're proficient in, we treat every roll of 9 and below as 10. We also get another spell; let's pick See Invisibility to upgrade our visual sensors.

Level 12: For this level's ASI, instead of increasing any traits, we're gonna pick a feat that furthers Echo's specialisation: with the Actor feat we get a +1 to our Charisma, an advantage on Deception and Performance checks used to impersonate another person, as well as the ability to mimic the speech and sound of another person or creature (if we hear them speaking for at least 1 minute).

Level 13: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 7d6. We also unlock another class feature; Versatile Trickster lets use use our invisible Mage Hand to distract a target within 5 feet of it as a bonus action. Doing so, gives us an advantage on attacks against that target until the end of the turn.

Additionally, we unlock 3rd-level spells and we can finally become the aerial support with Fly.

Level 14: At this level, we install some new update to our sensors and gain Blindsense. If we're able to hear, we are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of us.

For our next spell, we're going to grab Melf's Minute Meteors for some cover fire/carpet bombing.

Level 15: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 8d6 and our software gets some patches, because thanks to Slippery Mind we gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws (and oh, we desperately need it).

Level 16: For another ASI, we can round up Charisma and Intelligence with one point each. We can also grab another spell, so let's disappear from the enemy's radar with Nondetection.

Level 17: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 9d6.

Time for our final subclass feature; Spell Thief allows us to hack the system and steal the knowledge of how to cast the spell from another once per long rest. Immediately after being targetted by a spell (or being in the area of one), we can use our reaction to force the caster to make a saving throw. On a failed save, the spell is cancelled and we steal the knowledge behind it. For the next 8 hours, we can cast the spell using our spell slots and the original caster cannot access that spell.

Level 18: We become the most Elusive target there is. If we aren't incapacitated, attacks against us cannot be made with an advantage.

Level 19: Our Sneak Attack bonus is now 10d6. With the final ASI of the build, we will cap our Constitution to a 20. We also unlock 4th-level spells for the endgame; let's take Locate Creature to be an even better pursuer.

Level 20: Our capstone is Rogue 20, which gives us Stroke of Luck. Once per short or long rest, we can turn a failed attack or ability check into a success. For the final spell of the build, let's grab Ice Storm and re-flavour it into carpet bombing.

---

And that is Echo, carrying the spirit of one of the founders of Overwatch. Let's see what we came up with:

First of all, we have all the boxes of being the cutting edge automaton checked; we do not require food and water or sleep, we are immune to diseases, and can still keep watch even during stasis. We have good detection skills thanks to spells, mobility, and good Insight. Finally, we have also covered Echo's mimicking ability thanks to Disguise Self and proficiency in Deception and Performance.

Our AC is 18, wew have a +5 to our Initiative, and the average of 176 Hit Points.

Although we have hit two 20s in this build (Dexterity and Constitution), we don't have much in terms of other abilities. Our Strength modifier is still a negative, and our Wisdom is pretty low; even with proficiency in saving throws, it may be challenging to resist some crowd control effects. Sometimes, hackers might get the better of us.

---

Wow, it's been some time since I've typed the ending words. I enjoyed this one, the Overwatch characters have a really good potential to use in your D&D game; let me know if I should do more of those. It's good to do this again, and I saw that you guys wanted more gods, so I shall deliver.

I'll see you in the next one, darlings! - Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

The Loxodon in the Room...

Hi, everyone.

My friends, my lovely readers, my gods and goddesses and every deity in-between... we need to talk. Or, well, I need to talk and would like you to lend me your ears. This is not an easy thing to talk about, and as of writing these words I still don't have an answer or a clear path of where I will go from now on, but what gave me the incentive to come out and say something was the post by the inspiration behind this here blog, @grailfinders, which you can find [here]. Just to make it clear, I don't want people to think I'm copying the GrailFinders crew or that because they said something I need to as well; you can recall I've dropped a hint at that some time ago... but I feel like inaction is worse that any statement I make, so here goes:

Recent actions of D&D owners, Wizards of the Coast, were simply vile. Disgusting. Without any empathy for their customer base. It showed that the corporate minds behind Hasbro will stop at nothing to have their goal of annual financial growth fulfilled. Please also note that this is directed at the upper echelon of the company; from what we know, the creative team behind D&D and other employees still care about us and our experience. But the situation with the OGL, the MtG anniversary, the Creators' Summit, and now with sending the literal Pinkertons over something that could've been resolved peacefully... the future does not look bright for Hasbro or WotC.

On the other hand, the basic rules and mechanics of D&D 5e are now under Creative Commons and blogs such as this one are not targetted since I do not earn money from it. So why am I complaining, one would ask. Because it doesn't feel right. Because after the community rose up and forced Hasbro to change their policy on the OGL, I saw the power of the fandom. It's real, and I want to contribute my fair share. Since the OGL situation, I have ceased to support any new products coming from Hasbro or WotC; I've cancelled my D&D Beyond subscription and any pre-orders I've planned to get. For the foreseeable future, I don't think I will get any new books or materials (even if they were to release my longtime dream: official guide to the Feywilds with a stat block for Baba Yaga). I'm not telling you to do the same, no. Quite the opposite: you do what you feel is right. Educate yourself about the whole situation and then decide whether or not you feel like supporting WotC. I will not praise or condemn you for your decisions.

As for this blog, that remains an unknown. What I am certain is that I will finish all backed-up requests; I do owe you that. I don't know if I shall accept new ones yet, or what to do with the blog later. Maybe I will remain with D&D but will put more (or exclusive) focus on third-party content and build your requests using fan content. Maybe I will switch systems - I've recently began dabbling in City of Mist and that brought me a lot of fun. Or maybe you think I should ignore the subject alltogether and reclaim D&D for you, the people. I am open to your comments and suggestions. Because in the end, it's you who build this blog by providing me with materials. I only turn them into a story.

And the story of this blog is not yet over <3

[nerdythebard]

#57: Yang Xiao Long [RWBY]

[Art Credit: izumi_sai] ---

Let me explain:

The request to build a D&D version of everybody's favourite punny brawling bombshell, Yang Xiao Long, came from an anonymous reader as the most recent one. However, I have decided to make this a priority since the requestor mentioned they have a campaign coming and they wish to play as the iconic character from RWBY. If I'm too late, I am so sorry... but I will at least go out with a Yang! ...Eh? Eh?

Next Time: Back to our regularly scheduled program with Doctor Liao and the origins of Skynet!

Now then, let's see what we need to past this Hunter exam!

One Punch Gal: Yang is a master of hand-to-hand combat, but she's also quite proficient with her gauntlet guns, the Ember Celica, to attack enemies at a distance... with her fists.

Uno Reverse Hulk: Yang absorbs the kinetic energy from attacks directed at her (but keeps the pain) to reinforce her own attacks and protections.

One Woman Army: Early on, Yang's battle tactics were simple: walk in and own everything and everyone. As the problems in the world of RWBY evolved, so did her approach to resolving fights, but she still remains the strongest member of the team and its chief frontliner.

---

As far as we know, Yang is a human; we will, however, use the Aasimar from Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse to represent her ability to use Aura and Semblance. We get a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Constitution and Strength respectively), speed of 30 feet, Celestial Resistance to radiant and necrotic damage, Healing Hands ability that allows us to, once per long rest, heal a number of Hit Points equal to [our proficiency bonus]d4, and the Light cantrip.

Yang is a rather famous Huntress, known for her physical prowess, so we're gonna give her the Athlete background. We gain proficiencies in Acrobatics and Athletics, one language of our choice, proficiency with land vehicles (which means we can get our Bumblebee before we get the... other Bumblebee) and the Echoes of Victory feature; whenever we arrive at a new location, there is a 50/50 chance we will find a fan of ours, who is willing to share information or provide a shelter.

