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tigerkirby215 · 3 years

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5e Aphelios, the Weapon of the Faithful build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Pan Chengwei. Made for Riot Games.)

(Shit meme by yours truly.)

Yes I hate Irelia so much I’m genuinely making an Aphelios build before her.

But I really don’t get the “Aphelios too confusing 200 years” memes. Don’t get me wrong his kit’s weird and certainly overtuned but it doesn’t take that long to figure out what his guns do. Calibrum has long range and fires a skill shot, Severum has lifesteal and attacks fast, Gravitum slows and roots, Infernum attacks in a cone for AoE damage, and Crescendum attacks very fast and creates a turret.

Just because I understand this does it mean I can play Aphelios? Fuck no. Did I learn all this from Legends of Runeterra by playing Labs with Aphelios? Yeah kinda. But all I’m saying is that if my stupid support-main ass can do midway decently as Aphelios on free-to-play rotation I really think the hype around him is overblown.

That’s enough hot takes from me. He’s the point where I list 5 goals for this build instead of 3 and make 200 years jokes.

GOALS

Calibrum - We’ll need a long-ranged weapon to harass our foes and pick them off when they try to run.

Severum - If enemies get too close or we get too low we’ll need a way to keep ourselves alive in a 1v1.

Gravitum - We’ll need to control our foes to always stay in an advantageous position.

Infernum - AoE damage is always useful to deal with crowds.

Crescendum - To take down the toughest of foes we’ll need to unleash all our firepower and even get our weapons to fir themselves.

Basically we need literally everything, all packed within 20 levels of D&D and 200 years of game design.

RACE

Aphelios is a human... but ellipsis means that another race makes more sense. Aphelios has his sister advising him wherever he goes in life, so to play two spirits in one a Kalashtar is a good choice! Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and your Charisma increases by 1. Alune’s Dual Mind grants you Advantage on Wisdom saving throws, and her Mental Discipline lets you resist Psychic damage. Alune also keeps you Severed from Dreams, meaning that you’re immune to spells that require you to dream (like the Dream spell) but not spells that require you to sleep (like Sleep.)

Aphelios doesn’t talk (unless you want him to) but Alune can make a Mind Link to speak telepathically with others! You can speak telepathically to any creature you can see that’s within a number of feet of you equal to 10 times your level. You don’t need to share a language with them, but they must be able to understand at least one language. You can also use your action to give that creature the ability to speak telepathically with you for 1 hour or until you end this effect as an action. To use this ability, the creature must be able to see you and must be within this trait’s range. You can only give this ability to only one person at a time however, as it ends when you give it to someone else. Oh and speaking of languages you know Common, Quori (which no one is going to have outside of Eberron lol), and one other language of your choice: Celestial probably makes the most sense but you can pick whatever you fancy.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - You’re a kpop pretty boy, because Aphelios has more guns than body types in League of Legends.

14; WISDOM - I mean you get advantage in Wisdom saves anyways: may as well make the skill good too?

13; DEXTERITY - You are a marksman but we aren’t really using DEX for combat. So in other words: something something Medium Armor.

12; CONSTITUTION - You are one of the squishiest ADCs in the game but you do have enough sustain to keep yourself alive.

10; INTELLIGENCE - You were trained spiritually, as opposed to academically. That being said Religion is an Intelligence skill for some reason.

8; STRENGTH - I mean look at Aphelios’ arms; kid’s a freaking twink.

BACKGROUND

Aphelios fights for him and his sister’s faith in the Lunari... bit unorthodox, but you’re certainly quite the devoted Acolyte. As an acolyte you get proficiency in Religion but I’d replace your proficiency in Insight with Medicine, which you’re probably used to after drinking so much poison. You also learn two languages that you won’t use because Aphelios is mute. (But yeah pick whatever you think will be useful and if you want to feel free to swap your languages for tools or something. A Herbalism Kit or Poisoner’s Kit actually works rather well given your favorite drink to keep close to your sister.)

Alune may be in the Shelter of the Faithful but you can return to the temple from time to time for solace. You and your adventuring companions can expect free healing and care at a temple, shrine, or other established location of Lunari faith (you have to provide any material components for spells though.) The Lunari will support you (but only you) at a modest lifestyle in the temples.

If you’re near your sister’s shrine you can ask the chosen Lunari priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous and you remain in good standing with your temple and your sister.

(Artwork by SixMoreVodka Studios. Made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - SORCERER 1

Starting off as a Sorcerer for proficiency in CON saving throws lol, but also for proficiency in Arcana and the Insight skill we skipped from our background. But Sorcerers get to choose their subclass at level 1 and to get closer to the Aspects grab a touch of the Divine Soul. As a Weapon of the Faithful you are Favored by the Gods, letting you add 2d4 to a missed attack roll or saving throw once per Short or Long Rest for a touch of Alune’s guidance. I’m going to mention now that a death saving throw is technically a saving throw, and I mention it because your AC is 11 and your health is 7. Level 1 ADCs, am I right?

Anyways: Divine Souls get Divine Magic for one extra spell from the Cleric spell list: technically you’re supposed to take one of the ones they suggest to you but I’d recommend Guiding Bolt for Calibrum’s Q: a long ranged shot that lets you shoot the target more easily afterwards.

And of course being able to cast spells implies that you have Spellcasting! You can learn four cantrips from the Sorcerer or Cleric list which means you can grab Guidance for a bit more of your sister’s help. You can also grab Word of Radiance to attack everyone near you with Severum’s Q, Acid Splash for some AoE damage from Infernum (should it be doing fire damage? Yeah probably), and Light to see with your dumb Kalashtar eyes. You can also learn two leveled spells like Sanctuary to protect yourself or your allies as long as they act peacefully, and Ice Knife for a more ranged AoE blast from Infernum.

