I wouldn't build this character without a request, but I can't remember who requested it. Nevertheless, it was an interesting attempt that was fun, particularly when it came to exploring a different hybrid study than usual. There's some funkiness with the character sheet when it comes to spells because I prematurely added some spells that felt important to the character. 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 Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist!
EDWARD ELRIC
CHARACTER Edward Elric
SOURCE Full Metal Alchemist
BUILD GOALS
o While young, Edward Elric attempted Human Transmutation to bring back his dead mother and instead lost his right arm and left leg, which were replaced by automail prosthetics
o He went on to become the youngest person to earn his certification as a State Alchemist and began research into the Philosopher’s Stone to restore the body of his brother, which had been lost in the aforementioned incident
o Despite his diminutive stature, Edward is a capable combatant following his training at the hands of Izumi Curtis and is further aided by his automail limbs
o He is an ‘alchemical’ prodigy of genius level intellect and is highly knowledgeable on alchemical theory, chemistry, and biology
o In the world of Full Metal Alchemist, alchemy is more akin to magic that focuses on transmuting matter
o He doesn’t require a transmutation circle to perform alchemy, allowing him to use it to its full effect in combat situations
o In the midst of combat, he will often transmute weapons, preferring swords and polearms though he frequently turns his automail arms into blades
o Aside from weapon creation, he frequently uses alchemy to alter his terrain and manipulate the earth, summoning stone columns, creating grappling hands from the earth, and forming battering rams
o He is very skilled at adapting the alchemy of others for his own use, such as creating gauntlets similar to Armstrong or forming carbon armor like Greed
o He has also learned how to interrupt the process of alchemy during the deconstruction phase, allowing him to disintegrate targets of his touch
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Skilled Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Intelligence
o Ancestry Feat: Natural Ambition
o Skill Increase: Arcana (trained)
Background: Saved by Clockwork
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Intelligence
o Skill Increase: Crafting (trained)
Class & Subclass: Inexorable Iron Magus
o Class Ability Boost: +Strength
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Medicine (trained), Nature (trained), Occultism (trained), Society (trained)
o Class Feat: Arcane Fists
o Spellbook: Cantrips – gouging claw, produce flame, read aura, shield, warp step; 1st – shocking grasp
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str 18, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 10)
The ‘alchemy’ used in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist is more akin to straight-up magic and to represent this along with the fact that Edward specifically practices ‘combat alchemy,’ he is built as a magus. None of the hybrid studies particularly stand out, but he does seem to favor polearms and spears, wielding them two-handed, so he picks up the inexorable iron study. As a voracious learner who may have gone too far in his youth, Natural Ambition seemed like a good pick and allows him to grab an early Arcane Fists feat as he often uses hand-to-hand combat. Arcana seems like a solid stand-in for his alchemical knowledge, which is why he selects it for his skilled heritage. The saved by clockwork background matches the automail used to replace his limbs that were lost after trying to resurrect his mother.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Sterling Dynamo Dedication – Manual Percussive Striker
o Skill Feat: Additional Lore – Alchemy Lore
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Crafter (expert)
o Spellbook: 2nd – acid arrow, telekinetic maneuver
o Gear: +1 longspear, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Modular Dynamo – Rotating Sickle
o Skill Feat: Magical Crafting
o Gear: trinity geode, +1 longspear, necklace of knives, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str 19, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 10)
o Skill Increase: Arcana (expert), Alchemy Lore (expert), Nature (expert), Stealth (trained)
o Spellbook: 3rd – magnetic acceleration, shifting sand
o Gear: +1 striking longspear, crafter’s eyepiece, trinity geode, necklace of knives, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion
Saved by clockwork is a solid start, but the build further captures the feel of his automail arm with the Sterling Dynamo Dedication. Modular Dynamo serves to simulate his use of alchemy to change his arm and will help him fill out his archetype feats so that he can take a new dedication. None seem particularly sword-like, seemingly his preferred form, but the rotating sickle at least deals slashing damage. Additional Lore serves to ensure that he stays up on the Alchemy Lore skill, representing his vast and almost encyclopedic knowledge of chemistry and the make-up of various things. Because of this and his skilled heritage, he gets three skills up to expert with his 5th level-up.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Modular Dynamo – Entangling Barbs
