Not very familiar with this character at all, but a request came through the blog for an Ainz Ooal Gown build. I tried my best to build it, but I'm only going off of the info I read for it. This is a wizard build and I avoid detailing every spell he would chose given the sheer immensity of that list. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in an attempt to fit the character. These choices might not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
Let's get into the build for Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord!
AINZ OOAL GOWN
CHARACTER Ainz Ooal Gown
SOURCE Overlord
BUILD GOALS
· Originally, Ainz Ooal Gown was simply a character in a video game but when it was being shut down, the player's mind was transported into the body of the character into a fantasy world
· A very powerful arcane spellcaster that has learned over 718 different spells though he focuses more on wielding death magic than regular combat magic
· While he is said to focus on the use of death magic, particularly the summoning of undead, he boasts a swath of spells of all types
· Some examples include acid arrow, fireball, haste, and lightning
· Highly competent tactician who makes use of ambushes and guerilla warfare
· He has a Despair Aura that can cause mental effects ranging from fear to confusion to even instant death
· His touch is infused with negative energy that can harm others that he touches
· He wields a wide array of magic items
· In addition to his magic might, he is a highly capable liar, negotiator, and speaker
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Skilled Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Intelligence, +Charisma
o Ancestry Feat: Natural Ambition – Spellbook Prodigy
o Skill Increase: Deception (trained)
Background: Reborn Soul
o Ability Boosts: +Intelligence, +Wisdom
o Skill Increase: Games Lore (trained), Necromancy Lore (trained)
Class & Subclass: Necromancer Wizard with the Spell Substitution Arcane Thesis
o Class Ability Boost: +Intelligence
o Skill Increase: Arcana (trained), Crafting (trained), Diplomacy (trained), Intimidation (trained), Occultism (trained), Stealth (trained)
o Spellbook: Cantrips – ancient dust, torturous trauma; 1st – animate dead, fear
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 14)
Initially, this build made use of the skeleton ancestry, but that didn’t mesh with some of the later choices. Choosing human for his ancestry still fits as before being pulled into a fantasy world, the person playing as Ainz was a human. He uses the Reborn Soul background to represent his transformation from a human in the real world to the fantasy one with Games and Necromancy Lore, respectively representing his time spent playing games and his preferred school of magic. Obviously, as an arcane caster that focuses on necromancy magic, Ainz uses the wizard class with the necromancy school and the spell substitution arcane thesis. The former is his preferred type of magic whereas the latter is probably the handiest thesis and allows him to prepare for whatever situation he comes up against. When it comes to spells, Ainz wields such a wide array of them that listing them wouldn’t be a drop in the bucket. Instead, this build will list any spells that feel pertinent and the spells he gains as a necromancer.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Conceal Spell
o Skill Feat: Recognize Spell
o Gear: everburning torch
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Arcana (expert), Games Lore (expert), Necromancy Lore (expert)
o Spellbook: 2nd – acid arrow, bone spray
o Gear: +1 staff, everburning torch, psychopomp mask
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Undying Conviction
o Skill Feat: Magical Shorthand
o Gear: hat of the magi, +1 staff, hand of the mage, everburning torch
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 16, Cha 16)
o Ancestry Feat: Keep Up Appearances
o Skill Increase: Crafting (expert)
o Spellbook: 3rd – fireball, haste, rouse skeletons
o Gear: +1 striking staff, hat of the magi, golden legion epaulet, hand of the mage, everburning torch, psychopomp mask
Ainz is somewhat underhanded, which leads to the inclusion of Conceal Spell among his feats. Since much of his magical might is related to his mastery over necromancy and specifically the summoning of them, Ainz also picks up Undying Conviction to bolster his undead against effects that would destroy them. His primary skills to start with will be Arcana and Crafting and he hurries to pick up Magical Shorthand, allowing him to learn spells quickly and potentially for free. As somebody that seems to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the world he’s playing in, Recognize Spell allows him to identify spells as they are cast. In part due to his skeletal visage, Ainz can be difficult for people to read, which is important for his manipulations and makes Keep Up Appearances a useful selection for him. Obviously, he needs animate undead, but from among his non-necromancy spells, he grabs acid arrow, fireball, and haste – spells that he wields in the source material.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Silent Spell
o Skill Feat: Magical Crafting
o Spellbook: 3rd – lightning bolt
