So, my gaming group are doing a Level 10 one-shot set in Exandria, specifically in Wildemount, and I thought it would be interesting to create a Volstrucker for my character. For those who are unfamiliar with Exandria and it's lore, the Volstrucker, aka the "Scourgers", are basically Wizards who are trained and employed for spycraft and assassination -- so, I'd like to build my Wizard with similar goals in mind.
That said, I would really love your input for how to build such a character. What are your recommendations? What school would you take, and what spells would you recommend for a magical assassin? Is it worth multiclassing into Assassin Rogue to lean into that assassin aspect, or another class/subclass entirely?
If this information helps, we're using point buy and I've decided to take Half-Orc as my race -- mostly because I think that would be interesting character-wise -- and, obviously, Volstrucker Agent as my background.
Thank you very much for whatever help or advice you are able to give!
If you want some melee chops without multiclassing then Bladesinger would be an obvious pick, to let you hold your own if you have to fight the old fashioned way, plus Bladesong is actually a mostly defensive feature so melee isn't strictly required anyway.
For me personally a Wizard "agent" would use magic to achieve their ends as much as possible, so personally stabbing someone to death would be the option of absolute last resort. I'd probably build around a good number of illusion spells for the stealth, subterfuge and some targeted control, maybe some divination for finding/spying and a dash of enchantment for social stealth?
School of Illusion would boost an illusion focus, but you could just as easily build on Bladesinger/War Magic or something else for the flexibility?
Each of the Volstrucker in Critical Role is quite different from each other, with some being more subtle, and others packing a fiery punch. But the more unseen and subtle option is the one that appeals to me personally.
It might be a good idea to think about what your wizard's preferred methods might be; are they one you call when someone needs poisoning at a fancy party? Do you make it look like a tragic accident? Do you stir bandits or locals to do the dirty work for you? Are you more assassin or spy? Lots of options for a spyssassin mage!
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Funnily enough, I was leaning heavily toward choosing Bladesinger as my subclass when I decided I wanted to play a Volstrucker. Based on my research, two of the named Volstrucker (not counting Caleb since he didn't 'graduate') were Bladesingers and a third was described as wearing leather armour, which I'm going to interpret as her being a Bladesinger too. Also, the Bladesong sounds like a really good substitute for the Volstrucker's Glyph Chant ability that, among other things, enables them to move across the battlefield more quickly.
Since I plan on playing a Half-Orc Wizard, I saw at least three possibilities: one, that they are something of a blunt instrument, which wouldn't be unheard of since that fits one of the named Volstruckers to a T, so they would likely go for the flashy, subtle-as-a-sledgehammer, shock and awe style of assassination and load up with a lot of combat spells. As for racial abilities like Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks, I imagine they would be quite useful for a Bladesinging mage-assassin who likes to get into the thick of it.
Possibility number two, that they subvert that particular stereotype and resort to subtler methods, in which case I find the Schools of Enchantment and Illusion very tempting. They could charm, seduce, and beguile like a regular James Bond right before they slip that knife between the target's ribs, or manipulate the other party members into doing their dirty work. Or they could use illusions to distract and confuse their targets, all the while being the unseen threat with spells like Greater Invisibility.
Or I could split the difference and build the character as being able to adapt according to a given situation. Use non-violent methods to achieve their goals but when they've been made or if violence is necessary, destroy the target as quickly and brutally efficient as possible. Then probably display the bodies as a warning to those who oppose the Dwendalian Empire (and by extension the Cerberus Assembly), lol. A character like this would probably have to be built with subterfuge and straight-up nova damage in mind.
Also, thinking about what Trent Ikithon does to the poor sods he recruits into the Volstrucker, I was considering taking Metamagic Adept as a feat, to represent what the crystals implanted into their arms are capable of. The crystals have been described as "strengthening" the Volstrucker's magic, which I'm interpreting as allowing them to perform crazy tricks with their spells. I imagine subtly casting a spell to kill someone from across a crowded room is going to be super useful for an assassin, lol.
If you have trouble deciding, one awesome thing about Wizard is you kind of don't have to; the number of spells you can learn for free is already high, and you can add more with time and money.
So there's always the option of grabbing spells suiting several different "loadouts" and then switch when you need to go for maximum stealth, or just go loud, and use a mix when you're not sure? It's just a shame that D&D Beyond still doesn't support switchable spell lists for prepared casters; if you've spare character slots you could build for a balanced mix, then create copies for your more specialised loadouts (and only keep in-sync the things you have to for spellcasting)?