ABILITY SCORES

Strength will be our primary focus; we need to be able to effectively punch anything ranging from random bar thugs to giant nightmare werewolves. Constitution will be next, the other half of being the frontliner is the ability to take a hit. Dexterity is after that, Yang learns to evade and position herself a bit later in her career; plus, we need to take care of the physical stats first.

Charisma is next, her puns may be awful but Yang herself is rather charming (and quite intimidating when she needs to be). Wisdom will be on the lower end, because she still gets a good advice every now and then, and we're dumping Intelligence.

CLASS

Level 1 - Barbarian: Let's start with a solid base. Barbarians get d12 as their Hit Dice, [12 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies in light armour, medium armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. Yang does not wear armour, and we will not use weapons (but we still are gonna get the Ember Celica, trus me) but can grab something simple just in case. Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution, and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Intimidation and Perception).

Barbarians start with their signature ability, Rage. As a bonus action, we enter a state of furious, gaining the following benefits provided we do not wear a heavy armour:

Advantage on Strength-related checks and saving throws

A +2 bonus to damage rolls of our Strength-based melee weapon attacks

Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage

While raging we cannot cast spells or concentrate on them. Rage lasts for 1 minute or until we're knocked unconscious. It also ends if we do not attack/take damage from a hostile create for one turn.

We also gain Unarmoured Defense. When unarmoured, our AC equals [10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Constitution modifier]. We can still use a shield and gain this benefit.

Level 2 - Barbarian: We awaken our Danger Sense. If we're not blinded, deafened, or incapacitated, we gain an advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects we can see, such as traps or spells. We also learn how to make a Reckless Attack; when we attack for the first time, we can declare it reckless and gain an advantage on melee weapon attacks for that turn. Unfortunately, all enemies have an advantage on attacks made against us for that time.

Level 3 - Fighter: Time to get some technique to our fists. Multiclassing into Fighter gives us proficiencies we already have, so we can skip those. We get to choose our Fighting Style, and it's a no-brainer to grab Unarmed Fighting for Yang. We can now deal [1d6 + our Strength modifier] bludgeoning damage with our unarmed strikes. If we do not use any weapons, the die changes to 1d8. We also get Second Wind, which allows us to heal [1d10 + our Fighter level] Hit Points as a bonus action once per short or long rest.

At this level, we also gain the racial ability Celestial Revelation. As a bonus action, we can unleash our celestial energy Aura and transform for 1 minute. With the Radiant Consumption option, we emit a bright light for 10 feet and a dim light for another 10. Until the transformation ends, each creature within 10 feet of us suffers radiant damage equal to our proficiency bonus, and we can add the same amount of radiant damage to one target whenever we attack it.

Level 4 - Fighter: We get Action Surge, which allows us to once per short or long rest take an extra Action on our turn in combat.

Level 5 - Fighter: We pick our first subclass, our Martial Archetype. We will focus on the power behind Yang's punches and pick the Champion Archetype. With Improved Critical, our weapon attacks score a critical hit on either a 19 or a 20.

Level 6 - Fighter: We finally get our first Ability Score Improvement. We need to increase our Wisdom and Dexterity by 1 point each.

Level 7 - Fighter: We now get Extra Attack. We can now make two strikes during a single Attack action.

Level 8 - Fighter: Our next ASI. We can finally put two more points into Wisdom and jump classes to refine our technique.

Level 9 - Monk: Unfortunately, once again we have to pass on some multiclassing benefits. Additionally, here is where we could gain Unarmoured Defense, but the one from Barbarian's side of the build is a bit better for us. We do, however, gain access to Martial Arts. While unarmed (or wielding a monk weapon) and unarmoured we gain the following benefits:

We can use our Dexterity or Strength when using unarmed strikes and monk weapons

We can roll a d4 in place of the regular damage dice for unarmed strikes and monk weapons; that Martial Arts dice changes as we level up.

When we use the Attack action unarmed or with a monk weapon, we can use our bonus action to make another unarmed attack.

Since Yang uses the long-ranged Ember Celica, we can replace that (for now) with a set of monk darts (or, you can ask your DM for a hand-mounted small crossbows)

Level 10 - Monk: Halfway through the build and we unlock the Monk's key feature known as Ki (hah!). We gain a pool of Ki Points that we can spend in order to gain some extra features. We start with three of those:

Flurry of Blows: Spending 1 Ki Point lets us make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action if we make the Attack action.

Patient Defense: Spending 1 Ki Point lets us take the Dodge action as a bonus action.

Step of the Wind: Spending 1 Ki Point lets us the Dash or Disengage actions as bonus actions, and it doubles your jumping distance for the turn.

We also gain Unarmoured Movement. As long as we're not wearing armour, our speed gains a +10 feet bonus.

Level 11 - Monk: We learn how to Deflect Missiles. When targeted by a projectile, we can use our Reaction to reduce the damage by [1d10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Monk level]. If we manage to reduce the damage to 0, we catch the projectile and can use the same Reaction to make a ranged (20/60) attack with it.

Here, we also pick our third subclass - our Monastic Tradition. We can now activate our Aura with Way of the Sun Soul. We can now fire off even more devastating bolts with our Ember Celica. With Radiant Sun Bolt, we gain a new way to use our Attack action: a special spell attack with the range of 30 feet, we are proficient with it and add our Dexterity modifier, the damage type is radiant and the damage die is our Martial Arts die. We can also make those attacks as our Flurry of Blows technique.

Level 12 - Monk: We finally get another ASI. Let's put two points into Dexterity to increase all the important stuff. At this level, we also learn Slow Fall - we can reduce our falling damage by [our Monk level x5]. Additionally, since we didn't get anything from multiclassing into either Monk or Fighter, I personally would allow to take the optional Quickened Healing feature, but discuss it with your DM.

Level 13 - Monk: Our Martial Arts die becomes 1d6 now. We also gain a new Ki option - Stunning Strike. When we hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, we can spend 1 Ki Point to attempt to stun it. The target must make a Constitution saving throw or become stunned until the end of our next turn.

At this level, the Monk would've gotten the Extra Attack. Since we already have it from Fighter, we wouldn't stack it. That being said, I would allow it to evolve, since this is around the time you would get Extra Attack Upgrade as a Fighter, and we do need to make Yang more punchy. Once again, discuss it with your DM.

Level 14 - Monk: With Ki-Empowered Strikes, our punches now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities... which means you can punch ghosts now. Also, our Unarmoured Movement bonus is not +15 feet.

We also gain a subclass upgrade. With Searing Arc Strike, we can now spend 2 Ki Points as a bonus action immediately after an attack to cast Burning Hands. We can spend more Ki Points to raise the spell's level

Level 15 - Monk: Time for some strategic positioning both physically and mentally. With Evasion, we now take no damage if we succeed on an area-of-effect Dexterity saving throw (if we fail, we take half damage when we would normally take full damage). With Stillness of Mind, we can use our Action to end a charmed or frightened effect on ourselves.

Level 16 - Monk: Time for another ASI, and we're going to raise our Strength by two points to... pack more of a punch? ...Eh? Eh?

...Well, they can't all be winners.

Level 17 - Monk: With Unarmoured Movement Improvement, we can now run across liquids and vertical surfaces without losing our foothold (as long as we have enough movement).

Level 18 - Monk: Our Unarmoured Movement bonus is now +20 feet. We also explore more healing properties of our Aura with Purity of Body; we are now immune to all poison and disease.

Level 19 - Monk: Our Martial Arts die is now a 1d8. It's also time for another subclass upgrade; with Searing Sunburst, we can create an orb of light and hurl it at any point within 150 feet. Every creature within 20 feet radius has to make a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage. While it doesn't seem like a lot, we can spend some Ki Points to increase the damage (1 Ki Point for extra 2d6 to a maximum of 3 Ki Points).

Level 20 - Monk: Our capstone is Monk 12, which gives us an ASI. While we could max out our Strength, let's put two points into Constitution for better AC and extra HP before the big final fight with Salem.

