Mechanically, Little Jacky Oaths starts out as an Artificer, so not much combat stuff on level 1 - sorry but we'll have to live with that. His free feat goes with sentinel, he is a hero that will protect you from anybody that tries to hit you! Gnome Cunning is also a pretty good defensive feature we already have. He isn't good with his spear yet, but that will come in due time.

Skills: Insight, Investigation, Arcana, Persuasion
Tools: thieves's tools, tinker's tools, smith's tools(lvl3 onward), Alchemist's supplies, Jeweler's tools

Notable Features:
Sentinel Feat
Gnome Cunning: Advantage on all Int, Wis and Cha Saves

Spells:
Cantrips: Mending, Booming Blade
Usual Spells: Absorb Elements, Cure Wounds, False Life, Expeditious Retreat, Detect Magic

At level 5 he has had his 3rd level in Artificer, which means he can now have his Iron Defender Wolfgang. He usually rides on Wolfgang and lets him use his Deflect Attack reaction to keep him save. Sentinel makes attacking his Iron Defender a free attack for Jacky.
The whole Battle-Smith spell list will help, too. shield boosts AC, Heroism is temp HP galore and warding Bond will be a good tool for later, too.
He also has two Infusions out of four active now, too. He uses Enhanced Defense on his shield and Returning Weapon as an offense for now - don't worry tho, he won't fight from a distance if he can run in for the melee.  As a Backup he has Mind Sharpener and Armor of magical Strength.
On lvl 4 he also took mounted combatant - we gain advantage against small creatures *yeeey* - no just joking, we use it to redirect attacks from Wolfgang to us - so he can protect us from them! Also Wolfgang will now have an Evasion like ability.

Spells(Artficer):
Cantrips: Mending, Booming Blade
Usual Spells: Absorb Elements, Cure Wounds, False Life, Expeditious Retreat, Detect Magic, Shield, Heroism,
Blur, Branding Smite, Warding Bond

Notable Features:
new:
Iron Defender
Mounted Combatant Feat
Infusions:
usually Active: Returning weapon, Enhanced Defense
usually passive: Armor of magical Strenght, Mind Sharpener
old:
Sentinel Feat
Gnome Cunning: Advantage on all Int, Wis and Cha Saves

So final Levels, more of the same? Yup, we can now have our Amulet of Health active, too. And at last we get the lvl 20 Capstone of the Artificer, which is ridicously powerfull. It pushes our Saves up to +7 at least (with ring of Protection and Cloak of Protection) and +19 at most. Also there is still Flash of Genius if we need that little boost. And our last AC boost is here, too: the Defense Fighting Style


Spells(Artficer):
Cantrips: Mending, Booming Blade, Resistance, Message
Usual Spells: Absorb Elements, Cure Wounds, False Life, Expeditious Retreat, Detect Magic, Shield, Heroism,
Blur, Branding Smite, Warding Bond
Aura of Vitality,Haste, Revivify
Aura of Purity,Fire Shield
Mass Cure Wounds, Banishing Smite, Wall of Stone

Notable Features:
new:
Fighting Initiate(Defense) Feat

Infusions:
usually Active: Radiant Weapon, Enhanced Defense, Repulsion Shield, Cloak of Protection, Ring of Protection, Amulet of Health
usually passive:Returning weapon, Gauntlets of Ogre Power, Mind Sharpener, Boots of Flying(if needed, Used by the iron defender), Resistant Armor, Arcane Propulsion Armor
old:
Sentinel Feat
Mounted Combatant Feat
Fade Away Feat
Tough feat
Improved Iron Defender
Flash of Genius
Arcane Jolt (improved)
Spell Storing Item - usually Warding Bond, used by the Iron Defender or Cure Wounds
Gnome Cunning: Advantage on all Int, Wis and Cha Saves

Even at this level, Thirus is a tank. With 19 AC and 15 HP, he can reasonably survive most attacks. If he ever takes too much damage, he can regain hit points with Second Wind, and if he actually gets dropped to 0 HP, he can utilize Relentless Endurance to continue to fight. His tactics at this level are relatively simple: get into melee range and attack with his rapier. 

