Rufous

What are your craziest character builds? : r/shadowofthedemonlord

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{
  "post": {
    "title": "What are your craziest character builds?",
    "selftext": "Yo, what's up Disciples!\n\nI'm a recent convert from 5e where I'm currently finishing the creation of badass module, if I do say so myself. But, after I wrap that module up, I think I'm just going to run SoDL games for a while. It seems to fix a LOT of the problems I have with 5e, and in particular, it seems fantastic for facilitating dark fantasy games that are as fantastical as they are brutal, with some grit and horror thrown in for good measure.  What's more, unlike 5e that straight up penalizes multiclassing, the character progression in SoDL looks crazy customizable!\n\nSo, I'm really curious, what are some of the craziest character builds that y'all have played, or seen in your games? I'm talking thematic builds, powerful builds, strange builds, whatever you've got, and don't forget to give your opinion on what made it such an interesting build! What worked, what didn't, etc.\n\nLet the dark offerings pour forth!",
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/shadowofthedemonlord/comments/p3arck/what_are_your_craziest_character_builds/"
  },
  "comments": [
    {
      "body": "I came to Demon Lord from 5E because DL addresses pretty much all of the issues I have with 5E. Sadly, I'm a forever GM so I can't really comment as to amazing builds I've done. Welcome aboard!",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "That's like my favorite part about forever GM'ing.\n\nI get to turn all my wacky build ideas into villains and terrorize my players with them."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "body": "I'm playing a super team buffer utility caster currently.  \nMagician->Artificer->Wizard, taking Wizard as a second expert path.\n\nWith Wizard you can basically have any spell in the game, and with Artificer's Store Spell ability, you can pass self only buff spells to your allies.\n\nSome combos I use are Harness Arcana + Consistency to get 9 spell levels out of a 4th level spell.  \nAlso using store spell to grant Gird Mind + Borrowed Time + Accelerate to all the martials, so they have 2 fast turns and 2 slow turns each round.\n\nAdditionally, with the amount of spell points you get from the Harness Arcana + Consistency combo, you can abuse divination spells like Augury so you can play twenty questions with the GM if he's permissive of things like this.  \n\n\nYou can theme the character however you want with the traditions you start with.  \nThe best part is that you get full access to all the SotDL spells and figure out ways to combo them, which I enjoy a lot.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "Now that sounds like a crazy build with a ton of synergy, well done! Plus, it helps your party members, so everyone is having a good time, not to mention that the GM can get a little crazy with encounters since y'all are so powerful.",
          "replies": [
            {
              "body": "A few spells that I found very effective were\n\n1. The divination spell Reading which gives the recipient six uses of 2 boons on any roll over a few hours.\n2. Teleportation spell like Close the Gap which allows you to move your entire party rapidly to the enemy for an alpha strike. This is like giving your entire party a few extra movement actions, massively tips the scale towards you from an action economy lens. Also handy to get around obstacles or if we're in need for a speedy escape.\n3. Teleportation spell, Hidden Space which creates a secret room from a surface up to 8 hours. Lets your party hide during a retreat, set up an ambush, or an emergency interrogation room.\n\nThere's a lot of utility spells that drastically shifts the odds towards you.",
              "replies": [
                {
                  "body": ">The divination spell Sending which gives the recipient six uses of 2 boons on any roll over a few hours.\n\nSending is an illusion spell that doesn't do that. Which Div spell did you mean?",
                  "replies": [
                    {
                      "body": "I meant the divination spell Reading",
                      "replies": [
                        {
                          "body": "Ah, thanks!"
                        }
                      ]
                    }
                  ]
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "body": "I theory crafted this a while back, but the combo of Spellguard (which I know is already OP enough), Mystic, and Beast can have you putting out a metric ton of d6s for damage rolls.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "Stacking a bunch of Primal tradition spells so you can be absolutely massive is also hilarious."
        },
        {
          "body": "I'm currently playing a Rogue (dogmatist) version of this build. It is so much fun. At 4th level I'm dishing out 5d6 a round with Darting Claw as my Triggered action, and I can nova for 7d6 by spending my focus. And if I really wanted to go hog wild, I could do a 7d6 triggered attack followed by a 2d6 normal attack (though usually I use my action to reset my Focus). And of course I get all the bonuses of Beast Within (darkvision and increased move), plus bonus health from Primal Might.\n\nI did the math and I think at 9th or 10th level I should be able to nova for 16d6 as a triggered action.\n\nAlso, I honestly think that Rogue or priest is superior for this build over Spellguard. Spellguard's abilities (except the 8th level one) don't really synergize with this build. Barring playing a human or a reasonable GM, you will only ever have Primal spells so you can't do Battle shenanigans. Your primal spells, except Darting Claw, will all be cast long before you get into combat, so spellguard strike and expertise are basically wasted. Meanwhile, the rogue and priest get a boon on all skill challenges through trickery or prayer, letting you feel like a super ranger or whatever."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "body": "My favorite (though I am a GM) is a Warrior, Fighter, Halberdier. Simple, fun, polearm-y. No gimmicks or tricks, just a lady and her halberd. I enjoy it quite a lot. Great damage output too.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "[I think I heard this concept before, and I love it.](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/Hilde)"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "body": "So, if you want an amusing gimmick?  One Punch Man.  Monk, Assassin.\n\nMonk gives you Stunning Strike (20+, beat defense by 5, target becomes stunned).  Assassin gives Assassinate (attack from stealth, if they take damage they roll a Str challenge roll, failure takes damage equal to health)\n\nSo, potential one hit KO!\n\n\n\nFor a more thematic build, I played a Goblin Rogue->Silhouette->Tenebrist.  Took the magic options from Rogue, focused on Shadow and Teleportation spells.  While I didn't do insane damage, there was NOWHERE my goblin couldn't get into."