---

And that's the Goldilocks Berserker. Let's see how we did:

First of all, for someone who exclusively uses her fists, we've managed to compile quite a roster of damage-dealing. At our absolute maximum, in one turn we can punch twice as a standard attack for 1d8+4, add two more attacks with Flurry of Blows, and then use Action Surge to do that whole thing again for the maximum of 48 damage. And if that doesn't work out, we have some Ki-based Kamehameha shots and if it seems like we're getting too much damage we can easily heal.

Our unarmoured AC is 17, we have a +3 to our Initiative, 50 feet of ground speed, and the average of 181 Hit Points.

While we have a rather decent physical ability spread (18/16/18), our mental side is rather abandoned. We are also a single-purpose character: we need to punch stuff, and the few skill proficiencies we have are also geared for that.

---

And that's Ms Xiao Long. That was fun, though I did not expect to make her so similar to the previous build. Anywho, to the anonymous person who requested this - I hope it meets your expectations and your campaign turns out to be fun. Enjoy!

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

#56: Malenia, Blade of Miquella [Elden Ring]

[Art Credit: Aleksandra Skiba on ArtStation] ---

What's her name again?

This request comes from an anonymous reader. Surely, their goal was to give some of you lovely folks violent flashbacks. It is in fact time to venture into the world of Elden Ring and yet again face Malenia, Blade of Miquella. I'll be completely honest, I do not get the appeal of Souls games, so I never bothered to look into them, but you all very well know that your wish is my command. So let's step into the arena!

Next Time: GODDAMNIT, BARBARA!

Let's see what we need to equip for this fight:

I am Malenia

Blade of Miquella

And I have never known defeat

Um... okay... whatever you say.

---

Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is a demigod, and specifically mentioned to be an Empyrean; in D&D terms, Empyreans are celestials so that will make her an Aasimar. Using the new rules from Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse, we get a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (let's get Dexterity and Constitution respectively), speed of 30 feet, Celestial Resistance to necrotic and radiant damage, 60 feet of Darkvision, the Light cantrip, and the Healing Hands ability that lets us heal a creature for [our proficiency bonus x d4] once per long rest as an Action.

Malenia, Blade of Miquella (this is the last time, I promise), is going to have the Soldier background, as we can definitely use those Athletics and Intimidation proficiencies. We also gain proficiency with one gaming set and operating land vehicles, and the Military Rank feature, which will make soldiers related to our former (remember, the concept is that D&D characters begin their new lives as adventurers) organisation recognise us, and may provide us with supplies, shelter, or help.

ABILITY SCORES

We'll start with Dexterity, as we need to be nimble with our moves and swing our weapon better than Benny Goodman. Constitution will be next, since we've never known defeat. Follow that up with Wisdom, for our Rot damage.

After that, we get Charisma - Malenia's got that intimidation skill perfected. Strength will be on the lower end, in case we need to switch weapons, and we're gonna dump Intelligence - we just need others things more.

CLASS

Level 1 - Fighter: We start with the classic, but a useful one. Fighters start with a d10 as their Hit Dice, [10 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies in light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. Apart from her helmet and prosthetics (the latter of which you can also get, as described in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything), Malenia doesn't appear to use any armour, so we'll skip that for now, and grab her a rapier; it's not exactly a katana, but it's the best finesse weapon we can get for now.

Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution, and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Acrobatics and Perception).

Fighters get to pick their Fighting Style. You could consider picking Blind Fighting since Malenia has no eyes and doing so would make you aware of everything within 10 feet of you, but in this case we need to deal damage and a lot of it; we're going with Dueling. When we're wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapon, we get a +2 to damage rolls.

Fighters also get to tap into Second Wind. As a bonus action, we can regain [1d10 + our Fighter level] once per short or long rest.

Level 2 - Fighter: With Action Surge we can now take one additional Action on our turn once per short or long rest.

Level 3 - Fighter: We choose our first subclass, our Martial Archetype. Malenia uses a long katana/odachi, but because her spirit is essentially unbreakable (and she's never known defeat), we're gonna go with the Samurai archetype. We get a bonus proficiency in one skill from the list (Insight) and we gain Fighting Spirit; as a Bonus Action, we can give ourselves an advantage on weapon attack rolls until the end of our turn and gain 5 Temporary Hit Points. We can use this ability three times per long rest.

We also gain a racial ability - Celestial Revelation. We get to choose a form to transform into for 1 minute as a bonus action (once per long rest). To keep with Malenia's Rot theme, we're gonna get the Necrotic Shroud; creatures within 10 feet of us who can see us must make a Charisma saving throw or become frightened of us until the end of our next turn. Additionally, once per turn we can deal extra [our proficiency bonus] necrotic damage to a single target when making a weapon attack or cast a spell.

Level 4 - Monk: Let's jump classes for some faster and more nimble slashes. Multiclassing into Monk gives us proficiency with stuff we already know, so instead we jump straight into Unarmed Defense. While wearing no armour or shield, our AC becomes [10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Wisdom modifier]. We also learn Martial Arts. When benefitting from Unarmed Defense and using our bare hands or a monk weapon (which the rapier qualifies as), we gain the following benefits:

We can use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls of our unarmed and monk weapon strikes.

We can use a 1d4 instead of the dice used for our unarmed strikes and monk weapon attacks (the value changes as we level up).

When we use our Attack action to do an unarmed strike or a monk weapon attack, we can use our Bonus Action to make an unarmed strike.

Level 5 - Monk: We gain access to the Monk's resource - the Ki energy. We start with a pool of Ki Points (that we recover when we finish a short or long rest), which we can spend to achieve the following effects:

Flurry of Blows: Immediately after making an Attack, we can spend 1 Ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

Patient Defense: Spending 1 Ki point lets us take the Dodge action as a bonus action.

Step of the Wind: Spending 1 Ki point lets us take the Dash or Disengage actions as bonus actions, and doubles our jump distance for the turn.

We also gain Unarmoured Movement. When not wearing armour or using a shield, our speed increases by 10 feet.

Level 6 - Monk: Here, we learn how to Deflect Missiles. Whenever we're a target of a ranged weapon attack, we can use our Reaction to attempt to reduce the damage by [1d10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Monk level]; if the result reduces the damage to 0, we catch the projectile and can use the same Reaction to throw the projectile (range 20/60) and make an attack.

We get to pick our second subclass, our Monastic Tradition. To get better with our only weapon, we're gonna choose Way of the Kensei. We can now make our rapier a kensei weapon, which will give it extra bonuses. We gain proficiency with either caligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies (choose either), and with Agile Parry, if we make an unarmed strike as part of our Attack, we can gain a +2 to our AC by using our weapon to defend ourselves. We also gain Kensei's Shot, but since we're not using ranged weapons, we'll skip that one.

Level 7 - Monk: Finally, we get our first Ability Score Improvement. We're gonna boost our Dexterity and Constitution, as it will be useful in the next level. Here, we also gain Slow Fall, which helps us when falling, reducing fall damage by [our Monk level x5]. I would also ask your DM if you can take the optional feature Quickened Healing from Tasha's (since we didn't get anything when multiclassing), which lets you spend 2 Ki Points to roll a Martial Arts die and heal the rolled number of Hit Points.

Level 8 - Druid: Time to make some things rot. Multiclassing into Druid once again gives us proficiencies we already have, so we'll jump straight into Spellcasting. Wisdom is our casting ability and we know cantrips and rituals. Druids have access to their full spell list, and they can prepare [our Wisdom modifier + our Druid level] spells each day. We start by choosing two cantrips (Infestation and Resistance) and two 1st-level spells (Jump and Longstrider). We also learn Druidic, a language unique to the druids.

Level 9 - Druid: Although druids gain their signature ability, Wild Shape here, we will not focus on that in this build (we will be using the resource for something else), so allow me to skip straight into picking our third subclass - our Druid Circle. There is absolutely no question here, we're picking Circle of Spores.

