Ok I"ll keep this simple: My table is doing a marvel themed dnd campaign for a podcast and we're looking to recreate the avengers. Obviously not everything will be 1:1, but the feel of each character is meant to be close as possible. We've got a hawkeye (arcane archer), hulk (zealot barbarian), and iron man (armorer artificer/hexblade), so I want to play captain america.
I've already worked out the hardest part, the shield. We're using the Boomerang Shield from the Book of Many Things. Now I just need the rest of the build. Thinking Battlemaster fighter is the obvious answer, but curious if I'm being too basic. Any suggestions I might be overlooking?
Battlemaster is probably the most thematic choice. Captain America never really has any powers other than great physical prowess, so it would give that nice mundane martial feel. He is also a natural leader, so you might want to lean into that with maneuvers like Commander's Strike or Bait and Switch.
Boomerang Shield is a nice choice for a shield, though you might want to look at Shield of the Cavalier as an alternative/supplement for some more up-close utility. Another item that might work well if you are going for a shield/unarmed fighter would be Wraps of Unarmed Power for a little extra oomph on your punches.
what level are you playing at with this? it might make some sense to work a multiclass -battlemaster fighter/monk with the fighter having the unarmed combat style. Cap never really uses weapons and don't really see him using the protection style but having the unarmed style with some monk abilities seems on target.
Now, this might sound strange, but Captain America could be Paladin. Or Kensei Monk. With Paladin, you could reflavor the spells as words of encouragement/Captain America's own strength shining through. Kensei Monk would require a bit of flexibility from the DM with making the shield an option for the weapon, but it matches, thematically, with Captain America's hand to hand combat ability and his ability to deflect or block missiles. Might want to take the Shield Master feat too.
Now, this might sound strange, but Captain America could be Paladin. Or Kensei Monk. With Paladin, you could reflavor the spells as words of encouragement/Captain America's own strength shining through. Kensei Monk would require a bit of flexibility from the DM with making the shield an option for the weapon, but it matches, thematically, with Captain America's hand to hand combat ability and his ability to deflect or block missiles. Might want to take the Shield Master feat too.
You could make Paladin work, but they have a lot of features that would be hard to keep a non-magical flavor with. Fighter probably fits the theme a little easier.
As for Monk, they tend to lean more into a skirmisher style of play, where Captain America is definitely more of a front-liner.
First question- why is hulk a zealot barbarian, and not the actual “hulk” barbarian. From the recent book?
second: Captain America- needs unarmed combat as well as thrown weapon fighting styles and shield master feat. For thematic purposes. I initially thought merit to the paladin comment but then I quickly shook my head as you can see in his comics as well as the marvel movies where Captain America clearly gets a second wind.
while battlemaster seems there- champion fits more so thematically to Captain America in regard to origin story. And even samurai also seems very fitting.
thirdly: I actually agree with the one guy about monk but more so for Hawkeye. Atleast enough levels for Hawkeye to be a missile snatcher to return projectiles.
Wow thanks for all the killer advice! Were' starting at level 3, so a lot of this can work from the start.
And the hulk is going Zelot because he's playing on the idea of Hulk being basically unkillable and Zelot barbarian has a lot of ways to mitigate damage, on top of playing a Goliath fro the race.
First question- why is hulk a zealot barbarian, and not the actual “hulk” barbarian. From the recent book?
second: Captain America- needs unarmed combat as well as thrown weapon fighting styles and shield master feat. For thematic purposes. I initially thought merit to the paladin comment but then I quickly shook my head as you can see in his comics as well as the marvel movies where Captain America clearly gets a second wind.
while battlemaster seems there- champion fits more so thematically to Captain America in regard to origin story. And even samurai also seems very fitting.
thirdly: I actually agree with the one guy about monk but more so for Hawkeye. Atleast enough levels for Hawkeye to be a missile snatcher to return projectiles.
My opinions.
Which recent book? As far as I can tell, there's no "path of the hulk" barbarian in the phb
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
First question- why is hulk a zealot barbarian, and not the actual “hulk” barbarian. From the recent book?
second: Captain America- needs unarmed combat as well as thrown weapon fighting styles and shield master feat. For thematic purposes. I initially thought merit to the paladin comment but then I quickly shook my head as you can see in his comics as well as the marvel movies where Captain America clearly gets a second wind.
while battlemaster seems there- champion fits more so thematically to Captain America in regard to origin story. And even samurai also seems very fitting.
thirdly: I actually agree with the one guy about monk but more so for Hawkeye. Atleast enough levels for Hawkeye to be a missile snatcher to return projectiles.