If you want you can grab Mage Armor or something because your AC and HP are kinda uhhhhhhhhhh... trash?

LEVEL 2 - WARLOCK 1

Hopefully you didn’t die as a level 1 Aphelios with 7 HP and 11 AC; we didn’t even get 200 years of damage yet! Warlocks get to choose their subclass at level 1 as well which means you can shape yourself as the Fiend the Solari see you as. Dark One’s Blessing grants you temporary hitpoints equal to your Charisma modifier plus your Warlock level whenever you slay a foe for Severum’s lifesteal and passive shield.

You also get Pact Magic, which is like regular Spellcasting but your spell slots are funny! You can learn two cantrips from the Warlock list like Eldritch Blast to blast while you eldritch, and Chill Touch for some Grievous Wounds. You can also learn two Warlock spells like Burning Hands from the Fiendlock list to blast your foes with Infernum, and Hex to mark your foe for death under the moon.

LEVEL 3 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks get access to Eldritch Invocations like Agonizing Blast to agonize your blasts, and Lance of Lethargy to slow your foes with Gravitum. You can also learn another Warlock spell like Unseen Servant for some extra sisterly help. I mean, you’re probably going to replace these all next level anyways.

LEVEL 4 - WARLOCK 3

Third level Warlocks can choose their Pact Boon and truthfully? Just about any of them work. Pact of the Blade would be the most “in-character” but your Strength and Dexterity are both kind of bad and you don’t need to use weapons. Pact of the Chain will let you personify Alune on your person and get a shitty version of Crescendum’s turret but Aphelios doesn’t have a pet. Pact of the Tome lets you get Aspect of the Moon which is funny in its own right and more cantrips are universally useful. And hell: even Pact of the Talisman is useful for your sister to lend her aid to someone else in the party. Basically this is an elaborate way for me to say that your Pact Boon doesn’t matter much for this build, as we won’t be using any of the abilities or invocations from your Pact Boon much. So pick what you think will be useful and fun and make your own Aphelios!

With that being said: you can also learn second level Warlock spells now! Shadow Blade will serve as Crescendum’s blade that you can throw at the enemy, but it is based on your DEX which is kind of... bad? Well at least you can replace Unseen Servant with Misty Step, because a summoner’s Flash is more useful than your sister’s unseen help.

LEVEL 5 - WARLOCK 4

Man isn’t it fun to wait until level 5 to not die when the enemy support breathes on you? That uneven Dexterity score was done so you could grab the Moderately Armored feat for +1 to your Dexterity and proficiency in Medium Armor and Shields. Grab both to get hit less, basically!

You can also learn another spell like Hold Person for Gravitum’s root. And another cantrip like Minor Illusion for your sister to summon some props that you can hide behind.

(Artwork by Jennifer Wuestling. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 6 - WARLOCK 5

Hey that Medium Armor doesn’t really fit your outfit: how about the Mask of Many Faces invocation to put on some skins?

Third level spells are also useful! Vampiric Touch will let you heal in close range by damaging your foes with Severum.

LEVEL 7 - WARLOCK 6

6th level Fiend Warlocks get more guidance from Alune. The Solari may call it the Dark One’s Own Luck but all it lets you do is add a d10 to an ability check or saving throw once per Short or Long Rest. I mean hey: if you want a load of saving throw insurance this plus Favored by the Gods basically means you’re adding +10 to a saving throw!

You can also learn another spell but the only ones I’d want have very expensive components. Basically I want a Tasha’s summoning spell for Crescendum’s turret, but you’re going to be replacing it with...

LEVEL 8 - WARLOCK 7

4th level Warlocks can learn Summon Aberration which is a little more than just a turret! You can choose between a Beholderkin turret, Slaad tank, or Star Spawned Aspect! I’m not going to go too deep into this spell as you can read up on it for yourself but the point is you’ve got some backup now!

Alternatively if you want I think your sis could use some friends: Banishment will send them up to the temple where they’ll have to sit around and chat peacefully with Alune. Or if they’re not from the plane you’re in they’ll just be sent home.

Oh and you can also get another Eldritch Invocation like Eldritch Spear to keep your range with Calibrum.

LEVEL 9 - WARLOCK 8

8th level Warlocks get another Ability Score Improvement: you should probably increase your Charisma for more damage and accuracy with your weapons.

Speaking of weapons Dimension Door will let you head back to fountain to buy more weapons, or get out of danger and in range to use your weapons.

(Artwork by SixMoreVodka Studios. Made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)

LEVEL 10 - SORCERER 2

We’ve gotten all of out basic auto attacks: now I want some of Aphelios’ finer abilities. Second level Sorcerers get a Font of Magic for Sorcery Points which currently do nothing other than let you get more spell slots. You can melt down your Warlock slots however to get more Sorcery points, which will be useful later.

And of course you can learn more spells, but we’re going to wait for...

LEVEL 11 - SORCERER 3

Third level Sorcerers can finally learn Metamagic to empower their spells! You can take Quickened Spell for some Attack Speed, or Seeking Spell for some armor penetration to deal with higher AC enemies.

You can also learn second level spells like Icingdeath’s Frost (UA soon to be in Fizban’s hopefully) to blast foes with Infernum then Gravitum, or Dragon’s Breath to blast Infernum all throughout the fight.

LEVEL 12 - SORCERER 4

Would be good to cap off that Charisma, so go ahead and do so with your ASI.

You can also learn another spell like Spiritual Weapon for a turret you can move around a bit, and a new cantrip like Mage Hand for your sister’s help reaching the top shelf.

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 13 - SORCERER 5

5th level Sorcerers can get some Magical Guidance from their sister to reroll ability checks, because she’s been reading up on Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

You can also learn a new spell like Fireball... I mean I really shouldn’t need to justify this. It’s Fireball. Blast them with Moonlight Vigil for a burst of Infernum’s fire!

