I wanted to return to the setting of Smite but wasn't sure which character I was going to build until I realized that Agni here would give me the chance to build a fire kineticist - which is an element I haven't touched yet. The physiology of this character gave me some pause, but I think I found a good way to represent it! As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in my best attempt to fit the character. These choice may not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
If you prefer watching over reading, check out the YouTube video on the character!
Let's get into the build for Agni, God of Fire from Smite!
AGNI, GOD OF FIRE
SOURCE Smite
BUILD GOALS
o Agni is a two-headed Hindu god of fire that embodies both the destructive elements of fire as well as its purifying qualities
o Chief among priests, he acts as a messenger between mortals and gods as prayers are offered in front of the fires that he holds dominion over
o Combustion passively grants him a stack when he makes successful attack. At four stacks, his next Flame Wave or Rain of Fire sets the target on fire
o Noxious Fumes summons a cloud of combustible gas, damaging enemies inside it. If other abilities hit the gas, it explodes to damage and stun enemies
o Flame Wave launches a wave of fire
o His third ability, Path of Flames, causes Agni to dash a short distance while leaving behind a burning trail
o Finally, he has Rain of Fire, which allows him to store up to three flaming halos that can be consumed to call down a meteor on a nearby area
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Ifrit Fleshwarp
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Constitution, +Charisma
o Ancestry Feat: Lavasoul
Background: Wandering Preacher
o Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Religion (trained), Agni Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Pilgrim’s Token
Class & Subclass: Pyrokineticist
o Class Ability Boost: +Constitution
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Crafting (trained), Nature (trained), Society (Trained)
o Class Feat: Extended Kinesis, Burning Jet, Flying Flame
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +1, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +3)
The two-headed aspect of Agni is a difficult aspect to replicate but the oddness of it could work for the fleshwarp ancestry, using some of its vision feats and visual aspects for a vestigial head. The two heads don’t really come into gameplay anyway and he’ll use the ifrit versatile heritage to represent his fiery form. From this, he can gain Lavasoul, which grants him a fiery attack right off of the bat that can inflict persistent fire damage, akin to his Combustion passive. With the lore that Agni served as something of a messenger between gods and mortals, the wandering preacher background fit that concept while also working for ability boosts that he wants and can use. Finally, kineticist is an obvious class choice with a single gate dedicated to the fire element. With him being a god of fire, Extended Kinesis feels like a good way to suggest his control and mastery over the element. From his impulse feats, Burning Jet kind of works for his Path of Flames but lacks the burning trail associated with it. Flying Flame simply unleashes a bolt of fire that he can send flying around, which doesn’t match anything in his kit but will be his starting damaging ability outside of his Elemental Blast.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Kinetic Activation
o Skill Feat: Natural Medicine
o Gear: stalk goggles
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Religion (expert)
o Gear: dweomerweave robe, candlecap, stalk goggles
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Blazing Wave
o Skill Feat: Exhort the Faithful
o Gear: gate attenuator, dweomerweave robe, soulspeaker, stalk goggles
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +2, Con +4.5, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +4)
o Ancestry Feat: Uncanny Awareness
o Gate’s Threshold: Expand the Portal – Eternal Torch and Critical Blast Junction
o Skill Increase: Nature (expert)
o Gear: demon mask, gate attenuator, staff of fire, dweomerweave robe, candlecap, stalk goggles
At second level, Kinetic Activation lets Agni cast fire spells from items and the like, which opens up his itemization considerably though it might be something that he retrains later. Blazing Wave is a painfully obvious match for Flame Wave. He also gets his first gate’s threshold, which he uses to Expand the Portal. Eternal Light I feel like at least partially represents his more positive aspects of fire while the critical blast junction will let him set enemies on fire with his Elemental Blasts, befitting his Combustion passive. Then, while Agni is described as representing both the nurturing and destructive aspects of fire, his kit doesn’t really represent that. Therefore, he will spend some skill feats on this idea, starting with Natural Medicine as part of this build will have a focus on the Nature skill. He also takes some Religion feats, such as Exhort the Faithful, to play further into his divine aspects and role as a celestial messenger. Agni has some decent mobility represented by his Fleet feat and then he has Uncanny Awareness based on him having two heads.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Sorcerer Dedication – Fire Elemental Bloodline