From the circle conntected to rot and decay, we pick up our first feature: Halo of Spores. We're surrounded by an invisible aura of spores and bacteria, which we can unleash onto a target. Whenever a creature moves into a space within 10 feet of us (or starts its turn there), we can use our Reaction to deal 1d4 necrotic damage (unless the target makes a Constitution saving throw) which increases as we level up (1d6 at lv. 6, 1d8 at lv. 10, and 1d10 at lv. 14).

We can also channel magic into our own spores to create a Symbiotic Entity. By sacrificing one usage of our Wild Shape, we can awaken the spores on our body and gain [4 Temporary Hit Points per Druid level], as well as the following benefits (which last for 10 minutes or until we lose the THP or until we use Wild Shape again):

When we deal damage from our Halo of Spores, we roll the damage die a second time and add it to our attack

Our melee weapon deals extra 1d6 necrotic damage to any target we hit

We can also get another spell; let's grab Protection from Evil and Good.

Level 10 - Druid: Halfway through the build and we don't unlock anything class-related, only 2nd-level spells. Enhance Ability may aid us in case of saving throws for abilities we do not excel at, and we pick up two spells from our subclass: Blindness/Deafness and Gentle Repose.

Level 11 - Druid: Time for another ASI. Putting two points into Dexterity, we now max our primary damage-dealing and evasive ability. We also collect one more 2nd-level spell, Wither and Bloom, and one more cantrip - Primal Savagery.

Level 12 - Druid: Once again, we do not unlock any class features but we get 3rd-level spells. Let's grab Plant Growth, and get Animate Dead and Gaseous Form from our subclass.

Level 13 - Druid: We get our second subclass feature - Fungal Infestation. We can now spread our spores to a recently killed person or beast. If a Small or Medium creature dies within 10 feet of us, we can use our Reaction to animate it for 1 hour (or until defeated or dismissed) with 1 Hit Point. We can use this feature a number of times equal to our Wisdom modifier per long rest. The Cleanrot knights will now serve us!

Level 14 - Monk: Time to get more sword strikes to our build. We get Extra Attack - we can now attack twice, instead of one time, during a single Attack action (plus unarmed strikes as a Bonus Action). We also get Stunning Strike; when we hit a target with our melee weapon attack, we can spend 1 Ki Point to attempt to stun the target. The target has to make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of our next turn. Additionally, our Martial Arts die becomes 1d6.

Level 15 - Monk: Our Unarmoured Movement bonus is now +15 feet. At this level, we can now deal extra Punchables™ with Ki-Empowered Strikes; our unarmed attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities. From our subclass, we gain One with the Blade, which gives us the following benefits:

Magic Kensei Weapons: Our kensei weapon attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities.

Deft Strike: When we hit the target with our kensei weapon, we can spend 1 Ki Point to add extra damage to our weapon equal to our Martial Arts die. We can only do so once per turn.

Level 16 - Monk: At this level, we get two really useful abilities to avoid harm. Evasion allows us to take no damage when failing a Dexterity saving throw would make us take half damage (and half damage if we'd normally take full damage). With Stillness of Mind, we can use our Action to shake off one charmed or frightened effect.

Level 17 - Monk: Time for another ASI. Let's put one point into Wisdom and one into Constitution.

Level 18 - Monk: We gain Unarmoured Movement Improvement. We can now effortlessly move across vertifcal surfaces and liquids without sacrificing any loss of movement.

Our Unarmoured Movement bonus is now +20 feet. With Purity of Body we are now sure that the Rot or any of its strains will touch us, as we're immune to poison and disease.

Level 19 - Monk: For the final ASI, we'll put one point into Constitution and leave the last one into Intelligence.

Level 20 - Monk: Our capstone is Monk 12, which gives us our final subclass upgrade: Sharpen the Blade. We can now imbue our weapon with Ki, spending up to 3 points to increase the weapon's attack force, damage, or both for 1 minute. Our Martial Arts die also changes into 1d8.

---

And that's Malenia, Blade of Miquella, who has never known defeat! (I had to squeeze that last one in!). Let's see what we have here:

First of all, we have a lot of ways to deal damage, depending whether we with to attack with our weapon, our unarmed stikes, or our Rot powers. We have also several ways of sustaining ourselves, whether by gaining Temporary Hit Points, healing with Second Wind, or casting a spell.

Our AC is 17 (+2 if we use Agile Parry), we have 50 feet of movement, a +5 to our initiative, and the average of 163 Hit Points.

This build is also difficult to maintain because of a triple multiclass, which means a lot of resource management: Ki Points, Wild Shape, Spell Slots, Martial Arts die... plus, the many options of attacking and several versions of managing your Action, Bonus Action, and Reaction moveset, this may cause some confusion.

---

Ho boy, that was something. It seems to be a satisfying build, but I also feel like I've spent a bit too much on it. I also had to reschedule the next build, but I'll explain why later. If you want to, I'll also provide commentary on the few controversies with Wizards of the Coast and D&D situation, but all in due time.

Remember that I love you and wish you all a good day or night!

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

If you ever needed any more reason to stay away from any new product released by WotC...

So uh, if you want to know what Wizards of the Coast is up to, they allegedly sent the Pinkertons (a private security guard, which is a fancy way to say for-hire thugs) to the person who leaked a Magic: The Gathering set. Who wasn't under a NDA or anything (not that it'd justify said measures).

The Pinkertons went to his home, threatened to put him in jail, seized a bunch of his stuff and made his wife cry.

Anyways, uh, I wonder if there's still gonna be bootlickers trying to defend WOTC on this?

(Reblogs for awareness are appreciated!)

[nerdythebard]

#55: Elizabeth [BioShock: Infinite]

(Art Credit: Irishhips on deviantArt) ---

Welcome back, my friends!

I forgot to credit our requestor of the previous build, but luck would have it they also requested this one, so many thanks to our lovely family member, @nerdybear91 for both Harry Dresden and Anna DeWitt aka Elizabeth from BioShock: Infinite. Now, let's see what true Multiverse of Madness looks like!

Next Time: Let me solo her!

What do we need to survive navigating a giant floating city filled with brainwashed cultists, until we can finally reach Paris?

Everything & Everywhen (All At Once): Elizabeth's ability to manipulate Tears allow her to perform a multitude of multiversal effects. We will have to flavour a lot to make it look like we have control over all realities.

It's Big Brain Time: Having nothing to do but read, Elizabeth became familiary with a variety of subjects including medicine, music, arts, literature, etc.

Sneaky Supplier: Another interesting skill of Elizabeth's is that she can pick almost any lock we ask her to, and decipher any message. She's observant and can support Booker with resources and money during combat. Also get out of harm ways pretty well despite sometimes standing in the middle of thew fight.

---

Elizabeth is a Human. Although her innate powers to manipulate the Tears would qualify her as a Variant Human, we're gonna take it a step further and give her the Mark of Passage from Eberron: Rising from the Last War. We get a +2 Dexterity and a +1 to one ability of our choice (Intelligence), ability to speak Common and one language of our choice, thanks to Courier's Speed our standard speed is 35 feet, with Intuitive Motion we can add 1d4 to any Acrobatics check used to operate and maintain a land vehicle, and if ever we gain the ability to cast spells we get some additional Spells of the Mark. Finally, with Misty Passage we can cast the Misty Step spell once per long rest (with Dexterity as our ability modifier).

Being left alone for so long and having nothing to do but reading made Elizabeth quite a Sage. We gain proficiency in Arcana and History, two languages of our choice, and the Researcher feature; we can now lead Booker around to the right place when trying to find a piece of information (such as code for a lock).

ABILITY SCORES

We're starting with Intelligence; we've spent so long in seclusion with nothing but books. Follow that up with Dexterity, to help us with lockpicking, stealth, and platforming across Columbia. Constitution will be next, we can survive a lot of running and experiments in alternate timeline.