    },
    {
      "body": "If you have Path of Horrors, one of the Master Paths is \"Brain in a Jar\".  \nYou literally get to play as a floating brain in a jar that uses telekinesis to move things around.  \nIt's not a build, but any character with this path would have massive wacky shenanigans potential.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "I love brain in a Jar. I've been looking at it lately again and realizing....the Psychokinesis talent translates to a character with the melee reach further than basically anything in the game by a lot. Ironically, I think you could do like a Spellguard/ ? / Brain and be a weapon powerhouse using Battle magic. Just keep out of THEIR reach and plan for ranged attacks. Whacky. Imagine a party of a martial brain, roguish brain, magic brain and pious brain. Customized jars to reflect personality, obviously. This is a cartoon just waiting for an art style"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "body": "Master level teleport lation specialist. Focused on making assassinations look like accidents with as few direct damage spells as possible. Did shit like jump off of cliffs and cast swap, push people into portals 100 yards I the air, and hole of glory to wallbang with a rifle. Also teleported behind a guy to push him down some stairs.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "100 yards is 91.44 meters"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "body": "Make a clockwork magician/edgewalker/Brain in a jar and make a floating laptop that warps time and space\n\n\n...or you can Just make potato GlaDos"
    },
    {
      "body": "Make  a magician/Wizard/necromancer that mixes their own Minions with horrid joining and make the perfect Eldritch undead abomination that even the demon lord Will flee from"
    },
    {
      "body": "I'm currently playing a Rogue (dogmatist) version of the Rogue->Mystic->Beast build. It is so much fun. At 4th level I'm dishing out 5d6 a round with Darting Claw as my Triggered action, and I can nova for 7d6 by spending my focus. And if I really wanted to go hog wild, I could do a 7d6 triggered attack followed by a 2d6 normal attack (though usually I use my action to reset my Focus). And of course I get all the bonuses of Beast Within (darkvision and increased move), plus bonus health from Primal Might.\n\n  \nI did the math and I think at 9th or 10th level I should be able to nova for 16d6 as a triggered action and if desperate could follow up with a 9d6 strike as my action.\n\n  \nAlso, I honestly think that Rogue or priest is superior for this build over Spellguard. Spellguard's abilities (except the 8th level one) don't really synergize with this build. Barring playing a human or a reasonable GM, you will only ever have Primal spells so you can't do Battle or Time shenanigans. Your primal spells, except Darting Claw, will all be cast long before you get into combat, so spellguard strike and expertise are basically wasted. Meanwhile, the rogue and priest get a boon on all skill challenges through trickery or prayer, letting you feel like a super ranger or whatever. It does mean a delay in spellpower at mid levels (if you go rogue), but you are already far stronger than most other builds at mid-levels, at least DPR-wise."
    },
    {
      "body": "A spider model clockwork magician/spellbinder/spell Weaver that uses a rifle,he climbs on walls and uses hole of glory to do some trickshots,he then uses rune spells to buff his rifle,order to make the most of the few boons he gets as a caster,destruction to put It on the bullets,and later arcana to get more spells from harness Magic(that you can get the most of If you combine with consistency)"
    },
    {
      "body": "Naga Monk / Fighter / Martial Artist with the Diseased background. Every time you hit someone with your body they had to make a save against poison and disease. If you had 3 targets in range, you make something like 12 attacks a round on a single action (Unarmed Mastery (3 attacks) -> TWF (6 attacks) -> Whirlwind Kick (12 attacks))."
    },
    {
      "body": "Eternal DM here, take a look of some of my players builds: Rogue into Edgewalker for those 3 turns in a round with borrowed time and phasing out of existence until the end of the round, at level 3, it only scales with each level.\nMagician into Wizard with Pain + Arcane Darts: each dart counts as a separate hit, so 7d6+7 damage on target if he hits pain. Plus a whole arsenal of using magical weaponry + invisibility.\nThis one I made for a npc: Spellguard into Paladin, capable of using 6d6 damage in one hit plus another attack using Battle magic and the abilities you have at level 5. \nThose are ones that I remember on the top of my head, others i won't share cuz that'll be spoilers for the players :^)"
    },
    {
      "body": "I play a goblin pilgrim touched by the old gods who invoice primal and shadowy powers.\n\nRogue (magic talent) > warlook > beadtmaster\n\nMostly use beast within for combat. Dipped a little into the deviation school.\n\nLevel 0 spells are quite potent and can be used often giving top utility."
    },
    {
      "body": "There’s no real min-maxing in Demon Lord, unless your table allows Spell Guard. Even your fancy build won’t save you from a brutal death"
    },
    {
      "body": "Cambion Magician-Wizard-Arcanist, switching spell schools for cantrips every level, focusing on Time and Arcane traditions spicing it up with some Consistency.  \nI played this one A LONG TIME AGO, but it was using the Seance for some buffs and   \nAccelerate, Twain Self and Consistency Spell (Order) with Flying Blades (Techomancy) for damage.   \nWith Spell Mastery and Grimoire Casting you can unleash a barrage of blades with both of your copies going 2 times per turn, like hitting 20 of them with a 6 on a boon and dealing max 12 or 18 damage on 20+  \nWith some extra buffs (if you have time) - you can do much dirtier stuff"
    }
  ]
}