Recently, I was asked to take part in a friendly Dungeons & Dragons game where each player got to design a team of two characters for a multi-way arena battle—TO THE DEATH. You can surely guess who I went for.
They did not win—I maintain that They were doing too well, and the others players teamed up to bring Them down—but they fought valiantly and died interestingly and were a blast to play, so I thought I'd share their builds here. (Many thanks to my IRL friend IgpayAtenlay, who knows far more about TTRPGs than I, and was a huge help in putting together these strategies.)
Note: These characters were built in DND 5e with some homebrewed allowances. They were super-optimized for (1) teamwork, (2) combat, and (3) dying spectacularly in a one-shot scenario. I have no idea how well either of them would fare without the other in a long-term campaign, but I've tried to offer ideas for potential tweaks.
Newton York
Variant Human Artificer (Armorer)
Level 6
DND Beyond character sheet (PDF)
STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
10 |
12 | 14 | 18 | 12 | 10 |
+0 |
+1 | +2 | +4 | +1 | +0 |
Saving throw proficiencies: CON, INT
Skill proficiencies: Perception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Performance, Athletics
HP |
AC |
SP ATK |
45 |
21-27 |
+7; DC15 |
STR |
DEX |
CON |
INT |
WIS |
CHA |
|
Point buy: |
10 |
12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
Human Variant bonus: |
+1 |
+1 |
||||
L4 ability improvement: |
+2 |
Perception and Sleight of Hand skills come from the class; Persuasion comes from Variant Human; Performance and Athletics (and guitar-playing ability) come from a gracious DM letting me tweak the Entertainer background.
The lower AC value assumes plate armor (+18) plus a held shield (+2) with Repulsion Shield (+1).
The max value includes Enhanced Defense (+1) and the effects of a Shield spell (+5), available through the feat Magic Initiate.
He could easily have yet another +1 AC if Xander gave him a Resistance Elixir, but I'm trying to be reasonable here.
This build was originally designed to make it possible to fight toe-to-toe with a Level 8 Paladin superhero. York's job is to handle up-close and personal confrontation with a heavy hitter, buying Xander room to breathe while harboring a surprising variety of ranged capabilities himself.
Arcane Armor (Guardian) — "Indestructible, indefensible"
Use plate armor (AC 18) for an EPIC MECH SUIT that skips the usual STR requirement. Comes with Defensive Field to pad his HP and melee-capable Thunder Gauntlets.
Pick just one Infusion to apply here, though York can switch between them after a long rest:
- Armor of Magical Strength. If someone might try to restrain or shove him, you'll want this one.
- Resistant Armor. Excellent if you know he'll encounter a specific type of damage that can bypass AC or CON saves.
- Enhanced Defense. If you're really going for a cartoonishly high base AC.
Click here for further notes.
York's armor model can actually be changed to the Infiltrator type after a short or long rest, so he does have a more subtle mode. I've never tried using it, though!
The Chessmaster — A "highly misguided" custom shield/electric guitar.
Infused with Repulsion Shield, it provides a total of +3 to AC and lets York act as a bouncer, no STR check needed, when someone gets too close and personal. This is the focus through which York produces magical effects.
(While it's less satisfying from a flavor text point of view, he can always switch to using his armor as a focus if something happens to the Chessmaster.)
Night-Vision Spex — "I see you through my spyglass, baby..."
York's third and final infusion can be used to supplement his sorry human eyeballs by applying Goggles of Night to his glasses. However, infusions can be applied to other people's equipment, and Xander might actually need the vision boost more! (More notes on that here.)
Attacks:
Thunder Gauntlets — "That crazy bastard wants to hit me!"
York delivers a thunderous punch with one comically oversizedpaper machemetal hand.Click here for further notes.
Armorers get multiattack at level 5, so York can attempt two punches per turn for a not-too-shabby 2d8+8 combined damage. If a gauntlet punch lands, the target temporarily has disadvantage on attacks against anyone but York. Their apparent nonchalance belies the fact that they can only think of him...
Cantrips:
Fire Bolt — "People in the back, I'd like to ask you to disregard the fire laws!"