This can let you play the more prepared type of operative who tries to get information and plan first? Plus it basically lets you do whatever you want for maximum variety heh, it just can be a bit clunky to manage.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Gosh, being able to prepare "loadouts" of spells for a given situation would be soooo helpful, lol. Ah, well!
So, I'm fairly horrible at choosing spells (which is funny because Wizard is my fave class and I've played so many of them, you'd think I'd be used to it) but I tried to pick out spells that feel like spells a Volstrucker would use. There are some subterfuge-y spells in there like Disguise Self, and Sending, and I've selected Find Familiar if I need a fuzzy little spy, etc, and I've selected some high-damage spells, some of which I feel are particularly cruel to use on another person, like Phantasmal Killer and Synaptic Static (gosh, could you imagine subtle casting either of those spells?).
But tell me what you think! Have I made choices that make sense?
Half-Orc Wizard (Bladesinging) Used Tasha's to move the +2 to INT and the +1 to CON. Feats: Metamagic Adept and Gunner (mostly for the DEX boost and to get rid of that disadvantage when spell attacking within 5ft, when using spells like Shadow Blade for example) Metamagic Options: Subtle Spell and Transmute Spell
I'm pretty sure you don't suffer a penalty for using a melee spell like Shadow Blade in melee.
If you can spare one level you could take your first level in Artificer, perhaps with the Guild Artisan background, representing the career you'd been planning on before you were inducted into the Volstruckers, which would give you proficiency in light/medium armour and shields along with proficiency in constitution saves, to help keep concentration spells up. With medium armour you only need 14 dexterity, and Shield can get you to 24AC with only mundane equipment. You can also get the Faerie Fire and Cure Wounds spells which might prove handy, and of course access to the best cantrip in the game, Guidance.
If you're going with Bladesinger, remember the False Life spell. If you spend a higher level slot you can add a fair number of extra HP that reduces the fragility of the Wizard chassis.
I would be inclined to go with War Wizard myself, as the initiative bonus can get you into the fight earlier. Bladesinger is good, but it does spend most of its subclass bonuses becoming better at melee, while other subclasses tend to become better at casting spells.
Spoiler for Critical Role
And don't do a Jester and keep casting concentration spells without dropping the one before. Imagine casting Guidance while you're concentrating on a Polymorph spell which is keeping two characters flying through the air.
I'm pretty sure you don't suffer a penalty for using a melee spell like Shadow Blade in melee.
If you can spare one level you could take your first level in Artificer, perhaps with the Guild Artisan background, representing the career you'd been planning on before you were inducted into the Volstruckers, which would give you proficiency in light/medium armour and shields along with proficiency in constitution saves, to help keep concentration spells up. With medium armour you only need 14 dexterity, and Shield can get you to 24AC with only mundane equipment. You can also get the Faerie Fire and Cure Wounds spells which might prove handy, and of course access to the best cantrip in the game, Guidance.
If you're going with Bladesinger, remember the False Life spell. If you spend a higher level slot you can add a fair number of extra HP that reduces the fragility of the Wizard chassis.
I would be inclined to go with War Wizard myself, as the initiative bonus can get you into the fight earlier. Bladesinger is good, but it does spend most of its subclass bonuses becoming better at melee, while other subclasses tend to become better at casting spells.
Spoiler for Critical Role
And don't do a Jester and keep casting concentration spells without dropping the one before. Imagine casting Guidance while you're concentrating on a Polymorph spell which is keeping two characters flying through the air.
In hindsight, that is correct. I must have still been stuck in the Battlemaster/Bladesinger build I played in the past because I had the Quick Toss manoeuvre and Gunner let me ignore the disadvantage for throwing the Shadow Blade in melee for that extra d8 damage the superiority die afforded. Apologies for any confusion! Just ignore the part about Gunner. XD
Multiclassing Artificer into War Wizard is an interesting suggestion for a Volstrucker build, and I'll definitely consider it! Thank you for your advice, it's much appreciated. :)
If your in medium armor you can't enter your Bladesinger though.
I think what Freman is referring to is their suggestion about multiclassing Artificer with War Wizard for a tankier Volstrucker build, but thank you anyway. :)
Sorry, yes. I should have clarified that I was thinking of an Artificer/War Wizard multiclass.
I suppose technically you could play it into Bladesinger, but you'd have to take off your breastplate and shield until you'd used up your bladesongs for the day.
Sorry, yes. I should have clarified that I was thinking of an Artificer/War Wizard multiclass.
I suppose technically you could play it into Bladesinger, but you'd have to take off your breastplate and shield until you'd used up your bladesongs for the day.
