Here's another entry in my building of something from a game that I've never played. I don't have a ton of things to note about this one, but one thing I think I can mention is that some of you may have noticed that I don't build as many characters that are full casters. If I haven't got into it, the reasoning behind that is that for most builds that use casters, the majority of their abilities are covered by their spells. And while those spell choices hold a bit more weight for classes with limited spells like bards, sorcerers, and others with spell repertoires, it feels far less important to me for classes that I can learn all spells available to their tradition, such as wizards and witches or those that already know everything like druids and clerics. I will try to make caster builds a little more common for Full Build Friday, but I'm probably gonna be looking for odder ones. I'm continuing the Free Archetype Suggestion part, so be sure to lemme know what you think of that. 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 Dark Willow from DotA!
DARK WILLOW
CHARACTER Mireska Sunbreeze
SOURCE Defense of the Ancients 2
GOALS
o The daughter of a fae merchant king, Mireska grew up skilled at navigating social encounters but was bored by them
o Spurred on by a spark of rebellion, she burned down her family estate and set off with her pet wisp, Jex, in search of adventure
o She is talented with magic, which she uses for mischief and harm as she finds do-gooders a contemptible lot
o Mireska is a ranged, intelligence hero in her home game who attacks at a distance and focuses on disabling enemies
o Her Bramble Maze creates a maze of brambles that ensnare and damage foes
o With Shadow Realm, she recedes into the shadows to become untargetable and empower her next attack, which will also take her out of the Shadow Realm unless she has a scepter upgrade
o Cursed Crown places an ancient fae curse on a target that eventually stuns them and other nearby enemies
o Bedlam causes Mireska’s pet wisp to begin roaming around, attacking nearby enemies
o Terrorize unleashes Jex the wisp to terrify all enemies in an area, sending them running back home
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Pixie Sprite
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Charisma, -Strength
o Ancestry Feat: Sprite’s Spark
Background: Royalty
o Ability Boosts: +Charisma, +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Society (trained)
o Background Feat: Courtly Graces
Class & Subclass: Fey Bloodline Sorcerer
o Class Ability Boost: +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Deception (trained), Intimidation (trained), Nature (trained), Stealth (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – gale blast, ghost sound, gouging claw, prestidigitation, ray of frost; 1st – charm, fear, grease
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 18)
Given her appearance and position as the daughter of a fae merchant, Mireska gave me a chance to make use of the sprite ancestry with the pixie heritage making the most sense given her apparent size. Given that Mireska is a ranged intelligence-based hero, I decided to pick up Sprite’s Spark ancestry feat to give her a ranged attack with a mystical feel to it. Her father is mentioned to be a ‘merchant king,’ leading to royalty feeling like a decent background though nobility could also work. A background to better reflect her rebellious nature might exist but it was not one I could find. Sorcerer gives her many of the spells needed to achieve the effects of her abilities with the fey bloodline giving her some more trickster type spells and a future focus spell from it fitting with the idea of her Shadow Realm.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Familiar
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Glare
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – shocking grasp
o Gear: dull grey aeon stone
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Ancestral Paragon – Evanescent Wings
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – acid arrow*, entangle, hideous laughter
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1), dull grey aeon stone, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Bespell Weapon
o Skill Feat: Lasting Coercion
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – glitterdust
o Gear: staff of fire, handwraps of mighty blows (+1), necklace of knives, dull grey aeon stone
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 19)
o Ancestry Feat: Fey Magic
o Skill Increase: Stealth (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – enthrall, slow, wall of thorns*
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), ventriloquist’s ring, staff of fire, necklace of knives, dull grey aeon stone, ring of discretion
Familiar is the first step in giving her Jex the wisp as a familiar though the initial feat is not enough to fully capture the feel of Jex. Bespell Weapon works into the secondary part of Shadow Realm that empowers her next attack and is going to give her some nice damage to go along with future feats that she’ll be taking. On that note, Fey Magic grants her access to invisibility. A mix of this spell plus her Bespell Weapon does a good job of fully capturing the feel of her Shadow Realm. With some of Mireska’s later abilities causing fear, a slight focus on Intimidation seemed appropriate as did Stealth to make it harder to find her. With that focus on Intimidation and the fact that it is noted that Mireska showed some talent following her father’s lifestyle, Lasting Coercion seemed appropriate. Her Strength won’t be high enough to make use of Intimidating Prowess until much later, which leads to Intimidating Glare being a better fit for her. Finally, Ancestral Paragon gives her a chance to grab Evanescent Wings, which are essentially useless to her, but she always flies around, so it’ll be a step for down the line.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Advanced Bloodline