By now, Thirus has grown used to his pain. With +6 to Constitution saves and 56 HP, he can bear most of the injuries that are dealt to him. Thirus has learned how to keep a secret from others, plotting his escape carefully and silently. Thirus now has the power to inflict his own pain on others, using his Wails from the Grave feature to force others to feel the horrific agony that he has felt.

At this point, Thirus' strategy is still simple, though it's growing more complex. Instead of attacking his enemies head on, he has learned to make the first strike from the shadows, though his armor is a bit noisy.

At this level, Thirus has exchanged his clunky chain mail armor for more silent studded leather. With Uncanny Dodge and Evasion, Thirus rarely takes full damage from attacks, and with +8 and advantage on CON saves, Thirus is as resilient as stone. He has also gained the ability to trap the souls of those he has slain in trinkets, condemning them to agony even beyond life. 

Thirus' tactics have changed quite a bit. Instead of charging at his enemies, Thirus attacks from hiding, using Wails from the Grave to eliminate multiple foes and Cunning Action to return to hiding for another surprise attack.

By this level, Thirus is practically unstoppable. With +17 Stealth, his foes will never see him coming, and with an 8d6 sneak attack, most of his enemies will perish before they even realize they're dead. However, Thirus can also fight in open combat, dodging almost every attack that comes at him, with +5 to Dexterity saves and +7 to Wisdom saves. With advantage and +11, Thirus doesn't really have to worry about Constitution saves at all. In addition, Thirus pain is so strong that he can pass through solid objects without experiencing any additional agony.

Thirus' tactics haven't changed much, he's just better at what he does. He's almost impossible to hit, and his own attacks are quite lethal. In addition, Thirus only takes half damage from most attacks, so he's difficult to bring down.

At level 20, Thirus can- and will- kill anyone that tries to fight him. With Death's Friend, Thirus usually deals 14d6 damage with his Sneak Attack. Attack rolls no longer have advantage against Thirus, decreasing the damage dealt to him by an even greater margin. In addition, Thirus has also learned how to use poison to inflict even more terrible agonies on those he chooses to torment, adding 2d8 poison damage to most of his attacks.

Our first level is Druid, mostly because it makes sense. At this level, our frightened refuge from the Underdark doesn’t even have a proper name yet, let alone any of the skills that will make her so formidable later in her life. She knows only the most basic of druidic abilities, what few morsels of teaching she can tease out of her patron in between telling stories, playing games, and being an amusing pet for a bored archfey. But she’s gained one crucial, critical spell – Produce Flame. With her own breath, she can summon flame to her hand. Never again will she be trapped in darkness...and eventually, the Lady has to teach her more.

Mechanically...you’re a first-level druid. Stay in the back and try not to die. The Juggernaut will come, but first level sucks for you as much as it does everyone else. You do have one trick, though – your Dissonant Whispers spell, granted by Fey-Touched. This lingering trauma from your time in the Night Below lets you deal damage and drive enemies away from you – which becomes more important later.

Skills: Athletics, Perception Persuasion, Stealth, Survival
Spells: Produce Flame, Shillelagh, Faerie Fire, Cure Wounds, +3 Druid

By fifth level, our refugee has earned her name – Tenebree, a dreamer touched by Night. She’s started to show signs of the formidable fey witch she will eventually become, attaining both of her subclasses – Circle of Dreams and the Pact of the Archfey. The Lady of Autumn Leaves’ teachings have given Tenebree enhanced magical aptitude, expanding her spellcasting and allowing her to regain a little of it much faster than the rest. She’s learned to briefly invoke the grandeur of her patron to dazzle her foes, and she’s begun learning how to take the forms of wild beasts. She can heal herself or any she deigns fit with naught but a silver-eyed stare, and the simple crystal staff she bears is far more dangerous than it appears. She is yet young...but already, she is surprisingly hard for the champions of other fey to bring down in their bloody games.