Which, thinking about it, could be rather funny.
Could make it work with Armorer since it's easier to don/doff your Arcane Armor? The Infiltrator armour could suit Volstrucker quite well, plus with infusions you could still use superior light armour for full advantage on stealth, access to Bladesong and no need to don/doff at all?
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
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So, my gaming group are doing a Level 10 one-shot set in Exandria, specifically in Wildemount, and I thought it would be interesting to create a Volstrucker for my character. For those who are unfamiliar with Exandria and it's lore, the Volstrucker, aka the "Scourgers", are basically Wizards who are trained and employed for spycraft and assassination -- so, I'd like to build my Wizard with similar goals in mind.
That said, I would really love your input for how to build such a character. What are your recommendations? What school would you take, and what spells would you recommend for a magical assassin? Is it worth multiclassing into Assassin Rogue to lean into that assassin aspect, or another class/subclass entirely?
If this information helps, we're using point buy and I've decided to take Half-Orc as my race -- mostly because I think that would be interesting character-wise -- and, obviously, Volstrucker Agent as my background.
Thank you very much for whatever help or advice you are able to give!
If you want some melee chops without multiclassing then Bladesinger would be an obvious pick, to let you hold your own if you have to fight the old fashioned way, plus Bladesong is actually a mostly defensive feature so melee isn't strictly required anyway.
For me personally a Wizard "agent" would use magic to achieve their ends as much as possible, so personally stabbing someone to death would be the option of absolute last resort. I'd probably build around a good number of illusion spells for the stealth, subterfuge and some targeted control, maybe some divination for finding/spying and a dash of enchantment for social stealth?
School of Illusion would boost an illusion focus, but you could just as easily build on Bladesinger/War Magic or something else for the flexibility?
Each of the Volstrucker in Critical Role is quite different from each other, with some being more subtle, and others packing a fiery punch. But the more unseen and subtle option is the one that appeals to me personally.
It might be a good idea to think about what your wizard's preferred methods might be; are they one you call when someone needs poisoning at a fancy party? Do you make it look like a tragic accident? Do you stir bandits or locals to do the dirty work for you? Are you more assassin or spy? Lots of options for a spyssassin mage!
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Funnily enough, I was leaning heavily toward choosing Bladesinger as my subclass when I decided I wanted to play a Volstrucker. Based on my research, two of the named Volstrucker (not counting Caleb since he didn't 'graduate') were Bladesingers and a third was described as wearing leather armour, which I'm going to interpret as her being a Bladesinger too. Also, the Bladesong sounds like a really good substitute for the Volstrucker's Glyph Chant ability that, among other things, enables them to move across the battlefield more quickly.
Since I plan on playing a Half-Orc Wizard, I saw at least three possibilities: one, that they are something of a blunt instrument, which wouldn't be unheard of since that fits one of the named Volstruckers to a T, so they would likely go for the flashy, subtle-as-a-sledgehammer, shock and awe style of assassination and load up with a lot of combat spells. As for racial abilities like Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks, I imagine they would be quite useful for a Bladesinging mage-assassin who likes to get into the thick of it.
Possibility number two, that they subvert that particular stereotype and resort to subtler methods, in which case I find the Schools of Enchantment and Illusion very tempting. They could charm, seduce, and beguile like a regular James Bond right before they slip that knife between the target's ribs, or manipulate the other party members into doing their dirty work. Or they could use illusions to distract and confuse their targets, all the while being the unseen threat with spells like Greater Invisibility.
Or I could split the difference and build the character as being able to adapt according to a given situation. Use non-violent methods to achieve their goals but when they've been made or if violence is necessary, destroy the target as quickly and brutally efficient as possible. Then probably display the bodies as a warning to those who oppose the Dwendalian Empire (and by extension the Cerberus Assembly), lol. A character like this would probably have to be built with subterfuge and straight-up nova damage in mind.
Also, thinking about what Trent Ikithon does to the poor sods he recruits into the Volstrucker, I was considering taking Metamagic Adept as a feat, to represent what the crystals implanted into their arms are capable of. The crystals have been described as "strengthening" the Volstrucker's magic, which I'm interpreting as allowing them to perform crazy tricks with their spells. I imagine subtly casting a spell to kill someone from across a crowded room is going to be super useful for an assassin, lol.
Lots of great options!
If you have trouble deciding, one awesome thing about Wizard is you kind of don't have to; the number of spells you can learn for free is already high, and you can add more with time and money.