LEVEL 14 - SORCERER 6

6th level Divine Soul Sorcerers can use their Sorcery Points for Empowered Healing... wait you have healing? Well whenever you or an ally within 5 feet of you rolls dice to heal from a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery point to reroll any number of those dice once, as long as you’re not incapacitated. This technically doesn’t work with Vampiric Touch (since that spell does damage and then heals you based on how much damage it deals) but if your support heals you or a nearby ally there’s no reason not to give them an extra pick-me-up!

You can also learn another spell but I’m going to hop back to second level real quick for Mirror Image. It perhaps doesn’t fit as well (which is why I didn’t take it until now) but it’s very good to keep yourself alive, and as a squishy Lunari boy it’ll be very helpful to make it harder for the enemy to hit you.

LEVEL 15 - SORCERER 7

7th level Sorcerers can learn 4th level spells like Guardian of Faith for a turret that actually stands still! It shoots at anyone who comes close, and when it runs out of ammo it disappears. But what’s cool about this spell is that it lasts for 8 hours, which is plenty of time to rest through the night while your sister watches over you.

LEVEL 16 - SORCERER 8

8th level Sorcerers get another Ability Score Improvement or Feat: seeing as you’re mostly casting War Caster would be a good pickup to keep your Concentration with your bad Constitution and also hit those who come too close with magic. Or you could just get better Constitution maybe since it’s a bit late for War Caster tbh...

You can also learn another spell like Death Ward, for a Guardian Angel that you’re probably going to need seeing as you still have less than a hundred health.

(Artwork by Francis Tneh and West Studios. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 17 - SORCERER 9

9th level Sorcerers can learn 5th level spells like Teleportation Circle to recall back to base or to your sister’s temple. If you know the sequence of sigils to go back to a teleportation circle you can use this spell to link yourself back to it. You can also create a new circle over the course of a year. (And by spending a lot of gold.)

Basically this is my way of saying that we got all we wanted after level 16 tbh and I’m kinda just going through the motions of grabbing your last few levels.

LEVEL 18 - SORCERER 10

10th level Sorcerers get their third Metamagic option! Hurrah! By this point you have enough spells that force saving throws that Heightened Spell is a good option to make it a lot harder for your opponents to resist 200 years of magic!

You can also learn another 5th level spell like Hold Monster for Gravitum’s root against a ganking Fiddlesticks. And another cantrip: I somehow didn’t take Prestidigitation until now, so grab it for all sorts of basic Lunari magic.

LEVEL 19 - SORCERER 11

11th level Sorcerers can learn a 6th level spell! This is going to be your final, highest level spell; your ultimate ability! And I’d consider an ultimate from a fed Aphelios to be a Circle of Death. It’s a huge AoE that does a lot of damage: a simple nuke for a simple ADC that isn’t remotely confusing.

LEVEL 20 - SORCERER 12

12th level Sorcerers get one last Ability Score Improvement or Feat... I’m going to be honest: this doesn’t fit Aphelios but you likely have around 100 HP. Do yourself a favor and grab the Tough feat for 40 extra health.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

For every phase, a weapon - Wow who would’ve guessed building for versatility makes you versatile? You have a huge variety of spells for just about any occasion: AoEs to deal with crowds, single-target spells to take down big foes, crowd control to keep enemies in place, summons to keep enemies targeting them instead of your allies, and of course more than enough damage to shake a stick at.

In your hand; from my heart - Sorcery points also give you plenty of flexibility, notably in your ability to greatly increase damage output thanks to Quickened Spell on Eldritch Blasts and Seeking Spell to reroll missed Eldritch Blasts. But being able to turn your Warlock slots into ammo for your more useful guns is extremely useful and allows you to better adapt to various situations.

I am with you... shining above - Medium armor goes quite a long way! A Breastplate and Shield gives you a solid 18 AC, and if you’re willing to have Stealth Disadvantage upgrading to Half Plate gives you a respectable 19 AC!

CONS

You make yourself a weapon, so you do not have to feel - Skill proficiencies are reserved for those who don’t spend 200 years on damage. You have two skills from your background and two from your class and none of them are particularly great. Sure your Insight and Medicine skills are fine enough but you’re going to be beaten in Arcana by a Wizard and Religion by a Cleric also a Wizard, because Religion is an Intelligence skill for some reason.

Your life upon the altar, brother... - Even with the Tough feat your health is extremely poor. d6 hit die hurt and anyone with Power Word Kill can easily execute you. While I did give you good Wisdom for roleplay’s sake you could (and probably should) opt for Constitution instead.

An omen in your grasp - Your low health is kind of a problem when a lot of your spells force you into close range. There are ways to use spells like Burning Hands, Dragon’s Breath, Shadow Blade, and Vampiric Touch without getting too close (those methods being the Distant Spell Metamagic which we didn’t take; you could totally replace Seeking Spell if you wanted though) but Severum and Infernum are balanced around their low range. There’s no reason you can’t throw balance out the window to take spells that will likely be more useful.

But you are a weapon, sworn to carry your faith and show the world the light in the darkness. Your task is to slay those that deny the right of your people before they even know you are there... Sure confusing them as to what you are even doing is also effective, and I guess it doesn’t matter if your abilities make sense if they’re all dead. They’ll have 200 years to figure out how you killed them: I’m sure that’s plenty of time to read your ability descriptions.

(Artwork by @NAOMM29 on Twitter.)

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tigerkirby215 · 3 years

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5e Akshan, the Rogue Sentinel build (League of Legends)

(Artwork made for League of Legends by Riot Games.)

HE’S HERE HE’S HERE HESHEREHESHEREHESHEREHESHEREHESHEREHESHERE...