Mechanically, we’ve got most of the pieces in place. Armor of Shadows grants Tenebree at-will Mage Armor, meaning her AC becomes 13 + her Dexterity modifier. Importantly, this is regardless of her current form. Mage Armor does not end when Tenebree Wildshapes, only when she dons armor (that isn’t her shield). As such, any of her beast forms can use Mage Armor to recalculate its AC as the same 13+DX Tenebree herself does, which will often end up a boost. In addition, we’ve got Balm of the Summer Court affording the ability to heal as a bonus action – again, regardless of form. With two Wild Shape uses per rest, 3d6 bonus healing dice, always-on Mage Armor, and access to Armor of Agathys at need, Tenebree’s already tougher than most fifth-level druids. Her combination of Shillelagh and Booming Blade means she can also fight, taking on enemies near her regardless of form.

Skills: Athletics, Perception Persuasion, Stealth, Survival
Spells: Produce Flame, Shillelagh, Faerie Fire, Cure Wounds, +3 Druid | Booming Blade, Minor Illusion, Armor of Agathys, Cause Fear, Hex
Invocations: Armor of Shadows, [nobody cares we’re ditching it next level anyways]

By eleventh level, Tenebree has become quite the feral witch. She’s earned a boon from the Lady of Autumn Leaves – a companion spirit, bound to her soul, who typically takes the form of a sprite. Fluttering invisibly near Tenebree, her familiar grants her constant companionship, keen watchful eyes, mischievous helping hands, and the gift of empowered healing. Tenebree’s studies of the ways of Dreaming have blossomed, and she’s gained many boons. Harsh practice has improved her nimbleness and hardiness both, and the Lady has gifted her with knowledge of combat magecraft perfected by the fey soldiers she commands. Tenebree’s spellweaving has improved substantially, as has her ability to transform into predators of the wild. Now able to assume the forms of beasts that can swim or fly, in battle Tenebree still favors large predators – the dire wolf or giant hyena foremost amongst her arsenal, warded by tenebrous arcane power.

Mechanically, now all the bits are in place. We have:
>Gift of the Ever-Living Ones, to maximize all healing Tenebree receives/gives herself.
>8d6 Balm dice, or 48 total points of healing available on bonus action in 24-point chunks.
>Healing Spirit, to turn a spell slot into five rounds of maximized healing, so long as Tenebree stands her ground – and Healing Spirit upcasts phenomenally well
>Armor of Agathys, which also upcasts quite well, to augment beast form HP and layer temp HP over our regular HP
>Regular-ass druid healing spells, to patch job at need
>Permanent Mage Armor, which generally improves beast form AC by at least one, often two, and gives Tenebree herself medium(ish) armor-level AC whenever she bloody well feels like it.

Tenebree is not particularly difficult to hit (though she is harder to hit than most 14-DX druids – thanks, Armor of Shadows!), nor is she exceptionally resistant to damage. What she is, however, is an individual able to repair damage better than almost anything else alive. Damage simply fails to stick to Tenebree. Animal forms absorb damage, Healing Spirit whisks it away, Balm of the Summer Court patches her without taking up her action, maximized Cure Wounds is available at need – all so long as her flying invisible familiar keeps itself alive (by staying safely out of the fray, eighty or so feet away from Tenebree). One has to burn through Tenebree’s health bar three or four times over to get her to go down and stay there, and even if they manage that? Well – her familiar can use Medicine checks to stabilize her without breaking its invisibility, and any sprite could be carrying a single Goodberry. And one Goodberry is all her highly intelligent familiar needs to get Tenebree back into the fight, where a maximized healing spell can be applied again.

Outside of this Wolverine Engine, we pick up an ASI to round off both Dex and Con, and we grab War Caster at 11. Which gives us the neat trick of using our Dissonant Whispers to force an enemy to flee before immediately whacking them with a Booming Blade attack. ‘Preventing Attacks’ isn’t very Juggernaut-ish...but forcing an enemy to flee in terror from your own psychic madness, striking them for it, then taking a single step back and challenging them to come and let you do it again seems to fit the mold, to me.