o Skill Feat: Unmistakable Lore
o Gear: +1 scale mail, +1 striking longspear, alchemist goggles, trinity geode, hand of the mage, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Increase: Crafting (master), Alchemy Lore (master)
o Spellbook: 4th – shape stone, stoneskin
o Gear: endless grimoire, +1 scale mail, lesser boots of free running, +1 striking longspear, crafter’s eyepiece, trinity geode
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Witch Dedication – Wild Patron
o Skill Feat: Inventor
o Witch Spells: Cantrips – scatter scree, tanglefoot
o Gear: ring of wizardry (type I), endless grimoire, bellflower toolbelt, +1 scale mail, +1 striking longspear, alchemist goggles
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Incredible Improvisation
o Skill Increase: Nature (master)
o Spellbook: 5th – flowing strike, passwall
o Gear: +1 resilient scale mail, gloves of storing, ring of wizardry (type I), endless grimoire, lesser boots of free running, +1 striking longspear
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str 20, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 19, Wis 10, Cha 10)
o Class Feat: Basic Witch Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Assured Identification
o Witch Spells: 1st – pummeling rubble; 2nd – dismantle, elemental zone; 3rd – dividing trench, haste
o Gear: greater hat of the magi, +1 resilient studded leather, greater trinity geode, ring of wizardry (type I), endless grimoire, +1 striking longspear
Another pick-up of Modular Dynamo qualifies Edward to start picking up another archetype, which he immediately puts towards a Witch Dedication. This may seem like a weird choice, but witch is Int-based, allowing him to make more use of his intellect while also wielding the primal spell list, which has access to the earth-manipulating spells to represent his other use of combat alchemy – shaping earth and stone. A friend suggested that his patron should be The Truth, which sounds fun but seems weird for a for a wild patron. He also picks up some of those spells with his magus spells, but he’ll want to save those slots for attack spells. Both magus and witch are capable of learning spells, meaning that the spells listed here are just the ones that appropriate to the character and just about any appropriate spell can be learned. Edward likely has a more intellectual view of Nature, but will keep investing in the skill for options such as Basic Witch Spellcasting. He continues taking skill feats that increase his capability as a crafter and in using Alchemy Lore. Notable spells in this section are stoneskin to represent carbon armor of Greed that Edward figures out.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Arcana (master)
o Spellbook: 6th – disintegrate, transmute rock and mud
o Gear: +2 striking longspear, greater hat of the magi, bravery baldric (haste), +1 resilient studded leather, gloves of storing, ring of wizardry (type I)
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Expert Witch Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Alchemical Crafting
o Witch Spells: 4th – shape stone, spike stones
o Gear: +2 resilient studded leather, +2 striking longspear, greater endless grimoire, greater hat of the magi, brooch of inspiration, greater trinity geode
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Stubborn Persistence
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Gear: +2 greater striking longspear, +2 resilient studded leather, master magus ring, greater endless grimoire, greater hat of the magi, bravery baldric (haste)
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Patron’s Breadth
o Skill Feat: Armor Assist
o Witch Spells: 5th – pillars of sand, wall of stone
o Gear: boots of speed, +2 greater striking longspear, major trinity geode, +2 resilient studded leather, greater endless grimoire, ring of wizardry (type II)
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Intelligence (Str 21, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 10)
o General Feat: Fast Recovery
o Spellbook: 7th – control sand
o Skill Increase: Arcana (legendary), Diplomacy (trained), Alchemy Lore (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient studded leather, boots of speed, greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking longspear, greater crafter’s eyepiece, master magus ring
More witch feats will out Edward’s class feats for this level, allowing him to pick up options such as shape stone, stone spikes, and wall of stone, which aren’t terribly reliant upon saves to determine their effectiveness. From his magus class, he importantly gains disintegrate to represent the deconstruction alchemy that he learns from Scar. Almost purely because he is called an alchemist and it is the whole premise of the show, he takes Alchemical Crafting. Armor Assist is intended as a cheeky nod towards both his automail as well as the fact that his borther is a giant, walking suit of armor.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Runic Impression