It’s no secret I’ve been excited for Akshan since he was first announced; the prospect of a grappling hook champ was simply too interesting for me. Seeing him now... I’m having slight reservations? I really dislike his Scoundrel mechanic (who had “bring back Garen Villain mechanic” and “revival mechanic” on their 200 years Bingo card?) and I kinda wish the grappling hook was incorporated more into his kit but... he still seems fun? It looks like he plays like a Twitch with more of an assassin focus, and Twitch has always been a fun character. I’m probably not buying him immediately on release but I’ll grab him when he drops down to a standardized price.

But anyways I’m here to build funny grappling hook man! ...Without his grappling hook. Look I’m going to tell you right now that while there is a grappling hook in 5e there’s little way to get a grappling hook gun like Akshan has, and while I’ll do my best to provide options in this build don’t get your hopes up. If that’s enough to make you lose interest in the build I’m sorry, but I do hope you stick around to read it anyways.

GOALS

Reclaimed by the light, yade yade yada... - Reviving people in real life is hard. Reviving people in League of Legends is a little easier. Reviving people in D&D though? Pretty easy.

Stealth time! I mean, stealth time...! - You will never guess what class the character with “Rogue” in their title is.

Only one way out of this mess; skyward! - Like I said I unfortunately can’t give you a grappling hook... gun. I can still give you the grappling hook item, and ways to climb out of dangerous situations!

RACE

Akshan is human according to the lore, so feel free to leave your complaints about Variant Human at the door. You can put +1 into your Strength and Dexterity for super Akshan action! You can also grab proficiency with the Persuasion skill (because how can you say no to that smile?) and whatever language would fit as Shuriman.

Of course Variant Humans get to grab a feat at level 1, and hello Crossbow Expert my old friend! Get that double-shot passive in while also fighting up-close and dirty. Oh and not needing to reload is obviously nice.

ABILITY SCORES

15; DEXTERITY - You’re still a marksman, which of course means Dexterity for shooting.

14; CHARISMA - You fight with a roguish charm. Rules are more like guidelines really, and why follow rules if they ruin your style?

13; STRENGTH - You need strength to throw grappling hooks if your DM doesn’t give you a proper grappling hook gun. Also carrying reobtained loot from warlords is nice.

12; CONSTITUTION - Even if you’re a squishy marksman / assassin having health is still a good thing.

10; WISDOM - You picked a few too many fights with bad people, but you’ve still got a good heart.

8; INTELLIGENCE - Grappling hooks are cool and all but attaching a grappling hook to an ancient relic used to vanquish a prophesized evil isn’t the brightest plan, and ignoring that prophesized evil for your own personal vengeance quest isn’t a good idea either.

Feel free to swap Strength and Constitution if you want better health but worse grappling hook tosses.

BACKGROUND

Akshan was an Urchin before being saved by Shadya. You get proficiency with Stealth and Slight of Hand as well as some tools, but I’d honestly suggest replacing them with Jeweler's Tools and Leatherworker’s Tools to keep your outfit in check. (Mostly because you get Thieves’ Tools from your class and won’t need a Disguise Kit.)

As a Shuriman kid you know all of the City Secrets. When you are not in combat, you can lead your allies through the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow. Being a street kid does give you some valuable knowledge!

(Artwork made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - ROGUE 1

Wow who would’ve guessed the character with “Rogue” in their title is a Rogue?! As a Rogue you get proficiency in Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, and Deception. But feel free to swap it up to make your own Akshan! You can also get Expertise in Acrobatics for rope-swinging tricks, and Stealth to hunt down scoundrels!

When you find the scoundrels deliver swift Comeuppance with a Sneak Attack! If you have advantage or fight dirty with an ally near the enemy you can do an extra d6 of damage with your shot! And to top it off you’ve spent enough times in the streets of Shurima to know how scoundrels talk and can use Thieves’ Cant to trick them that you’re one of them, or can listen to scoundrels talking to know when to stop them.

LEVEL 2 - ROGUE 2

Second level Rogues can opt not to attack and instead use a Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a Bonus Action. “To the shadows; where the scoundrels hide!”

LEVEL 3 - ROGUE 3

Third level Rogues get to choose their Roguish Archetype, and to get the ability to swing around on ropes the Thief is about as good as you’re going to get. That’s because Second-Story Work makes it so climbing ropes doesn’t cost extra movement, and also lets you jump further if you have a running start. In addition you have Fast Hands, allowing you to use your Cunning Action to make a Sleight of Hand check, use your thieves’ tools to disarm a trap or open a lock, or take the “Use an Object” action.

Now here’s the thing about using your grappling hook: most DMs would consider throwing a Grappling Hook to be a “Use an Object” action. So as a Bonus Action you can throw your grappling hook and then use your climbing speed to climb up the rope, as if you were grappling upwards! Of course talk to your DM if that’s okay, but if they let it happen you’ve practically got a flying speed at level 3! As long as there’s walls to grapple on, at least. “Akshan, away!”

And to top it off your Sneak Attack also increase to 2d6.

LEVEL 4 - ROGUE 4

Feel free to skip your first ASI if you want some Sentinel abilities first, but I consider Dexterity more important for a Rogue. More shooting, more AC, and better stealth!

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 5 - WARLOCK 1

The Light Sentinels are a powerful, ancient entity who gave you powers in exchange for a set of rules. Just because the one who signed you up is dead and you don’t really follow the rules doesn’t mean you can’t still use their powers! But truthfully I just wanted a Charisma caster and you all know how much I love Warlock. Naturally powers against darkness and undead would be Celestial in nature! While you normally use The Absolver’s Healing Light to revive people healing is also useful. You have a pool of d6s equal to your Warlock level plus one. As a bonus action you can heal a creature you can see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Charisma modifier. Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total. You regain all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

In addition as a Celestial Warlock you get Bonus Cantrips like the Light cantrip to see with your dumb human eyes as well as Sacred Flame cantrip to deliver Comeuppance! And of course to get cantrips you also get Pact Magic! You learn two cantrips from the Warlock list like Prestidigitation to be cool and flashy, and Mage Hand which can help you with your... legitimate business.