By seventeenth level, Tenebree has won her freedom. She travels as she wishes between the Feywild and the Prime Material, bringing curios and stories to her patron – but only when she feels like it. Her magic has advanced prodigiously, granting her access to spells of Greater Arcana – Sunbeam, Heal, Regenerate, and her Plane Shift. The Lady has taught her the secrets of walking through worlds and dreams both; none can restrain Tenebree. Her boon companion accompanies her wherever she travels, and though her animal forms no longer offer the strength or protection they once did, her powers as a fey witch have come into their own. She no longer needs to hide behind the snarling fangs and heavy pelt of predators of the wilds – Tenebree herself is the most dangerous thing to walk most mortal forests of the Prime Material.

Mechanically, we’ve got more of everything but no critical new pieces. The build’s third ASI goes into bringing Wisdom up to 20, maximizing our Druish spellcasting and a lot of our class features. We have multiple ways to teleport now, the ability to guard our camps from detection, and the ability to Dream or Scry freely whenever we get a short rest. 14D6 Balm dice means 84 points of freebie healing, and a seventh-level Healing Spirit heals Tenebree for 36 points (6d6 maximized) every turn, no action required, for six turns. Combined with her not-too-bad at-will damage from Booming Blade and the ability to cast powerful spells like Sunbeam – blinding foes to make getting past her moderate AC notably more difficult – and Tenebree can quite easily get shit done.

At twentieth level, Tenebree has forged her way back into the Night Below, bringing light, fire, and anger with her. She’s scourged the shadows, beaten back the darkness, and slain her nightmares. She has proven herself beyond the need to fear the night any longer – her Dream is stronger than any nightmare. She walks where she wills, and none can say her nay. She’s attained the height of magical power a mortal can seek, her spells allowing her to assume the forms of great and terrible monsters or see a heartbeat into the future, dancing through combat guided by the Dream itself. Few indeed can wound Tenebree in any way that she cannot undo with a single glance or touch. She scoffs at the heavy, bulky armor and pitiful restorative powers of other mortals. To Tenebree, injury is but a fleeting inconvenience as easily forgotten as a[Tooltip Not Found] tepid, tasteless dream.

Mechanically...well, we’re a twentieth-level character with access to 9th-level magic. Shapechanging into an ancient white dragon is pretty gosh-durn good insofar as being an Unstoppable Juggernaut goes, and if being a dragon isn’t to our taste, Foresight gives us advantage on everything and imposes disadvantage on every single attack aimed our way for eight hours. Concentration free, to boot. Our final ASI goes into Tough, just to give us that extra forty-point buffer to slide some maximized healing into. More and higher-level spells means more opportunities to erase damage with high-value healing spells.

Tenebree is not as sturdy as a certain literal Terminator, possessed of ludicrous armor class and beyond-nonsense saving throws...but Tenebree does have a level of restorative/regenerative ability I cannot think of an easy way to beat. 17D6 healing dice, a full 142 points of maximized healing, whenever she likes as a bonus action. Full ninth-level caster progression in a class with unrivaled access to healing magic (yes, Healing Spirit means druids are better healers than Clerics. Deal). Maximized self-healing through Gift of the Ever-Living Ones. Permanent Mage Armor, up-armoring all her Wild Shape forms. And reasonable damage through Shillelagh > Booming Blade, and leveled druid spells.

Plus, she can, y’know...turn into a dragon.

Tenebree, Dreamer in Darkness. Proof that just because you’re a flamboyant fey critter doesn’t mean you’re not almost impossible to kill.

Trapped and caught by the hunting party after a dogged pursuit, a young tiefling boy was brought to the warlord's attention. His mind had grown wild with the tales of a demon boy. Even chained and led by six men and their mancatcher polearms, the child put up a great fight as he was put on display in front of Lord Rin. His tail lashed back and forth with fury, every inch of his body struggling against the chains causing them to dig in and draw blood. The boy seemed oblivious to the pain, eyes shooting pure hatred at his captors.

"He will do."  Lord Rin, with a thin smile, waved them away. 