o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking staff, demon mask, hat of the magi, hand of the mage, hat of disguise
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Hireling Manager
o Skill Increase: Arcana (master), Games Lore (master), Necromancy Lore (master)
o Spellbook: 4th – sanguine mist
o Gear: staff of necromancy, +1 explorer’s clothing, corrosive engravings, +1 striking staff, hat of the magi, golden legion epaulet
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Advanced School Spell
o Skill Feat: Quick Recognition
o Gear: zombie staff, wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), wand of hopeless night (2nd-level), +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking staff, demon mask
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Clever Improviser
o Skill Increase: Deception (master)
o Spellbook: 5th – invoke spirits, stagnate time
o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, ring of wizardry (type I), zombie staff, wand of hopeless night (2nd-level), corrosive engravings, +1 striking staff
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 20, Wis 18, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Scroll Savant
o Skill Feat: Confabulator
o Skill Increase: Society (trained)
o Gear: wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level), +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, tyrant’s writs, zombie staff, wand of hopeless night (2nd-level), +1 striking staff
Building out of his earlier Conceal Spell feat, Silent Spell will allow Ainz to cast spells potentially unnoticed, befitting his nefarious nature. Advanced School Spell grants him an additional hero point as well as the life siphon focus spell that allows him to steal away the vital energy of others when he casts necromancy spells, encouraging him to do so more regularly. With the vast array of spells that he wields, wizard might not seem like it has enough spell slots to really fit Ainz, which the Scroll Savant feat will try to help with by granting him free additional scrolls that he can prepare each day. With the massive amount of gear that Ainz has, he’ll pick up Magical Crafting to simulate this hoard. In the fantasy world, Ainz tries to keep his origins a secret and is also a manipulator, leading into an investment in Deception as well as the Confabulator skill feat as he piles up lies. Transported alone into the fantasy world with naught but his NPC companions, Ainz relies on Hireling Manager to get the most out of them. Lightning bolt is another spell Ainz is noted to wield but among his more powerful spells are those that can manipulate time itself. He begins to explore that option this block with the likes of stagnate time.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Incredible Investiture
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert)
o Spellbook: 6th – chain lightning, necrotize, scrying
o Gear: +2 striking staff, mask of the banshee, wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level), +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, ring of wizardry (type I), zombie staff
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Lich Dedication
o Skill Feat: Discreet Inquiry
o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, +2 striking staff, greater staff of necromancy, wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level), brooch of inspiration, tyrant’s writs
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Incredible Improvisation
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Spellbook: 7th – tempest of shades
o Gear: +2 greater striking staff, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater zombie staff, wand of noisome acid (4th-level), greater hat of the magic, wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level)
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Hand of the Lich
o Skill Feat: Unmistakable Lore
o Gear: wand of manifold missiles (5th-level), handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), ring of wizardry (type III), +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of noisome acid (4th-level), greater staff of necromancy
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 21, Wis 19, Cha 18)
o General Feat: Prescient Planner
o Skill Increase: Arcana (legendary), Games Lore (legendary), Necromancy Lore (legendary)
o Spellbook: 8th – horrid wilting
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, bag of holding (type IV), wand of manifold missiles (5th-level), handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater crafter’s eyepiece, greater zombie staff
This is a big block as Ainz finally becomes the big, bad bone daddy by picking up a Lich Dedication, turning him into a magic-obsessed undead. He follows up on it with Hand of the Lich, which has benefits that are twofold. Aside from granting him advanced undead benefits, it causes his touch to deal negative damage, fitting perfectly into the concept. For a latter feat from this archetype, he will start investing in Intimidation but as something that isn’t core to his character, he will grab other skill feats instead. Incredible Investiture will help him actually make use of his grand collection of arcane artifacts while Prescient Planner fits nicely into his cunning nature.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Sepulchral Sublimation