My opinions.
Which recent book? As far as I can tell, there's no "path of the hulk" barbarian in the phb
Path of the Giant
glory of the giants.
Barbarians who walk the Path of the Giant draw strength from the same primal forces as giants. As they rage, these barbarians surge with elemental power and grow in size, taking on forms that evoke the glory of giants. Some barbarians look like oversized versions of themselves, perhaps with a hint of elemental energy flaring in their eyes and around their weapons. Others transform more dramatically, taking on the appearance of an actual giant or a form similar to an Elemental, wreathed in fire, frost, or lightning.
Source: Bigby Presents - Glory of the Giants
Giant’s Power
3rd-Level Path of the Giant Feature
When you choose this path, you learn to speak, read, and write Giant or one other language of your choice if you already know Giant. Additionally, you learn a cantrip of your choice: either druidcraft or thaumaturgy. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Giant’s Havoc
3rd-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your rages pull strength from the primal might of giants, transforming you into a hulking force of destruction. While raging, you gain the following benefits:
Crushing Throw. When you make a successful ranged attack with a thrown weapon using Strength, you can add your Rage Damage bonus to the attack’s damage roll.
Giant Stature. Your reach increases by 5 feet, and if you are smaller than Large, you become Large, along with anything you are wearing. If there isn’t enough room for you to increase your size, your size doesn’t change.
Elemental Cleaver
6th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your bond with the elemental might of giants grows, and you learn to infuse weapons with primordial energy.
When you enter your rage, you can choose one weapon that you are holding and infuse it with one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, thunder, or lightning. While you wield the infused weapon during your rage, the weapon’s damage type changes to the chosen type, it deals an extra 1d6 damage of the chosen type when it hits, and it gains the thrown property, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If you throw the weapon, it reappears in your hand the instant after it hits or misses a target. The infused weapon’s benefits are suppressed while a creature other than you wields it.
While raging and holding the infused weapon, you can use a bonus action to change the infused weapon’s current damage type to another one from the damage type options above.
Mighty Impel
10th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your connection to giant strength allows you to hurl both allies and enemies on the battlefield. As a bonus action while raging, you can choose one Medium or smaller creature within your reach and move it to an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet of yourself. An unwilling creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) to avoid the effect.
If, at the end of this movement, the thrown creature isn’t on a surface or liquid that can support it, the creature falls, taking damage as normal and landing prone.
Demiurgic Colossus
14th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
The primordial power of your rage intensifies. When you rage, your reach increases by 10 feet, your size can increase to Large or Huge (your choice), and you can use your Mighty Impel to move creatures that are Large or smaller.
In addition, the extra damage dealt by your Elemental Cleaver feature increases to 2d6.
Ok I"ll keep this simple: My table is doing a marvel themed dnd campaign for a podcast and we're looking to recreate the avengers. Obviously not everything will be 1:1, but the feel of each character is meant to be close as possible. We've got a hawkeye (arcane archer), hulk (zealot barbarian), and iron man (armorer artificer/hexblade), so I want to play captain america.
I've already worked out the hardest part, the shield. We're using the Boomerang Shield from the Book of Many Things. Now I just need the rest of the build. Thinking Battlemaster fighter is the obvious answer, but curious if I'm being too basic. Any suggestions I might be overlooking?
Battlemaster is probably the most thematic choice. Captain America never really has any powers other than great physical prowess, so it would give that nice mundane martial feel. He is also a natural leader, so you might want to lean into that with maneuvers like Commander's Strike or Bait and Switch.
Boomerang Shield is a nice choice for a shield, though you might want to look at Shield of the Cavalier as an alternative/supplement for some more up-close utility. Another item that might work well if you are going for a shield/unarmed fighter would be Wraps of Unarmed Power for a little extra oomph on your punches.
Nice ideas on items! I'll talk with my DM and see if he'll allow it.
Also what fighting style should I go with? Unarmed fighting or Protection (with tavern brawler) both make sense, with one having 1d6 vs 1d4?
what level are you playing at with this? it might make some sense to work a multiclass -battlemaster fighter/monk with the fighter having the unarmed combat style. Cap never really uses weapons and don't really see him using the protection style but having the unarmed style with some monk abilities seems on target.