Enslaved by Lord Rin and given the name Inoshishi (Wild Boar) for his implaccable ferocity, he was subjected to a harsh and rigorous life of martial training in a camp that turns slaves into soldiers for his endless wars. As such, his first level is in Fighter. Inoshishi proved to be quite large for his species as he matured, growing to over six and half feet tall. His incredible resilience, while honed by rigid martial discipline, is fueled by an exceptionally strong tie to his infernal bloodline (infernal constitution) and the ferocious attititude to just keep going (second wind). Inoshishi's training involved learning the techniques of many weapons, including the katana (longsword), yari (spear), naginata (glaive), and yumi (longbow). But above all else he favors the kanabo (maul), a weapon that allows him to leverage his great stature and endurance to devestating results. Not all of his training focused on weaponry however. Fighting blindfolded was stressed heavily by his masters in an attempt to sharpen the senses. Think Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport. These same masters forbade the use of his natural powers as a levistus tiefling, except one. Master Ryota, a former slave himself, was the only ray of light in a bleak upbringing, teaching the boy much and allowing him to explore his tiefling heritage in secret.

Mechanically, Inoshishi is set up to be a fairly impressive juggernaut-terminator-whatever from level one. 14 base hp is supplemented by an average of 7 hp from Second Wind. As a tiefling with Infernal Consitution he has resistance to the three most common energy types in cold, fire, and poison and advantage on saves against said poison. His AC could certainly be stronger, but samurai don't use shields and I think the towering warrior with bone-crushing kanabo fits the image of a juggernaut beautifully so here we are. Picking the Blindfighting fighting style over Defense is another concession to concept, but it does have its defensive applications. If an ally can assist with obscurement, like say, a Fog Cloud, then Inoshishi can charge in to enjoy advantage on his attacks while everyone has disadvantage to hit him. The kanabo (maul) is Inoshishi's preferred weapon, dealing 2d6+3 damage with a +5 to hit which is textbook solid non-PAM damage.

Important Features:

Martial Weapon, Heavy Armor and Shield proficiencies

Fighting Style: Blindfighting

Action Surge

Feat/ASI: Infernal Constitution

Skills: Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception

Spells: Ray of Frost 

Inoshishi progressed through his training with the grim determination to escape and exact revenge. But only once had he seen Lord Rin from afar. The fortress that was his home was heavily guarded and fortified, situation in treacherous mountain terrain. Escape was virtually impossible: his day regimented, every inch of his life was watched and guarded and accounted for. Except his time with Master Ryota. A bond had quickly formed with the wise, old man, who became his primary sensei. At third level, Inoshishi's skill proves great enough to become a samurai. The art of conversation, perhaps Ryota's specialty, imparts a lasting impact on Inoshishi's attitude towards life. Through their time together Inoshishi is able to come to terms with fighting for Lord Rin as a soldier on the battlefield, the master assuring him that Rin would reward his exploits and that revenge would bring him no satisfaction or respite. Ino's abilities as a levistus tiefling also blossom at this time, hidden from everybody but Ryota. 

Before his deployment, Ryota approaches Ino with a troubling look. Lord Rin demands his tail. Tiefling were unknown to the native population, and Rin could not risk being accused of dark magic and dealing with the Oni because of Ino's devilish appearance (yes this is basically samurai hellboy). In return, Rin would reward Inoshishi with military rank and new, lavish quarters upon his return. Ino's skill compared to the other slave-recruits was remarkable and Rin planned on using him and his imposing presence on the front lines of battle. Desperate for a chance to leave the compound and trusting Ryota, Ino reluctantly accepted the offer. Mutilated and outfitted with plate armor and full menpo (mask) to cover his red skin, Inoshishi was given a helmet that made it look as if his horns were part of the design. With his tiefling identity fully masked, Inoshishi was deployed to battle where he quickly earned his moniker for being ferocious and unflinching even when outnumbered and close to defeat (Fighting Spirit). He quickly progresses to fighter levels four and five, earning the powers of Great Weapon Master and Extra Attack as he becomes more adept at crushing infantry on the battlefield. Whispers of his terrifying presence on the battlefield quickly spread amongst Lord Rin's numerous enemies. 