o Skill Feat: Unified Theory
o Gear: major zombie staff, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of the ash puppet, wand of manifold missiles (5th-level), handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), ring of wizardry (type III)
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Stubborn Persistence
o Skill Increase: Deception (legendary)
o Spellbook: 9th - massacre
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), robe of the archmagi, major zombie staff, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, bag of holding (type IV), wand of manifold missiles (5th-level)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Frightful Aura
o Skill Feat: Reveal Machinations
o Gear: diadem of intellect, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level), major zombie staff, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of the ash puppet
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Prescient Consumable
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Spellbook: 9th – cataclysm, time stop
o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, diadem of intellect, dread blindfold, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), robe of the archmagi, major zombie staff
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 22, Wis 20, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Archwizard’s Might
o Skill Feat: Legendary Professional
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 major striking), +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, genius diadem, chronomancer staff, grimoire of unknown necessities, wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level)
At some point during this build, picking up the create undead ritual feels like a no-brainer, and having that will qualify him for Sepulchral Sublimation. This feels natural for a lich that commands an army of undead while wielding a vast array of spells at his whim, allowing him to sacrifice his minions for more mystical might. Thanks to reaching master proficiency in Intimidation, Ainz is able to pick up Frightful Aura from his lich archetype to represent his Despair Aura. Archwizard’s Might felt like another obvious choice and allows him to potentially cast both of his more powerful spells such as cataclysm and time stop in a single day. As a manipulator, Reveal Machinations is a fun feat that allows him to learn about a foe while setting them up for his spells. Stubborn Persistence is something of a stand-in – Ainz could probably make use of Heroic Presence given his association with several characters but it felt weird giving it to him.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: A free archetype game would allow Ainz to take the Lich Dedication without sacrificing class feats. This comes online late, so he’ll use it for options such as Effortless Concentration and Quickened Casting from his wizard feats. However, at the early levels, he can take the Reanimator Dedication to dive deeper into his mastery of necromancy. All of the feats from this archetype are very solid choices for the character, granting him thematic focus spells and empowering his undead, especially when he has fresh resources to use.
BUILD CONCLUSION
This build opens with Ainz as a human because the lich archetype that he needs to take down the line requires him to be a living creature to start with. Reborn soul is meant to cover his rebirth into the fantasy world with the Lich Dedication covering his transformation into his game character. As a character that has to learn spells, wizard seemed like the best class to represent him and to help him learn his 718 different spells, he has both Magical Shorthand and Spellbook Prodigy. Given his focus on death magic, he is specifically a necromancer wizard, granting him additional spells of that sort. He naturally has other spells in his arsenal, such as acid arrow, fireball, haste, and lightning bolt, and he also wields some extraordinarily powerful spells that let him call down devastation, such as cataclysm, or stop time, like time stop. From his lich archetype, he picks up Frightful Aura to suit his Despair Aura, which at least has a chance of terrifying foes even if it can’t kill them. For the negative energy his very touch carries, he takes Hand of the Lich. Options such as Magical Crafting, Scroll Savant, and Incredible Investiture make the tiniest of dents in his hoard of magical gear. Finally, as a skilled wordsmith, he invests in the likes of Deception, specifically taking feats such as Reveal Machinations.
A human wizard with the Lich Dedication, Ainz is a powerful undead necromancer able to prepare spells for different situations as they demand it.
Lemme know what you think and what other builds you would like to see! If you want to join in on the discussion of these builds and the ones I do for monsters or just hang out with a bunch of fellow TTRPG nerds, check out the Discord server. We also have a Twitter where we try to post teasers for the blog and are trying to get some milestones made up for. Next week's build will be a link that we've been missing for some time. Have a fantastic Friday!
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