u/IraGulaSuperbia

RIVEN THE EXILE

CHARACTER Riven Konte

SOURCE League of Legends

BUILD GOALS

o    An orphan who arose to prominent position in the Noxus military, Riven struck out on her own after witnessing the depths of depravity they would go to

o    She accidentally killed an Ionian elder while shattering her enchanted runeblade, but contentedly took up a life of farming as recompense for what she had done

o    Within League, she is a mobile fighter with situational defensive tools and high sustained damage even from her shattered runeblade

o    Whenever Riven uses an ability, her Runic Blade passive gains a charge. Her attacks consume charges to deal extra damage

o    The first of these abilities is Broken Wings, which can be activated up to three times. The first and second casts are dashes with slashes from her sword. Her third cast is similar, but also knocks back enemies

o    A bit more simple is her Ki Burst, which just damages and stuns enemies around her

o    She gains another dash with Valor. This also grants her a shield upon arrival

o    Her ultimate is Blade of the Exile, restoring and empowering her blade while increasing her range. It can be recast as Wind Slash to unleash a wave of damaging energy in a cone

Summary of Goals: Riven is a swordswoman who possesses quite a bit of magical and area effects as seen with her Ki Burst and Wind Slash. She has some considerable mobility from her Broken Wings and Valor while we’ll likely be looking for temporary HP for the shielding effects of the latter. I have some ideas to represent her broken and fully forged sword though the knock up might require some finagling.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Riven the Exile is a battle ready orc exemplar with a storied career as a martial disciple from her service to Noxus. Her array of ikons help to resemble the variety of powers and effects that her runeblade provides her with, making her a rather versatile warrior. By using the exemplar class, we can gain an Energized Spark for air, given her association with the element. A bastard sword helps her further switch up her playstyle with its one-handed nature possibly resembling her broken blade whereas dual-handing it will be for her fully reforged blade. For the enhanced damage on her attacks provided by the Runic Blade passive, she has the extra spirit damage provided by her Gleaming Blade’s immanence. Broken Wings is a three-hit effect that you could potentially resemble with a regular Strike followed by a Flowing Spirit Strike for slightly better odds or just make a trio of Strikes for the basis of it. Of perhaps greater import is the knockback effect that the third hit of this provides, which we’ll use the likes of Slam Down for. There’s also mobility associated with this and her Valor and for that, we have her Brave epithet letting her Stride as a free action along with the Thousand-League Sandals simply increasing her Speeds. We need an area effect for her Ki Burst, and we can find one in Steel on Steel or Crown of Rule. The latter of these can knock creatures prone, the effect of which is pulling double duty to resemble both the stun of this effect as well as the knockback of Broken Wings though we do also have the guardian’s Ring Their Bell for that. While we’ve already covered the dash of Valor, for the shield it provides, we have the likes of Armored Courage, Sacred Defense, and potentially even Orc Ferocity with the way it can stave off death. To finish out on her Blade of the Exile, Riven can switch to dual-handing her bastard sword for greater damage while Steel on Steel once more comes into play for the cone of her Wind Slash, its element further flavored by her Energized Spark.

This willful and woeful warrior woman wades into worrisome wars without worry, wielding a wounded weapon and the whispering wind to whittle and wound ne’er-do-wells.

Per a request that came through on here, I put together a build for Riven from League of Legends! Accomplishing that turned out to be a rather unique process, which you can see the full details for on the free Patreon post or the YT video. Have a fantastic Friday!

Thunderous footfalls echoed through the icy cavern, their direction indiscernible through resonating sounds. The fighter called a warning to his companions as he lifted his shield above his head to block the scattered falling of icicles. Huddling beside him, the elfin wizard swiftly chanted and intoned familiar words of abjuration as her eyes darted about desperately. Her worries were finally allayed when the far wall cracked and suddenly crumbled, giving way to a great cavern beyond that was briefly hidden by a fog of snow. However, the swirling flakes swirled and parted before a behemoth that lumbered from the darkness. It was a vast serpentine creature that moved forth on powerful limbs. The incredible length of its body was covered in rib-like structures that vaguely resembled metal pipes coiling with fog. A low, thrumming sound emerged from it that grew in intensity as small eyes, nearly lost to its helm, fixed its dread gaze upon the party of adventurers.

Cold and colossal, this critter crawls across caves and caverns while its curved coverings keep it consumed by cryo that it copiously conveys to crusading combatants.

From my understanding, I'm nearing the end of my exploration of Wild's monsters. This was a very fun onemy to design in part because I just love cold-based creatures and abilities even if it is actually more of a heat sink rather than a directly cryo critter. I do a deeper dive into the details of its design over on the free Patreon post and YT video, if that interests you. Have a monstrous Monday!

