The 4th of July falls on a Monday this year, so I thought I'd get a jump on it with July 1st to post Captain America. Overall, this is a basic build, but that made a rather nice difference compared to some of the more feat-intensive builds that I've done. This build led to being something of a switch hitter though how well it works I'll leave up to you to decide. 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 Captain America from Marvel Comics!
CAPTAIN AMERICA
CHARACTER Steve Rogers
SOURCE Marvel Comics
BUILD GOALS
o Steve Rogers was a young man during the time of World War II who was rejected by the U.S. Army due to his copious health problems
o In an attempt to help others, he volunteered for a program where he was enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum, his frail body transformed to the peak of human physicality
o He was then put through an extensive training program involving gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat and military strategy
o He originally wielded a kite shield before he was presented with his famous disc-shaped shield that led him to abandoning his sidearm
o Cap uses his shield to block attacks, bash foes, and throw with nearly perfect aim, being able to strike multiple targets and even ricochet his shield back to him
o Throughout World War II, he served as a highly effective special operative until he was frozen and Arctic waters and preserved until modern day
o As a man out of time, Captain America remains dedicated to freedom, equality, and justice for all
o While Cap’s physical abilities may be lacking in comparison to his regular companions among the Avengers, he remains one of the most skilled combatants on the team and is in peak condition
o Cap often takes a role of leadership among the Avengers
o Even before gaining his powers, Captain America exhibited incredible bravery and an indomitable will
o Captain America has proven himself worthy of wielding Mjolnir, the mythical hammer of Thor
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Versatile Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Dexterity
o Ancestry Feat: Natural Ambition
o General Feat: Toughness
Background: Martial Disciple
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Athletics (trained), Warfare Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Quick Jump
Class & Subclass: Fighter
o Class Ability Boost: +Strength
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Diplomacy (trained), Medicine (trained), Society (trained)
o Class Feat: Reactive Shield, Snagging Strike
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom (Str 18, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10)
While there may be some discussion as building Captain America as something other than human to account for the super soldier serum, I think have him being a simple human works best. I did debate about going the route of magical experiment to achieve the effects of the serum, but none of the benefits it offered fit with the serum. Instead, I decided to focus on Captain America’s role as a soldier with the martial disciple background. Captain America’s heavy use of a shield along with a variety of weapons that he picks up as required led me to select fighter for his class though I could understand champion for his role as a hero or even monk given that he traditionally uses his fist when not using his shield. Reactive Shield allows Captain America to defend himself even when he’s too hard pressed to find time to Raise a Shield on his turn. Snagging Strike, a feat he gets thanks to his Natural Ambition, plays into him fighting as a member of a team, making a Strike to leave foes flat-footed. This is a bit of a stretch for the things that Cap does, but it plays into him being a free-hand fighter and just the general flexibility he has as a combatant. It is important to note that Captain America will use the throwing shield attachment to for his weapon so that he can hurl his shield at enemies, which is why he has Dexterity as his secondary stat.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Martial Artist Dedication
o Skill Feat: Titan Wrestler
o Gear: everburning torch
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1), everburning torch, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Rebounding Toss
o Skill Feat: No Cause for Alarm
o Gear: returning weapon rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+1), +1 throwing shield, everburning torch
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom (Str 19, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10)
o Ancestry Feat: Cooperative Nature
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Weapon Mastery Group: Brawling
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), golden legion epaulet, returning weapon rune, +1 throwing shield, everburning torch, ring of discretion
A quick dip into the Martial Artist Dedication improves Cap’s hand-to-hand combat while the main reason for starting fighter becomes apparent once he gets Rebounding Toss. This allows him to do his classic move of bouncing his shield between foes though he will still need something like a returning weapon rune to get his shield back. Though I do think fighter has a feat for that as well! Captain America is a mostly mortal man who fights against gods and monsters, so Titan Wrestler helps him push around even those that vastly outside him. No Cause for Alarm builds into the idea of being a hero, settling civilians and offering encouraging words to friends. On the topic of friends and allies, Cooperative Nature improves his ability to Aid and assist them, fitting for a leader of the Avengers.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: United Assault
o Skill Feat: Powerful Leap
o Gear: +1 leather armor, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), +1 striking throwing shield, returning weapon rune, brooch of shielding, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Fast Recovery
o Skill Increase: Athletics (master)
o Gear: ring of the ram, +1 leather armor, pacifying weapon rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), golden legion epaulet, returning weapon rune
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Resounding Bravery
o Skill Feat: Group Impression
o Gear: lesser sturdy shield, pathfinder’s pouch, ring of the ram, +1 leather armor, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), +1 striking throwing shield
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Cooperative Soul
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (expert)
o Gear: +1 resilient leather armor, lesser sturdy shield, boots of bounding, ring of the ram, +1 striking throwing shield, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 20, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 12)
o Class Feat: Combat Grab
o Skill Feat: Combat Climber
o Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient leather armor, thundering weapon rune, lesser sturdy shield, +1 striking throwing shield, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
