If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now: the builds I do here aren’t meant to be optimal. They’re meant to capture the feeling of a character while still being as playable as possible, and sometimes that doesn’t all work out as well as one hopes. With that out of the way, this is a build for one of my favorite comic books characters. I’ve always really enjoyed characters with animal-based powers and DC’s Beast Boy, Animal Man, and Vixen are all some of my favorite characters from them. I feel that the latter two would have a different build of this, but since Beast Boy was the first of them that I was introduced to, and I already have Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg built, I figured I’d do this bizarre build. As always, this build is conceptualized 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 Beast Boy from DC Comics!
BEAST BOY
CHARACTER Garfield Logan
SOURCE DC Comics
GOALS
o A prominent member of the Teen Titans, Gar Logan started life as the son of a pair of doctors working in Africa when he contracted Sakutia
o His parents used an untested serum to save his life that turned his hair and skin green but, more importantly, gave him the power to change into any animal form
o When his parents died in a boating accident, he was eventually taken by kidnappers who force him to use his power to helps in their crimes before eventually being placed in the care of Nicholas Galtry who sought to embezzle his estate
o Later still, he was adopted by the Doom Patrol and was a hero alongside them, making him a veteran of the business even before he joined the Teen Titans
o With all this going on, he still found time to be a child actor, likely influenced by his adoptive mother, Rita Farr, being a former Hollywood star
o Despite the numerous hardships of his life, he remains a highly positive and upbeat individual who is prone to making jokes and can appear immature
o Gar’s shape shifting powers are normally limited to animals, but he has demonstrated the ability to take on alien and monstrous forms as well as merge different features of animals together
o Even in his ‘human’ form, he seems to display enhanced senses and other animalistic features
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Razortooth Goblin
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Dexterity, +Charisma, +Strength, -Wisdom
o Ancestry Feat: Fang Sharpener
Background: Entertainer
o Ability Boosts: +Charisma, +Strength
o Skills: Performance (trained), Theater Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Fascinating Performance
Class & Subclass: Wild Order Druid
o Class Ability Boost: +Wisdom
o Skills: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Intimidation (trained), Nature (trained)
o Class Feat: Wild Shape
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 16)
While originally a human, using the goblin ancestry makes Gar his distinctive shade of green and gives him his relatively short size. With razortooth and Fang Sharpener, Gar gains a relatively powerful fangs Strike that he can use in his humanoid form. The entertainer background reflects Gar’s time as a child actor on Space Trek: 2022 and his flair for theatrics. Finally, the wild order druid will capture his ability to change shape though that comes more online later. However, the fact that he can only morph into creatures from pest form with his wild shape does fit with his initial limitation to diminutive creatures. The low Wisdom may seem strange, but for this particular build, we’re going to focus almost entirely on the various form spells to make Gar a more proficient shape shifter. This is initially limited to pest form, so it might be worthwhile to prepare spells like magic fang or maybe even summon animal until he can start preparing animal form.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Monk Dedication
o Skill Feat: Titan Wrestler
o Gear: cloak of feline rest
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1), cloak of feline rest, predictable silver piece
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Form Control
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Prowess
o Gear: bracelet of dashing, handwraps of mighty blows (+1), brooch of shielding, cloak of feline rest
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16)
o Ancestry Feat: Ankle Bite
o Skill Increase: Stealth (trained), Athletics (expert)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), bracelet of dashing, persona mask, brooch of shielding, cloak of feline rest, predictable silver piece
None of the class feats really stood out for this build, making Monk Dedication a good early grab. This may seem a strange feat, but it will eventually lead into Monk’s Flurry allowing Gar to make two Strikes with one his battle form’s attacks as only a single action. Meanwhile, Form Control extends the amount of time that he can spend in his alternate forms, making him a better spy using pest form and similar spells. Given that this build is focused on getting into melee with foes, Toughness provides some extra HP to facilitate that. As some GMs might argue that being grabbed means you don’t have enough room to take on a battle form, Ankle Bite gives a chance for Gar to avoid being grabbed and at least lets him make a Strike against the instigator. Titan Wrestler lets him fight the many larger foes that he faces with greater ease while Intimidating Prowess lets him Demoralize while in a battle form while making use of his fearsome countenance and might.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Insect Shape
o Skill Feat: Terrain Stalker - Underbrush
o Gear: +1 studded leather armor, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), animal staff, bracelet of dashing, brooch of shielding, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Ancestral Paragon – Goblin Song
o Skill Increase: Stealth (expert)
o Gear: bestiary of metamorphosis, +1 studded leather armor, quick runner’s shirt, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), bracelet of dashing, persona mask
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Soaring Shape
o Skill Feat: Impressive Performance
o Gear: cloak of elvenkind, bestiary of metamorphosis, primeval mistletoe, +1 studded leather armor, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), animal staff
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Loud Singer
o Skill Increase: Performance (expert)
o Gear: +1 resilient studded leather armor, cloak of elvenkind, slippers of spider climbing, bestiary of metamorphosis, quick runner’s shirt, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 19, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Monk’s Flurry