o Skill Feat: Charming Liar
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – fear
o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), wand of widening (1st-level), staff of fire, hat of disguise, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – hallucinatory terrain, murderous vine*, suggestion
o Gear: wand of hopeless night , +1 explorer’s clothing, wand of caustic effluence, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), staff of fire, ventriloquist’s ring
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Rogue Dedication
o Skill Feat: Battle Cry, Terrified Retreat
o Skill Increase: Occultism (trained), Thievery (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – tortoise and the hare
o Gear: wand of fey flames, verdant staff, wand of hopeless night (2nd-level), +1 explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), demon mask
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Energize Wings
o Skill Increase: Stealth (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – cloak of colors, glimmer of charm, tree stride*
o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, conducting weapon rune, wand of fey flames, verdant staff, shadow armor rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 20)
o Class Feat: Sneak Attacker
o Skill Feat: Swift Sneak
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – blessing of defiance
o Gear: greater shadow armor rune, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, shock weapon rune, wand of fey flames, verdant staff, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
With the Advanced Bloodline, Mireska gains access to fey disappearance, giving her another way of achieving her Shadow Realm. Given her penchant for mischief and troublemaking, Rogue Dedication feels an appropriate feat for her and lets her grab Terrified Retreat so she can send foes running, as per Terrorize. Building out of that, Sneak Attacker helps her stack damage on attacks she makes coming out of Shadow Realm, between Sneak Attacker and Bespell Weapon. Her first general feat was spent on increasing her flight capabilities that become actual, albeit limited, flight with Energize Wings, but she has the chance to grab Fleet this time to increase her speed so that she can Sneak further. Which becomes slightly less important when she picks up Swift Sneak at 10th level, but it’s still handy and moving faster in general isn’t bad. Since Mireska doesn’t have any investment in Diplomacy, Charming Liar lets her at least make use of a skill that she does have access to.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Thievery (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – mislead, nature’s reprisal*, tangling creepers
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), greater shadow armor rune, greater ventriloquist’s ring, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, conducting weapon rune, wand of fey flames
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Basic Trickery – You’re Next
o Skill Feat: Subtle Theft
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – flesh to stone
o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), staff of nature’s vengeance, greater shadow armor rune, swarmeater’s clasp, shock weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Invisible Trickster
o Skill Increase: Thievery (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – mask of terror, unfettered pack, visions of danger*
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of the spider (4th-level), staff of nature’s vengeance, greater shadow armor rune, greater ventriloquist’s ring
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Advanced Trickery – Magical Trickster
o Skill Feat: Pickpocket
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – frigid flurry
o Gear: hellfire boots, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater verdant staff, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater demon mask, ring of lies
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 21)
o General Feat: Fast Recovery
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (legendary)
o Spell Repertoire: 8th – horrid wilting, uncontrollable dance, whirlwind*
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, winged armor rune, hellfire boots, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater staff of nature’s cunning, wand of the spider (4th-level)
With the split focus on Intimidation, You’re Next from her rogue archetype feels appropriate for her, but more importantly grants her access to Magical Trickster. From what I’ve seen, this usually isn’t a well-regarded feat but with her multiple means of becoming invisible and her magical attacks having a higher chance of success than her regular attacks, I think this works out for her. Additionally, with the surprise attack class feature from her Rogue Dedication, the Incredible Initiative feat increases the likelihood that enemies will be flat-footed to her in the start of combat as long as she’s rolled the right initiative. Invisible Trickster is a big get for Mireska, giving her a heightened invisibility that she can use hourly. Kinda crazy. The slight dip into Thievery and its associated skill feats is just to play into her role as a mischief-maker. Finally, Fast Recovery is simply because Mireska is a character from a MOBA who regenerates health while out in the field.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Enhanced Familiar