Wisdom will be next, what good is book knowledge if you do not apply it in real life. Charisma is on the lower end; Elizabeth had so little human interaction, she didn't have time to perfect her persuasion or intimidation skills. Finally, we're dumping Strength.

CLASS

Level 1 - Rogue: Running away from your adopted-but-not-really father who was using your powers to control the entire brainwashed city sounds like a good definition of going rogue. We start with a d8 as our Hit Dice, we get [8 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, and thieves' tools. Elizabeth doesn't have any armour or weapons in the game, but consider giving her at least a dagger. We'll cover the armour later. Our saving throws are Dexterity and Intelligence, and we get to pick four class skills from the list (Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth).

Rogues start by honing their skills even further with Expertise. We select two skills we're proficient in (or one skill + thieves' tools) and we double our proficiency bonus (not our ability modifier) when using those skills. We're gonna get better in Stealth, to make sure we are unseen in dangerous situations, as well as thieves' tools, to make sure no lock poses a challenge.

Rogues also get the abilit to Sneak Attack. Once per turn, if you have an advantage on your attack (and use a ranged weapon or one with the finesse property) or your target is within 5 feet of another creature hostile to it, you can add 1d6 extra damage to your damage roll.

We also learn Thieves' Cant, a system of words and phrases that can be used to convey a hidden message to others who also speak it (for me, it's always Cockney Rhyming Slang).

Level 2 - Rogue: We learn Cunning Action. From now on, we can transform the following Actions into Bonus Actions:

Dash - We gain extra movement for the duration of the turn, equal to our ground speed;

Disengage - Moving away from the target's melee range does not provoke an attack of opportunity;

Hide - We make a Stealth check to hide.

Level 3 - Rogue: Here, we pick our subclass - our Rogue Archetype - and for the smart and observant Elizabeth, I can think of nothing better but the Inquisitive archetype. With our Ear for Deceit, we can treat any Insight check roll that's lower than 7 as 8. With Eye for Detail, we can use a Bonus Action instead of an Action to make a Perception or an Investigation check. Always useful to find extra ammo, salts, or money. We also master Insightful Fighting, which lets us make a contested Insight check against the target's Deception; if we're successful, we come up with a good positioning and strategy, and we can apply Sneak Attack damage even if we don't have an advantage.

Speaking of Sneak Attack, our bonus damage now becomes 2d6.

Level 4 - Rogue: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. We're gonna put one point into Constitution for better Hit Points and one into Wisdom, as we slowly come to the realisation something's not right in Columbia...

Level 5 - Wizard: Now it's time to play with port.. err Tears. Multiclassing into Wizard gives us... nothing, unfortunately. We do, however, learn Arcane Recovery: once per day (during a short rest), we can recover some spell slots we've expended. The spell slots can have a combined level equal to (or less than) half of our Wizard level rounded up.

Related to that, we now learn Spellcasting. Intelligence is our casting ability, and we know cantrips, regular spells, and rituals. Wizards can write new spells into their spellbook (or perhaps pulling those spells from other timelines) and they start with a few spells of their choice: three cantrips (for us it's Create Bonfire, Mending, and Sword Burst) and six 1st-level spells (we'll get Alarm, Detect Magic, Distort Value, Mage Armour, Tenser's Floating Disk, and Unseen Servant). From our Mark of Passage we also learn Expeditious Retreat and Jump.

Level 6 - Wizard: We pick our second subclass here, our Arcane Tradition. To make our Tears and multiverse manipulations more stable, we're going to pick the School of Conjuration. Since we are now a Conjuration Savant, the time and money we spend when copying Conjuration spells to our spellbook is halved. With Minor Conjuration, we can conjure an inanimate object in our hand or on the ground within 10 feet radius. The object must be no bigger than 3 feet on a side and weigh up to 10 pounds, be non-magical, and when conjured it sheds dim light for 5 feet. It lasts for 1 hour or until taken or dealt damage, and we can only create one object at the time.

We also get to pick two more 1st-level spells: Silent Image and Snare.

Level 7 - Wizard: At this level we unlock 2nd-level spells. From our level-up we can get two new spells (Arcane Lock and Borrowed Knowledge) and from our Mark of Passage we get Misty Step and Pass Without Trace.

Level 8 - Wizard: Time for another ASI. This time, we're putting two points in Constitution, to get some better survivability. We also get a choice of a new cantrip (Message) and two more spells (Locate Object and Mirror Image).

Level 9 - Wizard: We unlock 3rd-level spells. Let's get Galder's Tower and Melf's Minute Meteors from our level-up, and we will get Blink and Phantom Steed from our Mark of Passage.

Level 10 - Wizard: Halfway through the build and we get Benign Transportation. We can use our action to teleport into an unocupied space within 30 feet of us. Alternatively, we can pick a space occupied by a Small or Medium creature and (if they're willing) swap places with them. We can do that once per long rest or until we cast a Conjuration spell of at least 1st-level. And speaking of Conjuration magic, let's grab two summoning spells here: Summon Fey and Summon Shadowspawn.

Level 11 - Wizard: We unlock 4th-level spells. From our level-up, let's grab Banishment and Fabricate. From our Mark of Passage we also get Dimension Door and Freedom of Movement.

Level 12 - Wizard: Time for more ASI. For now, let's improve our Dexterity by two point for some better Initiative, AC, and hiding skills. For our spells, let's gram Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum and Summon Construct to call some more support

Level 13 - Wizard: We unlock 5th-level spells. From our level-up, let's grab Legend Lore and Wall of Force. We also gain our last spell from the Mark of Passage: Teleportation Circle.

Level 14 - Wizard: We get to pick our final cantrip (Mage Hand) and unlock next subclass feature. With Focused Conjuration, when we're concentrating on a Conjuration spell, our concentration cannot be broken. For this level's spells, let's pick Mislead and Rary's Telepathic Bond.

Level 15 - Wizard: We unlock 6th-level spells. Let's grab Arcane Gate and True Seeing to detect the smallest of Tears.

Level 16 - Wizard: With another ASI, we can bump up our Constitution by two more points here. For this level's spells, we can actually get back a bit and grab Far Step and Scrying.

Level 17 - Wizard: Unlocking 7th-level spells here. Time to finally start exploring other worlds and timelines with Dream of the Blue Veil and Plane Shift.

Level 18 - Wizard: We get access to our final subclass feature. Durable Summons give all creatures we summon or create additional 30 Temporary Hit Points upon summoning. Let's bring the image of another world to us with Mirage Arcane and summon another Elizabeth with Project Image.

Level 19 - Wizard: We unlock 8th-level spells. We can now create our own little worlds with Demiplane, and it's finally time to call an old friend with Illusory Dragon.

Level 20 - Wizard: Our capstone is Wizard 16, where we end with an ASI. So let's get some more Dexterity for that nice-looking 20. For our final spells, let's take Maze and Mighty Fortress.

---

And that's our Multidimensional Marvel, Elizabeth. Let's see what we came out with:

First of all, this is clearly a support character. Their purpose is to hide, sneak, move around the battlefield, and provide assistance to the party by conjuring additional reinforcements. With enhanced ground speed, several teleporting spells, and proficiency in stealth, we should be able to provide long-range support without risking detection or damage.

Our AC is 15 (18 with Mage Armour), +5 to Initiative, and average of 142 Hit Points.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot in terms of direct offense, both magical and physical. While our Dexterity managed to reach 20, we still have a negative Strength modifier and our Wisdom and Charisma are on the lower end; this could be problematic, since those are two of the more used saving throws.

---

Oh, wow. That took way too long than I wanted. I actually scrapped the entire build (originally it was Echo Knight Fighter with Illusion Wizard) and watched several playthroughs to get a feel for Elizabeth, but I hope in the end I've created something playable.