A jet of flame shoots from the shield's "headstock".Toll The Dead* — "You're older than you've ever been / and now you're even older"
York plucks a single string, and the ominous note fills you with soul-sucking existential dread.Mind Sliver* — "Like a volume beyond comprehension..."
York cranks a guitar dial all the way up and a screech of feedback seems to pierce your brain, leaving you disoriented.Booming Blade — "You can't get away / You can't really hide"
York throws a super-charged punch with his Thunder Gauntlets, getting a second guaranteed hit if you try to move afterwards.Click here for further notes.
(*) Spells marked with an asterisk are Wizard spells learned via Magic Initiate.
York is quite versatile: Thunder, Fire, Psychic, and Necrotic damage are all represented here. Use Fire Bolt against the AC of squishy wizards who think they're standing at a safe distance, while the Wizard spells can target the dump-stat INT or WIS of any high-AC meathead chasing him down. Toll the Dead's 2d12 is quite high damage for a cantrip.
Booming Blade is less efficient damagewise than just punching someone twice, but the ability to discourage movement is helpful for team strategies. I've played him solo with this one subsitutued for Shocking Grasp, which gets advantage against opponents with metal armor + prevents an opportunity attack if he needs to retreat. Plus, very mad-science flavorful. KA-ZAP!
Level 1 (4 slots):
Shield* — "You'll always miss / My big ol' body"
A temporary forcefield crackles around York the moment before a blow strikes, causing it to spark harmlessly off the surface.Magic Missile — "Let's get those missiles ready to destroy the universe!"
Panels pop open in the shoulders of York's armor, tiny launchers swiveling towards their targets.Thunderwave — "If the bass doesn't get you..."
York strums a gnarly chord and the earthshaking force of the reverb blows everybody nearby several steps backwards.Click here for further notes.
(*) The spell marked with an asterisk is a Wizard spell learned via Magic Initiate. York gets one bonus use of this.
If York is living up to his full windmill-tiltin' potential, ALL his L1 spell slots (plus the bonus one he gets from Magic Initiate) will go to Shield. As a reaction, it can be saved for the hits he knows will land and hurt, and the AC bonus persists until the end of the round. When these slots are gone... try to have an exit strategy.
Magic Missile is here to break Concentration on spells like Entangle that York can't STR-save himself out of. Damagewise, it's barely better than a cantrip. Consider casting at L2 to avoid wasting a potential Shield.
Thunderwave is loads of fun in the less Giant-Killer-y scenario of being swarmed by smaller, more fragile enemies. Still, consider casting at L2.
York will know a couple more spells than the above, so here are some others I consider reasonably useful and on-theme:
- Cure Wounds. Good for emergencies, but actually less efficient than taking an action to drink a Healing Elixir from Xander. Cast this at L2 or not at all.
- Disguise Self. York loves the idea of going undercover, though his rather distinctive... self does his Deception roll no favors. Better play it causal and hope nobody asks him any direct questions. Xander's Transformation Elixir has the same effect, albeit for only 10 min.
- Identify. Slightly expensive material component, but this just seems like an ability York should have. He's a gearhead!
- Alarm. Complete paranoia is total awareness, as certain cult leaders have said. Keep an ear out for unexpected visitors while Xander gets his sleep.
Level 2 (2 slots):
Shatter — "...the treble will get you"
York strums a screamin' chord and the sound waves hit the resonant frequency of a nearby material, shaking the air around it to pieces.Click here for further notes.
I'd reccommend saving L2 slots for upcasting useful L1 spells. Shatter does no more damage than Thunderwave cast at L2 would, in a smaller radius. The advantage is supposed to be that it's ranged, but York already has a lot of ranged options. Great sound-based flavor, though.
Other on-theme spells that York might know and use in specific situations include:
- Magic Mouth. "Hello, you have reached the lair of John and John. Please, just stand there and keep screamin', and someone will be with you shortly." (You can do something similar, though less powerful, for free with Magical Tinkering.)
- Aid. A support spell that doesn't require concentration offers a way to lend a helping hand.
- Heat Metal. A damage spell that does require concentration offers another excuse to use the flamethrower-headstock.
- Lesser Restoration. Practical to have on hand when your partner likes slinging around poisons.
Early/alternate takes on the character gear. Click any image to enlarge.