You can also learn two first level spells like Guiding Bolt and Cure Wounds, straight from the Celestial List! Mark a foe as a scoundrel and keep your friends alive and well! “Go; and die no more.”

LEVEL 6 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks get Eldritch Invocations: normally you get two but we’re only going to take one for now. But which one? Mage Armor is the best AC you’re going to get until you get magic armor which means that Armor of Shadows could be good, but Mask of Many Faces will let you choose your outfits however you please, and keep them from getting dirty! Basically I’m leaving you with a choice: if you want better AC but worse infiltration go for Armor of Shadows. Alternatively if you want the ability to sneak around in plain sight then Mask of Many Faces is a good choice for you!

You could also learn another Warlock spell but we’re going to wait for...

LEVEL 7 - WARLOCK 3

Third level Warlocks get their Pact Boon, and while the Absolver isn’t quite a “blade” Pact of the Blade is still the boon related to using cool ancient relic weapons! If you want to upgrade Pact of the Blade into “Pact of the Blade and also Sentinel Weapons” take Improved Pact Weapon.

Now here’s where I’m going to have to tell you to homebrew with your DM a little: for whatever reason Improved Pact Weapon lets you summon a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow. Notice that there’s no Hand Crossbow on that list. This (technically) means that you can’t summon a Hand Crossbow, even if you take the Invocation tax for Improved Pact Weapon. Pact of the Blade does let you bind to any weapon... as long as its magical, and the lowest level magical Hand Crossbow you can get is either a +1 Hand Crossbow or a Crossbow of Warning. (Both good items to have but not necessarily something you’ll find in your adventures.) In short the official rules don’t let you have a Hand Crossbow.

Honestly I see no reason why you can’t have a Pact Hand Crossbow, but if your DM’s a stickler about it you can survive with either a Heavy Crossbow or a Longbow. (Depending on your preference.) If your DM doesn’t allow you to use a Hand Crossbow take Sharpshooter as your level 1 feat instead of Crossbow Expert, as you’ll get more use out of it.

tl;dr talk to your DM about letting Improved Pact Weapon let you summon a Hand Crossbow. If they say no edit the build with that in mind.

Anyways you can also learn more spells like Invisibility to sneak around, and Misty Step for good ol’ Flash.

LEVEL 8 - WARLOCK 4

4th level Warlocks can get an Ability Score Improvement... or a Feat! It would be easier just to grab Eldritch Adept now and talk about which Invocation you’ll use it for next level.

You can prepare another spell at this level at least, and also learn another cantrip! For your cantrip Minor Illusion can be used to make distractions while sneaking, and Mirror Image is a good spell to keep alive.

There are other spells you can take instead if you so desire. Lesser Restoration from the Celestial list is never bad to have, and Darkness can be used as a Smoke Bomb which you can’t see through with your dumb human eyes. And of course there’s the obviously good spells like Hold Person or Shatter. I’m trying to build what’s most accurate to Akshan, as well as what I believe would be the most useful. Feel free to change the build as you wish.

LEVEL 9 - WARLOCK 5

5th level Warlocks get more invocations like Thirsting Blade for a bit more attack speed with your Absolver. You can also cash in that Eldritch Adept Invocation to take One With Shadows, to hide in the shade of a wall until it’s time to surprise your foes! “That’s right; it is I!”

And finally we’ve got our revive! Take Revivify to bring someone back from the dead, as long as it was fairly recent. And the best part is you don’t even need to kill the person who killed them! But you will need a lot of diamonds, which can get expensive. “Dear friends: please stop dying. Love, Akshan.”

There’s several other third level spells you could potentially take (notably Thunder Step which might be a good replacement for Misty Step if you don’t mind throwing stealth out the window) but it’s up to you to take them.

(Artwork by @Tsvetyaa on Twitter.)

LEVEL 10 - ROGUE 5

Now that you’ve got the Sentinel part down it’s time to hone your Roguish skills! 5th level Rogues can use their reaction for an Uncanny Dodge, halving the damage from an attack they saw coming. In addition your Sneak Attack increases to 3d6.

LEVEL 11 - ROGUE 6

6th level Rogues get Expertise in two more skills: Deception and Persuasion would be useful to charm your way out of danger.

LEVEL 12 - ROGUE 7

7th level Rogues can swing out of danger with Evasion: if you make a Dexterity saving throw and succeed, you take no damage! And even if you fail you only take half damage! Oh and your Sneak Attack is now 4d6. “Consider yourself, absolved.”

LEVEL 13 - ROGUE 8

8th level Rogues get an Ability Score Improvement: let’s cap off that Dexterity to be the best shot you can be!

(Artwork made for League of Legends by Riot Games.)

LEVEL 14 - ROGUE 9

9th level Thief Rogues can never be found as long as they’re careful. Supreme Sneak gives you advantage on Stealth checks if you move no more than half your speed on your turn. This has insane synergy with One With Shadows as you can turn invisible and then get advantage on stealth (because for some reason being invisible doesn’t do that.) And of course if you go slow and steady you can sneak around just about anything, which is great for when you pop out to do 5d6 Sneak Attack damage! “Ha! I have you now!”

LEVEL 15 - ROGUE 10

Rogues get a few extra Ability Score Improvements... one extra, to be precise. But that means you can bump up your Charisma to be better at socialization and all that Warlock stuff.

LEVEL 16 - ROGUE 11

11th level Rogues get Reliable Talent, meaning the lowest you can roll on a skill you’re proficient in is 10. I always like to go through your skills when you get this ability to show what the bare minimum you can roll is, so...

