Rounding out the slasher builds, which I might be getting a bit burnt out on, is possibly the only build I'll do that makes use of the poppet ancestry (though I wouldn't mind finding another one). 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 Chucky from Child's Play.
CHUCKY
CHARACTER Charles Lee Ray
SOURCE Child’s Play
BUILD GOALS
o Charles Lee Ray is a serial killer versed in voodoo, which he used to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll after he was fatally shot
o Despite his reduced size, Chucky wields strength similar to his human form and is a devious murderer
o He is highly capable at pretending to be a regular doll, allowing him to hide in plain sight as he plots his kills
o His skill at deception allows him to manipulate younger victims with ease and making his kills look like accidents until he reveals himself
o As a doll, he is surprisingly durable, able to survive inhuman punishment though still killable with a shot through his heart and he does feel pain
o His main goal was formerly the transferal of his soul to a human body, but he eventually outgrew that desire and was more interested in the fame he gained from being a killer doll
o At some point, Chucky managed to splinter his soul and possess several different Good Guy dolls though even these disparate parts of him are prone to arguing
o He learned voodoo from a teacher that he eventually killed with the very lessons he had been taught
o He has wielded a variety of weapons and seems to favor strangling though his preferred murder weapon is a large knife
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Ghost Poppet
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Constitution, +Charisma, +Dexterity, -Dexterity
o Ancestry Feat: Harmless Doll
Background: Criminal
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Stealth (trained), Underworld Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Experienced Smuggler
Class & Subclass: Scoundrel Rogue
o Class Ability Boost: +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Arcana (trained), Athletics (trained), Intimidation (trained), Medicine (trained), Occultism (trained), Performance (trained), Society (trained), Thievery (trained)
o Class Feat: Tumble Behind
o Skill Feat: Charming Liar
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 16)
One of the main reasons I wanted to do this build was so that I could make use of the poppet ancestry to represent how Chuck is known in the films and the ghost heritage perfectly fits the transfer of his soul into the doll. The Harmless Doll ancestry feat fits his habit of pretending to be a lifeless doll while waiting for the opportunity to strike. Given his past as a serial killer, the criminal background seemed the best fit. His favor of trickery and deception is a perfect fit for a scoundrel rogue with Tumble Behind representing his diminutive height and ability to dodge around.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Distracting Feint
o Skill Feat: Lengthy Diversion
o Skill Increase: Deception (expert)
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Glare
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert)
o Gear: +1 shortsword, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Minor Magic – Occult
o Skill Feat: Trick Magic Item
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (expert)
o Minor Magic Spells: Cantrips – prestidigitation, telekinetic projectile
o Gear: ventriloquist’s ring, +1 shortsword, necklace of knives, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 18)
o Ancestry Feat: Spark of Independence
o Skill Feat: Sow Rumor
o Skill Increase: Occultism (expert)
o Gear: +1 striking shortsword, pendant of the occult, ventriloquist’s ring, necklace of knives, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
Distracting Feint functions well with the idea of his victims being perplexed by a doll attacking them whereas Minor Magic fits with his study of voodoo. Aside from his skill in Deception that allows him to disguise himself, Chucky also enjoys terrifying his targets after revealing his true nature, and Intimidating Glare helps to facilitate that. Trick Magic Item further explores his knowledge of voodoo and other occult magic. With his more recent plans to firmly establish himself as a legend, Sow Rumor helps him do so. Spark of Independence isn’t something he can make use of on his own, but it represents the legion of doll bodies that his soul is split between.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Twist the Knife
o Skill Feat: Schooled in Secrets
o Skill Increase: Stealth (expert)
o Gear: +1 leather, +1 striking shortsword, demon mask, ventriloquist’s ring, Jack’s tattered cape, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Feat: Slippery Secrets
o Skill Increase: Deception (master)
o Gear: secret-keeper’s mask (Father Skinsaw), +1 leather, shadow armor rune, +1 striking shortsword, pendant of the occult, ventriloquist’s ring
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Dread Striker
o Skill Feat: Battle Cry
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Gear: boots of bounding, clandestine cloak, lesser dread armor rune, +1 leather, +1 striking shortsword, demon mask
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Histrionic Injury
o Skill Feat: Kip Up
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (master)
o Gear: +1 resilient leather, boots of bounding, hat of disguise (greater), secret-keeper’s mask (Father Skinsaw), shadow armor rune, +1 striking shortsword
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 19)
o Class Feat: Tactical Debilitations
o Skill Feat: Hefty Hauler
o Skill Increase: Occultism (master), Religion (trained)
o Gear: greater ventriloquist’s ring, +1 resilient leather, smokey hag eye, boots of bounding, secret-keeper’s mask (Father Skinsaw), +1 striking shortsword
Although I question the functionality of Twist the Knife at times, it seems a solid fit conceptually for Chucky. While Chucky doesn’t have the focus on fear as much as a character such as Michael Myers, he’ll still make use of Dread Striker. Tactical Debilitations allows him to leave an opponent too shocked by the sight of a doll attacking them that they can’t attack. Between Diehard and the earlier pick-up of Toughness, Chucky isn’t quite as hard to kill as he is in the films but gets closer to it. He can play up a wound with a Histrionic Injury to startle foes, enjoying the trickery.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Adopted Ancestry - Halfling