On the mechanical side, Inoshishi has picked up a couple of interesting abilities to bolster his survivability. Fighting Spirit, while known for its nova enabling shenanigans with action surge, is quite an effective boost to the virtual hit point total at low levels. Especially at level 3 when it is first picked up. Combined with a second level casting of Armor of Agathys that is 25 temporary hitpoints a day for a third level character with 34 hp. Even by level 5, that is nearly a 50% increase to his hp pool. Combined with Second Wind that has scaled to an average of 11 hp in bonus action healing and you're looking at roughly 80 hit points a day for a fifth level character walking around in plate and swinging a maul to great effect. Once a day Inoshishi can cast Darkness and set up his own obscurement to reap the benefits of blindfighting and impart disadvantage to hit him. Excellent for tough encounters where he needs to face many enemies. GWM helps fill in Inoshishi's bonus action and means he can reap true destruction with his kanabo. Fighting Spirit and Blindfighting in Darkness helps to make the -5/+10 usable more often. Inoshishi is quite adept at piling up dead bodies at his feet as he plunges directly into battle.

Quick note: If he casts Darkness on an object he is holding, there will be a ring of darkness five feet thick that he cannot see through because of blindfighting's 10 foot limitation. This is workable however because enemies can be located by sound without effort unless they are taking the hide action. He can then run up to the enemy and will properly "see" them within melee range. 

Important Features:

Action Surge 

Fighting Spirit

Extra Attack

Feat/ASI: Great Weapon Master

Skill: Persuasion

Spells: Armor of Agathys (2nd level) | Darkness

Returning from his first campaign with the glory of many victories, Inoshishi was presented with a surprising gift. His tail bones had been cleaned and were on display in his new quarters. Lord Rin was there, accompanied by guards and facing a window. He did not turn as he spoke. 

"You have done well Inoshishi. A true terror to my enemies. I know you hate me and I know you do not fight for me. That is okay. Use your hate in battle and I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams."

The aging warlord turned swiftly and met Ino with cold determination. Before the stunned tiefling could muster a thought in response, Lord Rin turned again and left with his guard. At this point in his life, Inoshishi dedicates himself to serving Lord Rin in battle as a way to gain his freedom. He progresses through six more levels of Fighter, training his body and mind to resist great damage. His relationship with Master Ryota becomes stronger than ever during the brief times Inoshishi stays at the castle in between missions, who helps to assure him that he is on the right path. Ino has his tail turned into a necklace, something akin to giant buddhist prayer beads with an intensely macabre vibe. He has new plate armor commisioned that is emblazoned with the insignia of a boar. Master Ryota even surprises Ino with an exquisitely crafted octagonal kanabo complete with studs and carved handle. Striking a formiddable sight and continuing to conquer on the battlefield, what started as rumors among Lord Rin's enemies becomes a true legend. A man cursed with the strength of the Oni, using their preferred weapon the kanabo: the Demon of Rinkoku that could crush a whole army on his own. A twist of fate's ironic nature, Inoshishi begins to relish the fear of his demonic nature despite the fact no enemy had seen his true appearance. 

Six levels of Samurai Fighter has provided some nice goodies with both ASI's used on maximizing strength. Elegant Courtier at level 7 helps protect Inoshishi from some of the most debilitating effects in the game with wisdom proficiency. Indomitable 1/LR at level 9 adds in another layer of defense on saves. At level 10, the temporary hitpoints from Fighting Spirit increase to 10. Tireless Spirit provides more uses of the Samurai's key feature. I seem to see the 6-8 encounter thing a lot, but let's be ultra conservative with 2 encounters in a scenario where Inoshishi attempts to use all 3 uses of Fighting Spirit in the first encounter. This can represent 40 temporary hitpoints in such a context, with room to grow if more fights happen. An AC of 18 means Ino will be trading blows with enemies that are progressing in power. Actually using the temporary hitpoints makes it a bit easier to use Fighting Spirit in close succession without wasting any of the temp hp. Management of temp hp will be key, and relatively easy when considering his nature to plunge headfirst into battle and draw lots of attention. Compounding with the 10 temp hp from Armor of Agathys (hopefully cast pre-fight when when is obviously imminent) and the 17 average hp from Second Wind, eleventh level Inoshishi could reach virtual HP levels of around 180 (on the conservative side) to over 200 (on a very busy day). 