THE HOUNDMASTER

CHARACTER William

SOURCE Darkest Dungeon

BUILD GOALS

o    A former lawman and his faithful hound, he left the service when he found his own compatriots guilty of a heinous crime

o    As a playable hero, he is very well-rounded and flexible, using a cudgel and his constant companion’s fangs to fight against the horrors of the Darkest Dungeon

o    All Houndmasters have Hound’s Rush, which inflicts bleed damage and inflicts increased damage against beasts and marked creatures

o    Hound’s Harry hits multiple creatures to inflict lower damage but leaves them bleeding

o    The Houndmaster himself gets in on the fight with Blackjack, which damages and stuns a target

o    For some more utility based effects, Target Whistle can Mark a target and reduce their protections, Cry Havoc reduces the stress of his allies, and Guard Dog redirects damage from an ally to the Houndmaster

o    He can Heal himself with Lick Wounds

o    His camping skills focus on reducing stress while increasing the chance of scouting out and surprising enemies

Summary of Goals: The Houndmaster makes for a highly versatile build, but it definitely needs a focus on an animal companion. Bleed is a surprisingly common aspect of the kit, but he can also make an enemy more vulnerable, protect his allies, and heal his own wounds. The design lends itself towards a martial build, which might make representing Blackjack a little difficult as such classes can’t always find the stunned condition.

BUILD CONCLUSION

The Houndmaster is a skilled human ranger with a precision hunter’s edge and a background as a detective, a life that he left behind after discovering the corruption of his compatriots. We represent his hound through a hyena animal companion, which will be handy when it comes to replicating the bleed effects of Hound’s Rush and Hound’s Harry skills. Hound’s Rush further features extra damage against marked targets, which inspired the use of the ranger class in the first place and further led to the use of the precision hunter’s edge. We delve into guardian a bit for a few reasons, one of them being Ring Their Bell to represent the stun of his Blackjack. With that, we can explore some more of his utility skills a bit, such as his Target Whistle through the ranger’s Hunt Prey, No Cause for Alarm stepping in as his Cry Havoc, and further exploration of guardian and specifically its Guardian’s Intercept for Guard Dog. After he’s taken damage in place of his teammates, he can use Battle Medicine to treat his own wounds and then completes Lick Wounds with heal companion. By expanding on his Medicine skill and getting options such as Paragon Battle Medicine, we have even more ways of reducing the stress, or frightened condition, of his allies per his camping skills, which also cover some scouting capabilities. For those, we have Incredible Scout, True Perception, and similar effects.

This former flatfoot and his furry friend fight fiends and fouler foes while faithfully ferreting out facticity, feeling a fervent fancy to face phenomena.

Per the votes cast, I rebuilt the Houndmaster from Darkest Dungeon. You can check out the full details of the design over on the free Patreon post or the YT video. Have a fantastic Friday!

Fire blazed around the party as the wood crackled and popped. A branch crashed to the ground, sending up swirling embers as the massive, metallic figure lumbered through the blaze. It resembled a towering bear that had risen onto its hindfeet as it stomped forward with groundshaking steps. Flames bellowed from its mechanical body, and even through the dance of embers, the crimson glow of its eyes were readily apparent. The beast fixed its gaze on the party before it dropped onto four limbs, unleashed a fearsome roar, and thundered forward at a furious gallop.

Built to blaze and butcher, this big, bionic bear brings a barbeque to the brouhaha that is bound to burn builds, braves, and beyond to not but bits and bobs.

In a collaboration with Cameron McLoud (who made the D&D version), I have built the absolutely massive fireclaw from the Horizon Zero Dawn game series! You can check out the ideas behind the designs and get some encounter hooks over on the free Patreon post or on the YT video. Have a monstrous Monday!

Fire blazed around the party as the wood crackled and popped. A branch crashed to the ground, sending up swirling embers as the massive, metallic figure lumbered through the blaze. It resembled a towering bear that had risen onto its hindfeet as it stomped forward with groundshaking steps. Flames bellowed from its mechanical body, and even through the dance of embers, the crimson glow of its eyes were readily apparent. The beast fixed its gaze on the party before it dropped onto four limbs, unleashed a fearsome roar, and thundered forward at a furious gallop.

Built to blaze and butcher, this big, bionic bear brings a barbeque to the brouhaha that is bound to burn builds, braves, and beyond to not but bits and bobs.

In a collaboration with Cameron McLoud (who made the D&D version), I have built the absolutely massive fireclaw from the Horizon Zero Dawn game series! You can check out the ideas behind the designs and get some encounter hooks over on the free Patreon post or on the YT video. Have a monstrous Monday!