27 on Acrobatics or Stealth

25 on Deception or Persuasion

21 on Slight of Hand

18 on Athletics

16 on Insight

And your Sneak Attack is now 6d6. What fun!

LEVEL 17 - ROGUE 12

12th level Rogues get yet another Ability Score Improvement, which of course means more Charisma!

(Artwork made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)

LEVEL 18 - ROGUE 13

13th level Thief Rogues can use any Sentinel weapon they reacquisition thanks to Use Magic Device. You ignore all class, race, and level requirements on the use of magic items, letting you have fun with whatever toys you find. And when all else fails your Absolver now packs a 7d6 Sneak Attack!

LEVEL 19 - ROGUE 14

14th level Rogues are so good at sneaking they can catch the sneakers! You have a 10 foot Blindsense to know if anyone’s hiding near you.

LEVEL 20 - ROGUE 15

Our final level is the 15th level of Rogue for Slippery Mind... You get proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. That’s it. Well how’s about 8d6 Sneak Attack as a final sendoff?

FINAL BUILD

PROS

I’ve got something for you! It’s... comeuppance - Three shots with a Hand Crossbow means three chances to apply your 8d6 Sneak Attack! Akshan is all about burst and burst people down you can certainly do!

Sometimes I even sneak up on myself - Supreme Sneak, One With Shadows, and the Invisibility spell will help you move around in the shadows without being spotted. And even without that you have a minimum 27 Stealth roll thanks to Reliable Talent!

You are reclaimed. Go! Live! - It obviously goes without saying but a little bit of healing helps a lot in the long run. Everyone can appreciate a pick me up.

CONS

You try to rest and some lowlife kills one of your palls! - You have a lot more limited resources than the average Warlock as your Healing Light only comes back after a Long Rest. What’s more is that most of your spells are utility based so it might be hard to get use out of the renewable nature of Warlock spell slots. And to top it off Revivify is expensive! So you’d best be ready to spend a lot of diamonds.

I live by my own code: don’t be an ass - Your Charisma unfortunately isn’t maxed out, which means your Warlock abilities aren’t maxed out. But you don’t really need maxed out Charisma as most of your spells are utility based... I’m just saying Sharpshooter is an option.

Shadya would approve of this... I think - You missed out on level 17 of Thief Rogue which means you don’t get arguably one of the strongest Rogue abilities in the game: Thief’s Reflexes. If you’re not going to get to level 20 anytime soon I think that this build is quite good but if you’re going to get to a high level maybe ditch the revives? (It’s more than likely that Cleric can do it better.)

But you’re enough of a hero without the super-awesome relic weapon that can bring people back from the dead; that’s just an added bonus... as is the grappling hook! Use your natural awesomeness to sneak up your foes and then use your legitimately-obtained weapons-of-mass-absolution to vanquish any scoundrel in your way! And if a depressed ghost king comes knocking tell him that the maximum time limit on your revives expired. “Silly Viego, we can’t bring back those we’ve lost. I mean, I can. But not you.”

(Artwork made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)

#dnd 5e #dnd #dnd build #dnd guide #League of Legends #League of Legends Akshan #Akshan #grappling hook #dnd rogue #dnd warlock #Sentinels of Light

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tigerkirby215 · 3 years

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5e Rammus, the Armordillo build (League of Legends)

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

youtube

Yeah...

Any more words for an introduction would be excessive, alright?

Let's just get on with the build.

Okay.

GOALS

Yeah - Yuumi isn't the only one with Zoomies. Super Sonic style!

Alright - I'm rubber you're glue; whatever you say bounces off me and makes you explode.

Okay - What good is murdering anyone who touches you if no one gets close? Call them names (or just say "okay" in a very annoying tone) to force them to fight!

RACE

To carry a big shell on your back look no further than Tortle. (The spikes come later.) I'm going to invoke Tasha's ruling and suggest a +2 to your Dexterity and a +1 to your Charisma, to spin around fast and know just the right way to say "yeah" to piss people off. You have Claws that do a d4 damage, Survival Instinct for proficiency in the Survival skill, and can Hold Breath for up to an hour!

But of course there's two things we're here for: Natural Armor gives you a base AC of 17. Period. There is no way to increase this (other than wearing a shield.) Additionally you can go into a Defensive Ball Curl as an action for some Shell Defense, giving you +4 to your AC and advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. However while in your shell you can't move, are considered prone (meaning melee attackers have advantage against you), have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, and can't take reactions. The only action you can take is a bonus action to come out of your shell.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - Rammus has to be saying something to get everyone to attack him.

14; DEXTERITY - You need Dexterity to keep rollin'. Also Strength is largely pointless to us because... Shell.

13; CONSTITUTION - You are a tank so more health would be a good investment.

12; STRENGTH - Just because you have a thick shell doesn't mean you don't have to push some things off you at times.

10; WISDOM - Living in the deserts of Shurima means you have to fight for Survival every day, even if it's more like the desert is fighting you.

8; INTELLIGENCE - You literally have 6 voice lines.

BACKGROUND

For Desert Survival the Outlander background is pretty good. You get proficiency in Athletics but since you already have Survival proficiency you can choose a different one instead. Truthfully: pick whatever you want, because Rammus is a closed book you can make him however you want!

You also get proficiency with a language of your choice that you're not going to use, and a musical instrument! Imagine if they made a Spirit Blossom Rammus skin and he played an instrument like Yone and Yasuo.

As a Wanderer of the sands you can easily remember the layout of terrain around you, and can also find food and water for you and your allies to survive in the jungle! "Alright."

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - ROGUE 1

Starting off as a Rogue because while Rammus may not look the part he's actually quite talented! Take proficiency in Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation to be the master of taunts and... well you may as well take Stealth proficiency for ganking. You also get Expertise in two of those skills: I'm going to recommend Persuasion and Deception as your two "taunting" skills.