So there's always the option of grabbing spells suiting several different "loadouts" and then switch when you need to go for maximum stealth, or just go loud, and use a mix when you're not sure? It's just a shame that D&D Beyond still doesn't support switchable spell lists for prepared casters; if you've spare character slots you could build for a balanced mix, then create copies for your more specialised loadouts (and only keep in-sync the things you have to for spellcasting)?
This can let you play the more prepared type of operative who tries to get information and plan first? Plus it basically lets you do whatever you want for maximum variety heh, it just can be a bit clunky to manage.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Gosh, being able to prepare "loadouts" of spells for a given situation would be soooo helpful, lol. Ah, well!
So, I'm fairly horrible at choosing spells (which is funny because Wizard is my fave class and I've played so many of them, you'd think I'd be used to it) but I tried to pick out spells that feel like spells a Volstrucker would use. There are some subterfuge-y spells in there like Disguise Self, and Sending, and I've selected Find Familiar if I need a fuzzy little spy, etc, and I've selected some high-damage spells, some of which I feel are particularly cruel to use on another person, like Phantasmal Killer and Synaptic Static (gosh, could you imagine subtle casting either of those spells?).
But tell me what you think! Have I made choices that make sense?
Half-Orc Wizard (Bladesinging)
Used Tasha's to move the +2 to INT and the +1 to CON.
Feats: Metamagic Adept and Gunner (mostly for the DEX boost and to get rid of that disadvantage when spell attacking within 5ft, when using spells like Shadow Blade for example)
Metamagic Options: Subtle Spell and Transmute Spell
Cantrips
- Booming Blade
- Green Flame Blade
- Message
- Minor Illusion
- Prestidigitation
1st Level
- Charm Person
- Comprehend Languages
- Detect Magic
- Disguise Self
- Find Familiar
- Identify
- Mage Armor
- Shield
2nd Level
- Mirror Image
- Shadow Blade
- Suggestion
- Web
3rd Level
- Counterspell
- Dispel Magic
- Fireball
- Sending
4th Level
- Dimension Door
- Greater Invisibility
- Phantasmal Killer
- Polymorph
5th Level
- Bigby's Hand
- Modify Memory
- Synaptic Static
- Teleportation Circle
I'm pretty sure you don't suffer a penalty for using a melee spell like Shadow Blade in melee.
If you can spare one level you could take your first level in Artificer, perhaps with the Guild Artisan background, representing the career you'd been planning on before you were inducted into the Volstruckers, which would give you proficiency in light/medium armour and shields along with proficiency in constitution saves, to help keep concentration spells up. With medium armour you only need 14 dexterity, and Shield can get you to 24AC with only mundane equipment. You can also get the Faerie Fire and Cure Wounds spells which might prove handy, and of course access to the best cantrip in the game, Guidance.
If you're going with Bladesinger, remember the False Life spell. If you spend a higher level slot you can add a fair number of extra HP that reduces the fragility of the Wizard chassis.
I would be inclined to go with War Wizard myself, as the initiative bonus can get you into the fight earlier. Bladesinger is good, but it does spend most of its subclass bonuses becoming better at melee, while other subclasses tend to become better at casting spells.
Spoiler for Critical Role
And don't do a Jester and keep casting concentration spells without dropping the one before. Imagine casting Guidance while you're concentrating on a Polymorph spell which is keeping two characters flying through the air.
If your in medium armor you can't enter your Bladesinger though.
Come check out some of my Homebrew (please give input!)
Make some trinket tables on this thread!
In hindsight, that is correct. I must have still been stuck in the Battlemaster/Bladesinger build I played in the past because I had the Quick Toss manoeuvre and Gunner let me ignore the disadvantage for throwing the Shadow Blade in melee for that extra d8 damage the superiority die afforded. Apologies for any confusion! Just ignore the part about Gunner. XD
Multiclassing Artificer into War Wizard is an interesting suggestion for a Volstrucker build, and I'll definitely consider it! Thank you for your advice, it's much appreciated. :)
I think what Freman is referring to is their suggestion about multiclassing Artificer with War Wizard for a tankier Volstrucker build, but thank you anyway. :)
Sorry, yes. I should have clarified that I was thinking of an Artificer/War Wizard multiclass.
I suppose technically you could play it into Bladesinger, but you'd have to take off your breastplate and shield until you'd used up your bladesongs for the day.
Which, thinking about it, could be rather funny.
Could make it work with Armorer since it's easier to don/doff your Arcane Armor? The Infiltrator armour could suit Volstrucker quite well, plus with infusions you could still use superior light armour for full advantage on stealth, access to Bladesong and no need to don/doff at all?
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.