Unfortunately, a lot has happened during the time I was away, my loves. As of today, I've lost my job for which I've moved cities to live on my own. Silverlining, I will have time for you, so I guess we're back in action. I'll see you in the next one, my friends.

-Nerdy out

[nerdythebard]

SMITE 2023 Lineup: Analysis & Predictions

Wow, I did not make a lot of posts in 2022, did I...

Hey eveyone! Since we've done this last year, I thought I would once again share my first thoughts on what SMITE is planning to release this coming year in terms of gods. This whole blog started with SMITE, and I promise you the God Builds will continue.

Before reading any further, here is the video for you to get familiar with. Anyway, let's go!

Seems like it's going to be five new gods this year, and if that's all we're getting they may be released roughly every 2-3 months. Starting off with Surtr, the Norse Fire Jotun in January. Surtr is famously known as the herald of Ragnarok - it's his fate to use his flaming sword to kill Freyr and destroy our world, only for a new better one to be reborn from the ashes. If you actually look at the released Surtr Teaser, you can see some elements of that story - killed over and over again, a fire jotun gets reborn into Surtr. It's kinda funny how the in-game mini-boss said 'enough is enough' and decided to become a player.

Next up, in the release for (maybe) March, we see what I would assume is another in-game structure, the Phoenix Tower. Moreover, the narration talks about flames and rebirth, which would indicate a Phoenix (which wouldn't be odd, seeing as we have other non-god characters, such as Cerberus, Fenrir, and Ratatoskr), but then we move to this Lion King-esque Pride Rock formation with a shadowy, feline figure, which many say could be the Manticore - a monster that reached the status of inside joke in the community; originally, a boss for Training Mode, the Manticore was deleted from the game and never heard from again (for the 2016 April Fools, the devs made a God Reveal video for playable Manticore, so perhaps it now becomes reality)

Potentially scheduled for May is a a fertility deity. With a Southern American pyramid in the background, it doesn't take a lot of guessing to bet on Ixchel - Mayan Goddess of Medicine, Midwifery, and Rain.

Moving down to the Underworld in (maybe) July, we see what looks like a river of souls, and with the narration talking about the lost being carried, it seems like another obvious one - Charon, the Greek psychopomp. The Ferryman of the Dead.

And finally, ending the year... in September... we have another death deity. We see chicken and bones, purple colours and skulls, and the architecture typical for New Orleans... this has to be Maman Brigitte or another Ghede loa. She was supposed to be the last goddess of 2022, but was unfortunately pushed back.

And that seems to be it. Let me know your ideas, and I'll soon meet you all... in Columbia ;)

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

#54: Harry Dresden [The Dresden Files]

(Art Credit: Mika-Blackfield on deviantArt) ---

Yer a wizard, Harry!

This one is a two-parter, coming from an anonymous requestor. This time, we tackle Chicago's only practicing wizard, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden (the more names the more secure the wizard). I remember reading the books in high school and beyond, since I'm a big nerd of everything that includes magic and urban fantasy, and I have to admit, it was one of the books that inspired me to start writing. Let's jump into this case then!

Next Time: Part Two: Now you're playing with portals... Lizzie

So, what does the White Council says about becoming a wizard?

Non-Squishy Wizard: While Harry uses magic (in accordance with the Laws... mostly) as his primary tool, he's not lacking when it comes to physical abilities. Perks of being a Winter Knight, I guess.

Master Blaster Caster: Harry's speciality seems to be magic related to combat magic: blasts of force, fire, wind, as well as occasional necromancy and thaumaturgy.

Temptation of the Dark Side: Let's be honest, every wizard will occasionally give in. So does Harry, who's broken some of the Laws of Magic when the situation needed him to.

---

Harry is a human in a world where the supernatural and the mundane mixes and blends together. We're going to make him a Variant Human. We get a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Intelligence and Constitution), ability to speak, read, and write Common and one more language of our choice, proficiency in one skill (Perception), and one feat of our choice; War Caster gives us advantage on Constitution saving throws when concentrating on a spell, ability to perform somatic components even when holding something in both hands, and whenever a creature provokes an attack of opportunity from us, we can cast a spell (casting time 1 action and targetting one creature) instead of making a weapon attack.

Honouring Harry's profession, we'll going to give him the Investigator background. We grab proficiencies in Insight and Investigation, proficiencies with a disguise kit and thieves' tools, and the Official Inquiry feat; thanks to it, we can use a combination of improv and deflecting questions to gain access to places and people connected to our investigations.

ABILITY SCORES

Intelligence will obviously be our first pick, followed by Dexterity and Constitution. Harry often finds himself in sticky situations where he is either forced to run and evade, or straight-up tank the damage.

Wisdom will be next, to keep some positive modifiers for saving throws. Charisma will be on the lower end, Harry is a known blunt and brusque asshole throughout most of the series. Finally, we're dropping Strength.

CLASS

There is also no surprise here; Harry is a Wizard start-to-finish. Wizards get a d6 as their Hit Dice, [6 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, no armour or tool proficiencies (we'll get that soon), proficiencies with daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, and light crossbows. We're obviously gonna pick a staff and perhaps keep a few darts and daggers around. Our saving throws are Intelligence and Wisdom, and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Arcana and History).

Level 1: Wizards learn how to manage their resources with Arcane Recovery. Once per day, after a short rest, we can recover expended spell slots: a total level of spell slots must be equal to or less than half of our Wizard level, and we cannot recover spells slots of 6th-level and above (for example, if we're 4th-level Wizard, we can recover two 2nd-level slots or two 1st-level slots and one 2nd-level, etc.)

As the paragons of the arcane, Wizards starts with Spellcasting. Intelligence is our casting ability, and we know cantrips and rituals. Wizards start with a set number of spells and gain two new spells during every level-up (in addition to any spell they collect during their travels). We start with three cantrips (Fire Bolt, Minor Illusion, and Gust) and six 1st-level spells (Absorb Elements, Burning Hands, Detect Magic, Healing Elixir, Protection from Evil and Good, and Shield).

Level 2: At this level, we pick our subclass, our Arcane Tradition. I was considering making Harry an evoker, since elemental magic seems to be his weapon of choice, or perhaps a necromancer since it's been stated to be his unusual talent... but ultimately, Harry is a Wizard who also packs a punch without the use of magic, so we need to be able to fight. Bladesinger Wizards learn enchanted swordsmanship from the elves, so it fits for our Winter Knight. Since we're Trained in War and Song, we gain proficiency with light armour (for that, let's grab a standard studded leather - if you can, ask your DM for a glamoured one, to mimic Harry's coat), one-handed melee weapon (let's grab a rapier for the Finesse property), and in Performance skill.

We also learn how to chant a Bladesong. Think of it as the Barbarian's Rage, only applied to a weapon. While the Bladesong is active (1 minute or until we're incapacitated, cancel it willingly, don medium or heavy armour, or use a two-handed weapon attack), we gain the following benefits:

Bonus to our AC equal to our Intelligence modifier

Walking speed increased by 10 feet

An advantage on Acrobatics checks

Bonus to Constitution saving throws made for maintaining concentration on spells (equal to our Intelligence modifier)

For this level's spells, we can grab Thunderwave and Unseen Servant to give us a facisimile of Bob.

Level 3: We do not get any new class features, but we do unlock 2nd-level spells. Darkvision for eliminating the weakness of our human eyes, and Misty Step for taking a shortcut through the Nevernever seem like a good choice here.

Level 4: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. Let's raise our Intelligence by two points, and I'll surprise you by saying that this is our final Intelligence score. I know, Wizards should strive to max it out (or even go beyond), but Harry's not one of those super smart Wizards. We need to make him a magic combatant.

For this level's spells, we're gonna grab Magic Aura and Scorching Ray. We also get another cantrip (Blade Ward).