CLIVE ROSFIELD

SOURCE Final Fantasy XVI

BUILD GOALS

o    The unfavorite son of an archduke, Clive was trained in the art of combat before being enslaved as a soldier

o    He eventually seized freedom and sought to fight for a better world while also figuring out some of the mysterious aspects of his past

o    An adept swordsman who thrives in close quarters though he is versatile and also possesses ranged capabilities

o    He can absorb the aether of various Eikons, using a wide array of powers and elements mostly to enhance his melee combat

o    With these various Eikons, he can still produce more general magic, such as producing a chilling orb with Shiva, gaining draconic wings from Bahamut, and calling down lightning with Ramuh

o    However, his primary Eikon is Ifrit, the Eikon of Fire, which he is able to transform into

Summary of Goals: Clive honestly seems to be a fairly straightforward gish – a mix of martial might enhanced by magic that he has absorbed from the Eikons. We’ll be looking to represent the various elements that he can bring to use to both enhance his attacks and cast some more typical spells. Representing his ability to transform into Ifrit will also be important and actually a little tough to pull off.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Clive Rosfield is a suli human magus who has undertaken a hybrid study of the aloof firmament and has a press-ganged background. While Clive is the son of an archduke, which he represents with his Society investment and Courtly Graces, he was also enslaved to be a soldier, hence this background and the Streetwise feat. The magus class means that he can become a master swordsman while also providing him with an array of spells that are further expanded by his Wizard Dedication. By using these spells to focus on elemental effects, he can represent the various Eikons he uses and the abilities they grant him. For Shiva, he can create sustained ice effects such as Rime with ice storm, the freeze with frost pillar, and the dash plus damage of Cold Snap with frigid flurry. The wings seen in a few Bahamut abilities could be his fly while the Sentinels it summons could easily be represented by flame wisp. There’s also lightning bolt for Gigaflare, breathe fire for Flare Breath, and falling stars for his Wings of Light. Many of Garuda’s abilities make me think of gouging claw while the spins and swipes suit Whirlwind Spell, but there’s also gravitational pull for her Deadly Embrace and flame vortex for her Aerial Blast. I haven’t even started talking about Ramuh’s stuff, but I don’t want to list out every little thing after I already went over it in the initial description. That being said, I do want to cover Ifrit, which will take a bit of a combo with mantle of the magma heart and fiery body so that he can be large and in charge.

Brave and brooding, this battler brings blade and bewitchery to bear to beat and butcher beasts, bandits, and brigands before his body burns and blazes into a burgeoning beast.

I'm not personally familiar with this character, but conversed with friends who were to figure out how this build. Be sure to let me know how I did! If you want to see the deeper details of it, you can check out the free post on the Patreon or the YT video. Thanks and have a fantastic Friday!

Amidst the sweltering heat of the craggy cavern, the rogue warily eyed the walls and ceiling. She regarded a few of the stalagmites suspiciously but after deciding none were darkmantles, she relaxed slightly. As she rested a hand on the pommel of her shortsword, the cleric and wizard excitedly discussed the crystals they had recovered. Mere feet away from them, the wizened fighter kept a patient eye on them, like a father watching his children at play. The rogue shared a gentle smile with him before she glimpsed motion out of the corner of her eyes. Her body tensed, blades sliding easily from their sheaths, but the sight that met her gave even the veteran adventurer pause. Pulling itself from a crack in the floor was a multi-limbed creature that had no business fitting in the hole it had emerged from. Its expanding body was covered in a dark, gritty film that it smeared across the floor as it wriggled aboveground. Hook-lined tentacles lifted into the air as points of glowing light appeared on their tips, seeming to angle towards her...

Ostensibly an octopus and accordingly armed with ocho offshoots, our overland offender obscures its oddbod in oil that it obliterates in an obscene ostentation.

I continue my exploration of Monster Hunter Wilds with the incredibly unique nu udra! I dive into a bit of the details of the design over on the free Patreon post and the YT video if you'd be kind enough to give those a look. Either way, have a monstrous Monday!