United Assault is a handy feat though it might require considerable coordination with one’s team, which is the idea behind choosing it, playing into combination attacks with his allies. Resounding Bravery is a little more personal and was picked based on Cap’s astounding mental resiliency while Combat Grab is another free-hand fighter feat that plays into another class feat in a few levels. Like many heroes stationed in New York and other metropolises that lack the power of flight, Captain America traditionally traverses the city by leaping across rooftops when he doesn’t have a vehicle available. Powerful Leap will help him get across those rooftops safely. Among the multitude of ‘peak human’ abilities that Cap possesses is peak healing recovery, captured with Fast Recovery. Cooperative Soul expands upon Cooperative Nature to allow him to better help his allies.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (master)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), armbands of athleticism, eyes of the eagle, +1 resilient leather armor, lesser sturdy shield, boots of bounding
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Dazing Blow
o Skill Feat: Kip Up
o Gear: +2 resilient leather armor, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), moderate sturdy shield, armbands of athleticism, frost weapon rune, thundering weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Stubborn Persistence
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master)
o Weapon Legend Group: Brawling
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 resilient leather armor, hopeful weapon rune, moderate sturdy shield, armbands of athleticism, thousand-blade thesis
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Paragon’s Guard
o Skill Feat: Wall Jump
o Gear: greater sturdy shield, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 greater striking throwing shield, +2 resilient leather armor, impactful weapon rune, daredevil boots
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 21, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 14)
o General Feat: Breath Control
o Skill Increase: Athletics (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather armor, greater sturdy shield, boots of speed, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), hopeful weapon rune, bag of holding (type III)
Cap makes use of Combat Grab with this block’s Dazing Blow to deliver a swift blow that leaves a foe reeling, mostly just leaning into the free-hand combat and making use of what it has to offer. Paragon’s Guard finally leads back into his shield and grants him a stance that allows him to permanently benefit from Raise a Shield. This block features several references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most notably to Captain America: Winter Soldier. Fleet calls back to his running scenes in the start of the movie and he performs a Kip Up during an early altercation with the eponymous Winter Soldier. Stubborn Persistence is more of a reference to the first Captain America film in which he refuses to go down even before gaining his powers.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Path of Iron
o Skill Feat: Steady Balance
o Gear: reforging shield, +2 greater resilient leather armor, greater boots of bounding, bag of holding (type IV), handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 greater striking throwing shield
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Heroic Presence
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (legendary)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), greater thundering weapon rune, reforging shield, +2 greater resilient leather armor, boots of speed, greater ring of the ram
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Guardian’s Deflection
o Skill Feat: Legendary Negotiation
o Gear: apex, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), Nethysian bulwark, greater thundering weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather armor, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Pick Up the Pace
o Skill Increase: Warfare Lore (expert)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather armor, belt of giant strength, greater impactful weapon rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), reforging shield, greater thundering weapon rune
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 22, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 16)
o Class Feat: Ultimate Flexibility
o Skill Feat: Battle Planner
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 major striking), +3 greater resilient leather armor, titan’s grasp, greater impactful weapon rune, Nethysian bulwark, speed weapon rune
Path of Iron could be swapped out for another shield-based feat, but Cap’s main enemies is Hydra, a terrorist organization that resembles a cult and tends to rely on quantity over quality, so an ability of this nature allows him to contend with their superior numbers. Following it with Guardian’s Deflection for a more shield-based feat allows Cap to try to protect his friends and innocents. Finally, Ultimate Flexibility seems the best option for a character who has studied and learned so many different methods of fighting. As a superhero and a leader of his team, Heroic Presence seemed like a must-have for Cap. The final increase to Warfare Lore allows Cap to pick up Battle Planner, fitting a master tactician and strategist.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: For a free archetype game, I suggest starting with the Martial Artist Dedication as before and picking up feats quickly so that you can move onto the next. Getting this done with quickly requires picking up one of the stance feats, so pick your favorite. I think Gorilla Stance or Mountain Stance fit Cap the best, and then you pick up Follow-Up Strike so that by level 8, you can take Bastion Dedication for more shield feats. Alternatively, with the freed up fighter feats, you can take more of its shield feats and then use your free archetype to pick up the Marshal Dedication. While there aren’t a lot of fighter feats that he gains from this build, Shield Warden is a good choice that allows him to protect others and potentially picking up Quick Shield Block.
CONCLUSION
My idea is to build Captain America as a human fighter who wields a throwing shield, his trademark weapon, and his own fists to take on the villains of the world. I couldn’t quite fit the Super Soldier Serum that empowered him into the build, but was easily able to mimic his training as a soldier with the martial disciple background. Acrobatics, Warfare Lore, and eventually the Martial Artist Dedication cover his crash course training in gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat, and military strategy. Rebounding Toss allows him to hit multiple enemies with a single toss of his shield though he has to rely on the returning weapon rune to get it back. Alternatively, some versions of this build might opt to work in Ricochet Stance so that his shield comes back to him after he throws it. Given his leadership position among the Avengers and his skill at leading and working with a team, he has several feats that play into that such as Cooperative Soul, United Assault, and Heroic Presence. Fighter plays well into his bravery and unshakable will, and the Resounding Bravery feat only serves to enforce that idea. Finally, as a fighter, Cap can wield a variety of weapons though he favors some good ol’ fisticuffs.
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build and who else you might 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 nerd, 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, I'll spin a yarn about a character from League of Legends.
Until then, have a fantastic Friday and a good 4th of July!
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