o Skill Feat: Distracting Performance
o Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient leather armor, greater animal staff, cloak of elvenkind, bestiary of metamorphosis, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
This block of feats is important for expanding Gar’s animal form options with Insect Shape and Soaring Shape while I explained the reasoning behind Monk’s Flurry previously. Goblin Song and Loud Singer are meant to represent the jokes and wisecracks that Gar makes to throw people off. Similarly, Impressive Performance and Distracting Performance are him throwing himself into his comedic attempts in an attempt to endear himself to people. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find many other chances to increase his Performance after this block, so it might be something that others adapting this build might want to consider.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Fast Recovery
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), armbands of athleticism, greater persona mask, +1 resilient leather armor, cloak of elvenkind, slippers of spider climbing
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Ferocious Shape
o Skill Feat: Quick Jump
o Gear: +2 resilient leather armor, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), druid’s vestments, armbands of athleticism, greater animal staff, deafening music box
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Hungry Goblin
o Skill Increase: Athletics (master)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 resilient leather armor, gorget of the primal foar, druid’s vestments, armbands of athleticism, greater persona mask
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Dragon Shape
o Skill Feat: Powerful Leap
o Gear: boots of speed, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), major animal staff, +2 resilient leather armor, druid’s vestments, dinosaur boots
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str 20, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18)
o General Feat: A Home in Every Port
o Skill Increase: Thievery (trained), Athletics (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather armor, boots of speed, greater ring of the ram, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), implacable armor rune, gorget of the primal roar
Heroes are famous for bouncing back from even the gravest of wounds, making Fast Recovery an almost classic for all these types of builds. Given the slight focus on Gar’s fangs when he’s in his humanoid form, Hungry Goblin added some further effectiveness to it that also helps him stick in melee if he crits. With Ferocious Shape, Gar can finally take the Tyrannosaurus rex form he so favors. Additionally, while he has occasionally taken more fantastical forms in the comics, this build occurs in a fantasy setting, making Dragon Shape feel like a natural inclusion. The intent behind A Home in Every Port reflects the friends he’s made around the world as well as the Titans and Doom Patrol bases that can be found almost everywhere.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Monstrosity Shape
o Skill Feat: Quick Climb
o Gear: dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient leather armor, greater primeval mistletoe, boots of speed, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), major animal staff
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Reckless Abandon
o Skill Increase: Stealth (master)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), dragonscale amulet, necklace of fireballs VI, +2 greater resilient leather armor, boots of speed, greater ring of the ram
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Perfect Form Control
o Skill Feat: Swift Sneak
o Gear: belt of giant strength, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), greater dinosaur boots, dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient leather armor, greater primeval mistletoe
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Canny Acumen - Fortitude
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather armor, belt of giant strength, greater cloak of the bat, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), dragonscale amulet, necklace of fireballs VI
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 20, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: True Shapeshifter
o Skill Feat: Scare to Death
o Skill Increase: Society (trained)
o Gear: major staff of nature’s vengeance, +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, titan’s grasp, greater cloak of the bat, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), greater dinosaur boots
The final class feats of this block fully round out Gar’s abilities to shape shift though Perfect Form Control mostly adds to how long he can remain in a form after changing into it. There were other shape shifting feats, but they involved the ability to turn into elementals or plants, neither of which fit Gar. Reckless Abandon is simply a super handy feat, and a hard one to pass up on. For his final general feat, Canny Acumen gets his Fortitude up to master proficiency to help him resist diseases, poisons, and other effects when he’s in the thick of combat. Reflex could also make sense for Gar, but his Dex was higher to begin with, making me lean towards Fortitude. Finally, Scare to Death is just always a feat that I like to pick up if I can.
CONCLUSION
The goblin ancestry provides Beast Boy with his classic verdant skin while also giving him other animalistic features that he’s been noted to have such as his fangs and large ears. With the druid class, he has the power to transform into a vast array of animals and beasts and while his spells could be used for other purposes, his low Wisdom, which makes him more susceptible to mental effects, means he is better suited for spells that polymorph himself or provide benefits without relying on the rolls of enemies. With the focus on his Strength and Dexterity, his unarmed attack bonus remains close enough to the attack bonuses provided by battle forms that if he uses his own attack bonus, and the +2 from doing so thanks to wild shape, it’s higher than the provided attack bonus. The entertainer background captures his past as a former child actor while Goblin Song and some other Performance related feats play into his jocular attitude.
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build!
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Have a fantastic Friday!
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