Level 5: No new class features, but we unlock 3rd-level spells. By picking Galder's Tower you can essentially create a copy of Harry's island, Demonreach. To gain an upper hand against other Wizards, let's grab Dispel Magic (or, if you're playing in a modern day setting and really want that 'magic destroys technology' vibe, pick up Haywire from the Modern Magic Unearthed Arcana).

Level 6: We get another subclass feature: stolen from the Fighter we get Extra Attack. We can now make two strikes instead of one during a single Attack action. For this level's spells, we're gonna make ourselves even more resistant to attacks with Protection from Energy, and we'll reach into more shady territory with Summon Lesser Demons.

Level 7: We unlock 4th-level spells. For some offense we can grab Ice Storm, and to get everybody's favourite lazy dog, Mouse, we're gonna pick Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound.

Level 8: Another ASI! We'll increase of Dexterity by two points to get some better swings for our sword. For this level's spells, we will travel the border of breaking the Third Law of Magic and pick up Phantasmal Killer, and then make sure we divide and conquer our fights with Wall of Fire.

Level 9: At this level, we unlock 5th-level spells. Time for some bigger artillery to join our repertoire. Let's start by finally causing trouble for the Council and break the Fifth Law. Danse Macabre shall help us with that (it's the next best thing after an undead T. rex). Next, we can elevate our detective business by employing Scrying.

Level 10: Halfway through the build, and we finally get a subclass update! With Song of Defense, we can now spend a spell slot (while our Bladesong is active) and absorb the damage dealt to us. The maximum amount of damage we can absorb is [Spell slot's level x5]. This means that by sacrificing a 5th-level spell slot or above, we can now tank a full-power Fireball.

We also get our final cantrips here: let's pick Toll the Dead now that we have some proper damage dealing options. For this level's spells, let's consult Bob with Legend Lore, and use Dawn in case any vampires decide to be too cocky.

Level 11: We unlock 6th-level spells, and it's time to break the First Law and cast Disintegrate on our uncle. We will also mimic the Death Curse and pick Contingency. By setting up the 'my death shall release [X]' as a trigger condition, we can be sure to get the last laugh.

Level 12: Finally another ASI. Let's bump up our Constitution to get some better Hit Points in the mid- to late-game. For this level's spells, we're gonna make some more deals by casting Summon Fiend and then finally gain the proper Soulgaze via True Seeing.

Level 13: We unlock 7th-level spells here. Let's cause even more damage with Delayed Blast Fireball and Reverse Gravity.

Level 14: We unlock our final subclass feature. With Song of Victory, we can add our Intelligence modifier to our melee attacks while our Bladesong is active.

For this level's spell we will pick Sequester and Whirlwind.

Level 15: We unlock 8th-level spells. We can utilise the energy of the storm with Control Weather and then shield our own mind from Lawbreakers with Mind Blank.

Level 16: If you manage to get this far and get this ASI, it is finally time to grab the Tough feat. Out Hit Points maximum is increased by [our level x2] and every level-up henceforth we can add +2 Hit Points. For this level's spell, we'll grab Demiplane and Maddening Darkness.

Level 17: We unlock the apex of the arcane; the 9th-level spells. Let's use Gate and Invulnerability.

Level 18: We gain a feature called Spell Mastery. We choose one 1st-level and one 2nd-level spell from our spellbook and can now cast them without spending spell slots, effectively transforming them into cantrips. Let's do that to Shield and Scorching Ray.

For this level's spells, let's grab Meteor Swarm and Prismatic Wall.

Level 19: With the final ASI of the build we will actually add to our Strength to remove the negative modifiers. For this level's spells we'll use Gate and Imprisonment.

Level 20: Our capstone is Wizard 20, which gives us the Signature Spells feature. This works in a similar manner to the previous Spell Mastery, however we get to choose two 3rd-level spells that we can cast once per a short or long rest without expending spell slots. Let's select Dispel Magic and Protection from Energy.

For our final spells, let's finally choose Wish and Weird.

---

So that's Harry-but-not-the-one-you-think. Let's see what came out of this:

First of all, we're a full Wizard which in late game provides plenty of utility options for both ourselves and our allies. Additionally, with the Bladesinging subclass, we can hold our own in combat. We also have a nice bag of skills to use in our detective work. Overall, I'm actually satisfied from the resources we've created.

Our AC (when utilised absolutely everything at our disposal at once) is 24, we have a +3 to our Initiative, and the average of 178 Hit Points.

Unfortunately, we suffer a little bit in terms of abilities. We have no ability score of 20 and a relatively low Strength and more importantly Wisdom, which leaves us vulnerable.

---

Happy 2023, my dears. Now that my life is relatively back together (also, guess what, I've become a sworn translator of English! :D), I can return to you with some goodies. There is still a few requests and I know some of you are waiting to return to more God Builds. Let's kick off the new year with a blast!

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

#53: Kratos [God of War]

(Art Credit: Raf Grassetti) ---

My friends, it's time for the man! The myth! The legend!

Thanks to an anonymous reader, we're gonna traverse the worlds of D&D as Kratos. The Ghost of Sparta. Godslayer. The God of War. Farbauti. We'll do the 2018 version, as God of War: Ragnarök approaches. Also, heads up, this will be just Kratos and, sorry to disappoint you, only wielding the Leviathan Axe. We have to restrain him somehow ;) Enjoy!

Next Time: Have you ever used the yellow pages to hire a wizard from Chicago?

...Read it, boy.

I... Would Like... To... RAGE: There's no denying it, Kratos might just be the strongest character in video games. His ability to channel his rage into pure power is legendary, especially when he manages to control it in the 2018 game.

Let Me Axe You a Question: Kratos's new toy, the Leviathan Axe, is a magical weapon capable of channeling ice magic. It always return to him when called.

I AM MY SCARS: There's no running away from one's past and Kratos really owns up to his. The time spent in Midgard really made him wiser and, although not purely altrustic, he's gained some degree of empathy.

---

Kratos is a son of Zeus, and a god of his own, but we're going to focus on his power and might rather than his birth heritage. We're going with a Goliath from the Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse version. We get a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Strength and Constitution respectively), and thanks to the Little Giant feat we gain proficiency in Athletics and count as one size larger when determining carrying and lifting capacity. As Mountain Born, we have resistance to cold damage and can survive high altitudes with no negative consequences. Stone's Endurance allows us to use our reaction to shrug off damage (1d12 + our Constitution modifier) a number of times equal to our proficiency bonus per long rest.

Kratos's past haunts him to this very day, so making him a Haunted One seems to fit the most. We gain proficiencies in two skills from the list (Investigation and Survival), learn two languages (although we should leave it to the Boy), and get the Heart of Darkness feature. Although others might be intimidated of us (and let's be honest, who wouldn't be?), they may extend courtesy and attempt to aid us to the best of their ability. It doesn't mean they would fight or die for us, but a shelter or a meal (or upgrading our axe) is definitely on the table.

ABILITY SCORES

We'll start with the obvious ones: Constitution will be first (if using Standard Point Array) and Strength will be second; that way, we'll put it both at 16 from the start. Dexterity will be next, Kratos can roll around and dodge quite well.

We'll follow that up with Charisma, as Kratos's intimidation can also act as very effective persuasion. Wisdom will be a little low, especially since Kratos became a rather skilled survivalist, and we're dumping Intelligence; Kratos is from Sparta, not Athens.

CLASS

Level 1 - Barbarian: I mean... was there ever any doubt? Barbarians get d12 as their Hit Dice, [12 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. Kratos wears a variety of armours or none at all, so what you choose it doesn't matter here. We are going to grab a shield and a battleaxe (because it can be used in one or both hands, as opposed to a greataxe). Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution, and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Intimidation and Perception).