o Skill Feat: Student of the Canon
o Skill Increase: Athletics (trained), Intimidation (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – ignition, illuminate
o Gear: +1 leather, demon mask, symbol of conflict, gate attenuator, dweomerweave robe, soulspeaker
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Feather Step
o Skill Increase: Religion (master)
o Gear: wand of rolling flames (2nd-level), +1 leather, eternal eruption, demon mask, gate attenuator, staff of fire
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Break Curse
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – breathe fire*; 2nd – floating flame; 3rd – blazing dive
o Gear: ash gown, wand of rolling flames (2nd-level), staff of elemental power, +1 leather, gate attenuator, demon mask
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Charred Remains
o Gate’s Threshold: Expand the Portal – Volcanic Escape and Aura Junction
o Skill Increase: Nature (master)
o Gear: +1 resilient leather, ash gown, 7, staff of elemental power, eternal eruption, sun wheel
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +4.5)
o Class Feat: Bloodline Breadth
o Skill Feat: Sanctify Water
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – forge
o Gear: eternal eruption of Pale Mountain, +1 resilient leather, greater staff of fire, ash gown, wand of rolling flames (2nd-level), gate attenuator
Using the Charisma that this build has been silently investing in, Agni takes the Sorcerer Dedication for the fire elemental bloodline – since the man’s blood does appear to be made of it. This will grant him ignition, which probably won’t ever be more useful than his Elemental Blasts but feels highly appropriate for the character. With this, his Kinetic Activation can be a little superfluous so you may want to consider retraining it for Eternal Torch or Weapon Infusion. Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting will add breathe fire to his capabilities as well as blazing dive, which doesn’t leave behind a burning trail, but is a fire-based movement ability to mimic the effects of his Path of Fire though it lacks the burning terrain. Bloodline Breadth expands on these spells, letting Agni weave in spells with his impulses for effects that they can’t replicate. Furthermore, he can affect his fire spells with Charred Remains to leave behind areas of burning earth, which could be combined with blazing dive to create a small area of hazardous terrain to more closely represent Path of Fire. He expands the portal again for Volcanic Escape to increase his mobility while dealing some damage and then uses his element’s aura junction to inflict a weakness upon enemies in his aura. All the skill feats for this block are based on his Religion and more purifying and protective aspects, particularly with Break Curse and Sanctify Water.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert)
o Gear: greater staff of elemental power, eternal eruption of Pale Mountain, mask of the banshee, +1 resilient leather, ash gown, gate attenuator
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Quick Coercion
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – heat metal; 4th – cinder swarm
o Gear: greater gate attenuator, wand of dazzling rays (4th-level), wand of rolling flames (4th-level), eternal eruption of Pale Mountain, +1 resilient leather, greater staff of fire
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Augment Senses
o Gate’s Threshold: Expand the Portal – Furnace Form and Skill Junction
o Skill Increase: Deception (trained)
o Gear: major staff of fire, +2 resilient leather, greater gate attenuator, greater staff of elemental power, eternal eruption of Pale Mountain, mask of the banshee
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Solar Detonation
o Skill Feat: Terrified Retreat
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – fireball; 5th – flammable fumes*
o Gear: hellfire boots, +2 resilient leather, major staff of fire, greater gate attenuator, fire-jump ring, greater demon mask
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +4, Con +5.5, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +5)
o General Feat: A Home in Every Port
o Skill Increase: Nature (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather, bloodburn censer, hellfire boots, +2 greater striking weapon, greater gate attenuator, eternal eruption of Mhar Massif
Agni continues to expand upon his fire spells with Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting and then takes Solar Detonation to purify undead. He gets to Expand the Portal again, gaining Furnace Form to increase the damage of his fire spells while also making him difficult to put hands on. Most important in this block is that he gains flammable fumes, which is perfect for his Noxious Fumes ability. Augment Senses is further based on his dual-headedness while the skill feats this block expand on his more aggressive aspects, using Intimidation.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Aura Shaping