Rammus doesn't talk much because he's a master of the subtleties of Thieves' Cant, allowing him to speak without actually speaking what he means to speak. "Yeah." But of course if you gank from the jungle you can Sneak Attack for an extra d6 of damage. If you have advantage or an ally nearby you'll get this extra damage out, and your Sneak Attack increases with levels. "Okay."

LEVEL 2 - ROGUE 2

Second level Rogues can optimize their jungle clear with Cunning Action, letting them Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a Bonus Action. "Hm."

LEVEL 3 - ROGUE 3

Third level Rogues get to choose their Roguish Archetype, and to be the master of one-on-one combat look no further than the Swashbuckler. Fancy Footwork is basically the mobile feat, making it so that the enemy can't hit you with opportunity attacks after you slam into them with Powerball.

Rakish Audacity meanwhile is basically two smaller features put together into one: for one you have a bonus to initiative equal to your Charisma modifier, so you can be the first one around for a dragon fight. "Alright." Additionally if you find someone alone in the river (without an ally within 5 feet) you can sneak attack them, even if you don't have an ally nearby or advantage against them! This means you can dash into someone with Powerball and then taunt them for a Sneak Attack. Speaking of which your Sneak Attack damage increases to 2d6. "Yeh."

LEVEL 4 - ROGUE 4

4th level Rogues get their first Ability Score Improvement but Rammus isn't really meant to do damage? So grab the Durable feat for +1 to your Constitution and double the Constitution when healing during Short Rests, guaranteeing that you can heal up after a skirmisher and always be ready for a fight. "Right."

(Artwork by Kienan "Knockwurst" Lafferty. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 5 - FIGHTER 1

Taking a level in Fighter for... well kinda just to get proficiency with Shields, really. +2 AC goes a long way! And the Defense Fighting Style can further increase that AC by 1, equaling a +3 to your 17 total which means... hey look at that! 20 AC! "Alright."

You also get Second Wind for a refillable potion, giving you a d10 + 1 (because we're not getting more Fighter levels) healing as a Bonus Action.

LEVEL 6 - WARLOCK 1

People say that I make too many Warlock builds, to which I say... "Yeah." First level Warlocks get to choose their Patron at level 1, and to be the rolling speed demon of the desert the Fiend Warlock is a nice, universal subclass. That's because Dark One’s Blessing will give you a burst of Triumph (temp) HP when you down an enemy equal to your Warlock level plus your Charisma modifier.

But of course what we're really here for is Pact Magic. You get two cantrips from the Warlock list: Frostbite could be reflavored as a not-quite-Frenzying Taunt because it's basically just Vicious Mockery that targets Constitution instead of Wisdom. Inversely Mind Sliver will let you soften an enemy up for an ally's big damaging abilities!

For your leveled spells Armor of Agathys shall serve as your passive of which we will get many more abilities that do the same thing. Note that Temporary Hitpoints don't stack, but as a DM I'd be willing to say that if you get a new source of Temp HP while this spell is active its duration essentially gets refreshed. Inversely if you want a more direct source of retributive damage Hellish Rebuke will cause fire damage to anyone who hits you as a reaction. "Right."

LEVEL 7 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks get to choose their Eldritch Invocations; gifts from the sands that make them better from the standard armadillo. Eldritch Mind is a surprise tool that will help us later, and you might think that we should've taken Resilient (CON) instead of Durable at level 4 to which I say... "Right." Anyways there honestly isn't that many other invocations I want until about level 5 so take what you want (Devil's Sight is never a bad thing) and we're going to keep going. You can also learn another spell but again: not much I want! Wait for...

LEVEL 8 - WARLOCK 3

3rd level Warlocks get to choose their Pact Boon and we're still a Rogue first and foremost, so Pact of the Blade is still the best choice. You can summon weapons from thin air to always be ready with spikes on your shell.

You can also learn second level spells like Blindness / Deafness to make it harder for people to hit you, and Hold Person which is like a ranged taunt.

LEVEL 9 - WARLOCK 4

4th level Warlocks get an Ability Score Improvement, and while Charisma controls most of what we do currently Dexterity still leads to kills which leads to more temp HP, so increase your DEX by 2.

You can also learn a new cantrip like Chill Touch for some Thornmail anti-healing. There are good spells at this level too (Misty Step and Mirror Image being two great ones) so take them for now but we're going to swap them out come...

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 10 - WARLOCK 5

5th level Warlocks get more Eldritch Invocations! For a start we'll be taking Thirsting Blade, letting you attack twice in a round for more chances to get a kill for some healing. "Hm." We'll also be taking Cloak of Flies for Sunfire Cape, or more realistically Turbo Chemtank as CoF does Poison damage and I'm writing this build during patch 11.8 when every goddamn jungler in the game is running Turbochem.

You can also learn third level spells at this level like Spirit Shroud for a Frozen Heart that also increases the damage of your weapon, and Counterspell for some magic "resistance." "Yeh."

LEVEL 11 - WARLOCK 6

6th level Fiend Warlocks can give themselves the boost they need to make it out alright. Dark One's Own Luck lets you add a d10 to a skill check or saving throw: you're probably going to mostly be using this on saving throws but boosting ability checks can be helpful to. You can only use this ability once per Short or Long Rest however, so use it wisely, yeah?

You can also prepare another spell but again: waiting for a level!

LEVEL 12 - WARLOCK 7

7th level Warlocks get another Eldritch Invocation like... Devil's Sight? A bit late to be grabbing it (proper) now you may say, but it's a requirement for our one-two Defensive Ball Curl special!

First spell: Shadow of Moil! Along with heavily obscuring you (giving most enemies Disadvantage to hit you) any enemy that does hit you takes 2d8 Necrotic damage back!