o Skill Feat: Scare to Death
o Spell Repertoire: 8th – boil blood
o Gear: major staff of nature’s cunning, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater staff of nature’s vengeance, hellfire boots, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), wand of widening (5th-level)
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Hero’s Wings
o Skill Increase: Stealth (legendary)
o Spell Repertoire: 9th – nature’s enmity, resplendent mansion, upheaval
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), greater shock weapon rune, major staff of nature’s cunning, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, winged armor rune, hellfire boots
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Quickened Casting
o Skill Feat: Foil Senses
o Spell Repertoire: 9th – storm of vengeance*
o Gear: circlet of persuasion, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), speed weapon rune, major staff of nature’s cunning, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of widening (6th-level)
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Incredible Investiture
o Skill Increase: Society (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 10th – cataclysm, primal phenomenon
o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, circlet of persuasion, major shadow armor rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), greater shock weapon rune, major staff of nature’s cunning
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 22)
o Class Feat: Bloodline Perfection
o Skill Feat: Connections
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 major striking), +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of the snowfields (7th-level), circlet of persuasion, speed weapon rune, staff of power
This comes in way later than Mireska needs it, but Enhanced Familiar unlocks four master or familiar abilities for her and Jex. This allows her to make Jex an elemental wisp specific familiar, since he is referred to as a wisp, but abilities such as spellcasting or spell delivery might be good fits for Jex as well. Quickened Casting and Bloodline Perfection don’t add anything in particular to achieve the effects for Mireska’s build but are simply solid caster feats. With Quickened Casting, she can potentially disappear with invisibility and then still be able to make a spell attack benefiting from her sneak attack damage. Hero’s Wings grants her permanent flight since she is always flying around.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTION: Rogue Dedication is an obvious choice for this build but another solid option is Familiar Master with options like Familiar Conduit, Improved Familiar, and Incredible Familiar in particular being good choices so she can enhance Jex's capability. For sorcerer feats to replace the archetype feats she took, some metamagic feats such as Reach Spell and Widen Spell might be good fits as well as some stuff like Terraforming Spell helping to create more areas that she controls. With investment in those feats, it might be worthwhile to take Metamagic Mastery as her 20th level feat rather than Bloodline Perfection.
CONCLUSION
Mireska’s heritage as a fae is accomplished right off the bat by making her a pixie sprite and expanding on it with her ancestry feats that eventually grant her full-blown flight and make her a trickster. Her partner-in-crime, Jex, is acquired through her Familiar feat and then later improved with Enhanced Familiar while her rebellious and wicked nature is captured through her skills, focusing on subterfuge and skullduggery with Intimidation, Stealth, and Thievery with just a spot of Deception. Her magical talent is reflected through her very class and the fey bloodline only serves to further establish her as nobility among her ilk. Her ranged autoattacks can be achieved with her Sprite’s Spark, the mental damage of them granting a mystical feel. As is often the case with character builds that use full caster classes, most of her abilities are achieved through spells. Bramble Maze is initially achieved with entangle but wall of thorns and tangling creepers fill a similar role and even deal damage along with their obstacle effects. Shadow Realm is probably the ability most clearly represented through Mireska adding invisibility to her repertoire and then gaining it through her ancestry feats and also using her fey disappearance, comboing that with effects such as Sneak Attacker and Bespell Weapon to empower her follow-up attacks. In particular, Invisible Trickster functions as though she has the scepter upgrade. The primal spell list doesn’t grant paralyze and none of the curses it held felt particularly appropriate, leading me to pick up slow to get at least somewhat close to the effects of Cursed Crown. This same reasoning is the choice behind tortoise and hare. Mireska can unleash Jex with familiar abilities such as independent, spellcasting, or spell delivery and utilize Terrorize simply by casting a 3rd-level fear, which is why she took it again at that level. This is also why she is as invested in Intimidation as she is.
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build!
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. For next week, I switched up builds to bring you all a gunslinger who's definitely a little different than normal.
Until then, have a fantastic Friday!
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