Barbarians begin their journey by tapping into the vast ocean of Rage. As a bonus action, twice per long rest, we can Rage for up to 1 minute (or until we end it/are knocked unconscious/hadn't attacked a creature or received damage during our last turn) as long as we're not wearing heavy armour. While Raging, we gain the following benefits:

We have an advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

When we make a melee weapon attack that uses Strength, we get a +2 bonus damage (increases as we level up).

We have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

With Unarmoured Defense, our AC is [10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Constitution modifier] as long as we're not wearing any armour. We can still use shields.

Level 2 - Barbarian: Thanks to our divine Danger Sense, we have an advantage on Dexterity saving throws against dangers that we can see, such as traps and spells, as long as we're not blinded, deafened, or incapacitated. We have Head and Boy to warn us against attacks.

We also have an option to make Reckless Attacks. When making the first attack on our turn, we can choose to make it Reckless. Doing so, gives us advantage on Strength-based attack for the entire turn, but all attack made against us until our next turn also have advantage.

Level 3 - Barbarian: Starting now, we can Rage three times per long rest.

Time to pick our first subclass, to walk our Primal Path. Since Kratos gained divine power and was a servant of Ares, we will make his Rage truly godly and choose the Path of the Zealot. Thanks to Divine Fury, the first creature we hit with a weapon attack takes extra [1d6 + half of our Barbarian level] radiant or necrotic damage (our choice, but we cannot change it).

As a former Warrior of the Gods, we are brought back to life more easily. Spells such as Raise Dead or Revivify, or any other that would bring us back from death, require no material components when used to us. Death can have us when it earns us.

Level 4 - Barbarian: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. Let's make our punches and attacks deal more damage, and put two points into Strength.

Level 5 - Fighter: Time to get more technical and get into contact with two grumpy dwarfs. Multiclassing into Fighter doesn't give us any new things, but we can adopt a Fighting Style. We have a weapon, but our unarmed attacks need power, too, so we're gonna pick Unarmed Fighting. Our fists now deal [1d6 + our Strength modifier] bludgeoning damage. If we're not holding a weapon or a shield, that d6 can become d8. In combat, at the beginning of our turn, we can also deal 1d4 damage to any creature grappled by us.

With Second Wind we can use our bonus action to heal [1d10 + our Fighter level] Hit Points once per a short or long rest.

Level 6 - Fighter: Thanks to Action Surge, once per a short or long rest we can take one additional Action in combat during our turn.

Level 7 - Fighter: We pick our second subclass here, our Martial Archetype. We can now breathe some magic into that axe of ours by becoming the Eldritch Knight. First and foremost, we unlock Spellcasting with Intelligence as our casting ability. We know two cantrips (Ray of Frost and Thunderclap) and three 1st-level spells (Absorb Elements, Earth Tremor, and Frost Fingers).

Finally, we gain Weapon Bond. By bonding our axe to ourselves, we can never be disarmed (as long as we're not incapacitated) and summon the weapon back to us wherever it is (as long as we're on the same plane of existence) as a bonus action.

Level 8 - Fighter: Another ASI. The only reason, we didn't switch back to the Barbarian here is so we can grab the Strike of the Giants feat from the 2022 Wonders of the Multiverse Unearthed Arcana. As a bonus action, we can imbue our weapon with magic of the giants. For the next minute, the first strike we make with that weapon causes additional effect depending on the magic chosen. We're picking magic of the Frost Giants, which deals extra 1d6 cold damage. If the target is a creature, it has to make a Constitution saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of our next turn.

For our final spell, we're gonna get a few more Hit Points with False Life.

Level 9 - Barbarian: Going back to improve the quantity instead of quality of our attacks, we get Extra Attack. We can now attack twice instead of once during a single Attack action. Our ground speed also increases by 10 feet (if we're not wearing heavy armour) thanks to Fast Movement.

Level 10 - Barbarian: Halfway through the build, we can now Rage four times per long rest. We also get a new subclass feature: Fanatical Focus. If while Raging we're fail a saving throw, we can re-roll once per Rage. However, we have to use a new result even if it's worse than the original.

Level 11 - Barbarian: With our Feral Instincts, we now have an advantage on Initiative rolls. Additionally, any ambush or surprise that would happen during combat do not work on us.

Level 12 - Barbarian: Another ASI! This time, we're gonna bump our Constitution by two points.

Level 13 - Barbarian: Whenever we get luck, enemies die! With Brutal Critical, whenever we score a melee attack Critical Hit, we can roll additional damage die (e.g. a battleaxe's damage die is 1d8 [or d10 if used two-handed], so on a Natural 20 we roll 2d8 [or 2d10]). It is also here that bonus damage from our Rage becomes a +3.

Level 14 - Barbarian: Time for another subclass feature: Zealous Presence. As a bonus action, we unleash a rage-filled roar that encourages up to ten creatures within 60 feet of us, giving them advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the start of our next turn. We can do so once per long rest.

Level 15 - Barbarian: We can now tap into Relentless Rage. Now, we can keep fighting even if we're dead... kinda. If we drop to 0 Hit Points while Raging (and not be insta-killed), we can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a success, we recover 1 Hit Point. The DC increases by 5 each time we use this feature after the first. After we finish a long rest, the DC resets back to 10.

Level 16 - Barbarian: One more ASI for the road, and we're gonna grab every tank's friend – the Tough feat. Our Hit Points Maximum increase by [our level x2] and every level-up henceforth gives us +2 Hit Points. Additionally, we can also Rage 5 times per long rest now.

Level 17 - Barbarian: We improve our Brutal Critical. On a Critical Hit, we now roll two extra damage dice.

Level 18 - Barbarian: For the final subclass feature, we'll be able to Rage Beyond Death. When we drop to 0 Hit Points, we don't go unconscious. We still have to make Death Saving Throws, and suffer the normal consequences, but we only drop unconscious when our Rage ends and we're at 0 Hit Points then.

Level 19 - Barbarian: We can stay angry for an unlimited amount of time with Persistent Rage. Our Rage can only end if we choose to do it or if we drop unconscious. With the previous level's feature in mind, in theory we now can never be unconscious.

Level 20 - Barbarian: Our capstone is Barbarian 16, which gives us... an ASI. Yeah, ending it on a low note, unfortunately, but at least we can capstone our Strength with a 20.

---

And that is our boy... err... Kratos. Ekhm, let's see what we got:

First of all, we've made the most durable build. Kratos is a frontline powerhouse whether he wields a weapon or not. We can soak damage and deal damage, and our Rage lets us turn the battle to our favour. Kratos has the largest Hit Points pool of all the builds we've done so far: beating both Songbird and Edelgard. With several ice-themed attacks, we can also keep enemies stationary for us or our party members.

Our AC is 17 (with a shield), we have a +1 to our Initiative, and a whoppin' 250 Hit Points on average.

Unfortunately, by focusing on Kratos's physical might, we've sacrificed pretty much all remaining abilities. With a negative Intelligence modifier and a low Wisdom and Charisma score, we also might be vulnerable to Charmed and Frightened effects. It's a shame we couldn't grab the next two Barbarian features (Indomitable Might and Primal Champion), as they would make us even better. What I would suggest is hunt in your game for Belt of Dwarvenkind, which would increase your Constitution by 2 (and give you a swanky dad-beard).

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Another one off the list! This was pretty straightforward and seems situational, but this is the best I could think of. I hope the requestor is satisfied, and I'll see you in the next one, my loves!

-Nerdy out!

[nerdythebard]

One D&D

Hello, my darlings!

First of all, don't worry, the next build is coming along nicely. I will return to it after this short interlude.

Now, as some of you may know, Wizards of the Coast are currently launching new playtest material for their 5.5 edition (they say it's not, but we all know it bloody well it) called One D&D. There are upgrades in rules, classes, and mechanics (spoiler alert: Ranger changes are GOOD). So here's my question:

Would you be interested in seeing my thoughts on these playtest changes? Or should I just stick to builds?

Let me know, and I'll see you soon!

-Nerdy out