o Skill Feat: Unified Theory
o Witch Spells: 6th – flesh to stone
o Gear: greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient studded leather, major endless grimoire, boots of speed, +2 greater striking longspear, major trinity geode
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Heroic Presence
o Skill Increase: Nature (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking longspear, greater shock weapon rune, major armory bracelet, +2 greater resilient studded leather, boots of speed, greater ring of the ram
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Master Witch Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Legendary Professional
o Witch Spells: 7th – control sand
o Gear: belt of giant strength, +3 greater striking longspear, speed weapon rune, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient studded leather, major endless grimoire
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Improvised Repair
o Skill Increase: Crafting (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient studded leather, belt of giant strength, major brooch of inspiration, +3 greater striking longspear, greater shock weapon rune, major armory bracelet
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 22, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 14, Cha 10)
o Class Feat: Supreme Spellstrike
o Skill Feat: Craft Anything
o Witch Spells: 8th – earthquake
o Gear: +3 major striking longspear, +3 greater resilient leather, true endless grimoire, belt of giant strength, orange prism aeon stone, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking)
In this final block of the character build, Edward returns to the magus class for Runic Impression to make quick elemental modifications to his blades and Supreme Spellstrike to keep him permanently quickened, an always useful feature. This is a good nod to the speed at which he performs alchemy since he doesn’t need to use alchemical circles. Unified Theory allows him to use his knowledge of the arcane (‘alchemical’) for most subjects while Legendary Professional leans into his lack of alchemical ability at the end of the series though he retains all the knowledge of it.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: Obviously, Edward will want to spend his archetype feats on those that he takes normally, which will mainly free him up to take magus feats. Solid options include Magus’s Analysis to represent his intellect and problem solving capabilities, Spirit Sheath could be flavored as him actually making the weapon, and Knowledge is Power can help him better take advantage of his vast intellect.
BUILD CONCLUSION
As a master combat alchemist in a world where alchemy is functionally magic, Edward is a magus that uses the Witch Dedication to have spells that manipulate the earth in-between his channeling his magic through his strikes. Following his near-death experience when he tried to resurrect his mother, Edward was in part saved through the use of automail prosthetics, represented by his saved by clockwork background. With his knowledge of hand-to-hand combat coming from his training by Izumi Curtis, Edward has the Arcane Fists feat thanks to his Natural Ambition as a human. His multi-faceted genius is covered by his investment in the Arcana, Nature, and Alchemy Lore skills as well as their associated feats. Uniquely, Edward can perform alchemy without the use of a transmutation circle, which he can represent with options that make him quickened, such as haste and Supreme Spellstrike. He often transmutes his automail arm into various types of blades, which is represented through the Sterling Dynamo Dedication and its Modular Dynamo feat. Outside of this, he seems to prefer two-handed spears and polearms, so he uses the inexorable iron hybrid study. Favoring earth manipulation outside of his regular combat, he picks up a few such spells from the magus but relies mainly on his Witch Dedication and its feats for it. These feats grant him options such as spike stones, wall of stone, shape stone, and even earthquake. Of note is earthbind, one of the inexorable iron studious spells that also influenced that selection for his hybrid study. He is skilled at adapting the alchemy style of others into his repertoire, which works nicely for a class that learns spells. Specifically, he uses stoneskin to resemble Greed’s carbon armor and disintegration for Scar’s ability to halt alchemy during the deconstruction phase. Ultimately, this build leaves Edward as an intelligent but capable warrior who manipulates the terrain to his benefit and can fight with his automail arm even when disarmed of his weapon.
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. For next week, I celebrate a character that really shows how fire works when she has a chance to pop off.
Have a fantastic Friday!
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