Eleventh level brings the third attack in the Fighter's Extra Attack. Combined with Fighting Spirit (or blindfighting in obscurement), Action Surge and his GWM fueled kanabo, he can pummel enemies into the dust. Leaving a wake of battered corpses as he slowly trudges on Jason style is his specialty.

Important Features:

Elegant Courtier

Indomitable

Fighting Spirit (10 temp hp)

Tireless Spirit

Extra Attack (3rd attack)

Feat/ASI: +2 Strength, +2 Strength

Now a veteran of war, Inoshishi has felled countless warriors under the weight of his kanabo and brought great glory to Lord Rin's many campaigns. The warlord had grown even more secluded than normal in this time, rumors swirling of madness and decay within the ever-growing empire. Meanwhile, Master Ryota had died of old age not long after he attained level 11. Despite having many friends within the ranks of the army, Ino now felt alone and without an ally. His first and dearest friend departed, his patience to comply with the demands of war were near an end by the time he reached level 17. But any thoughts of revenge were cut short. Lord Rin died, withered as if his blood had been dried from his body. A great medical mystery, everyone was left unsure of what happened. Speculations of disease, assassination and curses ran rampant across the provinces. But in reality, Lord Rin had been contacting the Oni, attempting to deal with them for power. He had used the blood collected from Inoshishi's tail as the basis for his spells and had enjoyed years of prosperity because of it. With his death, the secret died, as did Master Ryota's nature as pawn and confidant used to ease Ino into complacency. In a fit of boredom, The Oni he dealt with decided that watching his empire fall would bring more delight and opportunity than continuing to deal with the tiresome mortal and so they drank his blood and left him to rot. 

Rinkoku, scrambling to come to terms with Lord Rin's unexpected demise was beset on all sides by enemies looking to take advantage of the moment of weakness. Inoshishi was not interested in fighting a war he had no stake in and fled the castle easily amid chaos and instability. 

Six more levels of Fighter means more uses of marquee abilities and three ASI's used to boost defenses. The first ASI at 12 is spent on Resilient (Dexterity) as Ino learns to be more agile while in his Plate. He now has four saving throw proficiencies including the big 3 (dex, con, wis). Rounding up to 12 dexterity gives another +1 to the save and helps initiative just a little bit. A second  and third use of Indomitable makes Inoshishi even tougher when it comes to shrugging off big saves. The second ASI at 14 is spent on Lucky, yet another layer to his defensive ability with applications for offense as well. Finally at level 16 the ASI is spent on maximizing constitution. Combined with Fighting Spirit's growth to 15 temporary hit points per use and Second Wind scaling to 23 hp, Inoshishi has amassed quite a large pool of virtual hitpoints. At level 17: 191(base hp) + 60 (conservative 4 uses of fighting spirit) + 23 (second wind) + 10 (AoA) = 284 virtual hitpoints. Every fight beyond the second means growing that number by 15 temp hp. Meanwhile, Rapid Strike and a second use of action surge per short rest means he can even deadlier  flurries of skull crushing blows along his path of destruction and do it more often.

Important Features:

Action Surge (2/SR)

Indomitable (3/LR)

Fighting Spirit (15 temporary hp)

Rapid Strike

Feat/ASI: Resilient (Dexterity), Lucky, +2 Constitution

Escaping Castle Rinkoku may have been easy, but leaving the island proved to be much more difficult. Barely escaping getting stuck in between multiple conflicts among warring states Inoshishi found himself fighting his way past many independant groups of warriors and nearly losing his life against great odds more than once. Somehow he persisted. Master Ryota had taught him to fear the people of the island, saying he would not be accepted by the Oni fearing population that would mistake him for an evil spirit and so Inoshishi desperately searched for a way off. After nearly a year on the run, Ino managed to contact an unscrupulous sailor embarking on a trade route and paid him a great sum for safe passage.