KINDRED, THE ETERNAL HUNTERS

CHARACTER Lamb and Wolf

SOURCE League of Legends

BUILD GOALS

o    The duo known as Kindred are the personification of death – Lamb grants those who accept their death a swift release while Wolf violently hunts down those that refuse to pass on

o    Hunting the Rift as a dual unit, they are marksmen that swiftly take down their prey with a bow and jaws

o    Mark of the Kindred periodically marks jungle creatures or can target champions. If they slay a marked target, Lamb increases the range of her basic attacks

o    When she uses Dance of Arrows, she dashes a short distance, fires three arrows at nearby foes, and then gains bonus attack speed for a short duration

o    The other part of Kindred gets to be a bit more active with Wolf’s Frenzy. When activated, Wolf prowls in an area, repeatedly attacking prey to deal magic damage and slow foes. Passively, Lamb can also get some healing from this

o    With Mounting Dread, Lamb launches a shot that slows a foe and once she’s struck the target three times, Wolf pounces on them to deal additional damage

o    Her ultimate is Lamb’s Respite, which makes a sacred zone where nothing can die. At the end of the zone’s duration, creatures inside the zone are healed

o    In LoR, Kindred has Quick Attack, gains greater strength and toughness the first time each round an enemy is slain, and marks enemies that are slain at the end of the round

Summary of Goals: I want to make sure that Lamb and Wolf alike are represented in my build for Kindred though that since I’m not making them as two characters, one will likely end up being an animal companion or something similar. Optimally, I’d like to represent Lamb’s ability as an archer though she’s less of a sniper (despite her range increases), and has a focus on just putting more arrows downfield. Her ultimate will be the hardest aspect of her to represent, and I’m not sure I’ll get it fully, but I do have some ideas to at least help her preserve allies.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Kindred, the Eternal Hunters of Lamb and Wolf, are a duwkwalker human ranger and her savage wolf companion. We use the scion of slayers background for her to lean into her being an aspect of death, including one that wants to put restless souls to death. How much Wolf features in the field is up to you, but I tried to make him as large a part of Lamb’s kit as I could with the array of Animal Companion feats. The ranger class means that we can use almost all of the bows in the game to hunt down our prey and our flurry ranger aspect further helps her unleash a flurry of shots. We can potentially actively mark a target with Hunt Prey or the mark of blood and while slaying a creature doesn’t provide us with extra range, she can use death knell to at least briefly empower herself with the death of another creature. Furthermore, simply using the Hunt Prey ability does actually let her ignore the penalty for attacking her hunted prey in her bow’s second range increment. For the dash of Dance of Arrows, we have effects such as Quick Jump and Powerful Leap to better bound about the battlefield as Hunted Shot lets her take two swift shots, which she could follow up with a third or give a command to Wolf. This command could lead into Wolf’s Frenzy as he dashes about and ravages foes while his support benefit does inflict a slow on creatures while his advanced maneuver can full-out knock people prone. You might need to rely on her spells for the healing associated with this or pretend the temp HP from Sacred Defense represents this. The initial hit of Hampering Shot allows Lamb to slow foes before she sics Wolf on them to finish them off in a way to represent her Mounting Dread. That just leaves Lamb’s Respite and this is the main reason that I had to archetype into a caster. Breath of life lets her save an ally from death on a singular basis, moment of renewal can affect a number of targets with healing as could a three-action heal, and we could even consider something like death ward to guard an ally against death effects.

Wanton wolf and wooly woman wade into war and the wilds with willful whyfor, whittling at the wellness of warriors, weaklings, and those well in the way of either.

I've had this build in mind for a while, but had been struggling with her ult for a while. I did the best I could with it, but love to know what you think of it. You can see deeper details for the build over on the Patreon with the free post or the YT video. Have a fantastic Friday!

A roar of challenge arose from the barbarian as he charged forward, heedless of the similarly charging armor-encased titan. Each step seemed to shake the earth and as the distance between the two foes shrank, even the burly barbarian realized the difference in their mass. He grit his teeth, refusing to turn from the rapidly approaching challenge, and hefted his axe up. Before he could bring it down, the armored limbs of the dreadnought wrapped around him. Without missing a step, the dreadnought bodily lifted the warrior off of his feet and began to carry him back the way he came - all the way into and through the door of the fortress he was ostensibly guarding. The barbarian gave a shout as he was slammed into a stone wall, which shuddered under the blow but didn't give. Blood welled in his mouth until he spit blood into the visor of the goliath before fitting his powerfully corded legs between them and managing to shove him off. As the barbarian landed on his feet and the dreadnought regained his footing, the berserker gave a bloody grin and hefted his axe, ready for the fight.

Tucked in titanium, this towering and temperamental titan tramples teams and terrain with total temerity, tending to turn troopers into targets.

Amazingly illustrated by ArtsVortex, the dreadnought is somewhere between monster and NPC that seeks to emulate one of my favorite types of characters - those giant, unstoppable hulks. You can see the deeper details in the design over on the free Patreon post or the YT video. Let me know what you think and have a monstrous Monday!