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Now, this might sound strange, but Captain America could be Paladin. Or Kensei Monk. With Paladin, you could reflavor the spells as words of encouragement/Captain America's own strength shining through. Kensei Monk would require a bit of flexibility from the DM with making the shield an option for the weapon, but it matches, thematically, with Captain America's hand to hand combat ability and his ability to deflect or block missiles. Might want to take the Shield Master feat too.
Roll for Initiative: [roll]1d20+7[/roll]
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You could make Paladin work, but they have a lot of features that would be hard to keep a non-magical flavor with. Fighter probably fits the theme a little easier.
As for Monk, they tend to lean more into a skirmisher style of play, where Captain America is definitely more of a front-liner.
First question- why is hulk a zealot barbarian, and not the actual “hulk” barbarian. From the recent book?
second: Captain America- needs unarmed combat as well as thrown weapon fighting styles and shield master feat. For thematic purposes. I initially thought merit to the paladin comment but then I quickly shook my head as you can see in his comics as well as the marvel movies where Captain America clearly gets a second wind.
while battlemaster seems there- champion fits more so thematically to Captain America in regard to origin story. And even samurai also seems very fitting.
thirdly: I actually agree with the one guy about monk but more so for Hawkeye. Atleast enough levels for Hawkeye to be a missile snatcher to return projectiles.
My opinions.
Blank
Wow thanks for all the killer advice! Were' starting at level 3, so a lot of this can work from the start.
And the hulk is going Zelot because he's playing on the idea of Hulk being basically unkillable and Zelot barbarian has a lot of ways to mitigate damage, on top of playing a Goliath fro the race.
Which recent book? As far as I can tell, there's no "path of the hulk" barbarian in the phb
Certified lover boy, certified dungeon master. WOP WOP WOP WOP!
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Path of the Giant
glory of the giants.
Barbarians who walk the Path of the Giant draw strength from the same primal forces as giants. As they rage, these barbarians surge with elemental power and grow in size, taking on forms that evoke the glory of giants. Some barbarians look like oversized versions of themselves, perhaps with a hint of elemental energy flaring in their eyes and around their weapons. Others transform more dramatically, taking on the appearance of an actual giant or a form similar to an Elemental, wreathed in fire, frost, or lightning.
Source: Bigby Presents - Glory of the Giants
Giant’s Power
3rd-Level Path of the Giant Feature
When you choose this path, you learn to speak, read, and write Giant or one other language of your choice if you already know Giant. Additionally, you learn a cantrip of your choice: either druidcraft or thaumaturgy. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Giant’s Havoc
3rd-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your rages pull strength from the primal might of giants, transforming you into a hulking force of destruction. While raging, you gain the following benefits:
Elemental Cleaver
6th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your bond with the elemental might of giants grows, and you learn to infuse weapons with primordial energy.
When you enter your rage, you can choose one weapon that you are holding and infuse it with one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, thunder, or lightning. While you wield the infused weapon during your rage, the weapon’s damage type changes to the chosen type, it deals an extra 1d6 damage of the chosen type when it hits, and it gains the thrown property, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. If you throw the weapon, it reappears in your hand the instant after it hits or misses a target. The infused weapon’s benefits are suppressed while a creature other than you wields it.
While raging and holding the infused weapon, you can use a bonus action to change the infused weapon’s current damage type to another one from the damage type options above.
Mighty Impel
10th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
Your connection to giant strength allows you to hurl both allies and enemies on the battlefield. As a bonus action while raging, you can choose one Medium or smaller creature within your reach and move it to an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet of yourself. An unwilling creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) to avoid the effect.
If, at the end of this movement, the thrown creature isn’t on a surface or liquid that can support it, the creature falls, taking damage as normal and landing prone.
Demiurgic Colossus
14th-Level Path of the Giant Feature
The primordial power of your rage intensifies. When you rage, your reach increases by 10 feet, your size can increase to Large or Huge (your choice), and you can use your Mighty Impel to move creatures that are Large or smaller.
In addition, the extra damage dealt by your Elemental Cleaver feature increases to 2d6.
Blank
Absolutely agree, there is no better fit for the Hulk than a Path of the Giants Barbarian. No contest.