o Skill Feat: Sacred Defense
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – flame vortex
o Gear: eternal eruption of Ka, +2 greater resilient leather, wand of rolling flames (6th-level), hellfire boots, greater gate attenuator, major staff of fire
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Blazing Aura
o Gate’s Threshold: Expand the Portal – Walk Through the Conflagration and Elemental Resistance
o Skill Increase: Religion (legend)
o Gear: wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level), eternal eruption of Ka, dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient leather, hellfire boots, greater gate attenuator
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Master Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Divine Guidance
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – blazing dive*; 5th – mantle of the magma heart; 7th – blazing fissure
o Gear: major gate attenuator, wand of rolling flames (7th-level), wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level), eternal eruption of Ka, +2 greater resilient leather, major staff of elemental power
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Incredible Investiture
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather, major gate attenuator, eternal eruption of Sakalayo, wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level), eternal eruption of Ka, dragonscale amulet
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +1, Dex +4, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +5)
o Class Feat: Kinetic Pinnacle
o Skill Feat: Scare to Death
o Gear: eternal eruption of Barrowsiege, +3 greater resilient leather, wand of rolling flames (8th-level), major gate attenuator, wand of rolling flames (7th-level), wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level)
Since this build uses the aura junction, it may as well take Aura Shaping to inflict a fire weakness in a greater swath. He mainly takes Master Sorcerer Spellcasting to increase his spell DCs and can at least use the spell slots for his blazing dive and other important spells. Finally, Kinetic Pinnacle makes him permanently quickened to use his Elemental Blasts or channel his elements and better demonstrates his mastery over his specific element. He expands the portal to gain either Walk Through the Conflagration with a similar effect to blazing dive but requiring a fire to teleport through or Thermal Nimbus since he has Aura Shaping. He also finally takes elemental resistance to become totally immune to fire damage. There’s some more Religion feats in this block as well as the beast skill feat, Scare to Death. He can also demonstrate fires more nurturing aspects with his Blazing Aura to damage enemies while also making his allies briefly quickened.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: In a free archetype game, Agni uses the Sorcerer Dedication to gain his spells sooner while also picking up feats such as Dangerous Sorcery, Detonating Spell, and Widen Spell with his Blood Potency feats. This will free up some kineticist feats, letting him take Solar Detonation earlier as well as options such as Thermal Nimbus.
BUILD CONCLUSION
Agni, the God of Fire is an ifrit fleshwarp pyrokineticist with the wandering preacher background, which is meant to represent his role as a messenger between mortals and gods, relaying prayers said in front of flames. While his abilities as a kineticist represent the destructive aspects of fire, some focus on Religion feats and effects such as Blazing Aura demonstrate the more nurturing and purifying aspects of flames. Both the attacks from his Lavasoul ancestry feat as well as the critical blast junction of his class give him a way of inflicting persistent fire damage as per his Combustion passive. He has to dip into the Sorcerer Dedication and invest in its spells to capture the effects of Noxious Fumes through the flammable fumes spell, which is a strangely perfect fit aside from lacking the stun – though you could trigger it with blazing fissure to try to knock enemies prone. Flame Wave is super easy to recreate with both breathe fire and the even more aptly named Blazing Wave. His third ability, Path of Flames, is a little harder to recreate but can use options such as Burning Jet, Walk Through the Conflagration, or blazing dive for the mobility. The last of these can be combined with his Charred Remains to leave behind the areas of hazardous terrain. Lastly, for his Rain of Fire, he can either simply unleash Elemental Blasts, cycle through Solar Detonations, or use burning blossoms since falling stars is just barely out of his reach. I though the fire kineticist would have something to better mimic this, but most of its big effects are huge one-off explosions.
This irregular, igneous idol of immolation ignites the ignorant in immaculate incineration while instructing intimates with imperial intent.
Lemme know what you think and what other builds you would like to see!
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Have a fantastic Friday!
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