o Skill Feat: Swift Sneak
o Skill Increase: Stealth (master)
o Gear: +2 striking shortsword, mask of the banshee, greater ventriloquist’s ring, +1 resilient leather, boots of bounding, hat of disguise (greater)
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Bloody Debilitation
o Skill Feat: Skeptic’s Defense
o Skill Increase: Thievery (expert)
o Gear: +2 resilient leather, +2 striking shortsword, greater clandestine cloak, greater ventriloquist’s ring, flaming weapon rune, smokey hag eye
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Reanimating Spark
o Skill Feat: Charlatan
o Skill Increase: Thievery (master)
o Gear: +2 greater striking shortsword, +2 resilient leather, ebon marionette, greater clandestine cloak, mask of the banshee, greater ventriloquist’s ring
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Ritualist Dedication
o Skill Feat: Bon Mot
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Gear: keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking shortsword, moderate dread armor rune, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, cape of the mountebank, greater demon mask
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 20)
o General Feat: Ancestral Paragon – Distracting Shadows
o Skill Feat: Reveal Machinations
o Skill Increase: Crafting (trained), Deception (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, keen weapon rune, boots of speed, +2 greater striking shortsword, ebon marionette, bag of holding (type III)
With his training in Medicine gained from murder and the dismemberment of corpses, Chucky picks up Bloody Debilitation to inflict grievous wounds upon his victims. With the knowledge of magic that Chucky has demonstrated, the Ritualist Dedication feels appropriate. For all the times that Chucky spends around children and others of short stature, Adopted Ancestry for the halfling ancestry fits him and he can use it with Ancestral Paragon to pick up Distracting Shadows so that he can hide behind creatures larger than him. Reanimating Spark works especially well for a slasher making a comeback after seemingly being slain.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Perfect Distraction
o Skill Feat: Scare to Death
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (legendary)
o Gear: greater flaming weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater boots of bounding, keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking shortsword, greater cloak of elvenkind
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Restitch
o Skill Feat: Resourceful Ritualist
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking shortsword, greater flaming weapon rune, dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, keen weapon rune, boots of speed
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Flexible Ritualist
o Skill Feat: Legendary Sneak
o Skill Increase: Stealth (legendary)
o Gear: anklets of alacrity, +3 greater striking shortsword, speed weapon rune, greater flaming weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Numb to Death
o Skill Feat: Titan Wrestler
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, anklets of alacrity, dread blindfold, +3 greater striking shortsword, greater flaming weapon rune, dragonscale amulet
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 18, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 20)
o Class Feat: Reactive Distraction
o Skill Feat: Terrified Retreat
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master), Nature (trained)
o Gear: +3 major striking shortsword, +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, mercurial mantle, dread blindfold, speed weapon rune, greater talisman cord
Perfect Distraction allows Chucky to leave behind a decoy, playing into the idea of him having multiple doll bodies, and Reactive Distraction lets him use it to escape attacks that might kill him. He explores his ritualist archetype with both Resourceful Ritualist and Flexible Ritualist, potentially allowing him to perform his rituals on his own as he often does. Given Chucky’s appearances in some of the films, Restitch is an appropriate feat and given his ability to return from death, Numb to Death is another obvious fit.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: The most obvious answer for building Chucky with the free archetype variant rule is the Ritualist Dedication, but another possible option is a spellcasting class, preferably a Charisma-based class with the occult tradition. A sorcerer or bard archetype could work though. The problem with this idea is that outside of his body-swapping rituals and a few similar tricks, Chucky isn’t much of a caster. Another option is Familiar Master, which allows him to potentially gain a poppet familiar to resemble one of his duplicates, which is furthered even farther when he uses the Master’s Form familiar ability.
BUILD CONCLUSION
With his criminal background and ghost poppet ancestry, we capture the basics of the serial killer Charles Lee Ray who transferred his soul into a doll. In this state, he tries to disguise his murderous intent by pretending to be a Harmless Doll, focusing on Deception with the scoundrel rogue. His study of voodoo is featured in the Ritualist Dedication and with the Minor Magic rogue feat. The inhuman pain and punishment he suffers in his doll body are meant to be covered by the likes of Toughness, Diehard, and Numb to Death, but Restitch also fits the idea well His main goal was formerly the transferal of his soul to a human body, but he eventually outgrew that desire and was more interested in the fame he gained from being a killer doll. With the multiple doll bodies that he has been shown to possess lately, Perfect Distraction allows him to at least briefly make a single copy of himself.
Lemme know what you think and if there's any other particular builds you'd like to see.
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Have a fantastic Friday!
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