Leaving the wartorn island, and his prison behind, Inoshishi has set sail for a new land and life. 

A conqueror on the battlefield, Inoshishi finishes leveling up with the final 3 levels of Fighter. Level 18 brings Strength before Death: the almost supernatural ability to become invigorated in the face of death and keep on fighting. Combining this with Second Wind means Ino can avoid falling unconscious, hopefully after obliterating whatever enemy managed to fell him. 19 brings Tough with the final ASI and is the last big injection of hit points to the build. Finally, 20 brings the fabled fourth attack, completing the Samurai's nova potential and ensuring that Inoshishi can not only absorb pain, but serve it on a platter to his enemies. 

Virtual Hitpoint Total at Level 20: 264 (base) + 60 (conservative 4 uses fighting spirit) + 26 (second wind) + 10 (AoA) = 360

Important Features:

Strength Before Death

Extra Attack (4th attack)

Feat/ASI: Tough

Inoshishi spends his entire career crushing skulls and causing havoc on the battlefield with his trusty kanabo. I focused this build on functioning as a juggernaut from level 1 with the desire to unlock abilities uninterrupted to 11, putting much less focus on maximizing tier 3 and 4 play. I've personally never played past 12, and I wanted to focus on the levels that are experienced by players the most. And I wanted to do it using a class that is generally associated with dexy pew pew archer things and show off one of my favorite weapons and embrace the intimidating visage that Samurai were known for evoking. Does he reach the ridiculous levels of tankiness achieved by artificers and druids that reach their capstone, or a Sorcadin with its impeccable synergy? Nah. He doesn't beat a bear totem barbarian at the job either. He's a full martial focused on melee combat and comes with all of the limiting baggage involved with that. But he functions as a juggernaut from level 1, and can be picked up as a character for your average campaign and be relied upon to fill the role without awkward levels spent as a scrappy support player as my last build suffered from. And he is by no means hopeless at higher levels. A clean fighter ASI progression means enough ASI's to maximize hitpoints and pick up saving throw defenses in Resilient(dex) and Lucky. Strength in Death (combined with Second Wind) was a key feature that I wanted to use for this contest. Literally interrupting death with your insistence to keep fighting is about as juggernaut as you get in my book.

Resistance to Cold, Fire and Poison from Infernal Constitution and Tiefling heritage as well as an above average constitution help set up Inoshishi for success from the beginning. Stacking sources of temporary hit points isn't perfect, but it can build a suprisingly robust cushion to take hits with proper management and comes online as soon as the subclass is unlocked. It's at its best at lower levels (Fighting Spirit and Armor of Agathys is a 73% increase to virtual HP at level 3), but Tireless Spirit and scaling helps the temporary hitpoints remain a relevant boost to survivability. I love that Fighting Spirit aids the ability to deal damage and absorb hits, because piling up corpses as Ino plays king of the hill on the battlefield is another important aspect to the juggernaut image I have playing in my head.

Blindfighting is not as reliable of a defensive boost as defense (world-shattering stuff here), but it does offer some great protection in a big fight when combined with tiefling darkness and feels very much in line with a holistic martial arts education. Outside of that I like that it presents a potential synergy for allies to take advantage of that greatly increases the value of spells like Fog Cloud. And with no spellcasting besides his tiefling abilities, not being lost when trying to attack an invisible enemy is quite nice. Anti smokebomb chucking ninja tech. 

The Samurai's ability to shore up wisdom saves at level 7 with Elegant Courtier really tied the room together for me, helping immensely with the other side of chugging through danger. Indomitable and Lucky add more layers to the puzzle.

In the end, Inoshishi lives up to his name. Like the wild boar he is fearless in the face of death and will keep on fighting even when others would have collapsed and died. He carves his path across the battlefield with swift and merciless purpose, just as adept at pulverizing his enemies to dust as he is absorbing their blows. Unflinching and ferocious, Inoshishi is a juggernaut.