Second spell: Fire Shield (from the Fiend Warlock list.) It creates light yes (which gets canceled out by Shadow of Moil) but you can choose between a Cold Shield (that blocks Fire damage and does Cold damage) or a Fire Shield (that blocks Cold damage and does Fire damage.) Regardless of which one you choose any attacker within 5 feet of you will take 2d8 damage (Cold or Fire depending on which shield you chose) if they try to attack you.

Here's the fun part: Fire Shield isn't concentration. That means that these spells do stack, allowing you to do 2d8 damage to anyone who misses you and 4d8 damage to anyone who hits you! I don't think I should need to explain why essentially getting a second level Chromatic Orb off every time you get hit is absolutely insane for action economy and overall DPS.

LEVEL 13 - WARLOCK 8

8th level Warlocks get another Ability Score Improvement: Dexterity is still our main "fighting" stat despite most of our levels being in a caster, so a simple +2 would cap it off to guarantee that you're doing something in a teamfight even if the enemy isn't shooting you.

You can also learn another spell like Dimension Door, which is basically a very long ranged Flash. Like, a very long ranged Flash. "Yeh."

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 14 - ROGUE 5

Hopping back over to Rogue because for some reason Rogues are very good at staying alive! Uncanny Dodge is part of that, letting you reduce the damage of an incoming attack by half with your reaction! "Okay."

Your Sneak Attack damage also (finally) increases to 3d6. "Yeah."

LEVEL 15 - ROGUE 6

6th level Rogues get Expertise in two more skills. I'm actually going to suggest the two skills from your background at this point: Athletics and Survival to continue optimal jungle pathing and escape grapples.

LEVEL 16 - ROGUE 7

7th level Rogues get Evasion which feels like an oxymoron for Rammus. But here's the thing: they can't attack you with weapons without taking damage themselves, so what if they cast spells on you? Well if it's a DEX save you take half damage on a failed save, and no damage on a successful save! "Alright." Your Sneak Attack damage also increases to 4d6 at this level.

LEVEL 17 - ROGUE 8

8th level Rogues get another Ability Score Improvement, and while more Charisma means better spell saves and more Temp HP when you kill someone I'm instead going to simply suggest the Tough feat for +2 HP per overall character level you have. It's 34 health points now and a total of 40 HP by level 20. "Hm."

(Artwork by SixMoreVodka Studios. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 18 - ROGUE 9

9th level Rogues finally get your goddamn Frenzying Taunt! Panache lets you make a Persuasion check against an enemy's Insight, and it works in one of two ways: if a target isn't hostile to you they're charmed by you! (I don't know what you're saying to charm them, but it's probably more than 6 voice lines.)

Alternatively if you Panache an enemy they get taunted by you, and have Disadvantage against all enemies other than you. Note that if your allies hit the taunted enemy they will lose this effect, meaning that you will have to constantly taunt them if everyone's focusing one target.

Oh and your Sneak Attack increases to 5d6 now, meaning that you actually do some good damage overall regardless of if the enemy is attacking you or not. "Hm."

LEVEL 19 - WARLOCK 9

9th level Warlocks get another Eldritch Invocation: your ultimate just got reworked, so Otherworldly Leap will let you jump into the middle of a teamfight! ...With the Jump spell...

You can also learn 5th level spells now! There's a lot of fun ones but I'm going to suggest good ol' Hold Monster. It's like Hold Person, but it works on Dragon! "Right."

LEVEL 10 - WARLOCK 10

Our final level is the 10th level of Fiend Warlock for Fiendish Resilience. Choose a damage type to gain resistance to! This doesn't work against silvered weapons, so it isn't that good against ADCs but it does give you some resistance against spellcasters. (Most literally.) You have to pick the resistance at the end of a Short or Long Rest, so it does help to know what you're going up against.

You also don't learn a spell because lol Warlocks, but you do get another cantrip! So take good ol' Prestidigitation to put on a show after reaching max level!

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Ok - I already mentioned how strong Fire Shield plus Shadow of Moil is. This damage goes against any enemy who hits you in melee, and can really hurt against multiple attacks!

Alright - You have plenty of ways to keep from getting hurt while you tank all the hits. Temp HP from Dark One's Blessing, Uncanny Dodge and Evasion, and of course 20 AC with just a shield!

Yeah - Despite not investing completely in Charisma your proficiency carries you a long way in social encounters. Just remember to say more than 6 words! (If "hmm" can even be considered a word.)

CONS

Right - All your damage is loaded against melee enemies, as you need to be in melee to hit them with Sneak Attack and both your shields only deal damage back to melee attackers. Ranged enemies are still going to suffer against your high AC and you're capable of spamming cantrips at them, but you really shine against melee bruisers.

Yeh - Only having 10 Warlock levels means that you only have two total spell slots. That's enough to cast your Defensive Ball Curl combo once. If you want to operate at maximum effectiveness you're going to need to take frequent short rests.

Hmm - Perhaps the biggest irony of Rammus is that being a Tortle doesn't really help us much. Being any other race would give you access to magic armor, as well as likely better racial features to generally be more useful overall. (Don't get me wrong: hiding in your shell is nice to boost AC but come late game the lack of movement will hurt you more than it'll help, especially since it makes you go prone.) My suggestion would be to make a Warforged for their innate +1 AC, or go for something like a Satyr or Gnome to resist magic.

But you can do okay no matter what the enemy lineup is. Hmm? You think you'll struggle, yeh? Well with the right team backing you up you'll do alright. Yeah.

(Artwork by Alvin Lee. Made for Riot Games.)

#yeah #alright #okay #hm #yeh #right #dnd #dnd build #dnd guide #dnd 5e #League of Legends #League of Legends Rammus #dnd rogue #dnd warlock #this build is weird

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